September 5, 2022 • 55

LAPC #215: Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Where They Take Us

With age comes wisdom. With travel comes understanding.

–Sandra Lake

This week, John reminds us that “It’s all about the journey.” So true, John. Travel has opened my eyes to cultures, languages, customs, and people near and far. I love finding similarities between us and I try to understand our differences. Of course, sometimes travel is uncomfortable, aggravating, and maddening, but still…

Many of us travel by car, train, bus, or plane. Some travel on foot. Others use animals (mules, oxen, camels, horses) as methods of transportation. Urbanites use ride share apps to get across town; others rent cars, bikes, and scooters in an attempt to get from here to there as fast or as cost-effectively as we can.

For this post, I’m featuring a variety of ways to get from point A to point B. Most of them I’ve used–except of course the World War II fighter plane. 😀😀.

Two Kinds of Taxis

Yes, New York is famous for its yellow taxis, but so is Victoria, British Columbia. Here you can see a water taxi crossing Victoria Harbor and the iconic 4-wheeled cab parked in a garage in New York City. Each one has shown us great sights during the ride and gets us to where we need to go.

John C. Meyer–The World War II Flying Ace

Several years ago, at the Thunder Over Michigan Air Show in Ann Arbor, we explored some meticulously restored fighter planes from WW II.

Before this, I had never seen the personalized messaging on each pilot’s plane. Here you can see the super hero logo for Lieutenant Colonel John C. Meyer and his crew, as well as how many enemy planes they shot down. These small details on the plane reminded me of the grim reality of war and its stated purpose to hunt down the enemy with planes, boats, trunks, tanks…

The Party Boat

The Dutch have perfected the art of living, commuting, and partying on the boats that line their canals. Here, a group of men are celebrating together on a motorboat in Amsterdam. As you can see, they didn’t mind that I took their picture.

Heading Out to Sea

One day last week, we spotted this cruise ship heading out to sea from Vancouver Harbor. I’m fascinated with the history and inner workings of the mega ships which have become as luxurious as resorts. But it’s not likely you’ll find me cruising anytime soon. After a rough few days on my first cruise, I wanted to kiss the ground when we docked. I think my grandfather’s spirit visited me on that trip. He wanted me to remind me of his travails in steerage when he crossed the Atlantic from Naples to New York City. 😀

The Iconic Tram

I loved these brightly-painted trams in Lisbon. which we used to explore this fascinating city with a rich culture and history.

A Trip Back in Time

As you know, I’m a city girl and didn’t grow up on a farm. But in New Hampshire visitors could take a ride on this horse and wagon during the Lupin Festival.

The Seven O’Clock Ferry from Bowen Island

I took this parting shot right before we boarded the ferry from Bowen Island to Vancouver. The sun was starting to lower as we left this beautiful spot and traveled back to the city.

The Cat Nap

I’ll end my post with this image captured on a street in Florence several years ago. As you know, many Italians use motorcycles to travel from here to there. They’re fast and fuel efficient. They are also a great place for a cat to take a nap.

This week, John has reminded me of the various ways we’ve traveled over the years–and what we’ve experienced once we got “there.” For example, this weekend, we traveled up to the top of Whistler Mountain and crossed over to an adjacent peak to Blackcomb Mountain. To get there, we took a gondola and a ski lift, then hiked to the Cloudraker suspension bridge, crossed it, and finally hiked up the last stretch on foot to get up to the summit at 2,198 feet where we witnessed the spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers. Thanks to modern technology, the entire trip from the base in Whistler Village to the summit took under an hour. This same trek would have taken hours or possibly even an entire day depending on the weather. I was definitely grateful for the shorter journey. I’ll be sharing photos of our high altitude adventure in the coming weeks.

We invite you to join John’s challenge this week and explore the ways of getting from here to there. Be sure to visit his site, Journeys with Johnbo, which features wonderful images and great stories about his travels. Last week, Ann-Christine invited us to share our Favorite Finds, which in turn inspired you to share wonderful images and stories about them.

Looking ahead to next week, it’s Sofia’s turn take the lead. so be sure to visit her inspiring and beautiful site Photographias next Saturday at noon EST. Until then, take care. Have a safe, healthy and inspiring week!

Categories: LENS-ARTISTS, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

Tagged as: , , , , ,

55 replies »

  1. My favorite image is the iconic tram. Good angle. I like the way you put the two taxis together as well. Thanks for the reminder that not everyone is suited for cruise travel. I booked a sunset cruise in Maui and my husband spent the entire cruise poised by the enamel throne. So no cruises for us.

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  3. I really like the shot of the cat on the motorcycle, Patti. The tram’s so colorful but looks like its front is going to scrape on the road. Love the lupine. As for cruises, I’d like to take one up the coast of Alaska or maybe even along the fjords do Norway but other than that, not interested.

    Happy Labor Day.

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  6. Wonderful transportation modes to wonderful places Patti! I like the iconic tram. It reminds me of San Francisco. And the cat napping image is so cute. I sleep better aboard a ship. The gentle rocking helps. Of course, it needs to stay gentle! Take care!

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  8. Terrific post Patti – I can’t believe we both included those little water taxis in Canada- aren’t they the cutest things!! Loved your taxi image with the driver smiling beside it, that’s perfect! And also loved the cat on the motorcycle. A great eye on that one. Re the plane, I was just reading a book that made me think of exactly that. It’s so tragic that countries are still waging war. You’d think by now we’d have learned. Sigh

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  16. Loved seeing all your different means of transport. The last one ofthe cat reminded me that years ago I posted a similar photo, taken in Sorrento, on Flickr and was invited to add it to a group featuring only photos of cats on bikes 😸

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  17. Wonderful collection, Patti. I love your comparison taxis (great idea and the photos are awesome). Love th cat, it is a great find you could only get in Italy, I think. And a lovely photo of my Lisbon, thank you. I have now a big smile on my face.

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  23. I’m not the best of sailors so cruises are not for me, but I don’t mind the odd ferry. Love the photo of the yellow taxi. I think my favourite type of transport is the car – when I am the driver. I love road trips.

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  24. Pingback: Lens-ArtistPC-215-Planes-Trains-Motor-Vehicles – WoollyMuses

  26. Hi Patti
    I really love the guys on the boat (is that Amsterdam?)
    And the people in the Lisbon shot
    Both are very special for culture and richness
    And your other images are fun too and I think it is important to remember past wars (to hopefully prevent future ones) and so the customized fighter plane is a gem too
    ☀️🙏😊

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