Walking the Catwalk Under the New River Gorge Bridge

Posted on May 19, 2012 by

It is impossible to get the full breadth and sense of scale of West Virginia’s New River Gorge Bridge in any one photo. At one point it was the longest steel single-span arch bridge in the world. Now there are longer ones in Asia, but it is still the longest bridge of this type in the Western Hemisphere! The roadway towers 876 feet above the rushing waters of the New River. To get an idea, you could stack two Statues of Liberty and one Washington Monument and they would fit under this bridge!

We were recently in the area, participating in the New River Birding and Nature Festival. Gail signed me up for an activity that was new for this year: a walk across the gorge on the narrow catwalk that is just underneath the bridge! The “birding” attraction was to hopefully see the local hawks and falcons that love to stalk their prey from these dizzying heights.

So we arrived at the Catwalk Tour place, signed waivers, and got fitted for our harnesses. I confirmed with Gail that she knew where my life insurance papers were. She was too chicken shit to take the walk herself, but brave enough to sign me up!

We were taken to a spot where we could access the catwalk, and were given instructions on how to enjoy the walk and how not to die.

That’s me and my favorite naturalist and birding guide, Mark Garland. Gail and I plan to visit him at his digs in Cape May later this year at the time of the fall migration.

As you can see in the picture, we walked through the locked gate and under the bridge to this end of the catwalk. The catwalk itself is about a yard wide, with thin steel railings about waist high. From the moment I put my foot on the catwalk I could feel the vibration of the bridge. That was weird, as we were still on the part of the bridge that is connected to land. The vibration got worse as cars and trucks drove by overhead.

We then attached a loop from a cord on our harnesses to an overhanging wire. I think the idea was to give us a false sense of security!

And we started our half mile walk, a walk that took about two hours as we stopped frequently to take in the awesome sights.

Far below we could see and hear the river. The “tiny” bridge in the distance was part of the old Hwy 19, which now courses on the bridge we are standing on.

At one point, our tour guide climbed up to another access point and took these pictures of our group:

It took about an hour to get to the center and highest part of the bridge, directly over the river.

Notice the old Hwy 19 bridge again, and the railroad tracks on either side of the river. There are railroad cars on the left side tracks in the distance. And BTW, when the train passed under the bridge, the vibration got much worse.

Also notice the set of rapids. I used my zoom lens to see closer:

Yes, the New River, and the nearby Gauley River, are famous whitewater rafting destinations for those seeking the thrill of class 3-5 rapids. Kayakers like these rivers as well:

Vultures were circling. This one is high over the rafter, but way below us on the bridge. Seeing them from above was an unusual and interesting vantage point for watching vultures. – At least on this day, the vulture missed out on a tasty kayaker meal! ;-)

On the other side of the bridge there were other rapids. You can see the toes of my boots sticking out over the water. Makes me a little dizzy just seeing my own picture!

And finally, the whole point of this walk, we did see a Peregrine Falcon!

This is a magnificent bird! Later in the trip we also got to see it zooming closely over our heads.

Thank you, Gail, for a most unique experience. I will never forget my catwalk tour on the New River Gorge Bridge! :D

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Little Max Changes Everything!

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

Suddenly everything is different, in a most wonderful way! This tiny little package turned me into a grandfather, and my children into parents, aunts or uncle. It changed my parents into great-grandparents. This package of joy has been named Maxwell Thomas Mahon, or Max. He brings joy, hope and dreams. We welcome him with open arms into our loving family! :-)

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New River Birding and Nature Festival 2012

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

The birding and the guides are world class, so we came back to this wonderful event for our third year! The festival is always held at the peak of the Spring migration. If you include all our groups of birders at all the sites, 154 species of birds were spotted during the days we were there. Gail and I personally saw 60 species. Many of these are tropical birds that migrate at this time to their northern breeding grounds. Some of them have already arrived to their destination and exhibit territorial, mating and nesting behaviors. Others are just passing through, some of them on their way to Canada. Some of these little flyers migrate over 2,000 miles! Birders from all over the country come to this event because of the sheer number of species, over 200, that can be seen at this time in the various habitats along the New River Gorge. This time of year, birders are particularly interested in spotting Warblers. About 30 species of Warblers can be seen in the gorge at this time. They are small, tricky to spot, and sing soft, beautiful songs which are all somewhat similar. It is a particular challenge to remember these songs, recognize them in the field, track and spot the Warblers. Gail and I saw several, heard several others, but did not have many photo opportunities.

It was overcast and rainy much of the time. But when the rain did stop and the sun peeked through the clouds, the birds were amazing, singing and flying with gusto!

The New River Gorge Bridge is impressive. It is the longest arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. It carries West Virginia Highway 19, a dramatic 876 feet above the New River!

I’ll have more bridge pictures on a later post when I’ll relay my experience on an exciting bridge walk, along a narrow catwalk underneath the bridge!

But we came for the birding, so here is how it goes. Ever day starts early, before sunrise, so we can get breakfast and be at our sites as early as possible.

The large group of birders have previously decided on one of several local destinations, so we divide into smaller groups. We hop on buses or in our cars, depending on the destination, and try to get there as the sun is first hitting the trees. We make stops where the guides know are the birdiest spots. The gorge is so steep that our vantage points frequently allow us to look at the downhill treetops and the uphill underbrush.

Sometimes we hike directly into the forest to look for the birds who prefer this habitat.

We can encounter some mighty big trees. (Look closer for mini me.)

In this way we can spot beauties like this Blue-winged Warbler…

…and this Indigo Bunting.

It seemed particularly musical this time. Even the more common birds entertained us with their songs. The Brown Thrasher:

The Eastern Towhee:

We were very lucky to hear and see this Golden-winged Warbler, one of the highlights of our trip:

The Long Point Trail was a great spot for us. There were so many birds singing and flying that it was hard to decide where to focus our binoculars and attention. We heard the loud referee whistle of the Great Crested Flycatcher and spotted him way high in a tree,

and the youngest member of our group, a college student from Maryland, spotted this Magnolia Warbler. That wonderful moment was another highlight of the trip, and the pictures might give you a small idea of how tricky it is to find these elusive warblers:

And finally:

After about two hours of fun on that day, it started to rain. We decided to take the two mile hike to Long Point, which is the tip of a giant rock, a cliff really, overlooking the New River. It was a difficult up and down trail, made more difficult by the pouring rain and the resultant muddy spots and slippery rocks. I give Gail a lot of credit as she is still rehabbing her broken and operated hip.

Those were definitely two country miles, but we finally got there. The view was clouded by the weather but it was still dramatic. We could not see the New River which we knew was far below us. We could hear it roaring. And at times we could not see the bridge at all. If you can imagine, the rock we are standing on is the top of a several hundred foot sheer rock cliff.

And then, we had to walk back!

The birding and just being in the middle of such a vast natural wilderness is good for my soul. It is tiring and energizing at the same time. I’m sure I will come back again to the New River Birding and Nature Festival because it makes me feel happy, peaceful, hearty, grateful and alive. All good things. Great things! I am so glad Gail and I equally enjoy this sort of thing.

 

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Birding at Reynolda

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

We had a very good day birding at the beautiful Reynolda Gardens today. It is part of the Wake Forest University grounds, all of which was donated by the JR Reynolds (tobacco) family. We saw 34 species but I only managed a few half-way decent shots.

The first one was easy, because the bird box doesn’t fly away the moment I compose the picture and try to focus.

This next one was easy, too, because the subject is so just damn photogenic! ;-)

Our looks on most of the birds were brief in this dense foliage, and some of the birds were just too small and far away for good pics. But this Scarlett Tanager is okay.

This Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was the most cooperative, peacefully fishing along a little stream.

Taking pictures of good looking birds can be difficult, unless they pose nicely for me like this:

That was the bird of the day! :D

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NRA Convention 2012 St. Louis

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

Our trip to St. Louis last weekend was to attend the annual convention of the NRA. An estimated 60,000 people were expected at the America’s Center for the four day convention, April 12-15, and it sure seemed to me like they all showed up! Wow! The huge convention center was jam packed with about 500 vendors and shoulder-to-shoulder attendees like ourselves.

It was a great opportunity for us to check out the latest and greatest items up close.

Always the lady, Princess Gail checked out accessories for her pink outfits, like this semi automatic pistol:

Diann was like a kid in a candy store, playing with this cute assault rifle:

Gail had a happy moment here, watching my lips move without having to hear a sound:

I was happy to see that the ongoing war on Zombies was well addressed at the convention. Here are but a few examples:

There were thousands of guns on display.

Princess Gail found her Walther PPS in the Smith and Wesson display area:

Gail liked the NRA race car as well:

Besides the gun displays there were many other activities going on. This is a stage for major national level politics. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich spoke at one of the meetings. Ted Nugent was there doing his usual thing. Trace Adkins played at the Country Jam. There were seminars, workshops, raffles, an air gun range, artists, the NRA Store, and so much more! We attended The Freedom Experience on Saturday night, which included a great performance by Larry the Cable Guy (I have become a big fan) before the main speaker Glenn Beck (way too conservative for me.)

All in all, it was quite an experience! My favorite products were the Baretta PX Storm, Springfield’s XDM and the new little XDS in .45 caliber, and Ruger’s new 10/22 Takedown rifle. I think Kimber had the most beautiful product in their little Solo pistol for concealed carry; perfect except for its $1,200 price tag! I was also impressed by the quality of several guns I had never handled before, including guns from Taurus and Charter Arms. It was a great opportunity to compare and contrast, hands on. I’m really glad we attended! :D

Finally, to give you a little taste of what it was like inside the America’s Center convention hall, I’ll finish with this YouTube video (not mine).

Posted in Guns & Shooting, Travel | Tagged | 1 Comment

Our Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

A must-do activity if you ever visit St. Louis, MO is a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery! Even if you don’t have a beer belly, I’m fairly sure you would enjoy it. There is a lot of history here, and it is always fun to learn how a local company managed to become a household name around the world. This is the original brewery. There are now 12 others in the US and 18 more scattered around the globe. It was interesting hearing about how they maintain quality and consistency throughout all the facilities.

Just imagine how many beers they had to manufacture, ship and sell to afford just a single 2012 Super Bowl ad. Companies paid an average of $3.5 million for a 30-second spot! Wow!

So here we go. First of all, the tour was quite affordable. It’s free! :D

We met up in a large, comfortable waiting area and browsed the cool souvenir shop until the next tour started. We learned about the origins of the company in 1860. Then we were led around the complex, into several buildings, up and down many flights of steps, to check out the various parts of the brewing process.

I couldn’t capture the coolness of this part of the brewery, which is where they bottle the final product. The machines fill 1,300 bottles per minute and 1,900 cans per minute! A cap is placed on the bottle within 0.2 seconds of its filling.

But Gail and I both agree that the best part of the brewery tour was seeing the famous Budweiser clydesdales up close! How cool is that!!! :D

Again, the picture does not do justice to these magnificent horses. They are gigantic! You can really sense how powerful they must be! And hasn’t everyone on the planet enjoyed the many winter scenes, or the horses playing football on Super Bowl commercials?

Here is Princess Gail inside the stable by one of the many wagons that have been pulled by these beautiful clydesdales.

Though I think she looks better behind one of these:

And at the end of this spectacular free tour, we were taken into a room where we could drink two tall complementary glasses of the brewery’s finest. We had a choice of several beers, including your basic Bud Light and a sexy Blueberry Lager! :D

So, ladies, remember… Where there’s Life… there’s Bud!

And guys… This Bud’s for you! :D

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Meet Me in St. Louis

Posted on April 15, 2012 by

Princess Gail and I just returned from a trip to St. Louis with our new friends Hal and Diann. We went for the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits (the exhibits, really!) But first, we decided to catch a couple of famous St. Louis sites on our first day. It was a cold, wet, dreary day, but we made the most of it!

Our hotel, The Hyatt at the Arch, was across the street from the famous St. Louis Arch, right on the banks of the Mississippi River. We could see a bit of the arch, the river, and The Casino Queen, from our room’s window.

It is possible to ride a small capsule (and I mean small) to the top of the arch and take a look from tiny windows. A warning to claustrophobiacs: just look at other people’s pictures!

The doors to the capsules at the bases of the arch are only about 5 feet tall. You have to step up and crouch at the same time to get in.

Here’s Princess Gail in one of the capsules, which seat five, tightly-squeezed people! She is sitting in the only seat where one can sit up straight.

After a 4 minute ride we arrived safely to the top and were treated to some nice views despite the tiny windows and the rainy weather.

We could see our hotel and the Old Courthouse from one window, and from another we could see Busch Stadium, home of the World Series champions St. Louis Cardinals. On the other side we saw barges on the Mississippi.

We posed for pictures. Princess Gail and Ferd:

Diann and Gail:

Diann and Hal:

After this, we headed to the Anheuser-Busch brewery. Details on the next post! :D

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SIG Sauer P226 full size 9mm pistol

Posted on April 6, 2012 by

Today I had the chance to shoot the SIG Sauer P226 full-size pistol, in 9mm. The link I provided is to the Wikipedia article which gives some great information. The most interesting part to me is that this gun was one of the two finalists under consideration by the US armed forces in 1984 when they were deciding on a new pistol to replace the M1911. The M1911 had been used by US armed forces for almost 75 years at that point. The best new designs came from the Italian gun manufacturing company Beretta and the Swiss company SIG. The Beretta won out, and most US servicemen are now provisioned with a Beretta M9. But some US forces, including the US Navy Seals, and many military units around the world, use the SIG Sauer P226.

I was way impressed with the gun! I won’t talk about the details of the gun itself as these can be easily found elsewhere. I’ll just talk about how it felt and behaved for me.

From the moment I picked it up, I could sense a beautiful and solid construction, and that it felt very comfortable in my hand. Great balance. Upon pressing the magazine eject button, the metal magazine ejected effortlessly. I loaded 14 rounds of 9mm Parabellum. I was then surprised at how easily the slide pulled back to chamber the first round. I set up my target at 7 yards and popped 5 relatively rapid rounds into the five inch target. I didn’t expect that kind of accuracy, as I’m not that good a shooter. [Not yet anyway ;-) ] So after that, I set the target at 10 yards and left it there for the rest of the session. I was shocked that even at that distance, nearly all my shots were within the five inch targets I was aiming for. Two shots out of 50 were just outside the target. I give the entire credit for this accuracy to the gun, as I have shot several others and have not had this kind of success. The only gun I have fired that feels about the same is the Springfield XDM.

SIG Sauer makes many variations of this gun, and they are all pricey. Expect to pay a street price of about $700 to $900. Just another example of the old saying, “You get why you pay for.”

I can so see why the US Navy Seals chose this as their handgun of choice. This is an excellent gun and it was really fun to shoot!

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Mint 50 year old Marlin 101 Bolt Action .22 Rifle

Posted on March 31, 2012 by

During our early March trip to Toledo to visit family, my father and I had a chance to talk about the new hobby that Gail and I have been enjoying. He was surprised we have been shooting guns. I think he enjoyed hearing about our experiences and what we have learned. And then it was his turn to surprise me! He told me that he had purchased a rifle and a shot gun many years ago. He had always kept them (successfully!) hidden from his three boys while we were growing up. I asked him whatever happened to the rifles, and he said he still had them! I was shocked! I remember him talking about guns on a very rare occasion, and mostly it was about removing bullets from people in the operating room. He was a general surgeon and attended to many Friday and Saturday night “specials.” Those seem to be the favorite days for people to shoot each other. But I never saw him involved in shooting sports in any way, shape or form.

He asked if I wanted to see the rifles and I said, “Sure!”. He went up into the attic and came down with a rusty old shotgun, and with a .22 caliber, single shot, bolt action rifle that looked like it was brand new. And that’s because it was as good as new. He told me the rifle had never been shot! He even showed me a little box of bullets that he bought at the same time as the rifle, with all of the bullets still inside. He bought these things in 1962, fifty years ago!

The best part? My dad offered me the rifles, and I eagerly accepted his generosity! :D

The .22 rifle has the words “J.C. Higgins Model 41″ on the barrel. I have since found out that this was a rifle made by Marlin Firearms, a North Carolina company. Marlin rebranded the rifles as “J.C. Higgins” exclusively for Sears. The little box of .22 Long ammunition also was in a Sears box.

I wrote Marlin and was able to get a users manual for the rifle. Though he can’t remember, I was able to find out that my father probably paid about $19 for the rifle in 1962. It is now worth about $125 – $150. I learned from various gun blogs and sites that this was a rifle many kids got from their fathers as their first rifle, to learn about shooting. It is reportedly easy to shoot and remarkably accurate.

So I brought it home and dropped it off at ProShots Range for a cleaning and inspection. The guys at the range had a good little time with it. They said it was in perfect operating condition. I think they were a little jealous. ;-)

I have had a chance to shoot the little rifle, and it is indeed very accurate. More than that, it is really fun to shoot! Since it is a .22, there is essentially no kick. It is very quiet. The single shot bolt action is actually fun to work/play with. And the very best part, I know the rifle will always remind me of my father. What a treasure! :D

Posted in Family, Guns & Shooting, The Best Parts | 5 Comments

Three Life Birds on the Apache Trail

Posted on March 30, 2012 by

During our recent trip to Arizona, Gail and I had a car and a few hours to ourselves on the morning after Kelly and Jason’s wedding. So we decided to drive at least a tiny portion of the scenic Apache Trail through the Superstition Mountains. We only made it as far as Tortilla Flat, so we were able to stay on paved road. Here are a few shots of the beautiful terrain.

At Tortilla Flat I noticed a few birds flying. At first I thought a black one with a long tail was a Great-tailed Grackle, which we see all the time in Scottsdale/Tempe/Phoenix. But this one had a prominent show of white in its underwing, a red eye, and a spiky head. It was a Phainopepla! A life bird for us! We had our binoculars with us so we could see details, but unfortunately we did not have our big camera and long lens. Our pix are from a point and shoot.

As we were oohing and aahing, we heard the familiar song and tapping of a woodpecker. But, what!? In the Sonoran Desert!? We looked to the sound and in a far away Saguaro cactus saw another life bird. The Gila Woodpecker! It was doing its thing, making its nest on the side of the cactus, where it will later forage for food. Sorry the pictures are so poor, but we know it’s the bird because it’s the only woodpecker that lives in this part of the country.

And finally, one our way back, we stopped on the side of the road to take a closer look at a large black bird sitting on a post. We figured it was a Common Raven until we saw the white ring around its neck. We took good enough pictures to later identify it as a Chihuahuan Raven, which happened to be in the northernmost part of its range, an unusual find. We may never see it again. Life bird number three in one day!

We did not intend to go birding during this trip, which was all about Kelly and Jason’s wedding. But funny how when you least expect it, you can be so wonderfully surprised!

It was a short but beautiful ride. I hope to drive more of it some day, with an off-road four-wheel drive for the unpaved part of the Apache Trail. And next time, we’ll bring our good camera and lens! :-)

Posted in Arizona, Ferd's Birds, The Best Parts, Travel | Tagged , | 5 Comments