Sunday, September 27, 2015

Supermoon Lunar Eclipse

Here are some photos of tonight's lunar eclipse. These are rough photos. I will work on zooming in on some of them over the next few days,





































Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Day trip from NYC - Sandy Hook NJ

Sandy Hook Lighthouse
Sandy Hook, New Jersey is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. It sits at the very northern end of the chain of barrier islands that make up the "Jersey Shore." It is a multi-use park with ocean and bay activities along with the historic buildings of Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Lighthouse.

Sandy Hook Lighthouse

Sandy Hook's position at the southern end of NY harbor gives it great maritime importance. Before the ability to dredge a major channel was developed the main shipping channel into NYC passed near Sandy Hook. As a result the lighthouse was built on Sandy Hook in 1764. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in the United States. It is still a functioning lighthouse, maintained by the U.S. Coastguard.

Sandy Hook Lighthouse



Looking across the proving ground to the lighthouse

Fort Hancock

The importance of Sandy Hook is demonstrated by the fact that during the Revolutionary War the British captured and held it in order to control shipping into New York City. During the War of 1812 the United States built a wooden fort, Fort Gates, on this site. In 1859 a more permanent for was built - Fort Sandy Hook, which became the home to the New York's 10th Volunteer Infantry, the precursor to the 10th Infantry now based at Fort Drum NY.

During the 1890's a new set of fortified mortar batteries were built to protect the channel. These housed 12-inch guns, and the army commissioned the area as Fort Hancock. This included an artillery proving ground that was built in 1874. Fort Hancock served as a military base until it was decommissioned in 1974. At its peak during WW II it housed over 7,000 troops including WACS and it was an integrated base several years before President Truman's 1947 order integrating the entire U.S. military. During the Cold War Fort Hancock served as part of the Air Defense for NYC and and housed a NIKE missile base.

Today most of the buildings of Fort Hancock are still standing, although they are not open to the public. These include "Officer's Row," Many of Enlisted Men's barracks and mess halls, and many service buildings, now use by the U.S. Park Service.

Entrance to the Mortar Battery near the lighthouse

Passage to one of the batteries

This area held 4 12-inch guns - the circles were the guide rails for moving the guns
Unfortunately, much of the signage was damaged during Hurricane Sandy

I would love to see what is behind this door

12-inch shells
Officer's Row - Facing the Bay

Enlisted Men's Mess Hall

Some of the service buildings on the base

Sandy Hook Beach

Of course, the big draw to Sandy Hook are the beaches. Sandy Hook has 7 miles of ocean and bay beaches. While they suffered major damage during Hurricane Sandy, the bathing and changing facilities have been completely rebuilt. It is really a beautiful place to come and enjoy the sun and surf. There are also paddle boards and kayaks available for rent on the bay side near the Sandy Hook Visitor's Center. See map here.

North Beach from the observation deck


Coast Guard patrol off the beach
Looking across the bay to NYC

General Information

Sandy Hook is about a 60 mile drive from NYC. This takes about 1.5-2 hours, but can take a lot longer on a summer weekend. There is a $20/vehicle fee to enter the National Recreation Area. There is also ferry service from Manhattan to Sandy Hook for $46 round trip.


Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Folsom California - Home to the Gold Rush

Celebrating 150 years of Folsom
Folsom California is probably best known for its prison and the concert by Johnny Cash that took place there.

http://faigley.dwrl.utexas.edu/countrymusic/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2014/11/Johnny-Cash-2.jpg
http://faigley.dwrl.utexas.edu/countrymusic/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2014/11/Johnny-Cash-2.jpg

But Folsom's history goes back way before there was a prison. Folsom sits on the American River near where gold was discovered, and was at the center of the California Gold Rush. Originally named Granite City in 1854, it was renamed for its founder Joseph Folsom, who bought the land from under what may have been shady circumstances.

In 1856 Folsom became the terminus of the Sacramento Valley Railroad, which ran from Sacramento to Folsom, bringing supplies to gold miners and gold back to the state capital. This railroad eventually became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Today the line is run by Union Pacific and there is also a light-rail line into Sacramento.

The Folsom Terminal - now the tourist information office



Caboose at the Folsom Railroad Museum

Part of the Folsom Railroad Museum





Recreation of the A-frame turntable built in 1899



Today Old Folsom maintains many of its original buildings. The businesses have changed, but the buildings are still there. These buildings are all along Sutter Street in Old Folsom.









Old Town Folsom sits just below the the Folsom Dam. The current dam was built in 1955, replacing a dam originally built in1893. In fact the Folsom Dam has been providing electricity to the City of Sacramento since 1893. Today the Dam is 340 feet tall. Behind the dam is Folsom Lake, a major recreation and tourist attraction in the Sacramento area. In fact the Dam sits at the north end of a 25 mile bike trail along the American River that starts in Sacramento.

Main structure of the Folsom Dam


Building a new spill-way for one of the side dams

The American River below the Folsom Dam

The American River Bike Trail


Eagle soaring near the dam