So I thought I might try this again this year.
Photo 1 of 366. (Leap Year just my luck)
Tag: digital
What Lies Beneath
During the summer we all like to enjoy the water and will often stop by a lake to take a swim. While your out having a little fun have you ever considered what might be deep beneath the surface.
Located in southwestern Pennsylvania and western Maryland is the Youghiogheny River Dam which was built to control flooding on the Yough river. In the early 1940’s the town of Somerfield was abandon due to the dam project and subsequently flooded. Leaving behind, Somerfield bridge which was once part of Rt. 40 also know as the National Pike. The bridge was dedicated in 1818 and was used until the flooding. For nearly 50 years the bridge and town remained under the surface of the water forgotten. But, in 1991 the bridge and town reappeared for the first time bringing visitors from all over to see the lost town. And since then in times of drought the lake is drained and the bridge and town reappear for a short time. And you guessed it, the town and bridge has reappeared this year and for a short time we can take a look at the old bridge. So if you have the time take a ride up to the lake and walk across the bridge, that was once part of the National Pike, and the submerged town of Somerfield.
The photos below are of the Somerfield bridge, some of the foundations, and a few other things that lie beneath the surface.
Two Days in a Car
Yesterday I posted that two of my friends and myself were headed out for a road trip which would take us from Pennsylvania to Texas. While this sounds like a great adventure it was a total of over 28 hours in a car, with a few stops and a little food along the way.
The day started with both of my travel buddies laughing as I brought out my agreed upon luggage to the already fully loaded car. Since neither of them stuck to the plan, we suddenly had a lot of luggage to deal with. With a little luck and ingenuity, we managed to pack all of our luggage and camera gear into the car and was still able to see out of the back window.
Next stop, TEXAS….. Yea right.
Actually our next stop was the New River Gorge in West Virginia. The color of the trees were great and it made for a great first stop.
Our next stop was Dairy Queen, just down the road. This may seem like it’s not really noteworthy, but let me tell this little side note. As we picked our seat out, Margie said lets sit at the table. Ok no problem, except the stools are about four and a half feet off the floor and Margie, well lets just say she isn’t. Let the laughter begin as she tried and tried to get up on that very high seat. With a little help and a few tears from laughing we were able to enjoy the first meal of the trip together.
This is about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, back in the car and headed for Texas. If you have never made the drive through West Virginia let me just say it takes FOREVER. Needing to make it to Texas by Tuesday afternoon for check in to our room we decided to drive as far as we could. So we drove and we drove and we drove, stopping from time to time for a quick snack and to stretch our legs. I drove until about one in the morning when we decided to stop and get a few hours sleep in the car, we were now in Mississippi.
This morning we reluctantly arose around sunrise from our “rest” in a little truck stop off of Interstate 59 in Mississippi and continued our journey towards our destination in Galveston, Tx just a short jaunt of about 480 miles lay in front of us.
What I can as that upon arrival in a complete downpour, when the weather broke and we were able to enjoy the view from the balcony of our room for this week. It was COMPLETELY worth the drive.
This evening we went to a local place to eat called Kelley’s Country Cookin in La Marque and the fried shrimp was out of this world.
Hope you enjoyed the first two days of our adventure and keep checking back for more from here in Texas.
Covered Bridges
So there is a bunch of different theories about why covered bridges were originally built. Some say it was to keep the horses from getting spooked when they crossed. Some say it was to provide shelter for those that got caught out in the weather. But most likely they were covered to protect the massive wooden trusses that held the bridges together. Adding the covering would increase the life of the bridge by as much as three times.
What ever the reason for the covered bridge, it most certainly has given us some beautiful sights to see out in the country side. I’m lucky enough to live in an area where there are several bridges that have been preserved and today a few of photographed three of the local bridges. Hope you enjoy the bridges as much as we did.
Kings Covered Bridge first built 1806.
The King’s Bridge is a historic covered bridge in Middlecreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1806, and is a 127-foot-4-inch-long (38.81 m) Burr truss bridge, with an asbestos covered gable roof. The bridge crosses Laurel Hill Creek. It is one of 10 covered bridges in Somerset County.[2]
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Info from Wikipedia
Barronvale Bridge first built 1902.
The Barronvale Bridge, also known as Barron’s Mill Bridge, is a historic covered bridge at Middlecreek Township, in Somerset County, Pennsylvania crossing Laurel Hill Creek. At 162 feet 3 inches (49.45 m) it is the longest remaining covered bridge in Somerset County. It is 13 feet 10 inches (4.22 m) wide. The Burr truss bridge was built in 1902, and is one of 10 covered bridges in Somerset County.[2][3] Info from Wikipedia
Lower Humbert Covered Bridge built 1891.
The Lower Humbert Covered Bridge, or the Faidley Covered Bridge, is an 126-foot-6-inch (38.56 m) Burr Arch truss covered bridge that crosses Laurel Hill Creek, in Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was built in 1891 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 1980.[2] It is one of the ten remaining covered bridges in Somerset County. Info from Wikipedia.
Take Some Time for Yourself
This morning on the way to work I was listening to a bluegrass radio station and a song came on called “Some Kind of War” which really got me thinking about things. The chorus of the song goes like this:
Its hard to know what someones going through unless your standing right there in their shoes. It’s not always on CNN or on some distant shore. Life itself can be a battlefield and we’re all fighting some kind of war.
In our everyday life we come across so many different people and we really never know what is going on in their lives. We can’t control their lives heck, sometimes we can’t control our own either. What we can control is how we deal with people and situations.
I guess my point is this. Greet people with a smile, a little compassion, show respect, and who knows how you might affect their lives. And if you’re in a situation that seems out of control take some time and look at the leaves in the trees and all that this world has to offer that is good. Take some time to yourself, relax, and listen to a little bluegrass.
A morning Sunrise
Thought I might do a quick share of a sunrise that I shot a few weeks ago. Went out for the day with a few photographer friends and we really had a great day.
A Conversation with a Drunk Cowboy
Recently I took a trip to Old Bedford Village for the Old West reenactment. If you ever have the chance to attend this event drop everything and GO!! One of these two cowboys is the town drunk. Can you guess which one?
An Hour Later…
So recently the Westmoreland Photographers Society took a trip to the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. And this trip was no disappointment. There were many birds ready to pose for a picture and we were very pleased to appease them. In one of the rooms I noticed this particularly bright orange and black bird which seemed to stay in the top of the trees. So I decided that I wasn’t leaving the room until I caught him in a pose. Well that proved to be more difficult that I had thought and an hour later I finally caught the little guy. I think the times was well spent.
Project 365 | Day 68 Ice and Rocks
Today we have a photo taken in Ohiopyle under one of the overhangs in Cucumber Falls. I liked the little bit of spring that you can see at the bottom with the green plant surviving the winter.
Project 365 | Day 65 A Murder Mystery at Baughman Rocks
For todays’ photo we head to an overlook in Ohiopyle . This is called Baughman Rocks. The view from Baughman Rocks is spectacular but the story behind the rocks is just as interesting.
Apparently the rocks are part of a murder mystery that took place in 1849. The story tells of a father and his two sons that were out looking for missing cows and during their search the father got upset with one of the sons for lagging behind. After some yelling he hit the boy with a large stick, that he had been carrying, and possibly killed him. He then took the child and laid his body in a crevice in the rocks. Claiming that the two boys had been running and the missing child had gotten ahead of them he thought that the boy had returned home. So for the better part of a month a great search for the missing boy took place. After the blame for the missing boy turned towards the father the surviving son told the story, later testifying in court against his father. Who was found guilty and spent over 11 years in prison, all the while proclaiming innocence. They mysterious part of the story is that the body of the boy was never found.
The question remains today did the father kill the boy and bury him somewhere in the woods, was he just knocked out and later awoke and got lost in the woods, was the human remains found in nearby pine swamp those of the boy? We may never know the true story of the fate of the boy.
2Eight Photography 