POSTCARD N.248 - U.S.A.

Postcrossing Postcard sent on 30 July; received on the  7th September 2026

Postcard image: Hoover Dam and Colorado River Bridge

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Thanks a lot Bobby, for this great card of the Hoover dam and the Colorado river bridge. Also thanks for the great selection of stamps.

Drones have given wings to photographers. Whereas in the past one had to enrol the service of an helicopter to shoot an image as the one on the postcard, today everyone can get it, provided, of course, they know how to handle the technicalities of the small devices that we all have seen buzzing around one's hears, particularly at tourist places. 

Now don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the conscientious use of drones (of the photo type) and  more than once I have given a thought about buying one. Still, there are so many restrictions to their use that my desire has lost momentum.... but who knows.... maybe Santa...? hear that, Mr Klaus?

The thing is that there is always an element of surprise in a drone photo, no matter how many we have already seen. Terrestrians that we are, we are used to looking at the world from the height of our eyes, so  we can't grasp a lot of what's going on above that plane. Drones don't have this limitation and as such they allow us to look at the world from a totally different perspective. Nice.

If only drones could only be used for photo and video and other peaceful applications....

Hoover Dam was built  between 1931 and 1936, on the Colorado River, about halfway on its course through Nevada and Arizona. The artificial lake it created is called Lake Mead, being the  largest reservoir in the USA. 

Besides being a famous tourist attraction, Hoover dam, at the time of construction, the largest concrete structure in the world, is also used for the production of hydroelectric power.

- In 1956, Adolph Ochs (1858 – 1935), bought, mostly with borrowed money, for the hefty sum of 75.000 USD, the New York Times newspaper, which had been established in 1851 as the New York Daily Times.

His only daughter,  Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger, would eventually marry Arthur Hays Sulzberger and, to this day, the prestigious Newspaper, has been in the hands of the descendants of the Ochs-Sulzberger family.

On 18SEP1976, USPS honoured the memory of Adolph Ochs by issuing the 13 cent stamp on the card.

- Lindbergh's solo flight over the Atlantic is one of those feats that will forever be remembered as a mark of human achievement and commitment.

To accomplish this feat, Charles Lindbergh flew on the Spirit of St. Louis, a custom built Ryan aircraft, with a fully enclosed cabin with two tiny side windows (forward vision provided by a periscope...) -  designated Ryan NYP (which stood for New York to Paris) .

On his transatlantic flight, Lucky Lindy, as he was also know, the moniker stemming from his air mail flying times, during which he survived two crashes by parachuting from the aircraft he was flying,  landed at le Bourget, Paris 33 hours and 30 minutes, after leaving Roosevelt Field in new York, on May 20-21 1937.

On 20MAY1977, celebrating the  50th anniversary of the flight, USPS issued the 13 cent stamp on the cover, illustrated with a beautiful image of the Spirit of Saint Louis, flying low above the waves  in the moonlight, a scene vividly described in Lindbergh’s book “The Spirit of Saint Louis” and also taken to a film of the same name, starred by James Stewart.

- Juan Ponce de Léon (1460-1521) was a 16th century Spanish explorer and conqueror, who accompanied Cristopher Collón in his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He was also the first European explorer (and later governor)  of Puerto Rico... you lovely Island, Island of tropical breezes.... (I can't help it, I love West Side Story...), and the culprit for naming the peninsula that delimitates the Eastern Side of The Gulf of MEXICO, as Florida, a land that he would also be the first to map, on its Atlantic side.

On 12OCT1982, on the occasion of  ESPAMER '82, an international philatelic exhibition held in San Juan de Puerto Rico, USPS issued the 20 cent stamp on the postcard, illustrated with his portrait superimposed over the map with Florida and Puerto Rico in the background.

- The self-adhesive "Forever/USA" definitive stamp with the legend Freedom was issued on 10APR2023.

- The 7 cent air mail stamp illustrated with the top plane view of what looks like a Boeing 707 is the oldest vintage on this card, having been issued on 31JUL1958, what makes it older than myself.

- The 18-cent commemorative stamp highlighting the  Savings and Loans industry was issued on may 8, 1981. Ironically, I read that the 80's were fatal for the Savings and Loans Associations due to a sharp increase in interest rates that ruined their business model, given that the revenue from old long term  fixed rate loans could not offset the cost of the new deposit rates... 

- The Thunderbirds or The United States Air Force Demonstration Squadron, established in 1953, is one of the oldest air force aerobatic teams in the world, a title resting on its French counterpart, “La Patrouille de France”.

Based at Nellis Air Force Base, in the state of Nevada, the squadron currently flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a far cry from the original F-84G Thunderjets with which the squadron performed at  its inception.

The United States Department of the Air Force was established in 1947. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, USPS issued, on 18SEP1997, the  32 cent stamp on the postcard, illustrated with a photo of  a four  aircraft section of the usual six F-16s complement that the Thunderbirds use in their display routines.

Further to the clearly visible Mechanical  Freedom 250 Postmark, the stamps were cancelled with a red circular manual postmark also dated of 30.07.2026, the part of which that I can see reads "Last Las Vegas Station".