2013-07-28 Barn Bluff Hiking in Red Wing

Ray and LeAnn took a short trip down to Red Wing, MN to hike the Barn Bluff along the Mississippi River.  The weather was nice and cool for late July.

At the base of the Barn Bluff is an old kiln from the late 1800's that is built into the limestone.  Red Wing is very famous for its Red Wing Pottery.





At the beginning of the trail, there is a long concrete stairwell (one of 3 on the trail loop) that was built by the Kiwanis to make it easier to get to the top and see the great views.  Each step was purchased through donations and the name of the donor is engraved in the stone.






We took the north trail which went past an old kiln tunnel that was about 30 deep or so.  For a while, the limestone was quarried off the bluff.  The remnants of the quarry area are now used by rock climbers.  There were a couple of dozen groups of climbers going up the walls.









As we came up the set of stairs on the west end, the woods opened up and gave great views of the town of Red Wing and the Mississippi River.  A large flag pole is on top of the bluff, a memorial to our veterans.

2013-07-24 Eagan Market Fest Car Show

Ray and LeAnn went to the Eagan Market Fest on Wednesday hoping to get our first corn on the cob of the year. By the time we got there, they were all sold out. Our other reason for going was to see the old cars that were part of the evening activities. There were over 115 cars interspersed throughout the market fest. We enjoy looking at the rebuilds and updates that people do to the old cars. It is fun to run across some of the same models of the old cars that our parents or friends had many years ago.

I like the little dog statue "marking" this car.

2013-07-14 Twin Cities River Rats and Stone Arch Bridge

Ray and LeAnn went downtown to watch the Twin City River Rats water ski show. The show is every Thursday evening, plus special shows like the one we saw on Sunday to celebrate the Aquatennial. The show is free for everyone (a goodwill offering is collected during the show) and very entertaining.
 The theme of this years show was based on the Mario Bros. computer game. There were plenty of trick skiers, barefoot, ballet and jumpers. All the seating is riverside on the grass banks. We were on a blanket, and some people brought lawn chairs.

The view of the Minneapolis skyline is great (and one I don't see too often from the north side).

After the ski show, we drove down west river road to downtown and stopped at the Stone Arch Bridge and Mill Ruins Park. We walked across the bridge and then down to the river bank around the lock and dam.







There is also a memorial for the 35W bridge collapse victims in the park. It was a lovely afternoon to be out and about, and there were a lot of people just enjoying the sights and sounds.

2013-06 Shanghai Longhua Martyrs' Cemetery & Museum and Century Park

On Saturday, Ray visited the Longhua Martyrs' Cemetery and Memorial Museum.  This was a large park area with many beautiful monuments and sculptures.  The park is located on land where 24 skeletons and many relics were found in the 1950's.  These skeletons were from revolutionary pioneers who were murdered on this site.

I don't have many details of the various monuments and statues, but did take a photo of the sign at the entrance for reference.  Adjacent to the park is the 7 story Longhua Pagoda, one of 16 remaining pagoda's in Shanghai.

Longhua Temple and Pagoda
Longhua Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery and Museum

Sunday, Ray took a walk through Century Park near the hotel he is staying at.  The park is about 350 acres in size and contains a small lake used for paddle boating  and fishing.  There is also a river running through it on which you can rent electric boats.  there is a small amusement park within the park.  All sorts of bikes are rented in the park, from standard 2-wheelers to tandem and triple in line bikes.  They also rent two person and 4 person surreys.  The paths that allow the bikes can get very crowded with people and bikes competing for space.

Just outside the entrance there was a girl dressed in a Mini Mouse costume letting people take photos with her.  After the photos, she would open her purse and ask for donations.  For sure, this was not a Disney approved photo op, or pre-marketing for the opening of Shanghai Disney in a couple of years.

The park is filled with all sorts of different plants, trees and shrubs, grouped into various areas.  Most items are marked and identified, so it is interesting to see the different types of plants growing.






As I left the park, I saw a sign in front of an apartment complex requesting people to stay off the grass.  That is not so odd, but it gave the reason to stay off was because the grass was crowing.  Whether or not it should have been the word growing or crowing, (hey everyone--look at me, I'm growing), the grass must have been proud

Shanghai Century Park

2013-05 Taipei

Alongside the Taipei Main Station, there was a display of old narrow gauge engine and a self-powered rail car.  The yellow car, as it was called, was used to transport students for much of it's life

I then got on the subway to head down to Taipei 101, which at one time was the worlds tallest building.  It has been surpassed by others now, but it still claims the worlds fastest elevator.  It went from the 5th floor to the 89th floor in just 37 seconds, hitting a top speed of 38 MPH.  Once at the top on the 89th floor, there is an enclosed observation deck offering 360° view of Taipei and the surrounding countryside.  The 91st floor offers a outdoor observation deck, but only one side was open on the day I was up there due to high winds.

In addition to the views, there are many displays of local art and jewelry to look at.  Many are made from sea deep sea coral and is called gemstone coral.  This is from depths of over 100m, and is not like the shallow water coral reefs.

There were also some gorgeous displays of carved jade and a 4' wide amethyst.  

 Going down to the 88th floor you get to see a very large mass tuned damper that is used to minimize the swaying and movement of the building, due to either winds or earthquakes.  The ball weighs over 700 tons with a diameter of 18 feet.

My last stop of the day was at Chiang Kia-Shek Memorial Park.  There was a lot of activity going on at the park as usual.  Out on the large open square, a school rifle corp was practicing.  They had set up football yard markers on the square, making it just like a football field so that they could stay in their straight lines and formations.  A little farther down, the drum line was practicing on a sidewalk, and the brass band was doing its practice under a tree.  I'm not sure if they were all from the same group and if they were going to put it all together at a later time, as they were all dressed in very casual clothes.