Category Archives: Cool

Yep, it’s the day after Thanksgiving again. We all know what that means

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Yup. Northview Lane is decorated for Christmas. Not 100%, I suppose because some people may be out of town for Thanksgiving this year, but the street is ready for Christmas nonetheless. In case you didn’t know, this is a holiday tradition in Bismarck-Mandan. I can’t even remember how long it’s been going on. I wasn’t the only gaper with nothing better to do tonight; the road was quite busy. Some of the surrounding area’s other perennial neighborhood displays were already lit as well.

I love the Christmas season, even more so now that I’m Daddy. Enjoy it, folks…it’s going to be gone before we know it.

Instead of meeting constituents, Pomeroy meets with a few dozen hapless Democrats, admits who he represents

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You may remember this YouTube video in which I berated Congressman Earl Pomeroy for not holding any open public meetings with his constituents. Well, some events actually showed up on his website this week, as shown above! I decided to pop in and see if I could ask a question.

I found out, as did other people who attended similar “meetings” across North Dakota this week, that it was not any sort of public meeting, “town hall”, or other such event. This was a Democrat political rally, period. It’s not depicted as such on his website, but that’s exactly what it is. Apparently Conrad and Dorgan are going to show up and endorse him over and over again at these things. Yeah…that should really drum up support.

Speaking of support, it doesn’t look like Earl’s enjoying any. I showed up to find plenty of parking at 6:20, ten minutes before the start of the event. Around 6:28, people started trying to get the few participants to bunch up in front of the stage to at least look like there were some attendees. Heidi Heitkamp made repeated pleas for people to come up toward the front. It was embarassing.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the nearly empty room. Also empty was Ms. Heitkamp’s rallying cry, which consisted of so many uses of the phrase “failed policies of the Bush Administration” that I was ready to yell “DRINK!” at the sound of the next one! By this time we were ten or fifteen minutes into the event, and it was obviously a flop. None of our notorious Congressional delegation had showed up yet, I had church at 7, and it was obvious there wasn’t going to be any Q&A for me to ask Mr. Pomeroy my question. I decided to give up on my chance to get a free t-shirt for spotting Earl Pomeroy and left to go to church.

As I left the Elks building, I saw this black beast parked out front. I couldn’t help but think that it looked like an industrial strength hearse, an appropriate metaphor for the way Earl Pomeroy’s campaign for reelection has been going this year. I might add that there’s the possibility that then entire group from inside the building could fit into this one truck!

By the way, if you read the text of Congressman Pomeroy’s “events” website, you’ll see that he loves meeting with “the folks that I represent.” You can now see who those “folks” are: Democrat Party first, period…just like in Washington. This same Party was apparently unable to even wrangle more than a few dozen people into getting all Hopey-Changey for Pomeroy on the night of his big endorsement by Conrad and Dorgan.

If it wasn’t so good for North Dakota, it’d almost be sad. Who knows? Maybe Earl was able to bring in a few hundred loyal union fans fifteen minutes late, after my camera and I had split the scene. Not likely.

Don’t worry, I’m sure the Congressman will get some cushy insurance job once he’s bounced out of office…after all, those evil insurance companies are his biggest donors.

Local fire departments put on an amazing event, if only I could tell you what it was

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After finishing up some business at the Bismarck Police Department (more on that another time), I called a friend of mine who told me about an amazing event going on at the Mandan Fire Department. Of course I bolted straight over, and of course my camera was with me.

I checked the local newspaper and TV websites, which are really good at telling you about things that have already happened, and didn’t find any information about the goings-on. I also looked on the City of Mandan’s website with the same luck. It was apparently a great kids’ fun night, with all sorts of demonstrations

Among all the items on display were fire engines, ambulances, and even this beast – a SWAT vehicle for police department use. I would love to have one of these! I wonder if they come in any other colors…

About the coolest possible thing ever for a little kid would have to be a fire truck ride! There were multiple trucks driving around with groups of happy kids inside. Too bad my little toddlers were already in bed…if I’d known about this event in advance, this would have been worth staying up for!

Lines of little kids awaited their chance to use the fire hose and spray out a “fire” with the help of one of the firefighters!

I’m going to have to figure out just what exactly this event was, and how I can find out about the next one in advance, because I know two handsome little towheaded boys who will be begging their Daddy to take them! You can bet I will.

Visit early, visit often – Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

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The most fun fall attraction in the area keeps getting better every year. Slides, tunnels, mazes, pyramids…and oh, yeah, pumpkins!

I can’t remember if these wooden toys were here last year, but we sure were happy to see them this year. If you look closely you can see my two-year-old peeking up from inside the “hopper” of this wooden combine. It’s accessible from the “intake” in the front. There are tractors, trains, and all kinds of fun.

Autumn moves pretty quickly in North Dakota, so you’d better head out to the Patch before the opportunity passes you by! I know how it goes; everybody is really busy these days. We didn’t get out to the Patch as soon as we would have liked, and it’s taken me even longer to post about it! We’re not done visiting it for the year, though…my little toddlers would love to go back a few more times.

More information on their hours, location, events, and even their pumpkin launcher is available at www.papaspumpkinpatch.com. Tell ’em I sent ya!

Makin’ fine feathered friends at the rest area

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On my way to Fargo for a couple of days working at Microsoft’s beautiful high-tech headquarters, I made a quick stop at one of our state’s handy rest areas. On my way back out to the truck I noticed this little Yellow Warbler fluttering by the window next to the door. He quickly dropped down to and perched on the sill.

He looked a little scared and disoriented so I, as a bird whisperer, decided to befriend him. I grabbed a little stick and put it by his feet so he had a better place to perch. After all, a little bird’s feet are not meant to sit on a flat metal surface; they need something around which to curl. He seemed pretty content with that, although a little out of sorts.

I talked to him a little bit and showed him to the other guys on the crew. He hung out with us for a minute or so, even hopping on a friend’s shoulder for a second, before regaining his composure and flying away. I figure he must have bonked into the window and rung his bell a little bit. In any case, it was nice to hang out with him briefly until he was ready to get back to being a bird.

Coal Creek sunset

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This gorgeous sunset is the result of me standing on top of my wife’s truck to capture a shot of one of the crown jewels of North Dakota’s energy industry. This is Coal Creek Station, which is the facility responsible for DryFining™ technology.

The people working here got an idea for making lignite coal burn better by removing moisture. By the time they got their process worked out a little bit, they were also able to remove a significant amount of impurities and pollutants from the coal as well. They’re now in the process of licensing this sort of technology all over the world!

The whole thing started with some of that North Dakota ingenuity we all hear about, where guys just grab whatever is handy and start building something. What started out as blowing air through a barrel is now a process which can improve coal-fired power plant performance by leaps and bounds.

It also makes for a nice sunset photo!

Cold War Mancation Part Two: Nekoma Missile Base (UPDATED)

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This giant pyramid is about the last thing you’d expect to find out in the middle of the North Dakota prairie… yet here it sits. It’s part of the defunct Stanley R Mickelsen Complex, part of the Safeguard anti-ballistic missle program.

The pyramid is the most striking feature of this complex, which operated for about four months before being closed. It housed the Missile Site Radar (MSR) with circular antennae on all four sides of the pyramid. This phased-array radar allowed tracking of incoming ballistic missiles as well as control of the ABMs.

Sadly, this structure has seen better days. The inside is flooded and the equipment has been removed. The outside is beginning to show its age as well. Can you imagine the power needed to operate these huge arrays?

That’s what these giant structures are for. Among the more confusing of the site’s many protuberances, these are actually the intakes and exhausts for six absolutely monstrous engines, used to spin generators capable of powering the facility.

Without an aircraft I can’t give you a photo of this that does it justice. It’s the missile field, which at one time contained both Spartan and Sprint anti-ballistic missiles. The Spartans were designed for long-range interception, and in case of failure the Sprints would be deployed. Both used nuclear blasts to knock out an incoming warhead, which due to EMP concerns really isn’t practical. One cool thing is that the Sprint missiles went from zero to Mach TEN in five seconds. How do I strap one of those to my Suzuki?

This base was built in the 1970s, operated for a matter of weeks, and was then shut down. The town was all set for the boom of having a military base next door, and then suddenly it all evaporated on them. Here’s a must-read article about the impact of this base’s construction and subsequent closure on the little town of Nekoma.

The Library of Congress has a small collection of photos from the site’s construction available online. A really nice aerial photo of the facility is available on Wikipedia and I think may come from the LoC collection.

Here’s a link to a Google Map I’m working on with various photo sites marked for your enjoyment. This link will allow you to view the site from above via satellite. This gives a good idea of what the missile fields look like.

Many more mundane buildings still inhabit this facility, although the base housing has been moved away. Various shops, administrative buildings, the security station, the chapel, and other such buildings are still maintained on site in case the Army chooses to return.

WARNING * (Don’t say you haven’t been warned) * WARNING

This base, while abandoned for purposes of the Safeguard program, is still a US Army facility and protected government property. YOU MAY NOT ENTER THIS PROPERTY WITHOUT PERMISSION. PERIOD. I don’t know what the punishment is for trespassing on a site like this, but I don’t recommend it. You can get really great views from the road on the south side. While doing so you’ll see signs indicating that this still belongs to the Army. Take them at their word.

I wish I’d taken photos of some of the other buildings in the area, including the chapel with the Christmas decorations still hanging in the window. If I find myself in the area again, I’ll be more thorough.

(UPDATE) I came across this website today, srmsc.org. It’s got a ton of information about the entire Mickelsen Complex and its function. Check it out!

In case you thought we missed it: Mandan’s fly-in

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My favorite part of Buggies & Blues this year actually took place south of town at the Mandan Airport, where a fly-in was held in the morning with perfect weather and a great selection of airborne participants. My little boys love airplanes, so it was a real treat for them to see so many up close.

One of the stars of the show was Duggy, also the winner of Brightest Participant in my book. One other important fact about Duggy is the fact that they can go inside and have a look around, a bonus for any little kid.

I often wonder why people schedule events like this on Sunday when they could enjoy better participation on Saturdays, when people aren’t attending church in the morning. Be that as it may, we made an exception and showed up on our way to church. We just weren’t able to spend as much time as we’d like, or buy breakfast there at the airport. My little guys sure looked sharp that morning!

The techie in me had to get a shot of all the bells & whistles, of course. It must be really interesting to taxi a big tail-dragger like this considering the obstructed view when the back wheel is on the ground!

One other star of the show was a Blackhawk helicopter from the National Guard unit across the river. I spent a little while inspecting it for camera attachment locations, since I was scheduled to do some video work from one of these about a week later (which, sadly, I was too busy to perform).

This sleek border patrol helicopter was pretty cool too, and my little guys really appreciated the opportunity to sit in it. I was kept quite busy making sure they didn’t hit any buttons or switches. Even at my age those things look tempting, so imagine what it must be like for a 2 and 3 year old!

One nice thing about this event (which was not an air show, but a gathering of aircraft enthusiasts) was the ability to roam the tarmac and peruse the assortment of plains and helicopters which had assembled. From all the little private aircraft to a few experimental units, there was a lot of variety.

Turnout was great, with plenty of spectators taking in the display and having some breakfast in one of the hangars. Last year’s weather didn’t cooperate the way this year’s did, and I don’t think one could have asked for a better morning for an outdoor gathering. Even the wind was light, a plus for small aircraft such as the paraplane that was flying for a little while.

Mmmmmm…breakfast. If only it was Saturday, I could have stayed long enough to load up on some chow. Oh well…

This fly-in may not get as much publicity as the main Buggies & Blues event, but it’s definitely worth catching. Remember that next year as these events approach. Hopefully 2011 brings good weather and participation again…maybe even on a Saturday so more people can enjoy it!

Meet the star of the show (UPDATED)

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This is the magnum opus that created such a buzz during this year’s Capital A’fair: a 3D chalk drawing by Shawn McCann. His illusion took many hours of work and thankfully didn’t encounter any rain this year!

The effect of this chalk-drawn illusion becomes far more dramatic when an element of realism is introduced. In this case, we’re talking about the artist himself. Once we have a real person perched atop the faux protrusion of the drawing, the effect is complete.

Pretty cool, huh? This is the effect Shawn was shooting for. It looks really neat with the capitol in the shot for added perspective. Some days I’m really happy I have such a wide angle lens, and this is one of them.

As Shawn will point out, this is drawn to work from a very specific perspective. While this is a really neat angle to fit the capitol into the shot, it blows the illusion because of the way things are drawn.

Update: I took my boys to take part in the fun this afternoon (for about four minutes, given the blazing heat) and the chalk is weathering fast. In the afternoon the sun casts a shadow across this piece, so I stuck with a tight shot. Around noon would be better. You probably have another day or so to check it out, even less if the rumors of rain I hear are true!

Moon over my capitol

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On my way home from an already successful photo jaunt, I noticed that the moon was about to set in a most convenient location. I bolted to the one spot in Bismarck which allows such a photograph and waited for things to happen. After a little while the moon moved into position right above Bismarck’s most prominent landmark. This was a nice photographic “cherry on top” to put an even better end to my Wednesday.