The CSL Niagara On Lake Huron

I know that this ship was the CSL Niagara because she was a ship I was hoping to catch in Port Huron.

I think she was heading from Nanticoke to Thunder Bay.

The Honorable James L. Oberstar on Lake Huron

After catching my ships, I decided to take a trip around the thumb.  I wanted to go to Fish Point to see if I could catch some birds.

As I looked out on the lake, I saw a ship.  I think it was the Honorable James L. Oberstar but I'm not 100% sure.  I'm pretty sure she was heading down to Dearborn though.

Chasin' Cason

The next ship is the ship that I wanted to catch. 

 I love it when I can catch one of the classic lakers.  I especially love the three Great Lakes Fleet ships that are similar.

 I think all three of these ships have very nice lines.

 Like I said in the last post, one of the things that I like about Port Huron is the chance to get frontal shots.

 I also get good chances to get some of the other views I like.

 I think the three quarter view is pretty nice.  It gives you a better idea of the size of the ship.

 Port Huron is also nice for getting some clean shots as they come off Lake Huron.

 Another head shot.

 And she turns to enter the St. Clair River.

 After passing the Blue Water Bridge.  As you can see, it was pretty gray out.

 And she passes by.

 The almost beam shot.

 A shot of her pilothouse.

 And her stack.

And she continues on her way.  I think she was heading down to Conneaut but I'm not sure what she was carrying.

A Couple of Seagulls

While I'm waiting around for the ships, I have a chance to photograph some of the birds flying around.  It was kind of windy and looking like it was about to storm, so there wasn't much flying around except for the seagulls.

 I kind of like seagulls.  I think they are pretty neat looking birds.  I like the coloring on them.

 The probably look better against a blue sky though.

 I was catching some in flight.  I am really liking my new lens.

One more shot.

The Joseph H. Thompson Downbound at Port Huron

I was feeling kind of blah on Sunday and I really didn't want to do anything and then I checked Marine Traffic and saw that there was a ship I was interested in catching heading downbound.  I made it up there in time to catch a couple of ships.

 This wasn't the ship I was interested in catching but it was still kind of nice to catch her.

 I think she was heading down to Lorain, Ohio but I'm not sure what she was carrying.  I'm going to guess that she was carrying stone.

 I'm pretty sure that she wasn't carrying iron or grain though.

 I wish I would have caught her before they converted her into a barge.  She looks like she could have been a pretty nice vessel.

 She is just about to enter the St Clair River.

 One of the  things I love about catching ships at Port Huron is the fact that I can get a head shot of them.

And she continues on her way.

Hanging With Wilson

After going to see Star Wars this afternoon, I decided that I wanted to get pictures of the Air France 787 flying since I haven't been able to catch it in flight lately.

 First up was this Airbus A320 landing from Punta Cana.

 It was followed by this CRJ-200 arriving from Toronto.

 This CRJ-700 was getting ready to take off for Philadelphia.

 And MD-90 waiting for it's turn to head to Philadelphia.

 A jetBlue A320 arriving from Boston.

 It was followed by a Spirit A320 from Seattle.

 Of course the plane I was waiting for was the Air France 787-9.

 It was coming in from Paris, France.

 And it was roughly an 8 hour flight.

 Some smoking tires as it hits the runway.

 Making the turn towards the gate.

I went to a different spot tonight.  There is an industrial park on the other side of 275.  It's kind of in line with planes coming into 4L.  This A320 was arriving from Atlanta.

 A CRJ-700 coming in from Portland, Maine.

 The other plane I was waiting for was the Fed Ex DC-10 arriving from Memphis.

It will be a sad day when the DC-10s disappear from the skies.

The Rain in Michigain Falls Mainly on the Planes

I'll show my self out now, I think.  Trying too hard. 

 Well, I wanted to catch the Air France 787 tonight.  Sadly, the traffic was not cooperating with me.  I think I got stuck in two stoppages.  I made it to the top of the parking deck in time to see her touch down but I couldn't get my camera ready in time for that.

 I probably didn't have the right spot on the deck, either.  I usually don't get poles in the way.  Otherwise, not a bad picture.

 Of course, I had to get a 757 as she was about to take off.  She was getting ready to head to Fort Myers.

 It's always nice to get another 757 in the picture.

 I tried to clean up the image a little bit to get rid of some of the light poles.  How did I do?

and one more shot of the 787 for good measure.  I was going to get the Fed Ex MD-11 but then the rain started to hit hard.  It ended up not landing and took a tour around the airport before trying to land again.   It's just as well, I still got somewhat soaked.