In planning stages

I suppose I'm going to need to take a Christmas vacation from my blog around this time each year. I have had too much going on to continue everyday and I've been putting it off. I want to do it but I just don't seem to find the time. I'll pick it up again soon after Christmas.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone. May the spirit of Christmas be with you this year, whatever your religion may be or not be(and may Dallas not be in the super bowl please).

Petit Jean, Part 5

When leaving Petit Jean to the West you have several choices of routes to take. You can keep on going West on 247/154, then make a choice of cutting off on 247 S, 155 N or on to Hwy 7 at Centerville. If you make a right on 155 it will take you past the turn off to the Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge.
You can also make a left on 155 S before leaving the mountain. This will give you the choice of making a left on Hwy 324 and on to Hwy 10 or staying on 155. Either way is a good ride and the two are my choices for nice scenic rides. Hwy 155 S will take you over a narrow bridge (cant remember the name of the bridge or creek), then on to Hwy 10. Hwy 10 is a well surfaced, wide road.

This old barn is on Hwy 247 SouthWest of Petit Jean State Park.

Both of these old houses are on Hwy 155 SouthWest of the park. The one with the John Deere in the shed is still there, but the John Deere is gone. Maybe someone borrowed it, who knows, but it looked like it had been there for years.

Petit Jean, Part 4

A little further West is this old cabin, if I'm not mistaken, I believe it was built in 1815.



Just a little further past the cabin is the old CCC Water Tower. Looks kind of like part of a castle doesnt it? Until a few years ago, you could go inside and climb the rocks. Not something I would have recomended though, it was dangerous to say the least.



My daughter and I on during one of our rides to the car show.

Petit Jean, Part 3

As we traveled West on Hwy 154 we came to the Antique Automobile Museum. Its well worth the entrance fee. If your there at the right time of the year you can catch the Annual Car Show and swap meet. There is a show in June and I believe in September. The shows used to have alot of motorcycles also, but now its almost exclusivly cars and trucks. I guess that makes sense, it is a car show.

A convertible Corvette that was selling for $11,000.

I'm pretty sure this is a Roadrunner and the price was not bad on it.

A little further East is Cedar Creek Bridge, this is the creek that feeds Cedar Creek Falls which is just a short distance East. To get to this bridge you make a turn to the right just after a pavillion on the right. If you keep following the paved road it will take you past Rockefellers Ranch, where his Prize Santa Gertrudus cattle are raised. There is also an airport in the area. If you like horses, there is a rent a horse business in the area.
Cedar Creek Bridge.

Petit Jean, Part 2

Also at the overlook near Petit Jeans grave is this old rock building. It was called the College Lodge. I dont remember exactly what it was used for, but I do know it was sometimes used by the Boy Scouts of America. You can see the triangular emblem of the BSA in the chimney rockwork.

IM EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH UPLOADING PICTURES AGAIN. When I upload pics its different now. I get the message block - open, save or cancel. I have no idea why this is happening. I shall investigate further when I get the time.

What not to do with a camera today.

Or maybe a better title would be "what not to take pictures of with a camera". I had no idea I wauld be opening a can of worms when I took these pictures. I will say this, unless you want to be contacted in person by a person of authority, dont do it. I was told of the patriot act and how a person just cant go around doing what I was doing anymore without be checked out, and I'm all for that. The thing is, I didnt know what I was taking a picture of until I had already taken pictures. Security got my tag number and well, I was maybe still a little surprised. Probably twenty years ago I had gone to this same spot and there wasnt even a fence, now its one of those places you need to avoid.
Im not going to say what it is, or where it is and I told them I wouldnt show any close ups. So here they are, its not like the place is a secret. I did get the feeling though that 9/11 took away alot more of our freedoms than what we know about. I'll say again though, in this instance, I should of been checked out.

This what it looks like from a distance.


This is a little closer.


Up close and personal, which is where I made my mistake. Unless you like having to talk to the man, dont do this. I cropped the bottom portion of the picture for security reasons :).

Pictures

I have soooooo many pictures in 35mm waiting to be scanned. I started not long ago with my Military pics. I've scanned around 100. I'm really looking forward to getting all the pics scanned, its the actual process of doing it that bothers me.