Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, June 12, 2012 (Pentax K-r)
Most evenings, on our 2012 visit to the Charleston area, we made it over to one of the islands to walk on the beach.
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Pathfinder Reservoir and Dam, Natrona County, Wyoming, July 13, 2010 (Pentax K12D)
Based on state-wide, year-round, average precipitation, Wyoming is the third driest of the 50 states in the US, though it’s fourth for winter precipitation and seventh for summer.
During our summer 2010 trip, Wyoming was benefiting from significantly above normal winter snow pack and spring rains. We had observed high lake levels and high river flows along the North Platte since we had left North Platte, Nebraska. When we camped west of Casper, Wyoming, at Pathfinder Reservoir, the lake was full, with water flowing through the overflow spillway of the 100+ year-old dam.
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Historic Forestville costumed interpreter, Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, Minnesota, June 14, 2007 (Pentax K10D)
Historic Forestville, part of Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park is operated by the Minnesota Historical Society as a living museum set in 1899. Costumed interpreters portray Forestville residents and go about daily activities in the general store, house, kitchen, farm, and barn.
Forestville was a rural trade center in the 1800s that declined after the railroad was built elsewhere in 1868. Thomas Meighen, son of one of the town’s founders, owned the entire village by 1890, including the general store, and the local residents worked on his property for housing and credit in the store.
Admission to Historic Forestville is separate from the caves. Historic Forestville is open from May through October.
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Exit78 Photo of the Day #47
In the fall of 2011, we were traveling in southeastern Utah and stopped at Natural Bridges Nation Monument, thinking that the park was far enough off the beaten path and, with it being late in the year, we wouldn’t need reservations. Well, all the sites were full and, even if they hadn’t been, all the sites were very small, too small for our little motorhome and the car that we tow. Fortunately, a ranger at the desk directed us to on overflow camping area a few miles away on BLM land.
A vintage Lazy Daze Class C motorhome in Natural Bridges National Monument overflow camping on nearby BLM land, October 1, 2011 (Pentax K-r)
Besides the Lazy Daze motorhome in the picture and us, there were at least four other RVs in this overflow site. There was plenty of room between all the campers – except for the guy in the class B camper van who decided to camp right next to us!
This is totally dry camping – camping without hookups – and totally free. It was pretty far out in the boonies. Natural Bridge National Monument is a dark sky park – there is no light pollution to wash out the night sky. We had a couple of clear nights at absolutely great views of the night sky. On one of those nights we went to the visitor center for an astronomy program where they had 3 telescopes set up for view objects in the night sky.
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Exit78 Photo of the Day #46
Several years ago, on a hike in Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, I took a picture of a little tree growing out of a rock up-side-down.
Tree growing up-side-down, Colorado National Monument, September 18, 2011 (Pentax K-r)
Four years later, we took the same trail and found that the tree had not survived the harsh seasonal environment and limited nutrients available to it.
Dead tree that had tried growing up-side-down, Colorado National Monument, October 1, 2015 (Pentax K-3 II)
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Post-processing1 #15 |
Winnebago Minnie Winnie motorhome about 0.8 miles from Rainbow Point,
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, October 7, 2015
Winnebago Industries started as a travel trailer manufacturer in 1958 in Forest City, Winnebago County, Iowa. The first Winnebago motorhomes were produced in 1966, selling at about half the price of competitors.
In 1973, the company introduced a new model, the Minnie Winnie Class C motoerhome, built on the Dodge B-series van chassis. This model continues (using Chevrolet or Ford chassis after 1980) to this day.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #45
In Arkansas, tulips are an annual. Native (ProFlowers) to eastern Turkey and the foothills of the Himalaya mountains, regions with a cold winter and hot, dry summer, tulips thrive in similar conditions around the world. Unfortunately, from the perspective of growing tulips, our winters aren’t cold enough for a long enough period of time. Sometimes a bulb or two will last for more than a year or two, but tulips don’t flourish for multiple years here.
Tulips blooming in west-central Arkansas, March 26, 2018 (Apple iPhone 6s)
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Exit78 Photo of the Day #44
One beautiful September day in 2013, we took a drive on the mostly unpaved Minnesota River Valley National Scenic Byway, where we came across the ruins of a 19th century home.
Ruins of Joseph R. Brown house, Minnesota River Valley National Scenic Byway, Minnesota, September 7, 2013 (Pentax K-r)
The Joseph R. Brown State Wayside Rest (Wikipedia) is a National Scenic Byway Wayside Rest area. It is located on Renville County Highway 15, south of Sacred Heart, Minnesota, United States.
The Wayside Rest displays the granite ruins of Joseph R. Brown’s home from 1862. Brown, his mixed-blood wife and twelve children lived in this home, which was a center of hospitality along the Minnesota River Valley. The three-story home was then considered a mansion compared to typical pioneer homes. It was destroyed during the Dakota War of 1862 on August 19, 1862. His family was spared because of his wife’s Native American heritage.
Brown was a politician, inventor, publisher, and Indian Agent.
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Art on Sunday #26
Stained Glass Window, Copper Foil Method, Fordyce Bathhouse, Hot Springs National Park, August 19, 2012 (Pentax K-r)
The Fordyce opened March 1, 1915. Designed by Little Rock architects Mann and Stern and constructed under the supervision of owner Sam Fordyce’s son John, the building eventually cost over $212,000 to build, equip, and furnish.
The interior features marble walls, benches, and stairs; terra-cotta fountains; stained glass skylights and windows; a wood-paneled coed gymnasium (at the time said to be the largest of its kind in the state); and private staterooms. Even the basement was bustling with activity, with its bowling alley and its quartz-crystal ornamented spring display. Today, the Fordyce is a museum and the park’s visitor center.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #43
The lawn of the Cold War Memorial was recently mown, the dew was heavy, there had been recent rains, and mushrooms were popping.
Mushroom on grounds of Cold War Memorial, Patriots Point Naval and maritime Museum, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, June 13, 2012 (Pentax K-r)
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