106th Rose Bowl Game

Happy New Year!

Every New Year's Day I wake up early and go for a flight over the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. I usually try to get some photos of the Rose Parade and, if I'm lucky, I manage to get some photos of the fly over at the start of the parade. It gives me an opportunity to get a little practice in before the Rose Bowl Game flyover later in the day. Nothing is certain and this year I was working with a new camera (I moved from Canon to Sony) and still am getting comfortable with the new equipment. Fortunately everything went well and I got some really high-resolution photos of the B-2 Stealth Bomber as it flew over the Rose Parade. I got the new camera for the increased resolution and I'm just blown away by the detail -- you can even see the American flag they put on the dash!!

Later in the day I went with my son and a good friend (also a very experienced pilot) to take some photos above the Rose Bowl Game. I usually go to get pictures of the marching bands in their various formations before the game. If I'm really lucky, I am able to put myself in the right place at the right time and get a picture of the B-2 as it flies over the stadium at the conclusion of the National Anthem. This year was particularly cool because the Oregon Marching Band (OMB) had the American Flag stretched out on the field and the fans in the stands were holding up cards that made a stars and stripes pattern in the stadium. On top of that, everything came together perfectly and the B-2 was right in the stadium (but not blocking the flag or the team names)!! A great way to start the new year!!