I know some of those "experts". Don't waste your time waiting for their answer.

I've camped in Big Bend and walked the dunes loop trail at White Sands. If you go to White Sands and plan on walking the loop trail, bring lots of water. It gets really hot and you don't want to get out there without water.

Two pilots who are incredibly bored or incredibly stupid...or both.

I have a large copy of this photo in my home. I have always felt this was a photo that needed to be shown very large. It loses a lot when viewed on a small screen or magazine size. It is also something I would never consider taking myself. I think it comes from a time when large format cameras like a 4x5 or 8x10 were popular. From what I have read, I understand what caught Ansel's eye was the reflection of light off the crosses. When I study Ansel's work, I come to a conclusion that he was very detail oriented and the smallest touch was important to him in every frame he exposed.

That eagle sure looks pi$$ed!

The C-130 has a long and storied history. A real workhorse. I think its cool that the Blue Angels even do an aerial demonstration flight with their cargo plane. On a more personal note, flying in a Herc landing at Galena when the hydraulics failed and the thrust reversers saved my bacon by stopping just short of the river.

Aren't you preaching to the choir?

Check out the Matt Irwin video for more about this lens.

Natural sources like wind, solar and water all have their drawbacks. They are not constant. What has been proven over time and experience is a need for a steady source of energy that we can rely on. Our demand for constant electric power to run nearly everything we use 24/7/365 is either going to be some form of fossil fuel or nuclear energy. The TVA was a great idea for the East side of the country where water is more abundant, but the West has suffered drought in recent decades because so many people have moved west and are building cities where people demand water.

Maybe you should leave Hell and move to New Mexico. I paid $3.78 on my last fill up. I see where you don't commute anymore but our commutes are much shorter.

I agree. The most vulnerable children are the grade schoolers. They usually have short days anyway so just start their classes later in the winter months. They would still be out of class by mid afternoon. When I was in grade school back in the early 50's, we started at 8:30am. I don't remember there being DST then. Besides, DST runs between mid March to early November, so the only months when it might effect the grade schoolers would be October and November.

I've often wondered why I don't get a buzz from drinking coffee, which I understand is the reason most people drink it. I started when I was just a child and Mom would set a cup by my breakfast plate of eggs, bacon or sausage, grits with butter, some toast and jelly, and often a bowl of oats, fresh steamed. During the season, I would go outside and pull a grapefruit from the tree, cut in half and eat that too before packing up to go to school. When I was a young airman, my job was operating a power plant. Often alone in the plant. We always had a Mirro coffee pot nearby and it was tradition to make a full 12 cup pot just before going off shift so the next operator would be able to draw a fresh cup when he arrived. I can't say I like coffee but I have drank a lot of it down through the years. It seems to just be something to do.

Any value of DST is long past. The claim it gives more daylight is bogus. Every day has exactly the same amount of daylight whether you switch the clocks or not. Since it is known that bad things happen on Monday following the change, we should declare it a national holiday.

It is known that landing an aircraft on a carrier flight deck is one of the most difficult skills to master. Few pilots ever even get the chance. And those that do get the chance are highly trained and practice constantly. Landing an aircraft like the F35C, which is still quite new, is an even more unknown set of puzzles to solve. There are many things that can go wrong, including pilot error, but many more of a technical nature. I'm sure this incident will be thoroughly investigated and any number of new rules will be implemented to lessen it's occurrence again.

Nice BIF catch shots, Paul. I grew up in Tampa and crossed the original bridge a few times going down to Sarasota. After leaving the area to join the Air Force in 1964, I didn't get back to the bridge again. I knew about the ship wreck into the bridge but you provided a lot of details about it's revision into a fishing bridge and the construction of the new Skyway. When the old 1924 Gandy bridge connecting Tampa and St Petersburg was replaced by the new one back around the late 50's, they turned the old span into a fishing bridge too. I had an uncle who used to net mackerel in the shallow waters off the causeway. I hear now that even the second bridge has been converted into a "recreation" bridge as the third bridge has taken over traffic between the cities. That original six mile span and causeway really saved a lot time traveling between Tampa and St Petersburg. My parents used to have to travel all the way up the coast to near Dunedin and Oldsmar to go around the north end of Tampa Bay and into Tampa. About a four hour trip reduced to one hour in those days. I have always liked your "historical" narratives of the pictures you show. It provides a lot of context to the presentation. Keep um comin'.