Douglas DC-3

Outgoing postcard US-3429583 to Florida was produced by Smithsonian Institution and printed in Singapore in 1988. It shows a Douglas DC-3, a fixed-wing propeller-driven airliner with a cruise speed of 207 m/h or 333 km/h and a range of 1,500 miles or 2,400 km, exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum. It bears an Eastern Airlines logo. Billed as the most successful airliner in history for its streamlined, versatile design and strong wing construction, the Douglas DC-3 dominated both commercial and military air transportation from its introduction in 1935 until after World War II. At least 400 of these airplanes are still flying today.

Update: The card reached the destination after 38 days on July 17,2015.

Oregon State Capitol at Salem

The Oregon State Capitol, located in the state capital Salem, OR, houses the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the State of Oregon. Outgoing postcard US-3202770 to Austria was a vintage linen postcard, published by E. C. Kropp Co., showing "Pride of the city of Salem, community center of the verdant, prosperous mid-Willamette Valley valley region, and pride of all Oregon - is the majestic new capitol building. A tribute to the achievements of the past as well as to the forward vision of present day Oregon, this building was erected when fire destroyed the original edifice in 1935."

Constructed from 1936 to 1938 and expanded in 1977 as the third state government buildings in Salem, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Valley of Fire

Postcard US-1804465 to Germany shows a flaming sunset view at the Valley of Fire, the oldest and largest state park in Nevada located 55 miles from Las Vegas, dedicated in 1935. The Valley of Fire got its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes some 150 million years ago when dinosaurs were around. You can find areas of petrified wood and early Indian petroglyphs throughout the park. There is a diverse desert bio-community that features creosote bush, burro bush, and brittlebush; beaver tail and cholla cactus; springtime blooming plants such as desert marigold, indigo bush, and desert mallow; birds such as raven, house finch, sage sparrow, and roadrunner; lizard and snake; coyote, kit fox, spotted skunk, jackrabbit; and the desert tortoise.

The Valley of Fire was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968. The park is also marked as Nevada Historical Marker #150. A close-up view of an area in Fire Canyon, part of Valley of Fire, has made on to the Nevada Statehood Forever Commemorative stamp, to be issued by USPS in Las Vegas, NV on May 29, 2014, to celebrates the 150th anniversary of Nevada statehood. The oil-on-Masonite panel was painted by Nevada artist Ron Spears.

Middle Bay Light, Alabama

Postcard US-2663940 is travelling to Indonesia showing Middle Bay Lighthouse, also known as Mobile Bay Lighthouse, that is located at the center of Mobile Bay, Alabama. The hexagonal shaped prefabricated screw-pile lighthouse was first lit in 1885.

The keeper's wife gave birth to a baby at the lighthouse in the summer of 1916 during World War I. However, she was unable to nurse the newborn baby. The keeper brought a dairy cow to the lighthouse and created a coral on the gallery at the lower deck. All had to be evacuated when the lighthouse survived a hurricane but sustained damages that year. The light was automated in 1935 and deactivated in 1967. It was placed on National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 1974. To learn more, visit the Alabama Lighthouse Association's web site.

Postcard photo by Carol Highsmith. You can purchase a copy at zazzle.com.