Ha Ha Tonka State Park: Caves, Sinkholes, and Scenic Views

Walkway in Ha Ha Tonka State Park in central Missouri. Ha Ha Tonka is a large park in a valley overlooking Lake of the Ozarks. The park also features caves, sinkholes, and bluffs overlooking the lake. It is a prominent example of karst topography, which is geological formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock. A 70-acre (28 ha) portion of the park was designated as the Ha Ha Tonka Karst Natural Area in 1981.

This area is worth a visit with scenic views, old ruins and trails.

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Swimmimg Hole

Fishtrap Lake

A beautiful day in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. This is Fishtrap at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in a very northern section of Wisconsin. This lake is known for trophy fishing incliding Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Walleye. Sitting on the shore you will see Bald Eagles, Loons, Beaver.  Swimming and waterskiing are fasvorite passtimes.

Boeing PT-17 Stearman 

The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane used as a military trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.[1] Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely known as the Stearman, Boeing Stearman or Kaydet, it served as a primary trainer for the United States Army Air Forces, the United States Navy (as the NS & N2S), and with the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Kaydet throughout World War II. After the conflict was over, thousands of surplus aircraft were sold on the civilian market. In the immediate postwar years they became popular as crop dusters, sports planes, and for aerobatic and wing walking use in air shows.

This plane is stationed at the Commerative Air Force’s facilities at St. Charles County Regional Airport – Smartt Field. In addition to the Stearman, they have a B-25 Mitchell “Show-ME,” Grumman TBM-3 Avenger, and an Arenonka L3S. These planes are routinely take out to air shows across the country.

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1925 Hispano-Suiza H6B Labourdette Skiff‑Torpedo

1925 Hispano-Suiza H6B Labourdette Skiff‑Torpedo

The H6B Hispano-Suiza, launched at the 1919 Paris salon was to set the standard of automotive design and engineering that other manufacturers strived to equal. Hispano-Suiza’s policy of producing only one model provided the highest degree of quality control and at the same time enabled detailed improvements based on experience and customer suggestions: By the late 1920’s the H6B had been in production almost ten years and yet its advanced technology was still superior to its immediate competitors. The six cylinder engine provided superb power coupled to a taut chassis that was very responsive and a unique engine-powered servo system for the four-wheel brakes.
This model was a favorite car for the wealthy sporting motorist and its success in competitions became legendary. Marc Birkigt, the outstanding engineer who was responsible for every Hispano-Suiza design from 1904 to 1938, had but one prime principle, quality above all else, which his cars certainly achieved. It was the detail in the building of an H6B, like the machining of the huge crankshaft from a steel billet and the way the steel cylinder sleeves were screwed into the light alloy cylinder block from below, that made it so remarkable. The mechanical servo assistance to the brakes was so good that Rolls-Royce finally adopted it for their cars.

This car is now on display in St. Louis Art Museum’s exhibit: Roaring. Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939, features 12 exemplary cars alongside paintings, photographs, sculpture, furniture, and fashion to spotlight the automobile’s transformative influence on art, design, and modern life between the world wars.

This display inspired me to create a new category in my photo gallery: Great Rivers Imaging. Click here to see Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Modes of transportation in the early 20th Century.

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1927 Bugatti Type 35B Hellé-Nice Grand Prix

1927 Bugatti Type 35B Hellé-Nice Grand Prix

Engine: straight eight overhead cam, Bugatti-Roots supercharger, 2,292cc giving approximately 130 bhp at 5,500rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual; Suspension: front-Bugatti type forged steel tubular axle with trunnion mounted leaf springs, rear- axle carried on reversed quarter- elliptic leaf springs; Brakes: four wheel drum. Right hand drive.

Considered by many people to be the most beautiful racing car of its period, and an enduring classic design of all time, the Type 35 Bugatti is also one of the most successful racing cars ever built, with a string of major victories in the hands of famous drivers all over the world. In the late 1920s it was also the best car that could be purchased by an amateur racing driver and at the same time was capable of winning a Grand Prix. A good Type 35 is also one of the most exciting and satisfying cars to drive, both in competition and on the open road. It is this fact, just as much as its universal appeal as an automotive art form, which is no doubt responsible for the strong demand and high prices which this car commands on the rare occasions when a good example is offered for sale.

This car is now on display in St. Louis Art Museum’s exhibit: Roaring. Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939, features 12 exemplary cars alongside paintings, photographs, sculpture, furniture, and fashion to spotlight the automobile’s transformative influence on art, design, and modern life between the world wars.

This display inspired me to create a new category in my photo gallery: Great Rivers Imaging. Click here to see Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Modes of transportation in the early 20th Century.

Also, click on the photo for more information.

The Elegance of the 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Cabriolet

1939 Bugatti Type 57C Vanvooren Cabriolet

The 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Vanvooren Cabriolet is a highly sought-after classic car known for its elegance and engineering. It features a supercharged 3.3-liter inline-8 engine, 160 horsepower, and a top speed of around 100 mph. The bodywork was designed by Vanvooren, a Parisian coachbuilder known for their Art Deco style. This particular model was a gift to the then-Prince of Persia, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and is now in the collection of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. 

This car is now on display in St. Louis Art Museum’s exhibit: Roaring. Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939, features 12 exemplary cars alongside paintings, photographs, sculpture, furniture, and fashion to spotlight the automobile’s transformative influence on art, design, and modern life between the world wars.

This display inspired me to create a new category in my photo gallery: Great Rivers Imaging. Click here to see Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Modes of transportation in the early 20th Century.

Also, click on the photo for more information.

Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. engines

Tri-Motor Ford

Close up of two of the three Tri-Motor Ford engines. The Wasp Jr. R-985 was the third engine type designed by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, following the Wasp R-1340 and Hornet R-1690, all of which were nine-cylinder engines. The Wasp Jr. was designed to compete at lower power and was virtually a Wasp of reduced dimensions, as the details of construction were followed closely throughout. First certificated in January 1930 at 224 kW (300 hp), the Wasp Jr. was designed for light transports, trainers, sport aircraft, and helicopters. A number of models were made, most at 298 kW (400 hp) or higher power.

EAA’s Tri-Motor Ford

Tri-Motor Ford

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s Tri-Motor Ford at Spirit of St. Louis Airport gets ready for passengers. The plane had been there all weekend but, on this day, due to high winds, it did not fly. This looked like a fun experience, and I decided to sign up for the event. My interest was more than the ride. A family friend had one of the EAA’s kit planes known as the Baby Ace. This plane was on floats and was of particular interest to Paul Poberezney, President of the EAA. Since we spent summers where the plane was kept, we spent time with Paul and watched him do stunts with the Baby Ace. Later, I attended one of EAA’s “Fly-Ins” in Rockford Illinois where I few in a contraption called a Breezy (a frame with a motor and wings). It lived up to its name.

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