Photos

Kennedy Space Center

  • Seaside Bunker

    Looking out into the Atlantic, one of the main launch platforms would have been behind me. According to our guide this little bunker was used to house sensitive equipment for detecting electricity in the air, as lightning is a grave threat to launches.

  • Facility Panorama (Click the full-size image for a better view)

    A panorma with a view of several facilities. The location this was shot from was formerly a public viewing area for space launches, but has been deemed too dangerous since then.

  • Apollo Guidelines

    A list of mission status and abort codes from the Apollo era. View full size to read it.

  • Lightning Towers

    3 lightning towers designed to direct bolts away from the launch pad that they surround.

  • Saturn 5, second stage
Last November, I had the opportunity to visit the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, while visiting relatives living in the area.
Fri, 01/17/2014 - 10:11
Read More

Oktoberfest 2013

  • Trails

    Facing north, a good view of the ski trails connecting the two mountains.

  • Yodelers

    A group of 3 yodelers and their alphorns, these instruments were traditionally used for communicating mountaintop to mountaintop in the past.

  • Horn artwork

    Very pretty!

  • Yodeler Show

    Inside the Whiteface Lodge, the Yodelers teamed up with a traditional German band, DSB die Schlauberger.

  • Selfie!

    This guy was awesome.

Every October, the ski resort at Whiteface Mountain has a small Oktoberfest. Traditional German music, food, beer, and demonstrations are featured, and many local vendors come to show off their homemade crafts.

This is the first time I've gone in many years, and the first time I went being older than 21! It's a ton of fun and is definitely worth checking out if you're in the area during the skiing offseason.

Thu, 10/17/2013 - 09:47
Read More

Exploring Benson Mines

  • Machine Shop Roof

    Outdoor view of the first building, the roof on this side is nearly rotted through. Most of the buildings were built with cinderblock walls, metal trusses, and wooden roofing.

  • Entrance

    Entrance to the facility - and my car!

  • Outside

    The office/bathroom is inside this building, and the first building in the album is visible through the trees in the background.

  • Another office.

    Some sort of office area, completely rotted out.

  • Transformer Gauge

    The guts of the transformer were missing, probably stolen by copper thieves.

Benson Mines is a long-abandoned iron mine near Watertown, NY. The mine was shut down in 1978 and the buildings and have been completely abandoned ever since. Abandoned man-made structures are my favorite to take pictures of, so I couldn't resist exploring!
Tue, 10/01/2013 - 09:26
Read More