Quick Trip

UP & AWAY: We were fortunate to spend the early part of this week down in Central Oregon. The top priority was visiting family, but while in and around Bend, Oregon, we took the opportunity to see some sites. An earlier post told of our stop at the LAST BLOCKBUSTER (video store) ON THE PLANET, and a great visit to the High Desert Museum.

Other highlights of the trip included a couple of hours at the Juniper Swim & Fitness Center. The main attraction was the outdoor pool with this big slide.

It was the last day of the season the outdoor pools were open, so they were bustling with swimmers that afternoon. Unfortunately, about 20 minutes into our visit, some kid puked into the pool with the slide, and it was closed for most of the time we were there. Bummer.

Fortunately, there was another big outdoor pool to enjoy.

 We all also spent a fair amount of time just relaxing. 

 Getting home meant going through the Redmond Municipal Airport.

The 132,000-square foot terminal showcases Central Oregon design elements and lots of local art.

There's even a little "Flybrary" by the gates. It was well-stocked with books during our visit, including many current best sellers.

 I was certainly tempted by this title ...

but I wound up borrowing an easier, breezier read, "Where'd You Go, Bernadette." I knew it was set in Seattle and that it has just been released as a motion picture. (I managed to read the whole book over the course of yesterday afternoon and evening, and would definitely recommend it, by the way.)

We had an uneventful flight home, and were greeted there by three critters who apparently missed us.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. ... 

High Desert

CAPTIVATING RAPTORS: MPA is on a road trip to Bend, Oregon, and that trip involved visiting the High Desert Museum on Monday.

Featuring wildlife, intriguing art, living history, and lovely grounds, the museum is a great destination any time. However, it was an especially special stop on Monday, because it was the last opportunity to get to see their "Raptors of the Desert Sky," an outdoor program.
With the help of human handlers, hawks, a barn owl, falcons and a big ol' turkey vulture put on an impressive show.  The raptors soared and swooped between perches, often flying just inches over the appreciative crowd, which is seated in the museum's pine forest.

A narrator shared facts about the feathered wonders darting about. While the turkey vulture might not win any bird beauty contests, its wingspan is impressive, and it is great at cleaning up carrion and more in our ecosystem.

I was absolutely enthralled by the barn owl. It approached the crowd from the west, and it felt like it was making a beeline right for Christian and me.  

You can see him getting ready to photograph it, below.

Below is a photo I captured of it, right before it went directly over my head, so close that my hair was tousled.

Below, the owl had just flown over CJ and Annabelle, and is heading for Charlie and Vitoria.

While Christian and I were among those sitting on the bench at the back of the amphitheater, the kids were sitting in the middle of the crowd. In the photo following, you can see CJ (wearing sunglasses), looking toward me. Coming up on him is a falcon, airborne. CJ was one of the taller people sitting in the audience, and his head got buzzed a number of times!

 Such a gorgeous creature!

 A couple of different species of falcons put on a show.

After the flying demo, the handlers brought out a couple of the birds, including this beautiful hawk.

Overall, the show had enormous 'wow' factor. We were all super happy to have had the chance to see it.

Naturally, we checked out many of the museum's other attractions, including an old saw mill with a man of few words manning it.

 There were outhouses about the property.

 CJ tried this one on for size.

 

We went to check out the otter exhibit, but they were all in their little den, taking a midday nap. We did see some tortoises and turtles on the go.

 And found a drowsy looking owl in an indoor enclosure.

There were numerous displays about natural resource management and stewardship, including this interactive one about balancing water needs. It took a few tries, but Annabelle eventually balanced out the fresh water demands of various groups.

Like moths to a light, the MPA crew was drawn to a display noting Central Oregon played a role in the Apollo missions.

 Here's Annabelle in a High Desert astronaut pose.

The photo below shows NASA folks going through exercises in the desert. The thought was the rocky terrain was rather like the surface of the moon. 
I don't think this 'moon walker' made the cut as far as equipment that made it to the moon.

There is, however, a rock from Central Oregon on the moon. Astronaut James Erwin placed it there during the Apollo 15 mission.

 It seemed like a big ask, but, believe it or not, the answer was, "Yes!"

 

 Based on our visit, we definitely give high praise to the High Desert Museum.

Tranquility Base

OVER THE MOON:  I'm behind, as usual (sigh), with the blog. Last Friday, we found ourselves at The Museum of Flight (yes, again). We just *had* to get there to say goodbye to the Destination: Moon exhibit. Because who knows when, if ever, again, we'd get to see the Apollo 11 command module that took those intrepid astronauts to the moon back in 1969?

Outside of the exhibit, we had to take advantage of the 'planting the flag' photo opp!

 I have to say I kind of like the black and white filter, as it's more 1969 authentic. :)

Working our way toward the Apollo capsule, we passed some permanent Museum of Flight artifacts, including this enormous rocket engine from the Saturn V era.

 We also spied a rocket thruster. This one was signed by NASA astronaut Pete Conrad.

 We also spied this Pete Conrad space suit.

 Its label is a little different than most apparel.

 We got to see a real, live moon rock. It was made super cooler by knowing exactly where it came from on the moon!

We also got to check out the medical kit they had on board Apollo 11.

 This sign told us more about what was inside.

And then there was the survival kit on board. This was in case they didn't splash down where planned - or maybe in case there were hostiles on the moon? Check out the machete!

We also got to check the life support backpack that Buzz Aldrin wore on the moon.

 It was interesting reading the instructions on the back of the backpack!

We also got to see Buzz's helmet and gloves.

I found it so interesting that one of his gloves had a cheat sheet on it. It reminded me of plays that some quarterbacks have on their wrists during games. There was a lot more at stake during Aldrin's QB-ing!

And we learned about the heat shield that protected the Apollo astronauts.

Below is the 'lasagna' shot of the layers of the heat shield.

 And below this is the actual 'game worn' shield on Apollo 11.

The shot above is a closeup of the damage below.

It was surreal walking around Columbia, the vessel that took three men to the moon and back 50 years ago. 

 Some of my earliest memories involve Apollo missions and splash downs.

 The 'back' side of the capsule is completely devoid of windows.

The capsule's door was dismounted. We could see its inner workings pretty up close.

I'm so glad we took the time to go visit Apollo 11 one more time before it leaves the Seattle area.

The Museum of Flight did a lovely job hosting the historic exhibit, right down to remodeling their kids' play area.  CeeJ and Bee are a tad old for that space, but they enjoyed checking it out, nonetheless.