Road pics

I drive a LOT on my job. Did 373 miles today. Most days about half that, but I was sightseeing today and checking some roads that I have to work on and they just happened to be scattered out over 6 counties.

I carry a camera and try to take pics of stuff that looks interesting at the time.

Here's a few from the week.
Sunrise over Ft Worth.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Sunrise2.jpg

Saw some elk along side the highway near Glen Rose. Pets I think.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/ELK.jpg

Found some art out in the boonies not too far from Walnut Springs.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Tree%20art.jpg

W

I just can't look at any photo of Fort Worth without thinking of the Cattlemen's Steak House in downtown Fort Worth. Damn I miss that place. :cry:

Then you show me the pet photo; first time I ever had the desire to eat a pet. :medvl:

After 60 years of farming the same property, my grandfather had a lot of that "art" lying around. My grandmother just never seemed to see it that way, though. :shrug:

Cool photos. Love the elks.

Nice photographs. I get a different view while I am traveling for work. A photo from work in the spring.

East river, NYC. Manhattan to your left.

Attachment 104125

Wullie,
what sort of tree is that growing up through that old binder? Looks like you have a job with a few good moments !! Interesting pictures


Cheers

Heelerau

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Originally Posted by Mvcrash

Nice photographs. I get a different view while I am traveling for work. A photo from work in the spring.

East river, NYC. Manhattan to your left.

Attachment 104125

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Another place I've never been, New York. My son wants to see it soon. Maybe before next summer we can make the trip.

Road pictures huh?! Heres a picture of a couple of roads I just happen to have taken recently. Not as interesting as yours though.


Attachment 104318


Attachment 104319


Mick

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Originally Posted by heelerau

Wullie,
what sort of tree is that growing up through that old binder? Looks like you have a job with a few good moments !! Interesting pictures


Cheers

Heelerau

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That is an old cedar tree. The one with the old binder in it is dead, but it's descendant is growing right behind it. All the trees in the pic to left of it are cedars.

Folks cut the cedars for fence posts when they can find one with a straight enough trunk. That fence is has cedar fence posts. The variety indigenous to the that area is mostly a pest and actually more of weed. Those cedars have been kept cleared so they grew pretty straight and taller. Left to their own devices they end up a pretty impenetrable clump.

The cedars took over due to due piss poor land management and over grazing. The BIG fires we had last summer were fueled mostly by cedars. In the long run the fires were a blessing for everyone except those that lost their homes and live stock. Burning off the cedars lets the grass grow again. ;)

Known fact, every cedar tree has enough wood to burn it's own stump. Cut 'em down, saw 'em up, and pile the wood over the stump and torch it. Day or two later and it's all gone.

Those are cedars in the elk picture too.

Slan'
Willie

I remember being horrified when I was camping in the US, that our guide had built a great fire. I asked him what sort of wood it was as it had a really nice smell to the smoke. He told me Cedar wood, and I almost broke down in tears, thinking how could anyone burn such a beautiful wood as Cedar. And to think I had lent him my Bowie knife to cut up some kindling (No axe in camp. Do Americans have an adversity to axes, prefering Camp saws instead or something? I never saw an axe being used by anyone, in any of our camps.)


Mick

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Originally Posted by MickR

I remember being horrified when I was camping in the US, that our guide had built a great fire. I asked him what sort of wood it was as it had a really nice smell to the smoke. He told me Cedar wood, and I almost broke down in tears, thinking how could anyone burn such a beautiful wood as Cedar. And to think I had lent him my Bowie knife to cut up some kindling (No axe in camp. Do Americans have an adversity to axes, prefering Camp saws instead or something? I never saw an axe being used by anyone, in any of our camps.)


Mick

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My guess, it takes a bit of skill to swing an axe without losing a foot. A camp saw is a simple push /pull. Maybe a liability issue if the camp ground activities are strictly monitored. A lot of camp grounds in Florida don't allow you to fell wood, you have to pick up what is lying around. I was told this about a week ago from a Boy Scout troop leader. I don't know if it is good info. , but I have no reason to doubt him.

I have two nice axes, with nothing to chop. :(

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Originally Posted by MickR

I remember being horrified when I was camping in the US, that our guide had built a great fire. I asked him what sort of wood it was as it had a really nice smell to the smoke. He told me Cedar wood, and I almost broke down in tears, thinking how could anyone burn such a beautiful wood as Cedar. And to think I had lent him my Bowie knife to cut up some kindling (No axe in camp. Do Americans have an adversity to axes, prefering Camp saws instead or something? I never saw an axe being used by anyone, in any of our camps.)


Mick

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Loved your pic's btw.

As for the axe thing... that's weird. I'll take my axe before my knife any day when camping. Matter a fact, my axe is packed first - if there is room (and there always is :) ) after the axe, I pack my knife.

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Originally Posted by Hirlau

My guess, it takes a bit of skill to swing an axe without losing a foot. A camp saw is a simple push /pull. Maybe a liability issue if the camp ground activities are strictly monitored. A lot of camp grounds in Florida don't allow you to fell wood, you have to pick up what is lying around. I was told this about a week ago from a Boy Scout troop leader. I don't know if it is good info. , but I have no reason to doubt him.

I have two nice axes, with nothing to chop. :(

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At a campground, at Yellowstone I think it was, we were told we couldn't take any wood not laying on the ground (everywhere we went was the same). As you can imagine, Yellowstone is a popular place, and fallen wood is fairly scarce nearby. I was put on fire duties (being one of three in a party of 15 who could light a fire properly), and sent out to gather wood. I ranged further and further afield amongst close growing trees with nary a twig to be found on the ground. I finally came across a fallen pine tree about 25ft long and about 10in at the base.
Well I was damned if I was going to walk all the way back to camp just to get a camp saw, cut an armload, carry it back to camp, before repeating the process until I had enough to last. I just bent down and grabbed the base of that damn tree and started dragging it back to camp through all those close growing trees. About an hour later I broke out of the trees, sweating, swearing and cursing and putting down all the stupid American camp ground rules ever thought up, under my breath and dragging this monster bit of wood behind me. I had mis-judged my bearings a little though, and came out into our neigbours campsite.
I must say the look of shock, horror, surprise...The look on every member of that familys face will never be forgotten...Come to think of it, the look on all my camp mates faces were pretty similar too. Must be something about a bedraggled looking madman cursing with an australian accent that is a bit off putting.
There was even enough wood left over for the next campers to claim it, even after the best efforts of our guide to burn as much of it as possible, that was not appreciated by me though, as I had sawn it all as well.
The guide was quick to tell me (from his reclined position on his camp chair) that I sounded like a retarded beaver gnawing on a bit of twig. He was awful quick at jumping up, saying he's just getting a beer for me when I started towards him with that toothy old camp saw in my hand though. :)
I suppose that's another road I've traveled. I hope the word picture is enough though, as I don't have any other kind for that one.


Mick

Good story, Mick, that pine wood will burn good & hot.
I wanted to make it to Michigan, camping, this summer, didn't happen. It is high on my list of places to go; so is Yellowstone.
I've traveled to several far away places in the world, but most of my own country is foreign to me. It's like my damn priorities are all wrong. I will probably die and never have seen Alaska, New York or Yellowstone.

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Originally Posted by MickR

I remember being horrified when I was camping in the US, that our guide had built a great fire. I asked him what sort of wood it was as it had a really nice smell to the smoke. He told me Cedar wood, and I almost broke down in tears, thinking how could anyone burn such a beautiful wood as Cedar. And to think I had lent him my Bowie knife to cut up some kindling (No axe in camp. Do Americans have an adversity to axes, prefering Camp saws instead or something? I never saw an axe being used by anyone, in any of our camps.)


Mick

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This particular brand of cedar ain't the kind that makes the pretty wood. I guess it could but it doesn't get big enough for lumber around here.

Burns hot though. ;)

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Originally Posted by Hirlau

Good story, Mick, that pine wood will burn good & hot.
I wanted to make it to Michigan, camping, this summer, didn't happen. It is high on my list of places to go; so is Yellowstone.
I've traveled to several far away places in the world, but most of my own country is foreign to me. It's like my damn priorities are all wrong. I will probably die and never have seen Alaska, New York or Yellowstone.

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I've seen all that you mentioned. Most all of it through a damn truck windshield going like a bat out of Hell to get someplace where they wanted their junk yesterday. ;)

Done, done and done again Hirlau. Seen those places, walked the earth and smelt the air. I've done much of my own country as well, back in my Vagabond days. I just need to visit one State and one Territory to have done all of Australia. That's still quite a chunk of land though. Seen many a road in my life so far, and I hope to see many more before I fall off my perch too. Another trip to the US and one of Europe and the UK would be nice if I ever get the money. Time won't be an issue, but in todays economy money is tight, but I still have time...:)


Mick

Recent roadtrip through Arizona, Utah, Colorado. I love the Southwest. Some of you will recognize this place:

Attachment 104432

Attachment 104433

Your driving I the wrong side of the road man hahahahah jk

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Originally Posted by MickR

At a campground, at Yellowstone I think it was, we were told we couldn't take any wood not laying on the ground (everywhere we went was the same). As you can imagine, Yellowstone is a popular place, and fallen wood is fairly scarce nearby.

I must say the look of shock, horror, surprise...The look on every member of that familys face will never be forgotten
Mick

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Can you imagine if that they allowed cutting there would be no standing trees in the range that it took you to find the fallen one. Now around here they won't allow the transport of firewood of if {I remember right 50 miles} because of possible disease. I think it is mainly a feel good measure though as bugs and birds fly just maybe not as fast as humans. I had a similar experience a few weeks ago in a National Forest campground. My stick was only about 3 inches around though! Personally I prefer a chainsaw and a splitting maul for wood cutting. Big fires are not a waste in my mind if I cull and cut dead or dying junk trees.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hirlau

Good story, Mick, that pine wood will burn good & hot.
I wanted to make it to Michigan, camping, this summer, didn't happen. It is high on my list of places to go; so is Yellowstone.
I've traveled to several far away places in the world, but most of my own country is foreign to me. It's like my damn priorities are all wrong. I will probably die and never have seen Alaska, New York or Yellowstone.

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Although Australia is on my list, the older I get the more I realize that I could spend every waking moment searching and not find all the wonderful and interesting things within 100 miles of my house.

Tim

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Originally Posted by 32t

Can you imagine if that they allowed cutting there would be no standing trees in the range that it took you to find the fallen one. Now around here they won't allow the transport of firewood of if {I remember right 50 miles} because of possible disease. I think it is mainly a feel good measure though as bugs and birds fly just maybe not as fast as humans. I had a similar experience a few weeks ago in a National Forest campground. My stick was only about 3 inches around though! Personally I prefer a chainsaw and a splitting maul for wood cutting. Big fires are not a waste in my mind if I cull and cut dead or dying junk trees.


Although Australia is on my list, the older I get the more I realize that I could spend every waking moment searching and not find all the wonderful and interesting things within 100 miles of my house.

Tim

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I would never condone the felling of a live tree in a National park without good reason. Not only that, but it takes a lot more than a jerry can of fuel to get them green buggers to burn properly :).

Big fires in this same circumstance are a waste, as that leaves less wood for the next camper to use. Apart from that I agree with you.

And while I'm posting, I had my memory jogged by the photos of what looks to me like Monument valley in Nevada, another place I've been to and fallen in love with. The following pic I took on the road heading to Longreach in Outback Queensland...


Attachment 104437


Mick

Been a slow week for pics this week. Had a new crew from Sharpton's part of the world to shove around up here.

Those kids have seen stuff they NEVER knew existed in TX and I've only worked 'em two days this week as we got rained out yesterday. Those city boys are TOTALLY out of their element. :rofl2:
I was working them up in the North end of Jack County pretty much all day today. It's rough country and I love it.

One of 'em asked me today, "What kinds of snakes you gots aroun here?" I answered with "What kind do want? I'll see if I can find one for you."

His response was :dropjaw:

I'll have 'em out West near the old ghost town of Thurber tomorrow. That'll be fun. :)

Saw a prickly pear cactus growing on a rock. All that stuff around that rock USUALLY isn't green, but they've had some good rains up there in the last week.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Cactus2.jpg

You can eat the red fruit on those cacti. Just have to REAL careful pickin 'em. They have little tufts in spots on 'em that look like velvet. IT AIN'T! It's about a thousand little teeny weeny thorns. They're the little white looking spots in this pic.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/CACTUS3.jpg


The big thorns on the leaves are tough too. I had a horse fall with me in clump of that stuff that was about three times bigger than me and the horse. You talk a bout a wreck! We had one that afternoon. I picked thorns out my hide and the horse for three days.

Watched a couple of white winged dove messing around beside the truck Monday morning.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/DOVE1.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/DOVE2.jpg

Wullie --
Is that puddle your water ration for the day? And do cactuses (cacti?) really grow on rocks down there?

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Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

Wullie --
Is that puddle your water ration for the day? And do cactuses (cacti?) really grow on rocks down there?

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I don't drink the water. :p Up until this week that puddle was nonexistent and will probably be gone by tomorrow if it isn't already.

Yes those damn things grow on rocks, in rocks, around rocks, through rocks, and just about any place you let 'em.

Oh, the leaves are edible too. Nice thing about that cactus is when it gets REALLY dry and all the grass is gone, you can burn the thorns off 'em and the cattle will eat 'em like candy. You burn the thorns off with "pear burner" which is nothing more than a big, glorified bunsen burner.

Our friends from South of the border also cook and eat the leaves. Ain't bad when it's fried up right.

What are those red buds on top of the cactus? Are they flowers of some sort, or seeds? I'm completely ignorant of the flora in your part of the world!

That Cacti fruit is really sweet stuff, but no one ever mentions that they seem to be 90% seeds. I usually stick them with a sharp stick, cut them off the plant and give the outside a really good singeing in a fire. Peel the outter skin off to eat them.


Mick

Mick --
It's fruit? So it's kind of like a seed pod?

Sure is on both counts.


Mick

Thanks, Mick! :beer1:

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Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

Mick --
It's fruit? So it's kind of like a seed pod?

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That is why they're commonly known as "prickly pear".

Mick's got it down for how to eat 'em. There's enough of those things up there in that country now to feed half of Haiti. I ain't seen a crop like this year's in a long time.

Here's the pic I cropped the first one from and there are just a few cacti in this one. I saw some pastures that you'd have a hard time walking through.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/CACTUS4.jpg

A few weeks back I drove from VA to MA, flew from CT to MI and back and then drove back from MA to VA in the span of 6 days. I took a few photos along the way.

I'll start with an airport photo... that was the first place I had a chance to rest.Attachment 104529

Then I found a place in MI selling Scotch eggs. I love Scotch eggs.
Attachment 104530

And then, well, I was busy working
Attachment 104535

so I didn't take many photos on my phone until I made it back to the airport.
Attachment 104531

This is a Rt 23 in Mass about Sunrise time.
Attachment 104532


And here is some lovely fog on the Mass Pike.
Attachment 104533

Then I made it out to the RI area.
Attachment 104534

I found some great coffee and biscotti at the I84 Diner in NY state.
Attachment 104536

And round about sunset time I rolled through southern PA to the homestretch.
Attachment 104537
Or maybe it was northern VA? Who knows. By that time I had been on the road since 6am.

I was lucky enough to work in the middle of nowhere for twenty one years. On the trips back and forth, I got to see many pretty sunsets and sunrises. I took this picture a couple years ago, when a very rare bunch of clouds rolled through. On a trivia note, the mountains in the foreground are the Sutter Buttes, the World's smallest mountain range. Attachment 104539

A sunrise last week.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/SUnrise%20small.jpg

Elk in TX??!! 'Didn't know that. Thx for posting.

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Originally Posted by pinklather

Elk in TX??!! 'Didn't know that. Thx for posting.

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They're some rich guy's pets. They're well fenced in with a 12' fence and pampered.

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Originally Posted by Wullie

A sunrise last week.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/SUnrise%20small.jpg

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At work, from time to time, one will ask, "Why do I get up so early and work so late"? That picture, and how a cup o' Joe tastes out of a Stanley thermos, is why. You, you only, saw and felt what you did, in that moment of time. that's your payback.

Sunrises and sunsets seem popular, so here is one of each. The first, a sunrise, was taken not far from home a few years back (quite a few) when I was living with a camera permanently strung around my neck. It was taken near the mouth of the Brisbane River.

Attachment 104951

This one, a sunset was taken in outback Queensland while I was having a beer on a Paddle boat on the Thompson Rivier near Longreach. The boat was brought up from down south, where it use to ply its trade on the Murray River system back in the 1800's.


Attachment 104952


Mick

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Originally Posted by bharner

A few weeks back I drove from VA to MA, flew from CT to MI and back and then drove back from MA to VA in the span of 6 days. I took a few photos along the way.

I'll start with an airport photo... that was the first place I had a chance to rest.Attachment 104529

Then I found a place in MI selling Scotch eggs. I love Scotch eggs.
Attachment 104530

And then, well, I was busy working
Attachment 104535

so I didn't take many photos on my phone until I made it back to the airport.
Attachment 104531

This is a Rt 23 in Mass about Sunrise time.
Attachment 104532


And here is some lovely fog on the Mass Pike.
Attachment 104533

Then I made it out to the RI area.
Attachment 104534

I found some great coffee and biscotti at the I84 Diner in NY state.
Attachment 104536

And round about sunset time I rolled through southern PA to the homestretch.
Attachment 104537
Or maybe it was northern VA? Who knows. By that time I had been on the road since 6am.

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....Oh lord...where in Michigan were these scotch eggs. I'm from Mich. and my stepdad was from Glasgow.I love scotch eggs !

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Originally Posted by Wullie

They're some rich guy's pets. They're well fenced in with a 12' fence and pampered.

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Wullie --
There's a herd of 'em over by Gladwin, MI. Same deal: rich guy's pets. And Ted Nugent had some, too.

Clouds and storms today.
Middle of nowhere on FM203 (FM= farm to market, which is a TX roadway class) Bosque County.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Storm%20small3.jpg

Pop up thunderstorms were building. 30 minutes after I took that pic it was raining too hard to see past the hood of my pickup and winds were around 60MPH for a bit.

Looking back at the downpour.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Storm%20small.jpg

Looking the opposite direction from the downpour, another was building up right over our heads.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Storm%20Small2.jpg

We got rained out. Still had two miles of buttons to install on the road in the first picture. Buttons are reflective markers that delineate the center line. THe white spots between the double yellow were put there by me. They're 40' apart and show the guy placing the buttons where I want 'em. :) I marked about 5 of the 7 miles of that road with white dots as most of that road is a NO PASSING ZONE. GREAT sport lemme tell ya.

Got home around 1900hrs. Drier than a popcorn fart. NO rain here.

Today started out good. Quiet road, coffee, and a smoke while the day breaks.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Wi...%20sunrise.jpg

Picked up where we left off yesterday, got that road finished and it was time to re-locate. Sent the kids back through town so they could grab some grub, and I took off down memory lane.
I worked for this outfit back in the 80's. Had a fast KW with a big assed Cat engine and I hauled a LOT of cattle in four years. Don't know how many times I've back a cattle truck up this set of chutes, unloaded a load of steers, took a 30 minute nap and handful of road dope, re-loaded and would be up around Laramie, WY 18 or so hours later.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Wed%20030.jpg

Looked around and was REALLY surprised to see the new owner of the old ranch still running the same brand they were using 30 years and three owners ago. These calvies were fresh from the sale. Fine looking steers fresh branded too.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Wed%20031.jpg

That brand is supposed to look more like a "Z". The boyos messed that one up. It is called the 7 L and came from the first owners first ranch in Seven Lakes, NM.
Kind of miss working calves. Getting the burned hair stink, blood, and poop off of after cutting, dehorning, vaccinating, and branding a couple hundred head is a chore.

BIG country.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/95969024/Wed%20033.jpg

I get to disturbin cows ever now and agin on a mates farm. Mungery black angas. Don't fergit them Prairie Oysters !! I used to feel like I'd bin in a footy match after a day scruffing calves. Funny watching a mate who used to play rugby getting dragged about the yard by a small calf as he did not know how to get a hold of it !! Brands often stay with the properties over here when they change hands as well by the looks. Am enjoying the photos

Cheers

Gordon