Category Archives: Photo Project: 50 States

Fort Davis National Historic Site

Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas

Another one of our off the beaten path places to visit was Fort Davis, Texas.  We spent a couple of hours there on our way to a tour of McDonald Observatory, which is about 30 minutes “up the hill.”

Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas

Fort Davis is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars’ frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and on the Chihuahua Trail.

Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas

Many of the buildings have been restored to close to their original condition, and for others only the foundations remain. We’ve enjoyed visiting these different forts, understanding the role they played in American history and in the expansion and settlement of the west.

Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park in Texas

When people ask us what the highlight of our recent trip was, it is easy to respond that it was the Grand Canyon.  But Big Bend National Park was probably the most unexpected.  It is a beautiful park with rugged mountains, deep valleys and a wide variety of plant and animal life.

Big Bend National Park in Texas
Big Bend National Park in Texas
Big Bend National Park in Texas

Other than the scenery, we were not prepared for how dry it was there.  It’s a desert climate, and we knew that.  And while it was not hot – upper 80s to low 90s during our day there – the dew point was in the teens, and you could practically feel the moisture being sucked out of our bodies.  We had plenty of food and water with us, and we never strayed too far from the car.  But by the end of the day we were thirsty and exhausted.  It just wore us out!

Big Bend National Park in Texas
Big Bend National Park in Texas
Views from the Sotol Vista Overlook at Big Bend National Park in Texas
Views along the trail to Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff at Big Bend National Park in Texas
Views along the trail to Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff at Big Bend National Park in Texas

The Rio Grande River runs along the southern border of the park, and it was interesting to look across and realize that it was another country – Mexico – on the other side.  Signs warned against crossing the border illegally, but that didn’t stop people from wading across to the other side for a photo.  The Rio Grande, after all, isn’t all that Grande.  At least for most of the year!

Big Bend National Park in Texas
The Rio Grande River near Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park in Texas
The Rio Grande River near Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park in Texas
The Rio Grande River near Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park in Texas

Big Bend is an example of a park where you really need multiple days to truly experience it.  And to do that ideally means staying in the park, either by camping or staying in one of the many privately operated lodges in and near the park.  We stayed in Alpine, TX which is about 1.5 hours away.  That was not a big deal since we only visited one day.  But if you wanted to see more, or photograph sunrise or sunset, it would be worthwhile to be closer.  On a return trip we may decide to do just that.  Although we probably wouldn’t consider camping.  That just isn’t our thing. 😉

Big Bend National Park in Texas
Big Bend National Park in Texas
Views of Goat Mountain at Big Bend National Park in Texas
Big Bend National Park in Texas
Big Bend National Park in Texas
Big Bend National Park in Texas

The LBJ Ranch – Johnson City, Texas

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Johnson City, Texas

Probably because I started to become “world aware” in the mid to late 60s I had always associated Texas with Lyndon Johnson and The Alamo.  I remember hearing references to the “Texas White House” on the news and it conjured up images of a place far away and quite foreign from western Pennsylvania.

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Johnson City, Texas
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Johnson City, Texas
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Johnson City, Texas
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Johnson City, Texas
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Johnson City, Texas

We didn’t get to The Alamo this trip, but we did visit the LBJ Ranch, which is a National Historical Park, operated by the National Park Service.  None of the buildings were open, and we got there pretty late in the day, but we did have a chance to drive the loop road, stop at the house and view some of the exhibits, including a former aircraft nicknamed “Air Force One Half” because of its small size.  It was used to shuttle Johnson and company between the LBJ Ranch airport and Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio.

“Air Force One Half” Lockheed Jetstar VC-140 used as a shuttle to the LBJ Ranch airport from Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Johnson City, Texas
Runway at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Johnson City, Texas
“Air Force One Half” Lockheed Jetstar VC-140 used as a shuttle to the LBJ Ranch airport from Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Johnson City, Texas

Visiting the ranch gave us a little taste of US history, and made real something I had only heard about and had seen only on television.

It’s A Wrap – Our Pacific Northwest Road Trip

Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas

I’ve finally finished processing all of my picks from our Pacific Northwest road trip!

The last two stops were Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas and George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, Missouri.

Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas

The two things we most wanted to do in Fort Scott were (1) visit the fort and (2) visit the Gordon Parks Museum.  The trip from Fort Larned took longer than we expected, so we arrived at the fort just as they were shutting down for the day.  Fortunately, a kind ranger was able to arrange for Kathy to get her Passport book stamped, and we were only able to see the outsides of the buildings.

Fort Scott, Kansas

The Gordon Parks Museum is part of Fort Scott Community College, and the college was closed at the time we passed through.  So that will need to be reserved for a future trip.  The town of Fort Scott was very quaint with a number of interesting looking shops and restaurants, so it’s likely that we’ll make a point of getting back there at some point.

Old train station in Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott, Kansas

After spending the night in Joplin, MO we stopped at George Washington Carver National Monument the next day enroute to our last overnight in Clarksville, TN.  We had always thought of Carver as the “peanut guy” but he did far more than that.  It was another unexpectedly educational visit.  After our night in Clarksville we “took the last train” and drove home through Tennessee while (unsuccessfully) dodging heavy thunderstorms!

George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, Missouri
George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, Missouri
George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, Missouri
George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, Missouri
George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, Missouri

All in all we drove a total of 8,230 miles over 25 days, and I took nearly 4,500 photos.  My picks brought the total down to 1,745 and there are just over 800 photos in the 10 online galleries.

I now have a complete collection of photos from our road trip in my Adobe Portfolio page here.

A Truly “Distanced” Visit – Fort Larned, Kansas

Entrance to Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas

Fort Larned National Historic Site in Kansas was our final major stop on our way toward home from Fort Collins, CO.  We had spent the previous night in Hays, Kansas and stopped for a picnic breakfast at the picnic area just outside the entrance to the park.  While we were there, we only saw one car drive in, and it was a guy with a dog, both of whom needed to use the “facilities” but neither went to the fort.

Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas. Flag was at half staff due to the recent passing of Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg
Officers’ quarters at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas
Officers’ quarters at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas
Officers’ quarters at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas

When we arrived in the parking lot for the fort, there were a few cars in the parking lot, but I have no idea who they belonged to.  Other than a groundskeeper, who we only saw a few times and from a distance, we didn’t see another soul the whole time we were there.  The metadata from my photos shows an hour and fifteen minutes between the first and last pictures.  But all of the buildings were open for viewing, and the rangers had set up a little table to get stamps for our National Parks Passport.

Officers’ quarters at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas
Officers’ quarters at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas
Officers’ quarters at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas

We visited a number of different historic sites on our western loop, and three of them were forts.  Interestingly, all three of them were from different periods in our history, and each one served a unique purpose in its time.  Fort Clatsop in Oregon was established by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 and was their quarters for the winter of 1805-1806.  Fort Scott, which we visited later the same day as Fort Larned, was established in 1842 as one of a chain of forts intended to protect settlers from the Plains Indians, as well as to protect the Indians from the settlers’ encroachment.

Troop barracks at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas
Medical facilities and infirmary at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas

Fort Larned was originally established in 1859 as The Camp on Pawnee Fork.  It was renamed Camp Alert in 1860 then moved to the current location and renamed Fort Larned, after Colonel Benjamin F. Larned, the paymaster general of the United States Army at the time the post was established.  Fort Larned’s purpose was to protect traffic along the Santa Fe Trail.

Shop areas at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas
Shop areas at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas
Shop areas at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas

The park is very well done, with numerous buildings all restored and preserved in near-original condition and is a fine representation of a complete and authentic army post from the 1860s -1870s.  This well-preserved fort on the Santa Fe Trail shares a tumultuous history of the Indian Wars era. The sandstone constructed buildings sheltered troops who were known as the Guardians of the Santa Fe Trail.

Food, clothing, supplies and munitions storage at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas
Food, clothing, supplies and munitions storage at Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas

I’ve added a gallery of more photos from Fort Larned on my Adobe Portfolio site for anyone who wants to see more.  Enjoy! 🙂

Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas
Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas. Flag was at half staff due to the recent passing of Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg

More Than Just Bones – Dinosaur National Monument, Utah

Dinosaur National Monument near Jensen, Utah

As we started our eastward return leg from Ogden toward Colorado, we had one more stop to make in Utah.  Dinosaur National Monument straddles the eastern Utah and western Colorado border.  The park’s primary claim to fame is the Fossil Quarry, located on the Utah side near the town of Jensen, UT.  Jensen lies along US-40, roughly halfway between Park City, UT and Steamboat Springs, CO.

Quarry Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument near Jensen, Utah
Quarry Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument near Jensen, Utah

The Quarry Visitor Center contains numerous exhibits about the history of the area, including the quarry wall itself that is now housed within an impressive building.  The building itself was operating at a greatly reduced capacity with reservations required.  We made our reservations several days in advance and had no trouble getting in.  Interestingly no one actually asked us for documentation of our reservations, although I’m certain they are checked randomly.

Quarry Exhibit Hall and the wall of dinosaur bones at Dinosaur National Monument near Jensen, Utah
Quarry Exhibit Hall and the wall of dinosaur bones at Dinosaur National Monument near Jensen, Utah
Quarry Exhibit Hall and the wall of dinosaur bones at Dinosaur National Monument near Jensen, Utah
Quarry Exhibit Hall and the wall of dinosaur bones at Dinosaur National Monument near Jensen, Utah
Quarry Exhibit Hall and the wall of dinosaur bones at Dinosaur National Monument near Jensen, Utah

The dinosaur fossil beds were discovered in 1909 by Earl Douglass, a paleontologist working and collecting for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.  He and his crews excavated thousands of fossils and shipped them back to the museum in Pittsburgh, PA for study and display.  President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the dinosaur beds as Dinosaur National Monument in 1915. The monument boundaries were expanded in 1938 from the original 80 acres surrounding the dinosaur quarry in Utah, to 210,844 acres in Utah and Colorado, encompassing the river canyons of the Green and Yampa.  It’s hard to believe that the fossils that remain today are the “leftovers,” as it still makes for a very impressive display.

Scenic views from Cub Creek Road in Dinosaur National Monument
Scenic views from Cub Creek Road in Dinosaur National Monument
Scenic views from Cub Creek Road in Dinosaur National Monument

While the quarry is the main attraction, I was in many ways more impressed by the stunning scenery of the area surrounding the visitor center.  We saw only a tiny portion of the 210+ thousand acres, and it would be quite easy to spend a lot more time exploring.  But alas, we were on our way to Colorado and could only devote a few hours to the park.  It’s not the kind of place you just happen to pass by, but we may decide to detour that way the next time we head west.  The drive along US 40 is much more pleasant and scenic than I would expect I-70 or I-80 to be!

Petroglyphs at Dinosaur National Monument near Jensen, Utah

I’ll added a more complete gallery of photographs from Dinosaur on my Adobe Portfolio page.

A Layover In Ogden, Utah

Ogden Utah Temple of JCLDS in downtown Ogden, Utah

While Ogden has a long history as a railroad town, there is more in Ogden than trains.  There’s food!  And churches, shops, baseball and many other things.  We didn’t have a lot of time to explore, having gotten to town late in the day the first day, then spending the following day at Golden Spike.  But we did have time both evenings to walk around and explore the town a bit.

25th Street in downtown Ogden, Utah
Evening in downtown Ogden, Utah
Evening in downtown Ogden, Utah
25th Street in downtown Ogden, Utah
25th Street in downtown Ogden, Utah

25th Street is the epicenter of the historic district and home to many of the restaurants and bars in Ogden.  And 25th street meets Wall Street just across Wall from the historic Ogden depot, so it was a nice destination on a beautiful evening.  The mountain air made for a nice walk before and after dinner.

Rovali’s Italian Restaurant in downtown Ogden, Utah
Rovali’s Italian Restaurant in downtown Ogden, Utah
Motion blur of cars while waiting for dinner in downtown Ogden, Utah
Motion blur of cars while waiting for dinner in downtown Ogden, Utah
Motion blur of cars while waiting for dinner in downtown Ogden, Utah

The second evening we had a bit of a wait for dinner at a highly-recommended Italian restaurant.  I had my camera with me so I made some photos of the passing traffic while we waited.  Between that and time to just chill, it was quite relaxing.  Once our names were called, the owner himself seated us at a window table, sold us a nice bottle of wine and made a couple of recommendations for entrees.  It was a nice dinner and we enjoyed it a lot.

Lindquist Field, home of the Raptors minor league baseball team in Ogden, Utah
Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Ogden, Utah
Evening in downtown Ogden, Utah
Evening in downtown Ogden, Utah

Ogden is a vibrant town, plenty to do but not overwhelming like a lot of larger towns.  That’s why we decided to stay there rather than in or closer to Salt Lake City.  We had to navigate our way through SLC on our way to Colorado, and other than a wrong turn and eventually a stop at a neighborhood restaurant for breakfast, it was pretty uneventful.

I would like to return someday and actually visit Salt Lake City once the Tabernacle is open for tours and their daily organ recital.  But for this time we made do with trains and traffic in Ogden.

More Trains? Union Station in Ogden, Utah

Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah

We spent two nights in Ogden, UT in order to have plenty of time to visit Golden Spike National Monument.  Ogden is just north of Salt Lake City, a good-sized town but not as huge as Salt Lake City.  Ogden has a rich railroad heritage, once known as a major passenger railroad junction due to its location along major east–west and north–south routes, prompting the local chamber of commerce to adopt the motto, “You can’t get anywhere without coming to Ogden.”

Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah

Ogden’s Union Station houses a large collection of historical locomotives in an outdoor display area, plus a museum full of historical artifacts in a space inside the museum.  Located within the museum is one of the original “Golden Spikes” complete with its own Diebold vault.

Retired Union Pacific locomotives on display at Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Retired Union Pacific locomotives on display at Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Pacific Super Turbine Locomotive #26 “The World’s Most Powerful Locomotive at Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Pacific Steam Locomotive #833 at Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Snow removal engine at Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah

I wasn’t tired of trains yet.  But Kathy….? 🙂

Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah
Union Station train depot and museum in downtown Ogden, Utah

A Historic Meeting Place

Demonstration runs of locomotives Jupiter and Number 119 at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah

Another one of those historical place I learned about when I was a child was the story of The Transcontinental Railroad and The Golden Spike.  The meeting of the railroad lines from the east coast and the west coast met at Promontory, UT on May 10, 1869.

Demonstration runs of locomotives Jupiter and Number 119 at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah

As is often the case with history, the actual events leading up to and surrounding the eventual joining of the eastern and western routes is a lot more dramatic than we learned in grade school.  Although the two railroads had agreed to meet somewhere in the western US, it literally took an act of Congress to actually get the tracks to meet.  Instead, the two companies laid miles of track in opposite directions through the area, sometimes within sight of each other!  Wikipedia has a pretty good summary and pretty much agrees with what we were told when we visited.

Demonstration runs of locomotives Jupiter and Number 119 at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah
Demonstration runs of locomotives Jupiter and Number 119 at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah
Demonstration runs of locomotives Jupiter and Number 119 at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah
Demonstration runs of locomotives Jupiter and Number 119 at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah
Demonstration runs of locomotives Jupiter and Number 119 at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah
Demonstration runs of locomotives Jupiter and Number 119 at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah

At the visitor center, replicas of the two original trains make demonstration runs.  These runs often occur daily but the schedule varies seasonally.  We planned our visit to coincide with the runs, since seeing the trains in operation was one of the highlights of being there.  The trains don’t actually run at the same time, as the same engineer and fireman operate both trains.  At the end of the second run, the trains are parked nose-to-nose in front the observation area, making for a scene that is reminiscent of the original, albeit with people wearing much more modern clothes today!

Auto tour on the Transcontinental Railroad National Back Country Byway at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah
The Subie earns her next car wash. Auto tour on the Transcontinental Railroad National Back Country Byway at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah
Auto tour on the Transcontinental Railroad National Back Country Byway at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah
Auto tour on the Transcontinental Railroad National Back Country Byway at Golden Spike National Historical Park near Corinne, Utah

In addition to the trains, there is an auto tour route that traces a portion of the original railroad bed.  The tracks are long gone, but there are places where the road travels through cuts made in the terrain to accommodate the tracks.  In some areas it is easy to see both sets of parallel rail beds within sight of each other.  Especially noteworthy is an area where 10 miles of track were laid in one day, in response to an unofficial challenge between the two crews to see who could reach the meeting place first.

Promontory is practically in the middle of nowhere in Utah, which makes it really out there!  It was worth the time and effort, however.  And it gave us a great way to document our visit to the state of Utah for our quest toward all 50 states!

For anyone wishing to see more photos, I have created a photo gallery on my Adobe Portfolio website.

Otherworldly: Craters of the Moon National Monument

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho

I wasn’t sure what to expect from our visit to Craters of the Moon National Monument in southern Idaho, but I could never have imagined what we saw there.  The landscape is covered with fields of lava, from smooth lava domes to fields covered with huge chunks of lava rocks.  We didn’t venture too far from the road, but there was plenty to see from just the overlooks.

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho

From Wikipedia:

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a U.S. national monument and national preserve in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho. It is along US 20 (concurrent with US 93 and US 26), between the small towns of Arco and Carey, at an average elevation of 5,900 feet (1,800 m) above sea level. The protected area’s features are volcanic and represent one of the best-preserved flood basalt areas in the continental United States.

The Monument was established on May 2, 1924.  In November 2000, a presidential proclamation by President Clinton greatly expanded the Monument area. The 410,000-acre National Park Service portions of the expanded Monument were designated as Craters of the Moon National Preserve in August 2002.  It spreads across Blaine, Butte, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Power counties. The area is managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The Monument and Preserve encompass three major lava fields and about 400 square miles of sagebrush steppe grasslands to cover a total area of 1,117 square miles. The Monument alone covers 343,000 acres.  All three lava fields lie along the Great Rift of Idaho, with some of the best examples of open rift cracks in the world, including the deepest known on Earth at 800 feet.  There are excellent examples of almost every variety of basaltic lava, as well as tree molds (cavities left by lava-incinerated trees), lava tubes (a type of cave), and many other volcanic features.

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho

We had a crystal-clear blue sky on the day of our visit, with very little of the haze and smoke that we encountered in Oregon.  It made for some challenging photography, although the blue sky is an interested contrast to the dark and mostly colorless lava.

There were several places where there was little or no vegetation, and other places where the ground was covered with various plants growing up from holes and cracks in the lava that had captured more fertile soil over time.  Many of the trees are dead, starved of moisture from the overall arid conditions and the inability of the porous lava to hold water.  A number of fields were covered in what appeared to be small white flowers, which are in fact small clusters of a form of lichen that grows there.

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve near Arco, Idaho

One point of interest is that when I went out to the NPS website for the park, the Current Conditions indicates that the loop road is currently “closed due to snow and ice!”  We actually saw some ice in the bottom of some of the lava holes, but up on the surface it was very warm.

I’d heartily recommend Craters of the Moon to anyone looking for an interesting diversion from the usual.  It isn’t far from Yellowstone and other western parks, and while it was pretty busy on the day of our visit, we encountered very few people up close.

As I’ve been doing, I have added a photo gallery on my Adobe Portfolio website with more photos for anyone who is interested.