Flying over the West today. So many vastly different geology and ecology sights.

Palm Springs Art Museum

Hoover Dam.... why did I wait so long to see this?

A moving visit to Kennedy Space Center.
Bonus: SLS rolling to the VAB at 1 mph!

Twig tree?

I have no idea what this is. Cholla?

Those is a cactus equivalent of a blobfish.

Mom! Billy keeps poking me!

Desert plants, Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ.

Scaling the steps, about 110 of them.

McKinley statue.

Mausoleum view from halfway up.

Wide angle view of the mausoleum interior.

In 1901, President McKinley was killed at a public exposition. A massive mausoleum was built in Canton, OH.

Pity I wasn't fast enough to catch the humming bird!

The Columbia River seen from the shade of Howard Amon Park.

More shade, but at Walla Walla Vintners.

A cute antique caboose that's seen a lot of playtime.

Colorful street art in Walla Walla.

A warm and beautiful day in Eastern Washington.

I've literally looked at clouds from both sides, now.

Unexpected volcano framed in golden twilight, with hints of purple mountain majesty. You've gotta imagine there's a fruited plane below.

The mighty Columbia River wends its frigid way through a baking desert.

Oh, well, show's over.

Unexpected beauty, even thru a dirty window. Flying home exhausted, but still sentient enough for my eyes to appreciate the experience.

Built between 1841 and 1843 as the residence for the first (Russian Orthodox) Bishop of Alaska. It is a National Historic Landmark and part of Sitka National Historical Park.

An icon from the small but glorious upstairs chapel.

A samovar is historically crucial for Russian tea enjoyment. In fact, we learned Russian Alaska existed to obtain things Russia could trade for Chinese tea bricks.

A very heavy brick of Chinese tea. What all the fuss was about. I need to try this way of enjoying tea.

Visiting the Russian Bishop's home in Sitka, AK. Who knew this was all about tea?

On a rainy day, we just wanted to get warm for a minute. We stayed quite a while. Our senior passes also made our visit free.

Something mist people blow by are these displays. These explain a bit of what makes Alaska unique.

There are a number of interpretive displays illustrating the ways of life of many Alaskans.

Maritime, fishery, mining, and other industrial aspects of the Alaskan economy are introduced.

A beautiful museum in Juneau, AK, worthy of a visit.

Sitka, AK has a lot of totems. Apparently bears, too.

The chapel surrounded by greenery and moss-draped live oaks.

A side view of the unusual faceted windows, which actually bulge outwards.

This off-center view of the interior was taken from outside a window. The chapel seems to be a structure to support the roof, plus a lot of glass.

Another interior shot made thru a window. A beautiful wedding venue.

A beautiful chapel, the Baughman Center, surrounded by live oaks on the grounds of U of Florida in Gainesville.

A view of the Badwater Basin area showing a semi-infinite flat plane of featureless salt. Well, not really featureless: the salt forms rough geometric puddles with raised edges. BTW, lowest spot in North America, 85m below sea level.

A natural spring keeps this natural pool at about 87°F, and no chemicals are needed.

Ubehebe crater happened when some magma found some water... kaboom. This is reminiscent of the Sedan crater on the Nevada National Security Site, but it is a bit less radioactive.

This oasis built up over the last hundred years or so has lots of non-native plants. That rankles some, but perhaps we can just enjoy the oasis without too much judgement.

Salt flat, hot spring, crater, bougainvillea. #deathvalley

Mount Hood, in Oregon.

Mt Adam's, in Washington.

Mt Rainier, seeing way too close to my airplane seat.

Volcano appreciation day!

At least 75 visits since '87. I still enjoy it, but my need for tacos draws me back home.

Hmmm, added to my 'want to go' list.

I have laid my eyes on this caldera a few times before, and at worst, it seethed with sulpherous vapor. Today, it again mirrors my mood.

An impossibly beautiful scene: the peaceful Pacific washes ashore on rough volcanic rocks, carefully made into flat walls by people who successfuly evaded instant death from breaking the kapu. They paid their dues in good works, and left behind the the singularly beautiful and peaceful historic monument. Put this place on your bucket list.

Also my personal place of refuge: Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park.

Several well-known Seattle spots seen from low altitude: Pacific Science Center, the Space Needle, and Key Arena.

Mandatory Ivar's chowder in Sea-Tac. I mentioned this recently in California, and someone said, "You actually eat that chowder?" I guess I'm not a chowder snob.

Looking North on the centerline of the pic: Maury, Vashon, Blake, then Bainbridge Islands. Sadly, I've only been to Bainbridge.

Looking West over bits of Burien (maybe) at Maury (l) and Vashon (r) Islands.

Another beautiful day flying over western Washington. Yes, when you're from eastern Washington, this is 'flyover country'. Glad I can appreciate both!

Pre dawn one day before the end of winter. Scattered lights form the horizon, and dark clouds obscure the growing orange band. High above, a few white clouds are fully illuminated.

Another dramatic sunrise in Eastern Washington.

"O tenderly the haughty day
Fills his blue urn with fire;"

Words that still torture high-school students from a previous century.

@heatherunwin.bsky.social

HBDTY, HBDTY, HBDD Heather, HBDTY!

I once tried to fall off the Schafberg.

San Francisco seen from the south. The San Mateo bridge seen from above. The architectural tower at SFO seen from the ground.

Flying into SFO on a peaceful afternoon. Sights seen from my window.

Mt Rainier, the Columbia River, and eastern Washington farms, all seen from a plane.

Glad the clouds let me have a beautiful flight over Washington today.

Nine Vienna steeple pictures, eight of the same steeple in different weather abdvtome of day. One pic is of a completely different steeple.

One of these things is not like the others.

Schottenkirche spires gleaming in the bright sunlight.

A busy construction site frames the Rathaus.

Perhaps I've walked enough to deserve one of these pretty torts or pastries.

Kaiserschmarn was the Emperor's favorite, they day. I enjoyed the plum sauce. So did my shirt.

Out for a lunchtime walk in Vienna: the 3a, to 71, to U2, to U1, to U3. Sounds more like a ride, but it took 6000 steps to link them all together.

The Vienna Floemarkt was well attended, even in freezing weather. The blue sky helped.

Looking at the back of the Vienna State Opera, or Stadtoper. The almond colored stone fairly glows against a black night.

Sometimes, the metro rushes in and ruins your intended photo, but maybe the blurred metro is better than my plan.

Coffee in Vienna for me is a melange, a mixture of espresso, steamed milk, and foam. A topfengolatch is a pastry filled with cream cheese... a sweet treat for breakfast.

A German colleague one described Vienna as just another cold, dark European city.

Sunshine reflects off the gently curving Haas House windows into radial spokes on Stephansplatz.

There are moments where mirror-like reflections of the sun are a royal pain: a vast geometric headache.

Confused about the right beverage: bier or espresso.

A fountain (Donnerbrunen) on Neuermarkt that is Is usually covered in Winter.

People enjoying a quiet Saturday evening in a konditerei.

Stephansdom lit up against a dark blue evening sky, and without scaffolding.

A chilly evening walk.