Photos

Kennedy Space Center

  • Crawler

    One of NASA's two land crawlers, currently being outfitted for SpaceX missions.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Atlantis Base

    The solid state rockets and liquid fuel tank for the Atlantis Space shuttle, The picture doesn't do any justice to just how massive this is.

  • Lucky Shot!

    A gull dive-bombing to catch a fish, at the moment of impact. Took quite a few trys to capture this!

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

Oktoberfest 2013

  • Tribute

    A tribute to soldiers of a local division in WWII, a gift from Italy.

  • Olympic Bobsled Runs

    Another long distance shot at about 8 miles, the Olympic Bobsled run at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.

  • Yodeler Show

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

  • Grounds

    Looking out over the grounds of the area, many local vendors set up tents to show off their homemade products every year.

  • Base camp

    A better view of the festivities below. The line across the picture is the arm-size cable hauling our gondola to the summit.

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

  • Another office.

    Some sort of office area, completely rotted out.

  • Exit (Entrance)
  • 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.

  • Safety for All
  • 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!