The church registers from this old parish, and others like it, documented life events for many that came before us. Over recent years these church books have been carefully digitized and archived. They make for interesting sleuthing when seeking out generational family relatives.
The Hemnes Church (photo circa 1890-1900) stands today. Its church grounds contain the original cemetery that was last used in 1886. I have kinfolk buried there.
To this particular church, Great-Great Grandfather Christopher Olai would row his open fishing boat in order to attend the Sunday service.
Looking at that…
period correct fishing craft
No, not the parish parking lot but the very active fishing village of Lofoten. Grandfather’s traditional style boat probably resembled one of these centuries old Nordland craft. It has a high prow and stern similar related to he old Viking longships.
Seksringsbåt med seil og dregg, Lofotbruk
Translation: six-ring boat with sail and dredge, Lofoten use. A craft like this was census listed as owned by Great-Great-Great Grandfather Johannes. This boat was all serious and no play, a bit heavy to row single-hand. Likely, son Chistopher Olai had something svelte (a two-ring) if he went by himself.
His 8 1/2 mile (bi-directional) endurance route through Norwegian fjords would have been quite the scenic (spiritual?) journey. Øverstraumen is a fjord arm of the Ranfjorden, Commencing at the Northern bottom of this fjord arm at Straumbotn and after a narrow bit (Nordgården) there is an exit outlet at Straumkjeften strait in the South. The Ranfjorden opens to the sea eventually but Christopher Olai’s trek would terminate at the narrow strait at the Hemnesberget village.
Impressive! — bragging rights among the parish group. For one of Us, this would be a major feat but for Olai it was Sunday’s health exercise ritual. He was a fit fisherman so he might just parlay wind and water currents to advantage. That, and perhaps a greater power watching over.
As a young boy I can remember Dad bringing home random arrowheads and stone rock Indian artifacts from out on the range. While I never witnessed one of his lucky chance finds, I was with him once when he pointed to another piece of western history — ghostlike narrow tracks through dry hard packed alkali ground. From out of nowhere and scattered tumbleweed these parallel impressions were the dirt markings of the old Butterfield Stagecoach he explained. This seemed so incredulous to me that day and I retained the memory.
That was 60 years ago and even at the time the trail remnants would have been dated by a century. Local knowledge. I categorized his factoid as legend or folklore.
Present day and watching an old James Stewart/John Wayne cowboy western re-run (1962 and available on streaming media), I spied a stage. This movie prop rekindled my early intrigue, for barely legible on the side of the coach roof in faint paint was Butterfield.
for movie timeline purposes they tried [unsuccessfully] to obfuscate the name
This prompted a deep dive [web] search. There was in fact a stagecoach express so described: The Butterfield Overland Mail Company. Accordingly, it operated between St. Louis and San Francisco funded by a 4 year U.S. Postal Department contract. Recalling the glimpse of rutted arid San Joaquin Valley tracks gives one pause; it would have been a rough tough dusty ordeal and how far we’ve come…
Full circle. Dad was onto something! Excepting that reproduced historical map creations are not necessarily precision navigation and that evidential proof has been obliterated by agricultural progress the mapped area of trail discovery does happen to highlight the territory of my one time visit. I like to think that Dad was spot on.
Ernest K. Gann’s novel/screenplay The High and the Mighty (1954) sensationalized a peril of crew (and passengers!) after a mechanical mishap on a trans-Pacific flight. The theme of the movie introduced we laypeople audience to the dramatized concept Hollywood named: The Point of No Return — when to turn back or commit to journey onward.
Today’s arithmetic has the benefit of digital calculation. No longer are there margins of error induced by the width of pencil lead on paper chart. It behooves a pilot to maintain an awareness of where he is and specific to this discussion, a safe path to alternative landing [at a suitable airport] should the trip need to end prematurely. Our pre-flight planning analysis arms us with reliable forethought to avoid reliance upon gut instinct or seat of pants.
Note: With a single engine aircraft a diversion could be an open field or stretch of road that gliding distance will allow. So, you as pilot are always reliant upon senses of judgment. Good Luck, we're all counting on you.
A high flying jet however will have options. Over water operations is more problematic but the objective is to; always have a successful outcome. A line for decision may be more comprehensible as a measured distance but is more a function of timing. The fact is; it is not called Point of No Return… rather; Equal Time Point (ETP). This is the precise moment where it takes the same amount of time to u-turn so to speak or press forward. Not displayed but accounted for are winds and temperature conditions at cruising altitude. Consider that it may be a shorter measured distance one direction mileage wise but if facing stiff opposing winds aloft it may take longer to fly them. A longer distance mileage wise might be flown more rapidly then that of the shorter with tailwinds. So, there is a computed point in time where a logical decision is reached.
There can be multiple on a long over-water route. On a recent 10+ hour hop we plotted 4 ETPs. Actually 12. Within each of the 4 groupings are 3 types. DEPRESS (depressurization), 1ENGINE (loss of engine), and MEDICAL (onboard medical emergency). Observe the dispatch release beginning with ETP 1 through 4 below:
tabulated data snippet
The second box, highlighted group, ETP2, contains two airports deemed suitable. In this case: PACD (Cold Bay Airport) in the Aleutians and PMDY (Henderson Field) on Midway Atoll. As you surmise these are in the middle of ‘nowhere’, beyond mainland US and short of our intended final destination. These alternates will change as we progress and thus there are subsequent ETP groupings.
Loss of cabin pressurization is a critical one. At these high altitudes one can’t function physiologically for very long without supplemental O². An immediate decent to an altitude deemed survivable is necessary. 15,000 feet is the generally accepted. Unfortunately doing so will double the rate of aircraft fuel consumption. Jets fly the icy upper levels for reasons of speed and economy. When forced to fly in the dense lower atmosphere efficiency is lost and whereas we planned for optimum fuel now we will end up short. Thus, the need for an escape plan. There is not enough fuel to continue on oblivious so as we are decending we are also questioning our route. Have we reached our ETP?
I plotted ETP(s) on a digital chart for easy reference in-flight. See the screen-grab below:
Jeppessen Chart (screenshot)
Observe DEP2, a plotted waypoint along this westbound (the blue line) route. It is located using Latitude and Longitude. A (black) arrow line vector shows the approximate direction to turn. PACD is a right turn to roughly North and, if past the DEP2 waypoint, PMDY will be found to the South West. These alternate airports are already pre-loaded into the box (nav system) so a route change can be actuated quickly with a button press or two and crew confirmation.
A curious eye will see ? 37N160 in chart center and also 0730z atop a magenta flag marker. The latter is known as a “10 minute check” — a timed event. The label is 07:30 UTC along with an actual lat/lon position report and is created enroute to compare with the plotted route. It serves as a reality check for navigational compliance accuracy. It is noted 10 minutes after passing the previous fix which depicted in shorthand is at North 37 degrees 160 West.
Armed with computerized clarity we are less vulnerable and don’t face the dilemma that our performers faced on the silver screen. Great aviation movie classic BTW and — spoiler alert — our High and the Mighty live happily ever after.
A 1971 USDA historical aerial photo from UNC Chapel Hill libraries showing the neighborhood now known as Charleston Woods. Before the houses were built, Charleston Woods was actual woods! The point location was determined by taking angles from the Bond Lake Dam (under construction), the White Oak Creek and a transmission line which transits. It is a general estimate.
annotated snippet copy of the original neighborhood
There are also aerial photographs of the county from 1959 and 1938 that also show pine and hardwoods here. The farmland fields that are present in these images are limited to low flat areas of Crabtree Creek; what is now Bond Park Baseball Diamonds 5 & 6 and the Prestonwood Soccer Complex northward. The survey depicts rail tracks and 2 public roads that precede these dates — Highhouse Rd. and Old Apex Rd. None of the streets that we enjoy today had been built yet. The actual full resolution photo file taken on February 24, 1971 can be retrieved easily from here.
The same perspective (via satellite and incolor) today!
After measuring the [29″] diameter of a particularly large Loblolly Pine in the backyard it can be assumed that the area has not been recently cultivated. A 36″ tree is considered mature and that size equates to about 150 years age. There have been people in the area since before the Civil War so it is of course possible that the area had been logged, farmed, or burned. The 1938 shows faint trace remnants of bare dirt that may have been encroaching trails. These are no longer noticeable in subsequent surveys.
Developers had there way made progress and this area has forever lost its out in the sticks nature. It would have been easier to clear cut but to their credit many of the trees were spared.
Update: (according to this source) Before the first Europeans set foot on the [North Carolina] Piedmont Plateau, the land was 99.5% covered by Old Growth forest (oaks, maples, pines, hickories, poplar and tulip poplar, persimmon, elm, hemlock, beech, magnolia, cedar, ash, willow). Some scholars write that the Old Growth was harvested entirely by 1750. All agree that these magnificent trees had been taken down by the start of the Revolutionary War in 1776. When the Old Growth was gone, they started in on the secondary growth. This greatly over-simplified history explains the proliferation of fast-growing pine trees common today.
It was a Beneteau Oceanis 381 with a layout similar to last years except below deck was a flip flop opposite. Only one quarter berth which was a full. Larger V berth forward. Diesel forced air heater which we used a couple of times. Chilly until noon. Sunny afternoons. Never rained. The AYC yachts are individually owned and you could tell that our boat was looked after.
Big galley with two refrigerators. Propane BBQ. Galley stove oven had a broiler.
Smaller Lav space (as if that was even possible). The holding tank was a mere 15 !! gallons and with strict eco regs in US waters that meant we really had to watch it. I had the pleasure of pumping it out twice. Well, pump-outs are encouraged by being free anyway.
We anchored out once. Picked up a ball at two other stops. BTW, you taught Spencer well on the fore-deck He was invaluable. Leah was a complete noobe on day one but by mid week she had it down and by voyage end had the sailing bug. Stayed on a linear mooring one night and one night on a dock. Also, we had to put our own boat in its slip back in Anacortes. No such thing as a marina skipper.
Cleared Canadian / US customs which was good experience. Navigation fairly easy with the GPS tracking and land ho. Fewer visual cues on the long sail to and from Victoria in which case it was GPS track and DR
I kept a watchful eye on tides and currents. We traversed a few tidal current rips but those were a non event. We had to be careful for floating logs. We saw several. Man that would have made a big noise to collide. Remind me not to sail there at night. Big container ships in the lanes too. The most current was 2.5 knots which didn’t last long and luckily was going our way.
The most wind that we saw was 16 knots at which full sail was slightly over powered close hauled. The main sail could be furled into the mast. Very trick. 1 to 2 foot wind waves at times. For the most part the wind was 6 to 10 knots. The ride was always good. Our charter had Radar with AIS if we’d have been caught out by fog but we were only concerned once and it turned out not to be a factor.
Like Father like son, Spencer almost did an endo off of the transom but fell into the dinghy instead. Whew!
53 degrees. I was concerned about going overboard while underway and nobody noticing right away. That would have been bad scene.
Dusty old records survive! This archive having been revisited after 3/4 century, can be digitized and is to be preserved. The pages include Naval deployment orders, training records, and memory scraps.
Aviator’s Flight Log Book
Logged is a (non-military) November 4th joy flight with Esther L. (Mom) as passenger — type NE 1 number 49340 1.0 duration Burbank California 1945.
From Aunt Jayne’s dusty family archive comes this forgotten 1910 photograph of a first car in Iowa…
somewhere in Iowa…
What car is it? A major clue is the marque logo on the facade. Star Cars. The emblem, while somewhat faded, is a match from the Durant Motors Company, manufacturer of.
Model C Runabout
A 1923 Star Runabout roadster is an obvious preliminary guess but this automobile using a catalog picture above is not a match for Pop and Mom’s car. Here is a better one:
The trunk bustle has a reverse sweeping curve up to the convertible top whereas the Star (above) maintains a constant arc to a level body top edge line. The side by side cars are much sportier looking especially with the rakish mountable spare tire. The visual comparison on the right is a [1918-] 1923 Dodge Standard A Roadster. Tell me if you think it a ringer for our original car on the left…
As usual more questions than answers. Grandpa’s first car is showing some age so perhaps the photo was snapped sometime after the mid ’20s. There isn’t a numbered registration plate on the bumper. The place looks closed; out on a Sunday drive? They could have acquired their car from the Star Cars Auto Repairing or had it serviced there however It seems an unlikely photo venue.
We are on the wrong track. The object of the photo is quite possibly of the building or property itself which just happens to include a random car in the foreground. The original photoshoot could not happen before 1922 because this was the inception of the Durant Company’s Star Car. Based on the weathered appearance of the paint logo on the building face, I’d have to say that it was a least a few years further along.
This car pictured, having no backseat, would have been suitable for 2 or 3 but hardly large enough to be used as a family car. I count Grandpa, Grandma plus 4 children by that time. A roadster would have been impractical and the folks in Iowa were a sensible and pragmatic sort.
Here’s what we know: The caption date of 1910 is bogus and we are pretty certain that the car is not a Star; furthermore we are not swayed by claims of the featured car’s provenance. The significance of the building we have yet to learn. My Aunt’s pen & ink caption is fantastical — or is it…
A broader flattened and padded safety hub was introduced with the 1959 W111 ‘fintail’ model. This engineering effort was years ahead of other makes. The padding may have been a false sense of security but the expanse would improve chances in case of accidental impact. Previous hubs were decorative and could be pointy (harpoon spear shaped).
Donor hub
Serving its purpose for years after having been liberated from Dad’s 1967 200 D (W110) which was pretty used up, I’m certain that this relic piece survived the car. It now lives on the shelf having been replaced with a reproduction part that is a near match to the original ivory one.
The wheel rim has stress cracks so it too will have to be restored at some point but Mercedes bling is like jewelry $$$. So, methodical pace.
These early cars had primitive seatbelts (if that) so any passive protection from the steering wheel is appreciated.
I’d released the counter springs on the hinges decades ago and so the hood would no longer hold itself up; not without a prop rod. The springs were tensioned to their weakest setting and I knew not how to increase it. Tools on hand at the time were a pair of vice grips with bailing wire; good enough to release a spring but clumsy. Coil springs have stored energy and can cause injury when mishandled. Uncertain about how to [properly] go about it and a bit apprehensive the job was put off. Fast Forward today to the Internet Age; a Youtube hit gave inspiration.
If the springs could be extended and placed in the hinge’s more extreme setting slot then the increased force under tension would correctly balance the open hood. Unfortunately, the size of each individual spring (one per hinge) was such that mere muscle power would not overcome the difficult flexing required to get that job done. Leverage was needed.
rope line loop used to coax the spring
A couple of Ratchet Tie-Down Trailer Straps provided the persuasion. An concrete post in the garage floor lent an immovable anchor point. A second strap maintained a proper pull angle since the post was off center.
ratchets serve as a Come Along
The ratchet acting as a winch provided the grunt and the ear of the spring was positioned adjacent to its proper location. With care and finesse the spring could then be hooked over the tang and into the correct slot on the hinge mount.
I have to give thumbs-up acknowledgement to the Youtuber DIY; he sure made it look easy. Well, it’s never easy but a least now finally — no more prop rod! A bucket list project perceived as insurmountable all these years gets resolved.
Self driving cars are a few years away. Letting Autopilot take control is like watching an inexperienced beginner on a learner permit. Fortunately, as a monitor (with skin at stake) you can gently intervene or abruptly take-over if the performance is not to one’s liking.
Current state of the art tech with Hardware 2.5 does quite the job centering the vehicle in the lane and maintaining proper distance from the car ahead with adaptive speed. Today, on an extended drive, I was able to sample test the latest enhancement: Navigate on Autopilot (beta) which further extends Autopilot.
Following GPS guidance Navigate on Autopilot suggests lane changes required for the route. Using cameras and forward radar it also recommends an open lane when overtaking a slower vehicle. You, as second pilot, acknowledge the suggestion and give permission with a tap on either stalk on the steering column (ignore is the default). In actuality you are babysitting the proceedings — and like a hawk.
There isn’t, nor should there be any trust expectation between you and the machine. The manufacturer (and his lawyer) feels the same way. Beyond any disclaimer you need to be attentive. The reason is called the automation hand-over. The autopilot can, after the briefest of warning, signal bailout and return control. If your head is not in the game this transfer could be messy. So, autopilot continually confirms that you are standing by. If you’re not detected actually holding the steering wheel you are politely prodded before it becomes serious. The system shuts off / locks out an abuser ignoring any cautionary nags.
Proper technique: the weight and friction from one hand is sufficient to apply “slight turning pressure” which is the assurance that Autopilot is looking for
The autosteer function continually saws back and forth ever so minutely seemingly testing to see that it has not been abandoned. A sensitive passenger may perceive the motion but in comparison to earlier iterations it is fairly smooth going.
Hardware 1.0 was primitive as autosteer would ping pong on secondary roadways hugging the inside line or wandering inebriated opposite. Still, it was exciting to experience this alpha software. Realizing that the future had arrived inspired anticipation for FSD
Lane keeping on today’s trip was quite good during the Interstate portion. There were some, shades of yore, one spurious blip of regen, a wander noted in the tight radii of an exit ramp. A little faith was required but no boundaries were exceeded. I did wonder what any closely following driver might be thinking.
whoa boy (too wild)
This happened… A mowing tractor pedaling the shoulder as fast as he could go — hazard flashers blinking but protruding somewhat into the right lane. Autopilot decelerated for the detected obstacle as it should do. I switched off auto steering and moved to the left lane to pass which was occupied by a truck just ahead. During the maneuver, just as I started over Autopilot saw daylight between Mower and Truck and (adaptive cruise control still engaged) accelerated harshly. Splitting lanes like some deathwish motorcyclist would have been a bit too sporty.
push nudge (too timid)
Autopilot slows as necessary for a vehicle ahead which is turning right onto a crossroad. Ordinarily, a driver can safely resume speed accelerating in anticipation of the other vehicle clearing. Autopilot delays this for a count of 3 before getting on with it. It seems like an eternity because know that the driver(s) behind have lost patience.
advanced nav (passed)
One part of the route today is considered tricky even for an experienced operator. I have traversed it many times and decided to let the student driver have a go. The course begins with an off ramp exit, followed by a double merge, another exit, a sweeping loop where traffic sometimes can crawl or even halt, and then yet another merge — all rapid fire. Autopilot has to steer navigate and sequence with the merging vehicles. It’s the full deal. Tight choreography. Autopilot will slow to make a merge opportunity happen but doesn’t offensively overtake for a cut-in.
As blue traffic autopilot performed a weave merge with cyan traffic. Green dots depict where autopilot asks permission to exit route leg or for the navigational lane changes.
Eventually cars will computer interface with each other and the dance sequence will be safe and carefree. Until then, it’s student learning so; mind how you go. It’s early days yet.
