This week on flickr...
More pictures from my Big Country Road Trip
After that i've got pictures from Durant and Oak Cliff to post after Big Country.
More updates soon.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Picture of the Day: July 11, 2011
Taken while fishing at Texas' oldest inland marina on Caddo Lake in Uncertain, Texas. Photo taken on March 13, 2011.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Pictureof The Day: July 10, 2011
This is the 1894 Blanco County Jail located in the hill country town of Johnson City. Picture taken: July 18, 2010.
Picture of the Day: July 9, 2011
This marker is in one of the many road side parks off of 281. This marker is for Hamilton County C.S.A., and it's in a picnic area a few miles north of Hamilton.
Pixture of the Day: July 8, 2011
The Sherman Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Picture taken July 4, 2010.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Picture of the Day: July 7, 2011
Yet another one of the many masonic lodges in Texas. This one is located in downtown Irving. Picture taken July 25, 2010.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Picture of the Day: July 6, 2011
The old train depot in the hill country town of Marble Falls, Texas. Taken July 17, 2010.
Picture of the Day: July 5, 2011
The Blanco River dam at Blanco SP. Picture taken on March 19, 2011.
Tommorow's Day Trip
Tommorow I will be going to Durant, Oklahoma for some pictures. I will also go to Fort Washita, a historic and supposedly haunted fort just 15 mintues away. I will start posting my pictures from the Big Country trip sometime in the next 3 days.
New Article: Big Country Road Trip Review
Hi everyone,
This is my first road trip review. This is another new thing I am incorporating into this blog.
This is my review/recap/etc. of my recent Big Country Road Trip on July 1-3.
First of all, I had no idea they called this area (Sweetwater, Abilene, etc.) the Big Country. Even though Abilene is only 3 hours away, this was my first visit to the Big Country. I had always known this area as the Panhandle Plains, but all the news stations, stores, people out there call it the "Big Country". Based on my research, the Big Country seems to strecth out as far as San Angelo and Lubbock, Sweetwater is approximatley in the center (I could be horrifcly wrong, this is knda a guess). Anyway, I see why they call it the big country. It is BIG. Very spread out. When I was driving in the Ft. Phantom area, looking up at the endless blue sky, it really made me realize just how huge this state really is. Populatin wise, Abilene is no bigger than the DFW metro city of Irving. Yet Abilene rivals Dallas in terms of land. And it's not all urban. It's hard to believe you're in a city of 100,000 people in some parts on the north and south sides of town. Anyway, that's just a little taste of the Big Country expirience. Now here is my recap/review thing.
Day 1: July 1, 2011
Left Coppell at about 10:00 a.m. First stop of the day was in the county seat of Eastland County, Eastland. Took a few pictures in downtown, and started my final hour of the 3 hour journey through the hills that line I-20. I usually HATE interstates, but I-20 west really impressed me. At one point I was so high up my ears were popping. The hills were beautiful. I was surprised when I entered Abilene, because I had just through some beautiful cliffs, and I didn't expect the thing I saw once I was out from in between them to downtown Abilene. My first impression of Abilene was, pretty cool, old. It very much reminded me of a mini Birmingham. I decided to start the trip by walking around downtown and taking some pictures. I parked at the old T&P station and my journey began.
There are certain angles things that really capture my attention and make me think, man that would be a GREAT picture! I had already seen a few at the depot. First off, the clouds the whole weekend really helped certain pictures stand out, they really helped me so, Thank you clouds! The first cool building that captured my attention was the old Grace Hotel building (now a muesuem) across from the station. It had one of the coolest signs i've ever seen, and the clouds were on my side when came to photographing this wonderful old building. I continued my trek around downtown, stopping here and there for pictures. Then came the Paramount Theatre.
I had been really excited at the oppourtunity to go inside this grand old theatre, but little did I know that this would turn out to be one of the most paranormaly active places I had ever been. Right when I walked in, I had a feeling that I wasn't the only one in there. In my very first picture I got 2 orbs, and from there on, almost every picture I took had some orbs or some other weird thing in it. At one point I had to press the power button on my camera 6 times for it to turn on! Another odd thing, my friend was taking pictures with a 5 megapixel Iphone, and I was using a 14 meagpixel camera, yet his inside shots were much clearer and had no orbs. Mine on the other hand, took very dark pictures and had many orbs and hard to explain things. That would be the first place on what turned out to be my biggest paranormal trip ever.
After that, I was ready to check out some more places, so I decided to drive 45 minutes to the west to the "Wind Energy Capital of The World", Sweetwater, Texas. Driving into Sweetwater the first thing that intrigued me was the abandoned Palmino Motel, which had a really cool old sign. I walked around downtown Sweetwater, it's streets lined with old buildings, the courthouse tying everything into place. After downtown, I decided to venture to the west side of town where I found the second abandoned drive-in theatre i'd seen in Sweetwater. It made for another good photo. I made one last stop in Sweetwater, and that would be historic Avenger Field. I got a few pictures there and then headed back to Abilene to check in at the Holiday Inn (my favorite and just about the only place I will stay on my trips). After checking in I had dinner at a downtown restaurant called "Cypress Street Station". It's in an old building built in 1919. My food was very good, i'd give it a solid A. My top three travel restaurants: 1. Hondo's Fredericksburg, Texas. Best restaurant EVER. 2. County Seat Lampasas, Texas. 3. Cypress Street Station Abilene, Texas. Well, that concludes night 1. Now onto day 2...
Day 2:
My first stop on my second day was Anson, Texas. County seat of Jones County, 24 miles north of Abilene. The main reason I came here was to take some courthouse pictures and see the dirt road where I was going to see the infamous"Anson Lights" later that night. After Anson, I went to a place that is said to be one of the most haunted places in Texas, Fort Phantom Hill. In fact, the soldiers who now haunt this place named it Phantom Hill because they saw phantoms during the night! This may have been the highlight of the trip. What a cool old fort, it was just amazing. You could almost feel the ghosts. In some spots it would be horribly hot (it was 100 degrees), and in tohers it would feel very cool. At the old Hospital ruins, I asked for the spirits to make a sign, to throw a rock. About 2 mintues later as I was in the middle of taking a picture, I heard a rock hit the chimney behind me. And it was very cool int this spot. After a few panoramics I headed out to Bufflo Gap. But this wouldn't be my only visit to the fort.
Buffalo Gap was heavily traveled by indians and white settlers in the 1800's, becuase it's in a natural pass in between two mountains. And man is it pretty. You have to beautiful hills to your right and left, so it's basically like seeing the hill country everywhere you look. Buffalo Gap historic village was another highlight. The old village was filled with original buildings from Buffalo Gap, including the old courthouse, train depot, and gas station (my favorite building). After Buffalo Gap, I continued my journey to Abilene State Park.
After taking a few pictures at the state park, I was ready to get back to the hotel and prepare for the paranormal night ahead. I left the hotel at about 9:00 and made a stop at Ft. Phantom Hill again at about 10:00 p.m. I took about 15 pictures. Almost all of them had orbs, and the final two by the powder magazine had a white mist. The weird thing is, my face detector came on in that spot. I'm getting chills just typing this. Anyway, after that I made my way to Anson to see the Anson Ghost Lights.
As I got out of the city part of Anson and into the pitch black country, I started to get that butterfly feeling in my stomach, knowing that I was about to (hopefully) witness one of the most well-known ghost stories in Texas! As I was driving down the pitch black dirt road to the intersection where I would turn around, I could already see sometime type of light in rearviewmirror thorugh the dust. I turned my truck around, flashed the head lights 3 times, and there it was. I don't know how to explain it, it was amazing, that's for sure. At first I thought it was a car headlight, but then it started changing colors and even came towards the truck. To me it resembled a lantern, which is what it is said to be. After about 10 minutes I drove down the dirt road back onto highway 180. But I wasn't quite ready to leave. I went down the road again and this time it was even brighter than the street light next to us, and it came very close! I thought this would be the creepiest part of the night, but I wrong. I wasn't scared of the light at all, in fact I was hoping it would come further towards the truck. However, About an hour earlier at Ft. Phantom Hill, that was creepy. I knew I would have to make one last stop there the following day before I came home.
Day 3
This was driving back day. However, I found a lot more delays in my drive than I expected. That's a good thing by the way. First I made one final stop at Ft. Phantom Hill. I didn't go inside, I just sat in the truck for a few minutes, and waited. Right when I pulled in, my CD played strated blasting a cd that i hadn't played for months! First, nobody turned on the radio. Ande second, it should have started where my STP cd I was listening to left off, but instead it started a different cd! And it was loud too. After many expieriences here in just 3 visits, i'd say this place is very hanted. I drove back on 180 just to take a different route than I came. I stopped in the small town of Albany, and was pleasently surprised. This town reminded me of Llano, Texas. Nice well kept historic downtown, over all very clean, tourist friendly. I also learned that Ft. Griffin was only 10 miles north. So of course I headed up there to chck it out. Not only did I see the historic old fort and a very scenic overlook, but the nice lady at the fort's hq told us where the original townsite is, and an ole 1885 bridge over the Brazos. Seeing that was the perfect way to end the trip.
Well, that rap's it up... until my next trip!
This is my first road trip review. This is another new thing I am incorporating into this blog.
This is my review/recap/etc. of my recent Big Country Road Trip on July 1-3.
First of all, I had no idea they called this area (Sweetwater, Abilene, etc.) the Big Country. Even though Abilene is only 3 hours away, this was my first visit to the Big Country. I had always known this area as the Panhandle Plains, but all the news stations, stores, people out there call it the "Big Country". Based on my research, the Big Country seems to strecth out as far as San Angelo and Lubbock, Sweetwater is approximatley in the center (I could be horrifcly wrong, this is knda a guess). Anyway, I see why they call it the big country. It is BIG. Very spread out. When I was driving in the Ft. Phantom area, looking up at the endless blue sky, it really made me realize just how huge this state really is. Populatin wise, Abilene is no bigger than the DFW metro city of Irving. Yet Abilene rivals Dallas in terms of land. And it's not all urban. It's hard to believe you're in a city of 100,000 people in some parts on the north and south sides of town. Anyway, that's just a little taste of the Big Country expirience. Now here is my recap/review thing.
Day 1: July 1, 2011
Left Coppell at about 10:00 a.m. First stop of the day was in the county seat of Eastland County, Eastland. Took a few pictures in downtown, and started my final hour of the 3 hour journey through the hills that line I-20. I usually HATE interstates, but I-20 west really impressed me. At one point I was so high up my ears were popping. The hills were beautiful. I was surprised when I entered Abilene, because I had just through some beautiful cliffs, and I didn't expect the thing I saw once I was out from in between them to downtown Abilene. My first impression of Abilene was, pretty cool, old. It very much reminded me of a mini Birmingham. I decided to start the trip by walking around downtown and taking some pictures. I parked at the old T&P station and my journey began.
There are certain angles things that really capture my attention and make me think, man that would be a GREAT picture! I had already seen a few at the depot. First off, the clouds the whole weekend really helped certain pictures stand out, they really helped me so, Thank you clouds! The first cool building that captured my attention was the old Grace Hotel building (now a muesuem) across from the station. It had one of the coolest signs i've ever seen, and the clouds were on my side when came to photographing this wonderful old building. I continued my trek around downtown, stopping here and there for pictures. Then came the Paramount Theatre.
I had been really excited at the oppourtunity to go inside this grand old theatre, but little did I know that this would turn out to be one of the most paranormaly active places I had ever been. Right when I walked in, I had a feeling that I wasn't the only one in there. In my very first picture I got 2 orbs, and from there on, almost every picture I took had some orbs or some other weird thing in it. At one point I had to press the power button on my camera 6 times for it to turn on! Another odd thing, my friend was taking pictures with a 5 megapixel Iphone, and I was using a 14 meagpixel camera, yet his inside shots were much clearer and had no orbs. Mine on the other hand, took very dark pictures and had many orbs and hard to explain things. That would be the first place on what turned out to be my biggest paranormal trip ever.
After that, I was ready to check out some more places, so I decided to drive 45 minutes to the west to the "Wind Energy Capital of The World", Sweetwater, Texas. Driving into Sweetwater the first thing that intrigued me was the abandoned Palmino Motel, which had a really cool old sign. I walked around downtown Sweetwater, it's streets lined with old buildings, the courthouse tying everything into place. After downtown, I decided to venture to the west side of town where I found the second abandoned drive-in theatre i'd seen in Sweetwater. It made for another good photo. I made one last stop in Sweetwater, and that would be historic Avenger Field. I got a few pictures there and then headed back to Abilene to check in at the Holiday Inn (my favorite and just about the only place I will stay on my trips). After checking in I had dinner at a downtown restaurant called "Cypress Street Station". It's in an old building built in 1919. My food was very good, i'd give it a solid A. My top three travel restaurants: 1. Hondo's Fredericksburg, Texas. Best restaurant EVER. 2. County Seat Lampasas, Texas. 3. Cypress Street Station Abilene, Texas. Well, that concludes night 1. Now onto day 2...
Day 2:
My first stop on my second day was Anson, Texas. County seat of Jones County, 24 miles north of Abilene. The main reason I came here was to take some courthouse pictures and see the dirt road where I was going to see the infamous"Anson Lights" later that night. After Anson, I went to a place that is said to be one of the most haunted places in Texas, Fort Phantom Hill. In fact, the soldiers who now haunt this place named it Phantom Hill because they saw phantoms during the night! This may have been the highlight of the trip. What a cool old fort, it was just amazing. You could almost feel the ghosts. In some spots it would be horribly hot (it was 100 degrees), and in tohers it would feel very cool. At the old Hospital ruins, I asked for the spirits to make a sign, to throw a rock. About 2 mintues later as I was in the middle of taking a picture, I heard a rock hit the chimney behind me. And it was very cool int this spot. After a few panoramics I headed out to Bufflo Gap. But this wouldn't be my only visit to the fort.
Buffalo Gap was heavily traveled by indians and white settlers in the 1800's, becuase it's in a natural pass in between two mountains. And man is it pretty. You have to beautiful hills to your right and left, so it's basically like seeing the hill country everywhere you look. Buffalo Gap historic village was another highlight. The old village was filled with original buildings from Buffalo Gap, including the old courthouse, train depot, and gas station (my favorite building). After Buffalo Gap, I continued my journey to Abilene State Park.
After taking a few pictures at the state park, I was ready to get back to the hotel and prepare for the paranormal night ahead. I left the hotel at about 9:00 and made a stop at Ft. Phantom Hill again at about 10:00 p.m. I took about 15 pictures. Almost all of them had orbs, and the final two by the powder magazine had a white mist. The weird thing is, my face detector came on in that spot. I'm getting chills just typing this. Anyway, after that I made my way to Anson to see the Anson Ghost Lights.
As I got out of the city part of Anson and into the pitch black country, I started to get that butterfly feeling in my stomach, knowing that I was about to (hopefully) witness one of the most well-known ghost stories in Texas! As I was driving down the pitch black dirt road to the intersection where I would turn around, I could already see sometime type of light in rearviewmirror thorugh the dust. I turned my truck around, flashed the head lights 3 times, and there it was. I don't know how to explain it, it was amazing, that's for sure. At first I thought it was a car headlight, but then it started changing colors and even came towards the truck. To me it resembled a lantern, which is what it is said to be. After about 10 minutes I drove down the dirt road back onto highway 180. But I wasn't quite ready to leave. I went down the road again and this time it was even brighter than the street light next to us, and it came very close! I thought this would be the creepiest part of the night, but I wrong. I wasn't scared of the light at all, in fact I was hoping it would come further towards the truck. However, About an hour earlier at Ft. Phantom Hill, that was creepy. I knew I would have to make one last stop there the following day before I came home.
Day 3
This was driving back day. However, I found a lot more delays in my drive than I expected. That's a good thing by the way. First I made one final stop at Ft. Phantom Hill. I didn't go inside, I just sat in the truck for a few minutes, and waited. Right when I pulled in, my CD played strated blasting a cd that i hadn't played for months! First, nobody turned on the radio. Ande second, it should have started where my STP cd I was listening to left off, but instead it started a different cd! And it was loud too. After many expieriences here in just 3 visits, i'd say this place is very hanted. I drove back on 180 just to take a different route than I came. I stopped in the small town of Albany, and was pleasently surprised. This town reminded me of Llano, Texas. Nice well kept historic downtown, over all very clean, tourist friendly. I also learned that Ft. Griffin was only 10 miles north. So of course I headed up there to chck it out. Not only did I see the historic old fort and a very scenic overlook, but the nice lady at the fort's hq told us where the original townsite is, and an ole 1885 bridge over the Brazos. Seeing that was the perfect way to end the trip.
Well, that rap's it up... until my next trip!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Picture of the Day: July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July everyone! A big Thank you to all of our wonderful troops fighting over seas. Here is a small little memorial in Jefferson, Texas. Picture taken on July 8 , 2011.
Picture of the Day: July 3, 2011
This is the Royal Theatre, located in downtown Archer City, county seat of Archer County. Random fact about Archer County: The devestating Wichita Falls tornado of 1979 formed in Archer County, and it's path was similar to highway 79's into Wichita Falls. This picture was taken September 5, 2010.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Picture of the Day: July 1, 2011
The marker for the Clara Cemetery. Other than a church, this is all that's left in Clara. Clara lies on about a 15 mile stretch of ghost town off of 240 running west out Burkburnett. Picture taken September 5, 2011.
Picture of the Day: June 30, 2011
This is the beautiful first methodist church, located near downtown Corsicana. Picture taken July 10, 2010.
Coming Up This Week
Well, i'm back from my Big Country road trip. It was a blast, and I got ton's of pictures. This week I am going to finish uploading the Gordon, Mingus, etc. trip and then begin uploading pictures from the Big Country. So, I am actually pretty well on schedule compared to how far behind I usually am.
Thanks for following, and have a great 4th of July!
Thanks for following, and have a great 4th of July!
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
View from Oakwood Cemetery looking over the Trinity River into downtown Ft. Worth, a photo by fables98 on Flickr.
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?
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!
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
Kidd Key College and Music Conservatory, Sherman, Texas Historical Marker, a photo by fables98 on Flickr.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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
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
Thanks for looking
Picture of the Day: June 3, 2011
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
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.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Picture of the Day: May 31, 2011
This was taken at the breathtaking Guadalupe River State Park. Guadalupe SP goes through some of the prettiest spots in the hill country that this river wind around, making it one of the better paks in the state. Picture taken March 19, 2011.
Weird Texas Part 1: Blue Mound Hill, Haslet, Texas
This is the first in a series of weird Texas blogs I will be posting. This is inspired by the weird things, legends, hauntings, etc. I encounter on my trips, and the awesome book "Weird Texas". Now, here is part 1:
Blue Mound Hill, Haslet, Texas
Blue Mound Hill was a look out spot for a local tribe. The white settlers wanted to use this land for cattle. They were not too friendly... they slaughtered the entire tribe. Legend says that now every full moon at midnight you can see the ghosts of the Indians circling atop the hill, chanting and screaming for revenge. Supposedly the next day ashes will be found the next day from the fire the Indians set in revenge.
While that may just sound like another Texas sized tall-tale, I have done some research with locals, those locals happen to be family members that live right across the street. Though they have never personally witnessed it (because they haven't been out on a full moon to look yet), their daughter says she has seen white mists up there at night when the moon is full. Also it is not rare to hear chanting/ screaming. You could argue that it is a coyote or bobcat, but they know the difference. According to them, this is chanting. WORDS. I have driven by there at night before. While I saw nothing, it was very creepy.
To get to Blue Mound Hill, take either north or south 287 (depending on where you're coming from) and take the Blue Mound Hill Road exit and turn either left or right. Follow until you get to a hill with a white shed on top of it (the one pictured).
Part 2 of Weird Texas coming soon!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Picture of the Day: May 30, 2011
This is the Jack County Courthouse located in downtown Jacksboro. Picture taken: September 4, 2010.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Picture of the Day: May 28, 2011
This is the masonic lodge sign for the Chalk Mountain lodge. Taken March 18, 2011.
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