USS New Orleans at Tulagi

War brings many of most stark and tragic images of history. Here, after taking a torpedo in WWII, the USS New Orleans is anchored at Tulagi Island in the Solomons Islands. The ship has been camouflaged to protect from another attack.

Tulagi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulagi

More USS New Orleans pictures: http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/032/04032.htm

History: http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cl32.txt

Hong Kong History

The Discover Hong Kong package tours Hong Kong Tourism website has a little history of the region - one of the world's most important cities despite the fact that Hong Kong was nothing more than a bunch of fishing villages only 160 years ago. Unlike other key world commerce capitals like New York, Paris, London, Beijing, etc, Hong Kong is relatively new and also sprung into being largely as the result of trade - often illegal - between China and the sprawling British Empire. In fact Hong Kong was under British control and protection until 1997 when the islands became a semi autonomous regio of China.

Although I lost most of my pictures from a Hong Kong visit in April here are a few Hong Kong Pictures mixed in with my China set.

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Columbia-Gorge-2008 146
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

Multnomah Falls is one of Oregon's oldest and most popular attractions. Millions have visited this beautiful Oregon landmark which lies less than an hour from Portland along the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Byway.

Multnomah is one of the tallest waterfalls on earth and the second tallest in the USA (Yosemite Falls is first).

Multnomah's concrete bridge, which began as a massive wooden log bridge about 100 years ago, gives the area an almost surreal appearance.

The falls are only minutes away from the I84 turnout, and the walk up to the bridge is only an extra 5-10 minutes. For the adventurous there are extensive hikes up and over the falls in the wilderness areas south of Multnomah. Check in at the information center for more information about the region.

View From Sandals White House Resort in Jamaica

PC3100341-Sandals White House, Jamaica
Originally uploaded by gailf548

Jamaica has a remarkable history that begins some 3000 years ago when the Taino Indians of South America settled
on the island, which they called Xamayca.

Columbus' sailed to the island in 1494 and claimed it for Spain, which began years of occupation and oppression in 1509.

The Spanish named the island Santiago (St. James).

Spain brought the first slaves to Jamaica in 1517 and it was the slave trade's influence that dominated the history of Jamaica for centuries.

Cinerama Dome, Hollywood

Cinerama Dome in Hollywood California circa 1950

California has always been a fashion trend setter in terms of style, architecture, and of course movies. Here at the Cinerama in Hollywood all three came together in this picture which I think is from the 1950s - around the time setting of the film "American Graffiti", the George Lucas piece that defined the 1950s for a new generation of Americans and started the careers of stars like Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfus.

People and Horses on a Gigantic Redwood Log; about 1900.

Giant Redwood Logging in California

I'm not sure but think this is a Giant Sequoia rather than Coast Redwood. The Giants tend to be of greater diameter but not as tall as the coast redwoods with bark that is flatter and less furled. Also, the area appears very open where the Redwood forest is generally lush with smaller plants and trees.

That said, Giant redwoods never represented the huge market of the Coastal Redwoods which were a mainstay of the northern California economy for decades, until protections and depletion of the resource stemmed the tide of logging the Redwoods. Although a small fraction of the original "Old Growth" Redwood remains and some is still getting logged, scenes like this will never again be a part of the historical landscape.

Columbia Gorge Hotel, Hood River, Oregon

Columbia Gorge Hotel
Hood River Oregon

The historic Columbia Gorge Hotel is located about an hour from Portland in Hood River, just off the Columbia River Highway / Scenic Byway / Interstate 84.

One of the west's most historic hotels, the Columbia Gorge Hotel was built about 1915 and restored to historic splendor around 1960 after a stint as a retirement home. The hotel is perched atop the cliffs overlooking the Gorge with a 200 foot waterfall just below. The landscaping here is spectacular making it a favorite place for elegant weddings.

Notables who have stayed here include Presidents Roosevelt (FDR) Grover Cleveland.