Wake up early in the morning, and the Qantas plane that left last night is replaced with the QF1 arrival literally just landed, air bridge moving to plane ( just noticed the Qantas logo is a different font from the Qantas A380 that was here last night ) So normally I would be on this plane, flight QF2 heading back to Sydney, but as I started this journey on a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, I am today heading to Los Angeles to get my flight QF12 back to Sydney tomorrow first person exiting ( first class passenger ) after shower and breakfast back in room to pack bags and Qantas plane replaced with American Airlines 6 hours later finally on plane ( AA137 original plane had door issues, so there was a big 2 hour delay and aircraft change ) lets go in the queue and plenty behind us as well take off, and the hotel I was just in overnight and red roo on remote stand now, waiting for tonight’s flight Hampton Court Palace on the River Thames through the clouds and we’re not alone Severn River and Severn Bridge at Beachley with River Wye zoom in Gower National Landscape Bristol Channel Bae Caerfyrddin Milford Haven St Ishmaels and St Brides Bay St Georges Channel Ireland Muir Éireann and the clouds set in about 2000kms later, just we are nearing Greenland, the clouds break up if it stays like this we will finally get a good look at Greenland ( the last few times it was very cloudy and only caught a glimpse of sections of Greenland ) oh woauw, but this time it looks like it will really be cleared up , can just make out land on the rightyes, Greenland coming up so rugged on the coast, look at all those mountains Kujalleq Municipality Island with no name woauw, feeling blessed to be able to witness this big chunks of ice calving into the ocean impressive woauw again, feeling pretty chuffed, this is just incredible, I found the spot on google earth, but no name just incredible, and then to think that 90% of people in my cabin have their window shades down, they just don’t realise what spectacle they are missing although one guy a few seats behind wondered what was going on with me taking so many photos, opened his shade, and yeah, he too started taking photos straight away lunar ice landscape just pretty zoom in detail incredible landscape looks serene, but we all know it would be pretty harsh being down there so many mountains and I can not find any names on google maps print please woauw, ready to lay some fresh tracks google maps now did not even bother updating this area with new pictures pretty much the middle of crossing Greenland so much snow and ice how’s that line details zoom in interesting semi circle in the Sermersooq Municipality interesting Calving Davis Strait all those textures a bit like elephant hide incredible Calving in Davis Strait sorry if this is becoming monotunous I’m just fascinated by it all getting to the westcoast of Greenland and a new band of cloud of the coast about to cover the Labrador Sea yep Labrador Sea, between Greenland and Newfoundland Canada Clouds finally clear about 2000kms later just in time for Lake Manitoba near Crane River zoom in Crane River The 481 going to Crane River Lake Shore Lake Dauphine Dauphin Entering Riding Mountain National Park Moon Lake at the top Clear Lake and Lake Audy Stuart Lake Bend in the Little Saskatchewan River near Elphinstone North Salt Lake Hamiota Virden, Oil Capitol of Manitoba, Canada Pipestone, Manitoba Souris River at Glen Ewen and nearing the US Border bottom third is Canada, top US and Upper Des Lacs Lake North Dakota Ceres Gate Inland terminal, right next to the border weird this big wide river, just starts so quickly, as in not a long stream, straight away a big wide river Tioga Ray Missouri River Willston Bend in the Missouri River at WillstonWe are now tracking on pretty much the same light path I did on flight back in January ( click here and scroll down ) difference is through, back then the landscape here was all white
Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River near Ridgelawn, how is that contrast between the farm land and the arid hills, which by the way is farmland in Montana and hills in North DakotaSidney Lonely cloud Glendive Dawson County Yellowstone River Bridge at Fallon roughly same spot this time last JanuaryPowder River same same last JanuarySheridan, Wyoming Big Horn and the Big Horn Mountains Range Big Horn zoom in, still a little snow left up there. Mt Woolsey and Cloud PeakBig Horn County The colours, all white in winter Washakie County just above Worland Wyoming Buffalo Creek Trails Copper Mountain and Clear Creek in the distance which will flow into Boysen Reservoir Boysen Reservoir Boysen reservoir sits in Fremont County Town of Shoshoni Riverton Hudson can see how they are utilising the little water with circular irrigation for farming in that arid land, probably flowing from Big Horn CountyLander Young Mountain Fremont County how’s the little zig zag road, Lander Mountain road Southern part of the Windriver range flying right on top of West Atlantic peak and Christina Lake Lander Cutoff road Sublette County trails through Sublette county, hardly finding anything name wise on google maps near Farson and Eden so much land, and I can’t help but wonder about of all the senseless killing in the 1800’s of natives oh man, don’t know what it is but I would love to go check out that rocky outcrop just above immigrant trail Sisecam, producing Soda Ash more Soda Ash producer and salt mine in Sweetwater County Plateau’s near Lyman Uinta County Sage Creek Mountain Wyoming \ Utah border running diagonally across the photo Top Utah, bottom Wyoming, with the Stateline Reservoir being, the stateline border King Peak, Ashley National Forest Wilson Peak and Red Castle lake Mt. Lovenia Squaw Peak I know that smoke that’s bush fire smoke, near Tabby Mountain Strawberry Reservoir Indianola Valley in Sanpete County and another bush fire in Manti-La Sal National Forest Escarpment overlooking Levan in Juab CountyManti and Gunnison Reservoir Centerfield Yuba Lake Richfield Mt Belknap & Mt Baldy and Piute Reservoir Veterans Memorial Hwy 15 and can you spot the R ? Beaver Wheatgrass Parowan, Iron County, Utah, circular Farming, Solar Farms, Little Salt lake and a Gap road through Whitney Canyon complte with Dinosaur tracks and Petroglyphs, place has got it all 🙂The red Ochre in the hills behind Parowan Enoch and Cedar City Cedar City Zion National Park Apple Valley at the top, La Verkin and Hurricane with Virgin River running between and Leeds on the bottom Quail Creek Reservoir and Red Cliffs National Conservation Area Sand Hollow Reservoir, those escarpments and the colours, accentuated by the late afternoon sun and the valley running diagonally across the top right of the photo is the Utah \ Arizona state border Woauw, those red cliffs near St George, some great spots to shoot there for sure, and google maps has it showing some more Dinosaur Track sites Utah on the left Arizona on the right and St George airport right on the bottom Littlefield and Mohave County Near Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, and all that erosion Colorado River flowing from Arizona into Nevada at bottom of photo Meadview Colarado River ( looking more like a lake ) with Arizona – Nevada border running through it horizontally and if I was on the right side of the plane now I would be looking at Las VegasRed Lake Mohave County Arizona we’re not alone Wind Farm in Mohave County White Hills and Willow Beach with more wind farms Last Stop Travel centerColorado River running into Lake Mohave seen this just on my recent flight from Dallas to Los Angeles, but from the bottom, looking north ( looking South East now ) Can just make out the casinos at Laughlin Cal-Nev-Ari and Searchlight at the bottom mine near Hart Fountain Peak and Edgar PeakProvidence Mountains State Recreation Area and Clipper Mountains behind it Boulders Granite Peak and edge of Kelso Sand dunes Bristol Mountains Wilderness and Kelso Dunes Wilderness AreaBroadwell Dry Lake with train line running through it ( imagine trying to thst today, built a train line through the middle of a lake )Lavic Lake Volcanic Field off the 40 beautiful afternoon light right now apparently about 25000 years old we’re not alone Love it passage near Kenton Mills lots of trails but no names Melville Dry Lake and nice outcrop of boulders Granite Peak East just under the clouds crossing Big bear Lake, not long to go now bush fire just below Constance Peak Highland and a lot of Orange Groves Redlands and SBD airport 10 & 215 Eastvale Chino Aiport Youth correctional facility and round one is male only prison Los Angeles River and fog covered Long Beach 105 & 110 105 & 405 and the closer we get to the airport the denser that fog is getting landed and like a totally different day at LAX with this fog woauw, really set in here, would not know that a few kilometers out the sun is shining bright, spot the red tail with roo taxing to gate welcome party all hands on ok, what a great journey that was, highlight being the crossing of Greenland
London > Los Angeles AA137
woauw, this is a long one, strap in, looooads of photos in this post with the highlight being crossing of Greenland, enjoy
Sonny Vandevelde