Thursday, June 30, 2011

First Big Trip of the Summer!

Well, I finally have it planned out. I decided to choose the trip to Abilene. I willleave on Friday and come back on Monday and begin posting pictures soon. I will go to places like downtwn Abilene, Buffalo Gap, Sweetwater, and more. Keep following for more updates.

Picture of the Day June 29, 2011

Some ghost signs in downtown Birmingham. Picture take April 29, 2011.

Picture of the Day: June 28

An old grave in hidden Bullock Cemetery in Coppell, Texas. Picture taken August 1, 2010.

Picture of the Day: June 27, 2011

This train depot is now the Saginaw Chamber of Commerce. But plenty of trains still go by this old depot, because of the many mills in Saginaw. Picture taken May 28, 2011.

Picture of the Day: June 26, 2011

I rarely say this about my first few pictures, but I like this one a lot. My personal favorite part of this shot is the river, which to me ties the cemetery and downtown together. Picture taken June 5, 2010.

Picture of the Day: June 25, 2011

This is the marker for the very small community of Valley Spring, located to the northwest of Llano.There are certain markers that I really like a lot, I usually don't have good reasons to explain why but, this is one of them. In fact, I used it as my buddy icon for flickr. Picture taken July 20, 2010 in Valley Spring, Texas.

Picture of the Day: June 24, 2011

I can't ellyou much about Alabama's history, but this seemed to be an interesting place. There isn't anything there really anymore other then a small convienence store. It was very pretty, TONS of trees. About an hour north of Birmingham. Picture taken May 1, 2011.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Abandoned Hotel, Faxon, Oklahoma

Another example of the types of things I LOVE to find when I travel. I wonder what happened to this hotel?

Monday, June 27, 2011

Where Am I?

Where Am I? by fables98
Where Am I?, a photo by fables98 on Flickr.

Just in case you forgot where you were :) Thank you Burkburnett, Texas for providing a permanant GPS to all travelers who find themselves at the intersection of I-44 and 267.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

What to expect this week

Well, i'm excited to say I was able to go on my west Texas day trip yesterday and get shots in Gordon, Mingus, Thurber, Strawn, Palo Pinto, and Mineral Wells. I also learned that I love my new camera! I'll be uploading these pics soon.
I will also continue to work on last year's Labo0r Day set.
This Friday will be my first major trip of the summer and i'm between two places... here is my plan for both, I will have a decision soon.

Possible Trip 1: Take 175 out of Dallas to Jacksonville, then take a short detour to the ghost town of Dialville. Take 84 out of Rusk until you hit highway 96 in Teneha. From Teneha, take 96 south to Jasper, which is where I would stay. I would take pictures along the drive and in Jasper. Places I would visit include Martin Dies Jr. State Park and Lake Sam Rayburn.

Possible Trip 2: Take Interstate 20 (which I learned is actually a very pretty drive, not typical for interstates), until I reach Abiline. Take a lot of pictures in Abiline, visit historic landmarks etc. This is where I would stay. Drive to the historic Buffalo Gap village to take pictures of both historic buildings and scenery. Then drive to Abiline State Park to swim, take pictures, hike, etc. That night visit the well-known Anson Ghost Lights and try and record video if seen. Take some pictures in Anson as well. Also another place I would like to visit is Sweetwater, so I would take some pictures there too.

Well those are my ideas. If you have any input please leave a comment!

Friday, June 24, 2011

False Alert

Well my mail man decided to come late today so i won't have time for pictures today, sorry. More updates on other stuff soon.

Today's Day Trip!

I now have an excuse to start posting pictures on flickr.... I have NEW pictures.. or will have after today. First time using the new camera that should come today. Going out west to small towns like Gordon, Mingus, Thurber, Strawn, etc. I will have more updates on my first big trip of the summer soon.

Picture of the Day: June 23, 2011

This is the historic J.H. Meurer Home located in Scotland, Texas. Picture taken September 4, 2010.

Picture of the Day: June 22, 2011

This is the beautiful view driving north on 377 just about to cross Lake Texoma into Oklahoma. Picture taken April 9, 2011.

Picture of the Day: June 21, 2011

This is some machinery from the first factory in Athens. It;s located in a cool road side park that includes some machinery plus 4 markers. Picture taken May 29, 2011.

Picture of the Day: June 20, 2011

There isn't much to photograph in Haltom City... it's not exacly picturesque. However these two old motel signs proved my theory that there was nothing to photogrraph wrong, in fact I felt pretty satisfied with what Haltom City offered (I got this some markers and an old theater). Besides, stuff like this is hard to come by in the DFW area. Picture taken June 12, 2010.

Picture of the Day: June 19, 2011

The marker for the city that inspired me to travel. Picture taken July 10, 2010.

Picture of the Day: June 18, 2011

Catching up on a few days I have missed, this is the historical marker for the Kidd-Key College in Sherman, Texas. Photo take on July 4, 2010.

Yet Another Update

Yes, another update.
Ok, I will be posting some pics, mostly from last year's Labor Day trip. I'm not 100% sure if I will be going on my next road trip this Saturday or next Friday. I should have made my decision tommorow. Keep following for even more updates!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

More Updates

Hi everyone,
I'm not posting any pics for now, and I probably won't until I get back from my next trip. I got a new camera! My old one was starting to take lower quality pics so I decided it was time for an upgrade. It's another Kodak. My old one got stolen so i'm excited to get a new and even better one.
This Saturday I will be going on my first trip of the summer. The stopping point will be Jasper, Texas. I will take pictures along the way to Jasper along with pictures from Lake Sam Rayburn, Martin Dies Jr. SP, and Jasper it self. Hopefully on this trip i'll get quite a few nature and historic pictures. I will start the Picture of the Day series again tommororw. Keep following for more updates.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Trip Updates

Coming up this week: More pics from recent trips and I will have some info on first big trip of the summer coming up soon.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Picture of the Day: June 17, 2011

This is the marker for the site of the Pritchett Normal Institute in the tiny town of Pritchett. Picture taken October 30, 2010.

Picture of the Day: June 16, 2011

The marker for the building that houses the records for my home county. Picture taken on July 25, 2010.

Picture of the Day: June 15, 2011

This is the marker for Historic Curtis Field, about 5 miles north of Brady and about 15 minutes south of the geographic center of Texas. Picture taken July 20, 2010.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Update

Hi everyone,
I will be out of town until Sunday (not taking pictures, darn), so I won't have any new pics up until then (darn). Just wanted to let ya'll know.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Picture of the Day: June 14, 2011

This is the marker for the Llano County Jail. I had never seen a marker on a gate like this before, i'm not sure how it could open.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Favorite Routes of 2010

Well, since 2010 is over (and has been for a while), i've decided to make a list of my favorite drives from my road trips of 2010.
In no particular order...
Highway 180 - Weatherford to Mineral Wells
This was one of my favorite drives of the year. It took me through the country side, past many beautiful bluffs, and through two really cool old towns Weatherford and Mineral Wells, providing many picture taking oppourtunities.

Highway 281 - Minearl Wells to Marble Falls
My favorite drive of the year, this took me through many samll towns, past many historic structures, and into the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Cities it goes through include Hico, Hamilton, Lampasas, Burnet, and Marble Falls.

Highway 290 - Johnson City to Fredericksburg
This highway is probably my second favorite route behind 281. It starts in Johnson City, then goes through historic Stonewall into Fredericksburg. The route is about an hour long. This stectch of highway has the second most amount of wineries in the nation behind Sonoma Valley.

F.M. 965 - Frdericksburg to Enchanted Rock
Now that I think about it, this might be my favorite. I don't know they were all good in there own way! This road felt like a roller coaster ride, going up and down hills the whole 19 mile stretch. Enchanted Rock is one of many rocks/hills/mountains in the area, and the views from both enchanted rock and thoe road are spectacular.

Highway 16 - Llano to Fredericksburg
There is not much to say about this route, just another hill country route with spectacular views. Also, you will pass by a few interesting places such as Oxford Cemetery.

Highway 71 - Spicewood to Llano
This highway was yet another beautiful hill country route, that had A LOT of markers and lots of hills and mountains including historic Packsaddle Mountain.

F.M. 701 - South Bend to Eliasville
From one ghost town to another, this route goes through a few miles of country side,and ends at the historic Donnell Mill in Eliasville.

Highway 16 - Graham to Intersection with 281
Yep, Highway 16 is back for a second time, but this time much further north in a much different landscape. This was a nice relaxing country drive with lot's of markers. I'll take that any day over I-35, Dallas to Lewisville.

Highway 281 - Windthorst to Wichita Falls
Another hill country favorite, just further north. This was a nice country alternative to taking a major highway into a large town. I'm not used to taking country highways into large cities, but it was pretty nice actually.

Highway 240 - Burkburnett to ?
I think this was the first time i've seen a sign say "4 Historical Markers next 4 Miles" (it said something like that). I had never felt so in the middle of nowhere before this. I seriously thought it was some other world. This highway goes through about 6 ghost towns in 10 miles, and I think in that 10 miles I got about 8 markers. Not a bad drive.

F.M. 174 - Windthorst to Bowie
This was another one of those middle of nowhere drives, and it was a really fun one, especially in the evening. It really didn't go through anything but farm land, but it was still a nice drive.

And there you have it, my list of best routes of 2010. Be on the lookout for my 2011 list next year!

Picture of the Day: June 13, 2011

This is the old Mineral Wells post office, located right across from the historic Baker Hotel. Picture taken June 17, 2010.

Picture of the Day: June 12, 2011

If you see this old sign, well you must be at Rickwood Field!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Picture of the Day: June 11, 2011

This is the headquarters of the Corsicana Daily Sun, the newspaper that serves the county seat of Navarro County. Picture taken July 11, 2010.

Weird Texas Part 2, World's Smallest Skyscraper, Wichita Falls, Texas


World's Smallest Skyscraper, Wichita Falls, Texas

This tiny building was constructed in 1919 with $200,000 that investors gave to the proposed skyscraper after seeing it's plans. Since they were too busy thinking about money to use common sense, they missed a major flaw.
The architectural plans were drawn out by a Philadelphia scam artist, who drew it out in inches instead of feet. The result is the HUGE skyscraper pictured above, towering 4 stories into the Wichita Falls sky! It's also very wide, 10 foot by 16 foot. Meanwhile those intelligent investors I mentioned earlier, well they couldn't do anything about it, they had already signed the plans. They did get the cost of the elevator back, which was never out in for obviuos reasons. So there you have it, that's how the world's smallest skyscraper came to be.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Weekly Recap

Two more sets of pictures coming up soon from last week's trip's.
I still need to finish 175 Roadtrip
I need to start the Glen Rose trip after that
After both of those are done, I will start posting pictures from yesterday's trip to Bonham.
So there certainly won't be a lack of pics anytime soon! Stay tuned for more updates.

Picture of the Day: June 10, 2011

This is before we boarded the riverboat to take the Jefferson River boat tour on the Big Cypress Bayou. If you're in Jefferson and have time I highly recommend taking the tour, it was one of the highlights of the trip. Picture taken July 8, 2010.

Picture of the Day: June 9, 2011

No Betting In This Park by fables98
No Betting In This Park, a photo by fables98 on Flickr.

This is from America's Oldest Ballpark in Birmingham, Alabama, Rickwood Field.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Picture of the Day: June 8, 2011

From the inside of the school house that used to be in the town of Renner. That town dosen't exist anymore. Schoolhouse now located in Old City Park in Dallas.

Updates, new Flickr page layout

I have decided to change the layout of my flickr page. If you haven't seen it yet, I know have my trips in a collection called Texas Trips, I now have sets for every city i've been through and taken more than 5 pics (well, almost all of them), a set for other stuff (Birmingham, Masonic Lodges, etc.) and a Texas Cemeteries set. Keep following for more updates.

Picture of the Day: June 7, 2011

Luckenbach, Texas by fables98
Luckenbach, Texas, a photo by fables98 on Flickr.

Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach! I was actually quite surprised to see how far people have come to visit this true Texas Hill Country town. But know matter how far you've driven/flown to get here, i'm sure most will agree it was worth it.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Updates

For now I will continue working on the labor day weekend set along with the 175 roadtrip set. I'm still unsure of when my next trip will be, Route 66 is a possibility, Tx highway 69 is another and alsothere are a couple others being considered. This is my first major road trip of the summer and it will be somewhere late this month, 24-27, 25-28. My second major summer trip I do have pretty well planned out. More on that one soon.

Picture of the Day: June 6, 2011

This is the historical marker for the Frederickisburg Christan Methodist Episcopal Church.

Picture of the Day: June 5, 2011

We drove down to Temple, Texas to see the marker dedication for Green Oaks Farm. This is it about an hour before the ceremony.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Uncovered Trolley Tracks, Ft. Worth, Texas

Being a huge fan of trains and especially trolley's, this was a very cool find! These uncovered tracks go down the sparsley traveled section of Commerce Street near LaGrave Field. I'm not sure if it was part of Ft. Worth's original streetcar system or part of the interurban.

Picture of the Day: June 4, 2011

This is one of the more beat up markers i've seen. Taken on my first hill country trip... a trip on which I saw many markers in bad condition, usually on old country highways. This was taken on July 20, 2011 in Voca, Texas.

Work on new set

Today I will begin working on my Highway 175 trip to Athens set. I should have this one finished sometime this week so I can begin working on my Glen Rose trip. Continue following for more updates.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Today's Road Trip

Today I will be going to Glen Rose, Texas! I will take as many pics as possible and will probabaly start posting them to flickr this week. Stay tuned to my blog for my updates!
Thanks for looking

Texas Blue Sky, Royse City, Texas

A personal favorite of mine.

Picture of the Day: June 3, 2011

Looking Up by fables98
Looking Up, a photo by fables98 on Flickr.

A shot of some trees above the Cross Timbers trail. Picture taken in Cedar Mills, Texas April 9, 2011.

Picture of the Day: June 2, 2011

Caddo Lake 16 by fables98
Caddo Lake 16, a photo by fables98 on Flickr.

A shot from the canoe at some of mystrious cypress trees lining the shores of this lake/swamp. Picture taken March 13, 2011.

Picture of the Day: June 1, 2011

This is one of the many small streams that run through beatiful Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham. My camera was almost in the water for this one! Picture taken: April 29, 2011.