Photos

Kennedy Space Center

  • Vehicle Assembly Plant

    This building is where every NASA space vehicle is assembled. Again, the picture does no justice to the height of this building.

  • Lightning Towers

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

  • Apollo Guidelines

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

  • Entry

    Right at the entrance, we were greeted by an array of rockets used over the years. The specific names of all the models escape me, but the largest one is the legendary Saturn 5 model - the most powerful machine ever built by man.

  • Off topic - Stone Ball

    Instead of a boring fountain, the center had a map of the cosmos carved into a 2 ton granite sphere, suspended and slowly rotating on a water base. With enough force you could spin it a different direction!

Last November, I had the opportunity to visit the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, while visiting relatives living in the area.

Oktoberfest 2013

  • Whiteface

    Facing the opposite direction as the previous photo, the view of Whiteface from Little Whiteface.

  • Selfie!

    This guy was awesome.

  • Locking horns
  • Traditional Accordion Player

    I really wish this photo came out better. Oh well!

  • Cloudsplitter Gondola

    The quickest way to the top of Little Whiteface! 

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.

Exploring Benson Mines

  • Worker's Desk
  • 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!

  • Bathroom and Sink

    Likely decimated by vandals.

  • Outside

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

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!