Travelogue 2001
In a Rut? Check Out the Panama Canal!
Have you ever thought of a Panama Canal Cruise, but thought it might be boring? You may be surprised. Transiting the Panama Canal is a riveting experience, like witnessing a technological miracle. Three sets of locks, each 1,000 feet long and 100 feet wide, fill with millions of gallons of water to allow the raising and lowering of ships 85 feet above sea level. These locks allow ships to sail across the largest man-made body of water cut from rugged, mountainous terrain. It is truly a wonder of the world.
Imagine this: the total amount of dirt and rock removed from the Panama Canal during its construction, if made into a wall eight feet high, would circle the Earth at the equator four times.
In December 1999, as required by the Panama Canal Treaty, the United States turned over the canal to Panama. The surrounding area of the canal was used by the U.S. Army, but is now being developed into hotels, shopping areas, and other tourist destinations.
Camera Tips
Your treasured photos don’t look right—objects that you remember as red now appear purple. The reason? Most likely your film got too hot while traveling. Both slide and print films (even loaded) are extremely sensitive to heat, and can discolor to purplish tones when subjected to temperatures as low as 80 degrees for more than six hours. How can you prevent it? Film-shield bags will keep film cool; or if you’re driving, tuck it in the cooler (but remember to wrap the film in plastic to keep it dry).
San Francisco
It isn’t often one can ride a national historic landmark, but it’s possible in San Francisco. Those funky little cable cars—the ones that crooner Tony Bennett claims "climb halfway to the stars"—got the prestigious designation in 1964. And why not? The colorful cars have been climbing the city’s hills for more than 125 years—since 1873, to be exact.
Cable cars were the inspiration of an Englishman. Andrew Hallidie, a London native engineer and metal-rope manufacturer, feeling sorry for the city’s overworked horses, found a better way to transport people. His system—cars pulled along by gripping cables running beneath the street surface—proved not only workable but irresistible. Although the system was initially called Hallidie’s Folly, that first run down Nob Hill marked the start of an institution.
So when you ride the cable cars of San Francisco, you’ll not only be part of history, but riding on it! All aboard! TPW
Imagine this: the total amount of dirt and rock removed from the Panama Canal during its construction, if made into a wall eight feet high, would circle the Earth at the equator four times.
In December 1999, as required by the Panama Canal Treaty, the United States turned over the canal to Panama. The surrounding area of the canal was used by the U.S. Army, but is now being developed into hotels, shopping areas, and other tourist destinations.
Camera Tips
Your treasured photos don’t look right—objects that you remember as red now appear purple. The reason? Most likely your film got too hot while traveling. Both slide and print films (even loaded) are extremely sensitive to heat, and can discolor to purplish tones when subjected to temperatures as low as 80 degrees for more than six hours. How can you prevent it? Film-shield bags will keep film cool; or if you’re driving, tuck it in the cooler (but remember to wrap the film in plastic to keep it dry).
San Francisco
It isn’t often one can ride a national historic landmark, but it’s possible in San Francisco. Those funky little cable cars—the ones that crooner Tony Bennett claims "climb halfway to the stars"—got the prestigious designation in 1964. And why not? The colorful cars have been climbing the city’s hills for more than 125 years—since 1873, to be exact.
Cable cars were the inspiration of an Englishman. Andrew Hallidie, a London native engineer and metal-rope manufacturer, feeling sorry for the city’s overworked horses, found a better way to transport people. His system—cars pulled along by gripping cables running beneath the street surface—proved not only workable but irresistible. Although the system was initially called Hallidie’s Folly, that first run down Nob Hill marked the start of an institution.
So when you ride the cable cars of San Francisco, you’ll not only be part of history, but riding on it! All aboard! TPW