This is a continuation of road trip photography of September 2022.
Prairie Home, Nebraska High PlainsThe GateHomeward LeanStill Spins
After shooting and driving away from this abandoned Nebraska home, I realized that I should have used a slow shutter speed to capture the motion of the windmill. The windmill still spins, but the pump is disconnected.
Old Prairie HomeStormy HorizonDuplex Model 55
This is apparently a popular pump gear box that is or was used with windmills. In researching this item, I found online listing for parts for this model gear box.
Listing Porch RoofNo PanesDistraught Tree
The evergreen tree on the left seems to be distraught about the dilapidated condition of this abandoned farm house. Maybe children once played around that tree. This image was chosen for Flickr’s Explore Page.
When traveling from one destination to another, I always keep an eye out for interesting subjects to photograph. Taking time to stop and photograph in route helps to break up a trip and it is good to take breaks from sitting in a vehicle for hours at a time. So if I can afford the time, I will stop as often as necessary to capture images along my route.
Fading Away
There are many abandoned homes throughout rural areas. Often these can be photographed from a public roadway. These abandoned places are always on private property and nearly always posted with “No Trespassing” signs. Please respect others’ property and obey these postings or get permission for access.
Peeling – An abandoned rural church.Abandoned ChurchBird HouseObsoleteAbandoned Farm or Ranch HomeUntinnedAbandoned Home and Farm ShedsTerrestrial Lean
When shooting such scenes during a road trip, one can’t be too choosy about the time of day or the lighting conditions. It is best to get a shot, when the opportunity arrises, as one may never pass this way again. Indeed, on this trip and others, I’ve often used the excuse of being in a hurry or worrying too much about shooting conditions and passed up opportunities. I nearly always regret those decisions.
On the south side of Badlands National Park is the tiny town of Interior, South Dakota. I drove through this town a number of times during my September 2022 visit to the Badlands.
Plaque, Interior, SD
I found little of photographic interest in Interior, but there were a couple of small churches that I stopped by to photograph.
These two churches were within visual range of each other with the larger one being the first that I saw and then spotted the smaller one just down a side road from the larger one.
On my way to Mount Scott, I had passed a couple of old homes that I planned to try to shoot as I backtracked from Mount Scott. The first old home sat far back from the roadway and looked like an interesting photographic subject. I would have to walk to it to get shots. As I prepared to walk towards the run down old home, I noted a number of free roaming bison and long horn cattle in the vicinity, making approaching that house too risky. So I drove on to the next place.
Ferguson House
Well, this house does not look old, does it? It was built in 1927, but has been reconstructed. Follow the links for more information. The little rounded building behind the house covers a water storage tank. I attempted to get close up photos of the tank and its covering structure, but none of those photos were good enough to share.
The little house in the right background is a mystery. It is just an empty shell, built on a concrete foundation and does not look very old.
There is a covered pavilion on the property with posters giving information about the early history of this area.
I shot the house from numerous view points, but the one in this post is the best image.
Ferguson House Marker
This marker is near the front of the home lot.
Other than the historical significance of the early homesteaders in this area, I found little of real photographic interest here.
Small, rural towns across the U.S have experienced dramatic economic downturns as the agrarian industry evolved from one that required much manpower to one that relied more upon mechanization (machine labor).
I see much evidence of this in my road trips, occasionally taking time to photograph the abandoned businesses and homes, either in small rural towns or those scattered across rural farm and ranch lands.
Fading Facade15170
The title for this photo is taken from the street number that is hanging upside down on the post to the left of the door.
Wild Horse School
In spite of the obvious economic hardship indicated by numerous abandoned homes and businesses in one small community, this old school seem to be well cared for.
Out to Pasture
Old farm machinery rusting away in this farm field, may have been some of the initial machines that started the economic downturn in this small community.
Alone on the Plains
This lone tree in a vast, post harvest farm field, beneath the wide open sky caused me to pull over for a photo.
Until the next adventure and/or desperate need to photograph something overcomes me,
A few days into our fall 2021 visit to Indiana, the fall colors had still not progressed very much; but I was restless and needed to get out to explore the area. By doing so, I might find areas to visit later, when the colors were better.
After consulting a map of the local area, I decided to head to Monroe Lake State Park, southeast of Bloomington.
Monroe Lake State Park, Indiana
My base was just south of Brown County State Park (the red rectangle in the upper right corner). The quickest route to Monroe Lake would be into Nashville, then west on US 46 towards Bloomington, but I had traveled that route numerous times already and I wanted to check out the backroads, so I meandered through the countryside farmland and forest, approaching Lake Monroe from the south, crossing the causeway into Paynetown.
I can’t recall the exact route that I took and I doubt that I could duplicate it even if I wanted to. Many county backroads were involved. I drove through a number of small communities, some that were little more than a few houses at crossroads.
Along the way, I found a small, abandoned country store and stopped to get a few photos.
Abandoned Country Store
This photo shows some fall color, but it is still not fully developed.
I had hoped there would be scenic views from the long causeway over Monroe Lake, but that was a disappointment. There were no places to stop on the causeway, so I could not have gotten any photos from there, anyway.
Arriving at the state park entrance, I paid the entry fee and drove to a large parking lot at a boat launch area. The lot was mostly empty. I walked a path towards a floating boat dock and noted that there were many geese on the shore across the inlet. So I returned to my vehicle and put on my 80-400mm lens with a 1.4 extension.
I returned to the boat dock and shot numerous images of the geese, but I was still too far away to get really good images. A group of geese swam from the shore across the inlet to the boat launch area, where I shot a few more images.
Marching Geese
I could not get too close to the geese, as they would move away as I got too close. I thought it interesting how they seemed to follow a leader along the roadway at the boat launch. I cropped the image above from one of my shots.
I drove around the rest of the park afterwards, but did not see anything else I wanted to photograph today. There were only a few people in the park, but I expect this is a popular place in the warmer months. I noted there were a number of hiking trails in the forest and this is probably a good place for a forest hike, if I return later.
I explored a side road into the Hoosier National Forest off of my return route, but cut my exploration short, since I was low on gasoline and there were no filling stations along my backcountry route.
Abandoned Church Exterior, Front and East Side, New Mexico
After photographing the exterior of this old, abandoned church at the outskirts of a small New Mexico town, I ventured through the open doorway (there was no door) to check out the interior.
Abandoned Church, Interior Graffiti, Just inside the doorway
I had noted much graffiti just looking through the doorway and windows. Judging by the dates and graffiti messages, it looks like this place is popular with teenagers, presumably local ones, since this is a long way from any other towns or cities.
Abandoned Church, Interior and Graffiti
Shooting handheld in the dim light inside the church required high ISO to get sufficiently high shutter speeds to avoid fuzzy images. Shooting through windows from inside resulted in blowing out the exterior portions of the images.
Abandoned Church, Interior and Graffiti, Pulpit
I’ve brought out some of the exterior details in the editing process in the image above just to avoid having a white blur in the windows. The exterior details through the windows are very low quality as a result. If I had not been shooting handheld, I could have acquired images to create HDR images.
The floor boards were still sound, so maybe the missing boards are a result of someone looking for hidden treasure.
Abandoned Church, Interior, Ceiling
The ceiling bead board had a nice patina and mostly appeared to be in good condition. The covers to the ceiling light fixtures were all missing, presumably broken or maybe stolen. There were remnants of broken light bulbs in the fixtures.
There were no window panes so a breeze through the windows made the hanging light fixtures sway. I had to increase the ISO even more to freeze the motion of these.
Obviously some electrical item had been removed from the central portion of the ceiling. I’m guessing a ceiling fan had been here and has been stolen, if not removed legally, since those early day fans might be valuable antiques.
As I traveled towards my second overnight destination in route to the Grand Canyon North Rim in July 2021, I spotted an abandoned church about a block north of the highway at the edge of a small New Mexico town. I had to stop to check out this old church.
The roadway from the highway to the church was gravel, but in good condition. There were other homes or building visible from the church site, but none were very close to the church, making it stand out from its surroundings.
I walked around the exterior photographing the church from various angles and capturing some of the exterior details, before I ventured through the front doorway.
Abandoned Church Exterior, Weathered and Scared SidingAbandoned Church Exterior, Weathered Siding
This post is dedicated to the exterior views. It was afternoon and the lighting was not great for capturing this weathered old church, but I knew I might not pass by again for a long time, if ever, so I had to make the best of the photographic conditions.
Abandoned Church Exterior, East SideAbandoned Church Exterior, Window and Interior ViewAbandoned Church Exterior, Back and East SideAbandoned Church Exterior, Window and Interior ViewAbandoned Church Exterior, Back and West SideAbandoned Church Exterior, Window and Interior ViewAbandoned Church Exterior, Front and West Side, New MexicoAbandoned Church Exterior, Window and View to Interior CeilingAbandoned Church Exterior, Front and West Side, New MexicoAbandoned Church Exterior, Window and Interior View
As I approached the previously mentioned ranch fence line that was decorated with boots and bicycles, I noted a police officer’s vehicle with the police officer chatting with someone in another vehicle. It appeared to be a friendly meeting and not a traffic stop. I pulled over onto the broad shoulder of the roadway near the corner of the fence line, maybe twenty yards or so, from the two. As I got out of my vehicle, and noted the police officer watching me, I waved and he began walking towards me, so I approached him. My friendly wave had apparently made the police officer think I needed to speak to him or had a problem. I explained that I wanted to photograph the fence line, but did not want to do anything forbidden. He assured me it was ok to photograph the fence decor and told me a little about the local ranch and their penchant for the fence decor.
So I retrieved my camera from my vehicle and began to walk along the fence shooting photos.
Bicycles and BootsBicycles and Boots
I wanted to show the fence in its entirety with its allure, but I found it impossible to get a good overall view with my camera. So I began to isolate smaller aspects of the decor.
Bicycles and BootsBicycles and Boots
I was soon joined at the fence by a ranch dog that vociferously objected to my presence.
Bicycle and Ranch Dog
This dog followed me along the fence line, maybe to make sure I did not cross over into his territory.
Bicycles and Boots
Soon a second ranch dog showed up.
Ranch Dogs
The second dog did not bark and seemed to have a calming effect upon the first. Thereafter, they seemed friendlier and just curious about me.
Ranch DogTexas Ranch Fence LineFence DecorBicycle and Stuffed Animal along a fence lineBoots on a fenceBicycles and Boots
Satisfied that I had sufficient photographs to illustrate this uniquely decorated fence line, I bade farewell to the ranch dogs and continued on my way.
I’ve driven past a sign for Caprock Canyon State Park on US 287 in northwestern Texas numerous times on my way to some western destination. So when planning my July, 2021 trip to the Grand Canyon North Rim, I decided to make this my first stop over along a different route than I would normally take.
I departed US 287 in the tiny town of Estelline, Texas heading west on Texas Route 86, traveling through an unfamiliar part of rural Texas. I noted that the countryside looked exceptionally green with lots of thick, green grass along the edge of the roadway, green pastures and farm fields with water filled low areas. Evidently, there had been more than the normal rainfall in this area recently.
Even though I had mapped out my route, the drive on this narrow, backroad route was slower and seemed longer than I had anticipated. There was little traffic, but the speed limit was much lower than the 75mph on the more substantial routes.
I passed through a number of very small towns and/or rural communities, stopping in Turkey, Texas to top off my tank at the only filling station in town, since I did not know when I would see another convenient filling station.
As I came into Turkey, I noted a prominent sign proclaiming Turkey to be the birthplace of Bob Wills, a famous and early Country and Western performer, with the group “Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys”. Bob Wills was one of the featured performers in the Ken Burn’s “Country Music” documentary on PBS. I had heard some of his music on radio in my early childhood.
Continuing on my way, I soon came into Quitaque, Texas. I had to look up the proper way to pronounce the name of this town. The locals pronounce it “Kitty Quay” and there is even this pronunciation indicated on signs on either side of the route through the town. The name reportedly comes from a Native American word meaning “end of the trail”, which is fitting for this portion of my journey.
Quitaque is a picturesque little Texas town and I noted several items of interest on my way through town and on the short stretch of roadway from town to the entrance to Caprock Canyon State Park. I did not take time to stop on my way to the park, but I was determined to take time for photographs the next day, before I continued my journey. More on this in the next post, but here are teasers:
Mobil Gas PegasusBicycles and Boots decorate a Texas ranch fence line
I had checked into my campsite online, but I stopped in the park headquarters on my way in just to be sure I did not need to do anything else. The park ranger, warned me to keep my distance from the Bison and that they were free roaming and might wander into my campsite.
As I left the headquarters on my way to my campsite, I noted quite a few bison, but I did not stop to photograph them, thinking I would have plenty of opportunity for that later and I’ve seen plenty of bison previously. There are even bison ranches in this part of Texas, but the herd here is the only free roaming herd in Texas.
In the campground there is a prairie dog town near the restroom facility. The prairie dogs would bark a warning, whenever anyone walked along the walkway towards the restroom, most would scamper into their underground dens, while one seemed to keep watch.
The restroom facilities here are old and in great need of updating. This seems to be a popular park, as there were many RVs in the campground. So it seems to me that upgrading the park facilities would be a priority. I’ve since written e-mails to the Texas State Representative and Senator for this area, pointing out the need to put forth a better image for such a popular state park.
A recent Texas state ballot issue was approved to address the lack of funding for state parks. A previously targeted method for funding Texas Parks and Wildlife existed, but the state found other ways to use that money, rather than use it for its intended purpose. It remains to be seen, if the recent effort will result in much needed maintenance and updating of Texas State Park facilities or if our elected state officials will divert those funds, maybe to use in totally useless audits of the previous federal election in some districts or to sue school districts that want to require students and employees to wear masks during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
There is a hiking trail originating from my campground, so I decided to head out late in the day, hoping to find some photographic opportunities. I hiked for some distance along the trail, eventually going down a steep slope into a canyon, but I did not find anything I considered photo worthy. I did not even see a bison, although there were plenty of indications that they had been in this area. There were also many irritating flying insects, mostly large biting flies and I had not even thought to put on insect repellant or bring any in my day pack, since there were few insects buzzing around the campground and mosquitoes are seldom a problem in this part of Texas.
I eventually decided there was no compelling reason to hike any further along this trail, so I turned back, taking a different branch back towards the campground.
There were some wildflowers scattered around and as I walked along scanning the area, often looking at the near trail wildflowers, I heard a very distinct sound that immediately increased my heart rate.
Trail Hazard
I stopped in my tracks and looked up. A few feet in front of me a rattlesnake was stretched across the trail issuing a warning. For all the times that I’ve hiked in wild areas, this is the first time I’ve encountered a rattlesnake. My camera was strapped to my backpack, so I tried to pull my iPhone from my pocket to get a shot, as the snake moved to the side of the trail and kept an eye on me for a few moments. By the time I got my phone out, it had already begun to disappear into the vegetation along the trail. So the image above is all I managed to get.
After this encounter, I was much more vigilant for the rest of my hike.
