Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 26

16 April 2022 - THUNDERBIRD LODGE - NEVADA

 

THUNDERBIRD LODGE 

- NEVADA -

G'day folks,

This historic estate on the east shore of Lake Tahoe was home to an eccentric millionaire (and his pet elephant, Mingo). 

If you’ve spent any time at Lake Tahoe, you may have noticed the California side is far more developed than the unspoiled eastern shoreline in Nevada. Few visitors realize this is thanks to a peculiar and reclusive millionaire who built his summer residence on the lake in 1936, and in doing so, unwittingly conserved much of the beautiful land along the east shore.

The millionaire in question is George Whittell Jr., who was born into one of the wealthiest families in San Francisco at the time and inherited a gilded-age fortune. He was worth the equivalent of billions today by the time he purchased 40,000 acres and nearly all of Lake Tahoe’s eastern shoreline. There, he built the Thunderbird Lodge, a storybook estate on the waterfront with sweeping views of the lake and mountains, where he spent the rest of his summers indulging in Great Gatsby-style high-society.

Whittell, who was also known as “the Captain,” had a Tudor Revival-style stone mansion built as his residence, designed by the prominent Nevada architect Frederic DeLongchamps. The grounds also feature a decadent card house, caretaker’s cottage, butler’s house, and a boathouse for Whittell’s prized speedboat, the Thunderbird, which is connected to the main house by an underground tunnel replete with a dungeon and opium den.

 

Perhaps most unusual of all is the large stone elephant barn built for Mingo, Whittell’s pet Sumatran elephant. Whittell loved animals and collected various exotic breeds that lived at Thunderbird Lodge. Aside from Mingo, he favorited an African lion named Bill who used to accompany him everywhere, including rides around the lake in his convertible. Though he famously hosted luminaries like baseball legend Ty Cobb and fellow millionaire recluse Howard Hughes for debaucherous all-night card games, more often than not he preferred to be alone with his exotic pets.

Whittell had originally planned to develop the Lake Tahoe property into a high-end resort and casino, but found he liked having no neighbors and opted for seclusion instead. Thus, he kept the land to himself for decades to come, and it remains largely untouched to this day. Despite all the stories of his flamboyant lifestyle, Whittell’s most lasting legacy is his accidental one: as a nature conservationist.

After the Captain’s death in 1969, the bulk of the pristine land was purchased by the State of Nevada and the U.S. Forest Service and became the Lake Tahoe—Nevada State Park. The same sale ensured that recreational opportunities could exist for years to come along the lake in Nevada. In California, the area remains privately owned. 

The Thunderbird Lodge, however, remained private property. The estate is now owned by the nonprofit Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society, which maintains it as a house museum where visitors can experience this intriguing chapter of Lake Tahoe’s history.

Clancy's comment: Mm ... how the other half live, eh?

I'm ...

 

 

15 April 2022 - CROCODILE-INFESTED RESERVOIR - EAST TIMOR

 

CROCODILE-INFESTED 

RESERVOIR 

- EAST TIMOR -

G'day folks,

This crocodile-infested East Timor reservoir is also home to a spectacular half-sunken forest. 

The East Timor lake known as Ira Lalaro is a gorgeous oasis surrounded by flat grassland on the northern shore and by swamps on the southern shore, but be careful not to get so enchanted that you get eaten by one of the lake’s copious crocodiles.  

The lake is a self-contained body of water that sits in a depression in the land. The northern shore offers great views of the lake with the mountains and lush forest in the background and the grassland is littered with water buffaloes wallowing in their swimming holes. Bucolic as this might be, it’s the swamps on the southern shore that set this lake apart from the others. The landscape provides vistas of half-drowned trees that reach back like a haunting bayou. 

 

While the lake and its surrounds are teeming with all manner of life swimming among the underwater trunks it is the massive population of Estuarine crocodiles that distinguish the lake. It is thought that over 300 of the beasts are packed into the relatively small area. One of the reasons that the animals have nearly taken over the natural landmark is that the native tribe consider the crocs to be sacred totem animals that are not to be hunted.

Swamps and crocs are usually associated with the American Southeast but this lake gives the traditional bayou a run for its money. The strangely lovely landscapes of Lake Ira Lalaro may be alluring but they also pack quite the bite. 

Clancy's comment: This would be worth a visit ... with caution of course.

I'm ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

18 April 2022 - TALLEST STATUE OF BUDDHA IN JAPAN - SHOWA DAIBUTSU

 

TALLEST STATUE OF 

BUDDHA IN JAPAN

 - SHOWA DAIBUTSU  -

 

G'day folks,

Welcome to the tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan. 

Located in Aomori, at the Seiryuji (Blue-Green Dragon) Temple is a colossal likeness of Dainichi Nyorai completed in 1984. This particular Buddha, known primarily as Vairocana in the sanskrit, is the principal deity of the esoteric Shingon sect of Buddhism. This particular Daibutsu is the tallest seated bronze statue of the Buddha in Japan, taller even than the famous Daibutsu of Nara.

 

Shingon Temples hold light ceremonies during the Bon Festival, in mid-August, to help those in a liminal state between life and death successfully transmigrate. Often, during this time, parents of a recently departed child will pray for the pacification of their own souls, and for that of the child’s. The Seiryuji Temple is no different in this respect, holding grand light ceremonies for the entirety of the Bon Festival.

Clancy's comment: Trust me. This is big, but I have seen bigger statues in SE Asia.

I'm ...

 

 

 

 

 

13 April 2022 - SEIKAN TUNNEL - JAPAN

 

SEIKAN TUNNEL

 - JAPAN -

G'day folks,

This is the world's longest tunnel with an undersea section.  

As early as 1946, Japan began looking at ways to build a fixed connection between the main island of Honshu and the nation’s second largest island to the north, Hokkaido. After decades of surveying and construction, the Seikan Tunnel was finally completed in 1988, becoming the world’s longest tunnel with an undersea segment.

Before the existence of the tunnel, ferries provided transport between the two islands. After the Tōya Maru Typhoon of 1954, which sank five ferries and killed 1,430 passengers, a more concerted investigation began into the feasibility of a tunnel that would run beneath the seabed to connect the two islands.

Work on the tunnel began in 1971. Building the tunnel, which was designed with a cross-section capable of carrying Japan’s Shinkansen (bullet train) network, was a massive undertaking. During the whole construction process, 34 workers died because of cave-ins, flooding, and other accidents.

Work began with the pilot tunnel, which had a diameter of 16.35 feet. Excavation began at both ends, eventually meeting in the middle in January 1983.

 

Work on the entrance to the main tunnel began in August 1982. Workers then drilled and blasted their way through the seabed, using almost 3,300 tons of explosives. The submarine section was completed in March 1985. Two undersea stations were built, one on the coast of each island, to serve as escape points in the event of an emergency.

The Seikan Tunnel was opened in March 1988, at a total cost of around US$7 billion (almost 12 times the original budget). It runs for a total length of 33.46 miles, 14.5 miles of which are under the seabed, at a depth of 790 feet below sea level. That makes it the longest tunnel in the world with an undersea section (at 23.5 miles, the Channel Tunnel is the longest underwater tunnel in the world, but Seikan is longer overall, and deeper). The Seikan Tunnel was the world’s longest railway tunnel until the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland in December 2016.

 

Today, about 50 freight trains and 30 Shinkansen bullet trains pass through the tunnel every day, carrying more than two million tons of cargo each year. But freight trains and high-speed bullet trains are not the best of traveling companions, especially in the tunnel.

The Hayabusa Shinkansen series, a Japanese bullet train with a top speed of 199 miles per hour, has to slow down to 87 miles per hour in the tunnel to avoid disrupting the freight trains. At full speed, the wind pressure created when the two trains cross paths could cause the freight trains to spill their loads. Ways to manage this situation, and to raise the speed limit, are still being investigated.

Clancy's comment: I love train travel in Japan. 

I'm ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 April 2022 - DONNER PASS TUNNELS - CALIFORNIA

 

DONNER PASS TUNNELS 

- CALIFORNIA -

 

G'day folks,

The now-abandoned tunnels were built for the transcontinental railroad on the route where the first wagon train entered California.  

Theodore Judah was a man with a dream, and his was to build a railroad through the Central Pacific, routed via the Sierra Nevada mountains. In the mid-19th century, the civil engineer surveyed a large stretch of the route to be used and found funds to make the transcontinental railroad a reality.

A series of now-abandoned tunnels were completed in August 1867, and the first train passed through it in 1868. Unfortunately, Judah did not live to see this happen; he died in 1863 during an eastbound voyage in connection with his dream project.

 

The tunnels at Donner Pass were constructed by Chinese laborers and took more than 15 months of hard work to finish. A dozen tunnels were some of the most treacherous parts of the transcontinental railroad, linking the rail networks of Omaha, Nebraska, to the West Coast at Oakland. They were constructed through the use of hand drilling, black powder, and nitroglycerin (leading to an untold number of worker deaths).

The tunnels were used by trains for 125 years, until 1993 when the line was rerouted through a new tunnel running through Mount Judah, named after the railroad pioneer. The Donner Pass and the tunnels are named after the Donner Party, a group of explorers en route to California who became stranded in the Sierra Nevada region due to heavy snow and resorted to cannibalism to survive.

The tunnel and snow shed now sit abandoned and, despite being on private property, are a popular place for curious hikers and snowshoers. Tunnel #6, which took tens of thousands of hours to complete, is the most famous of the tunnels. Tunnels #7 and #8, along with the China Wall, which was built to hold up the trains as they transitioned between two tunnels, are the other parts of the system that are commonly visited. A walk through the dark tunnels, with light pouring in only at points where the wall has openings, can be an eerie experience. Ancient petroglyphs can also be found nearby and are marked with a plaque.

Clancy's comment: You have to admire people with vision.

I'm ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

14 April 2022 - WHALLEY VIADUCT - ENGLAND

 

WHALLEY VIADUCT 

- ENGLAND -

G'day folks,

A fantastic example of Victorian railway engineering with two unusual decorative features. 

This magnificent railway viaduct, built between 1846 and 1850 in a combination of red and blue bricks, is far less well known than the famous Ribblehead Viaduct, located about 25 miles to the north, but in many ways, it is more impressive not least because it is longer. Taking the Blackburn to Clitheroe railway line across the valley of the River Calder, close to the border of Lancashire and Yorkshire, it is in a magnificent setting under the shadow of the famous, Pendle Hill, widely associated with the Pendle Witch Trials. It is located just on the southern edge of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The viaduct consists of 48 elegant arches, two of which have a distinctive decorative brick infill. They look rather ecclesiastical from a distance and may have been introduced to reflect the importance of the 14th-century gatehouse of the nearby Whalley Abbey which the road serves. The gatehouse and abbey ruins are worth a visit in their own right.

 

At over 600 yards long, and 70 feet above the valley, the viaduct, known locally as the Whalley Arches,  required over six million bricks and over 12,000 cubic yards of stone to complete. During construction two of the arches collapsed, leading to three fatalities. The engineer was Terence Woulfe Flanagan who later constructed the railways between Antwerp and Rotterdam and between Lisbon and Santarem.

 The line connects with lines in West and North Yorkshire.  It was closed to most passengers in 1962. It was kept open just for freight, and occasional passenger train diversions (due to track maintenance elsewhere)  until 1994.  In 1994 a public campaign secured the re-opening of the line to passengers between Blackburn and Clitheroe (and onward to Hellifield on Sundays). Currently, the line is known as the Ribble Valley Line and serves both commuters and tourists.

In addition to the regular diesel-powered services the line often runs special steam-hauled heritage services for which the crossing of this amazing viaduct is one of the unadvertised highlights. Plans are in place to assist local tourism by re-opening the line fully to passengers to allow scheduled passenger trains to join the famous Settle to Carlisle line.

Clancy's commment: These structures have always intrigued me, and not only in the UK. The workmanship is amazing.

I'm ...

 

 

 

 

17 April 2022 - SAWLEY ABBEY - ENGLAND

 

SAWLEY ABBEY 

- ENGLAND -

G'day folks,

The last two abbots of this monastery were both executed by Henry VIII. 

Whether you are interested in the history or the architecture or just looking for a picnic site with an unusual  backdrop Sawley Abbey is well worth a visit. The site is directly alongside the River Ribble and sits just inside the Forst of Bowland “area of outstanding natural beauty.” It is the ruin of a 12th-century Cistercian  monastery  established by monks from northeast England and has a history  of conflict and bloodshed

After its formation, the monastery got by for many years, thanks in no small part to donations by its benefactors,  the Percy family of Northumberland. But its fortunes suffered when the nearby Whalley Abbey—another Cistercian house relocated from Cheshire—was established, in 1296,  on the other side of the Ribble valley. Far from showing brotherly love, the two sets of monks were involved in legal disputes where their lands met, not least the fishing rights in the River Ribble which formed the southern border of the Sawley lands.

The legal disputes persisted  until 1305 but around 1320 the monks began to suffer from the attentions  of Scottish  raiders pushing down from the north. Despite this the  Abbey  survived until early 1536 when Henry VIII dissolved the minor English monasteries.  Opposition from the Abbot of Sawley, Thomas Bolton, resulted in his execution.

 

For most abbeys dissolution would mean the end of their existence, but in late 1536 a series of pro-Catholic rebellions in the north of England culminated in the “Pilgrimage of Grace,” which saw many abbeys temporarily re-occupied. Sawley was one of these but after Thomas Cromwell put down the rising in 1537 the newly installed abbot, William Trafford, was executed at Lancaster for treason. (Ironically, alongside the last abbot of Whalley Abbey).

Several centuries of robbing of the high-quality stone has left little standing above ground level but the floor plans can be clearly seen from the remaining walls and foundations. The former latrine and drainage system (reredorter) are amongst the best-preserved parts. Also of note is the night staircase, which the monks used at night to move from their dormitory to the chapel while completing their various spiritual obligations. 

Clancy's comment: An amazingly ancient site with a history to match.

I'm ....

 

 

 

 

 

12 April 2022 - CROMWELL'S BRIDGE - ENGLAND

 

CROMWELL'S BRIDGE 

- ENGLAND -

G'day folks,

Oliver Cromwell marched his army over this narrow bridge to victory at the Battle of Preston in 1648. 

This bridge was built during the Tudor period but found fame in August 1648 in the English Civil War. During the war, Oliver Cromwell marched his army of more than 8,000 soldiers along with artillery over the bridge on his way to the battle of Preston. Despite being outnumbered, he defeated the combined army of English Royalists and  Scots “Engagers” who marched south in support of King Charles I.

 

The bridge was a packhorse bridge and has been out of use since the nearby Lower Hodder Bridge was built in the early 19th-century. The parapets of Cromwell’s Bridge were constructed very low from the start, to allow pack horses, loaded with panniers, to cross.

The bridge provides an attractive and romantic setting. The central arch has become quite popular with wedding photographers.

Clancy's comment: I loved seeing these ancient structures when I toured the UK and Europe.

I'm ...

 

 

 

 

 

7 April 2022 - HOLMES MILL BREWERY HOTEL - ENGLAND

 

HOLMES MILL 

BREWERY HOTEL

 - ENGLAND -

G'day folks,

This historic former textile mill now houses a brewery, hotel, and what's believed to be the longest bar in the United Kingdom.  

This former textile mill was the last working cotton mill in Clitheroe, Lancashire. It was steam-driven until 1973. Since its redevelopment as a brewery, hospitality, and retail complex, much of the steam infrastructure has been retained.

 

The old steam engine has pride of place in the room known as the Engine Room, but perhaps the greatest current claim to fame is the bar in the German-style Beer Hall. It claims to be home to the longest bar in the United Kingdom. There is also a cinema, a hotel with 39 bedrooms, and a food hall.

Holmes Mill grew over the 19th and 20th-centuries. The first steam engines were beam engines (at least two were operating together at one time) were replaced in 1910 by a horizontal compound engine, which was used until the mill closed in the 1970s.

The redevelopment of the closed mill took place from 2015 onwards and the site is regularly used for special events The brewery produces a wide range of craft beers and brewery tours are available.

Clancy's comment: What a fabulous way to utilise a building.

I'm ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 April 2022 - MAGNIFICENT WATERFALL IN HIDDEN CAVE

 

MAGNIFICENT WATERFALL

 IN HIDDEN CAVE

- ICELAND -

G'day folks,

This fantastical waterfall is hidden in a cave located in a cracked cliff. 

Waterfalls can make for some of the most magical vistas in the world as they carve solid rock into often incredible formations.

Such is the case with Iceland’s Gljúfrafoss waterfall, which is almost completely hidden behind a cliff face. The waterfall has carved a mossy cylindrical chamber into the rock which can only be reached through a thin crack in the outside cliff wall.

 

Once through the crack, explorers are hit with the incredible majesty of the hidden waterfall as it crashes into a pool at the base of the cave. The interior of the cave is nearly completely covered in a thin carpet of greenery thanks to the continually moist surroundings. These clandestine waterworks distill the natural wonder of Iceland’s scenic beauty.

Clancy's comment: Wow, absolutely spectacular.

I'm ...