This is the side facing away from the water in the last pictures
The scenery at the tail of the dragon was just spectacular. The stop where this was taken was packed with motorcyclists taking in the view
Tail of the Dragon, also known as Route 129. Not only twisty but also hilly. Winding its way up and down a mountain. The banking of the road on some of the turns was worthy of a roller-coaster.
At a stop along route 129.
Where I parked at the dam
The dam from the top
Tail of the Dragon Dam. You've probably seen it before in the movie The Fugitive. No we did not check every hen house, farm house, etc, but we did get a few good pictures.
Another Damn Dam Picture
Cliffs! This picture was on route 28
One of the overlooks on route 129
The S60 2.5T AWD Volvo did remarkably well in the twisties, but a Porshe would have been even better
Tail of the Dragon had a number of pull-off points where you could stop to rest your breaks and watch the other motorists
At the end of the Tail of the Dragon is where Route 28 starts, almost as good, its turns are a little less hairpin, and therefore can be taken faster.
Driving the tail of the dragon was fun. Break into turn, accelerate rapidly, break into another turn. Doing it smoothly, reading the corners right for how fast they can be taken.. All together probably almost as intensive as racing driving. :)
In this picture you can see the twisties ahead and behind in the sideview mirror
Tail of the Dragon. Probably the twistiest road in North America. Fun.
They waived!
I think View says it all
6000+ FT up a mountain. The Great Smokey Mountains have 16 peaks that are over 6000 ft high, and I think you can see a few of them here
Red Sunset, Red leaves.
Looks almost like a painting, where the colors blur together
Sunset 6000+ Ft High up in the mountains.
Blastoff!
The noise took some time to travel the 11 miles. Up to this point it was almost entirely silent.
This is about when the roar of the shuttle main engines reached its peak, and you could feel the vibration of the sound.
Booster Rocket seperation
The space shuttle launch was spectacular. But the visual is only 1/2 of it. The sounds and feel of it from 11 miles away are awesome
Dolphins in the waterways of St. Augustine Florida
There were 4 or 5 in this area, apparently feeding as the tide came in
The Conk House. For some reason its actually spelled the Conch House
Some fort in St. Augustine Dating from the 1500's.
Boating the St. Augustine waterways at low tide took a bit of navigating, and I'm pretty sure we missed a bunch of the signs that said 'slow idle only'.
Boating near St. Augustine Florida
New Bridge and remnants of the very old bridge
Some coastal scenery from the boat
Boating is fun.
On the right is the waterway connecting to the Atlantic Ocean
The old bridge remnants. St Augustine dates from the 1500's.
Apparently its okay to take your car out onto the beach. The Atlantic is right behind the photographer. And no, I did not get stuck in the sand, and I didn't need a couple nice folks to help push me out. ;)
The Lincoln Memorial
The Capitol Building
The NASA vehicle assembly building. This is where they prepare the shuttles
The NASA shuttle crawler. The picture doesn't do its size justice
Where the shuttle launched from the day before
The International Space Station assembly and preparation area, including a Canadian section!
Driving into the District on the interstate, my attention wandered from following the other Volvo, to take in the sight of the pentagon. I've been told that pulling over to gawk at it on the side of the interstate is a good way to get yourself a 4 hour interrogation with the police.
The White House.
Didn't see any security around anywhere, just the metal gate.
He's quite imposing in person.
This is the closest and best view of the White House the public can get, unless you arrange a tour with 'your' congressman a few months in advance.
Side of the Lincoln memorial
Washington Monument
The capitol building
Lincoln is still a popular guy
What is it you may ask. Its the roof of the Lincoln Memorial.
The Canadian Embassy. A little on the ugly side if you ask me, although its really close to the capitol buildings
The plane that dropped the 2nd Nuke
A B52
The actual airplane that dropped the first atomic bomb
