Friday, April 27, 2007

Wild Life - Rare White Lions

The white lion is occasionally found in wildlife reserves in South Africa and is a rare color mutation of the Kruger subspecies of lion (Panthera leo krugeri).


It has been perpetuated by selective breeding in zoos around the world. White lions are not a separate subspecies and they have never been common in the wild.


Regarded as divine by locals, white lions first came to public attention in the 1970s in Chris McBride's book "The White Lions of Timbavati".


White cubs occasionally turn up among tawny lions in the Timbavati and Kruger National Park regions.

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel

Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (MMMBT) is the 4.6 mile-long (7.4 km) Hampton Roads crossing for Interstate 664. It is a four-lane bridge-tunnel comprised of bridges, trestles, man-made islands, and tunnels under a portion of the Hampton Roads harbor where the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth Rivers come together in South Hampton Roads, in the southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States.
It connects the independent cities of Newport News on the Virginia Peninsula and Suffolk in South Hampton Roads and is part of the Hampton Roads Beltway.
It includes a four-lane tunnel that is 4,800 feet (1,463 m) long, two man-made portal islands, and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) of twin trestle.

Above picture is Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (I-664), looking north. The curving 3.2-mile-long South Trestle is in the foreground. That connects to the South Island, where the south tunnel portal is, for the 4,800-foot long tunnel. The North Island and Newport News are in the distance. Starting at the left edge of the photo is the Newport News Marine Terminal.

Above picture is Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (I-664), looking south from near the tip of Newport News. In the foreground, you can see the North Approach Bridge, and the Small Boat Harbor to the left. The North Approach Bridge connects to the North Island (actually a peninsula) where the north portal of the tunnel is. In the distance, you can see the South Island and the South Trestle.

Near the mid-point of the I-664 tunnel

Carries: 4 lanes of I-664
Crosses: Hampton Roads
Locale: Suffolk, Virginia to Newport News, Virginia
Maintained by: Virginia Department of Transportation
Design: Composite--Low-level Trestle, Double-tube Tunnel, Manmade islands
Total length: 4.6 miles (7.4 km)
Opening date: April 30, 1992