Gilpin Falls Covered Bridge

I'm having a difficult time getting much of anything done today. I'm trying to blog for 1KM, but I'm just pretty much out of it. I don't really want to go into the reasons why. I'm tired of whining. There's a new market on 1KM for "Treasures of the Chesapeake", so I'm trying to do a blog for that.
It's nice out though, and my roses are in bloom. I have baby bunnies in the yard and a large variety of birds visiting the feeders. I saw a red headed woodpecker this morning, and my flocks of goldfinches are always fun to watch. :) I have birds nesting in the yard and squirrels trying to steal sunflower seed. Unfortunately, the adorable baby bunnies are eating my veggies, but they are the cutest fluffballs I've ever seen. :) There were four of them.. I'm not sure how many are there now, as they've gotten sneakier, but I saw either a hawk or an eagle in my yard so I fear there may not be four of them any more. I saw one yesterday though that I thought had gone, so there are probably others. :)

The new market "Treasures of the Chesapeake" is now open, featuring artists who live in the Chesapeake Bay area. My town is on the river that feeds into the Bay. It's a small town that gets overwhelmed with tourists every year. The town itself only has two streets, one going in and ending at the state park, and the other going out. It is quaint, and full of antique shops and seafood restaurants. Every Spring tourists from all over start piling in to go to the water, where they keep their boats, or to visit the state forest, or just stroll around this little town. There are various events on the water throughout the summer, and people are bussed in, since the town itself is unable to handle that kind of traffic. While most people visit for the water and forest, this entire area is rich in history dating to the 1600s.
Gilpin Falls Covered Bridge is near my house. The bridge dates to 1860 and is 119 feet long, which makes it the longest covered bridge in Maryland. There were a few mills near the bridge, one of which was a flour mill dating to the early 1700s. The bridge was bypassed in the 1930s and now sits beside the highway. It is lower than the highway though, so when you walk down to it, you are in a sort of bowl, and the noise from the highway is muffled by the sounds of the water over the falls. The bridge was rebuilt once in the 1950s, but has been falling apart ever since. It sags, and numerous slats are missing from the walls. Inside was heavily vandalized, and they've had a warning up for years to not go on the bridge. Last year they finally put gates up on either end, which I was sad to see. The county has been arguing over whether to save it or not, as the cost of repair is enormous. I believe they even had it for sale at one point. Now they are finally repairing it, and while I am glad it is to be saved, it is also sad to see the naked bones of its structure while they work on it. The bridge sits over the creek, pooling in stillness where water lilies grow and people fish. I've seen a variety of flora and fauna there, and it's quite beautiful. I've always liked walking in the woods along the creek and looking at the variety of plant life. Unfortunately, the people who live on the other side of the woods have vinca vine which is highly invasive and which is taking over the woods, smothering out the smaller native plants.
There are a lot of large granite boulders sitting among the woods, upon which grow mosses and ferns. I normally circle around to come out on the creek further down from the bridge. There the water is loud as it crashes over the boulders and they are placed so that it is possible to climb out into the middle of the creek on top of them. There are trees that sit on top of some of the boulders, with their roots like liquid running over the rock and down into the water to find dirt. It amazes me that they are able to grow like that. It was from one of these boulders that I took the photo listed. It was winter, and a still day, and the reflection of the bridge in the water was just stunning.
We had a horrible drought here a couple of summers ago, and the creek was the lowest I had ever seen. There is a concrete barrier just past the pool, before it drops to the falls. I'm not sure what it was originally for, but it was completely uncovered and you could walk across the creek without getting wet. Further down, the water was so low, we waded across the creek barefoot to get to the miniature "islands" in the middle of the creek. I found a lot of old bricks and shards of pottery in the water, I'm assuming from the various mills that were once here. It's a peaceful place, and I've always liked to see it throughout the different seasons. The flowers include Bloodroot in the Spring, then dogtooth violets and Spring beauty, giving way to Cardinal flower, water lilies, blue lobelia and jewel weed, finally ending in wild sunflower, Strawberry bush, and a variety of berries in the Fall.
When they finish rebuilding the bridge, I'm sure it will be complete, with no holes to peek out of, and no flooring missing. I'm sure it will be safe, and sturdy and have a bright new paintjob. I'm glad it is being saved, but I like the vision I have of it, the way it's been my entire life, and I'm glad to have captured it as such.

Things left behind

For my blog at Forgotten Beauty

When I'm exploring various places, often the things that were left behind are of the greatest interest. They are clues to what went on in these places. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the sheer amount of waste, especially in old hospitals. I have explored buildings so full of stuff that you could not walk through a room, or open a door. I've seen countless wheelchairs and old beds and office supplies and boxes of patient records. The last is probably the most disturbing, that they would leave patient records laying about in abandoned buildings.
The most intimate to me are what the patients left behind. Patient's artwork, photos and belongings tell a little about who they were. Sometimes the things left behind are what really brings a place to life for me. I can imagine the patients, and what they did while they were there. Furniture always makes me think of who spent time sitting there...and what did they think about?
Hospital waste is always fascinating. I see these wheelchairs and think they could have been reused. I've seen rooms full of equipment, some still in the crates, and by now probably hopelessly outdated, but when they first closed I'm sure they were not.
In the tunnels beneath one hospital I came across a cold war bomb shelter. There was a yellow and black sign for radiation and a wheelchair in the hall leading to it. It's a pitch black maze down there and I stumbled across this quite by accident. Inside, I found the shelter had been fully stocked sometime in the '50s or '60s. Against one wall was stacked drums of Civil Defense Survival Supplies. Some were marked drinking water. Others had been opened but were still stocked with soap, toilet paper; basic sanitary items. There was an entire room stacked full of crates, most of which had been looted. However, many were still untouched. Inside the crates were bandages, medicine bottles, IV kits, urine specimen bottles, medicine in vials (mostly evaporated), medical instruments, everything you could imagine. We found a packing slip and the 'choice' items were missing... things like scalpels and such, but even after being looted repeatedly the amount of stuff was amazing. In the room with crates, you had to walk across the crates to navigate the room. There were sewing machines and all kinds of equipment I had no name for. I'd love to go back to it again soon, before it gets torn down or torn apart.
Urban explorers have sort of adopted the Sierra Club motto - Take only photos, leave only footprints, but the more a place gets known, the more items tend to walk off. In doing so, it leaves a little less for the next expolorer to examine.

Kenny Fucking Glenn

So the internet supertrolls Kenny and Weston Glenn have become hated worldwide for their torture and abuse of their cat Dusty. They video taped these disgusting acts and posted them to youtube, thinking their ski masks would hide their identity. The internet hate machine hunted their sorry asses down. Here's the E.D. article with quite a few useful links on their page. Go give these future serial killers your regards.
It turns out they had videos of a second cat that was also tortured. There is a petition to try these teens as adults with over 10K signatures so far. However, their parents are rich. Oil rich. Juvenile services gave these sick bastards community service. Their parents took their dirt bikes away. Um.. it's winter. No punishment whatsoever. Meanwhile, Kenny Glenn has been logging onto youtube regularly throughout the day. It's quite obvious these parents are complete and utter failures. How are they going to get them out of it when these teens are caught abusing a child?
The cats are up for adoption after being cleared by a vet. I have heard there is also a dog in the house and I want to know why ALL animals were not removed from this hellhole. I emailed the Lawton news with my question, but with no response. Being the animal lover that I am, this is one of the sickest and most unforgiveable things a person can do. It's utterly disgusting.

Now that I've vented a little.. I apologize for not updating lately. I am sick with multiple issues and will be having surgery (possibly more than one) soon. I'm hoping to get better soon so I can go exploring again! I have some new photo techniques I want to try out, and I'm getting ready for Spring. My organic seed shop is slowly picking up and I'm growing seedlings for sale in Spring. I'm planning new gardens and working with the gourds I grew last season and dried over the winter. :) I have seen some stunning gourd art... I'd love to learn how to do some of those eventually, but for now I'm making bird houses. :)
Now for a few photos... Therese Bugnet is a stunning heirloom rose with a heavy damask scent. I have three Old roses, and they all smell wonderful!! Lovely, Dark and Deep is a tea rose I've had for quite a while, and is named "Nearly Black". Nature's Music is of a Velvet Queen heirloom sunflower grown by Native Americans and is just stunning. Botanica Noir is of datura Angel's Trumpet, which is night blooming and great for evening gardens. It's an experimental one to me and I'm not sure how much I like it.. what do you think? Busy Bumblebee is of the flower elecampane, also known as elfwort.
This is a break from the urban exploration but I hope you enjoy it!

Julie

Dusty

I know I don't use this site for much more than a scratch pad, but I posted on myspace and various spots on the web about this.

Two sick little bastards who happen to be juveniles tortured their cat and posted videos of it on youtube. This entire thing has had me literally sick. I couldn't bear to watch the videos but I've been keeping close tabs on this.
Here's some info:
The ED site explaining how it went down, with various links. I suggest you go post your disgust on the various sites as I did:
http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Kenny_Glenn

The petition to try them as adults:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/justicetodusty

These are serial killers in the making, have no doubt about that.

When I twittered about this, jaisjewels was as outraged as I have been, and has been passing word around as well. Tonight she sent me an article saying these monsters are being tried as juveniles. Their parents are rich, so they will likely get no more than a slap on the wrist from law enforcement, but people worldwide are in arms about this.

There will be justice for Dusty. Kenny Glenn and his brother's lives are ruined.

Schizophrenia Part 2

This is a follow up to part one, which can be read here.

In my first entry, I mentioned the trees that speak of radio waves and Russia, that I thought were done during a bad period. I went back to those trees to take another look. On my way in I saw a lot of deer, but did not see the white one. I hope that he is still there, but my fear is that someone got to him. After I first came across him, I researched piebald deer, and read that it's a genetic mutation that appears in less than 1% of deer. The deer there are somewhat isolated, so I'm sure there are others with the gene. I saw one other with a few white splotches on his leg, but none that even came close to the white one pictured. I think if he is gone that the mystery of the place will be diminished, but I also think he will appear again. There is always something somewhat mystical about a pure white animal outside of the arctic. In mythology they are often seen as spirit animals, messengers or protectors. After reading my first blog, a customer told me she thought it was the spirit of the patient I've written about, and I must admit the same thought occurred to me.

The entire place is somewhat odd. There is an old historical mill along the river, a mansion, and an entire neighborhood that sits empty. The neighborhood was originally meant for military, but now the houses sit empty. It's such a waste. They are set to be demolished, but those houses look to be much better than my own, and they are waterfront property. I want to explore these streets of empty houses, and see what might be behind all those closed doors. However, besides all the hospital traffic, there are also families that visit the water on the weekends, especially in warm weather.

The trees I was after are located at the end of the strip of woods, near the road that winds through the complex. I parked and headed into the woods, startling a herd of deer and about 6 squirrels along the way. :) I also came across a turtle, which was odd considering that it was December 30th and cold. Every time I go back there, the power of the trees hit me again. To be surrounded by the carved trees is a little like being inside an aberrant mind. In Spring I plan to resume my exploration of the trees and the parts I have yet to look through.

There are so many trees that I can't make out or that have died and half rotted away. Some of them are just not photogenic or are such a jumble I think he must have carved over them with several different messages. I plan to get some tracing paper and try rubbings on the trees to see if that helps any. There are quite a few that have only numbers on them, sometimes in a certain formation, and I wonder if they have to do with his time in service. Perhaps they were his troop number or something similar. I'll post one with this blog and hope that a reader might know better than I do.

The ones I present for sale are the ones I can make out that have messages on them, and the ones I find interesting. The first new one I call "The Voice of Archangels", and from what I can make out it says: "Jehovah the Divine in junction...is to be ready at all times for the Lord appeared in..(flaming something?)..speaking with the voice of Archangels Trumpets". That one sits off by itself, and I sometimes wonder if their location has any significance. Another states: "To Assemble U.S. Grand Jury and read this to all Treasury employees - Pay his salary." Who is the "he" he speaks of? I always find more questions than answers while exploring the trees. There is another tree, not pictured, that I think of as the Armageddon tree. It bears this message: "All authority is given unto me in Heaven and earth to conscript the...(something)...the good nations for the Lord's battle of Armageddon." This tree has a date of 1967, one of the latest I've seen.

I moved on to the tree I referenced in the first entry, that speaks of radio waves. I titled this one "Woe". This tree is almost completely covered. It's difficult to read, not only due to age, but just due to the sheer amount of carving. Some of the messages circle the tree, and some are in small circular patterns. Others are vertical, or almost like scribbles on a notepad. This tree is dated 1937, which makes it one of the earliest, and it is near the edge of the woods. It must have been during a bad period, or before he had been treated for long. The side pictured reads:
"Woe unto Communists - they carry the mark of the beast.
Judgement (in a circle), August 15, 1937
Woe - Judgement on the beast - An utter end.
Unto inquisition - Radio Signals (This gentleman believed that Hitler was sending messages via radio waves through his teeth)
There is more, but it is difficult to make out. The other side continues, with the names of several political leaders, including Hitler, and says there is no Red Russia and speaks of the war.

I want to know who this man was. There are a few other carvings here and there that are not his. His are distinct, and he has a few writing idiosyncrasies, such as how he writes his 5s versus his S's. To me they are sort of a desecration. This man was pouring his mind out onto these trees, and to see so and so hearts so and so in the midst of these is jarring. I have seen what I presume was his name carved on a few trees, but have been unable to find anything on google about him. I think I need to do more investigating into who he was and what happened to him. I would still like to do a coffee table book of the trees, and write about him, but if I do it myself it's expensive, and I'm not sure how much interest there would be. When I do more research I may try to approach a publisher.

I hope you enjoy these blogs, and comments are always welcome!
Julie

Centralia

For my blog on 1000 Markets

Most people have never heard of Centralia, PA, but they have heard of the game and movie "Silent Hill". "Silent Hill" is based upon the town of Centralia. Centralia is burning, and has been since the 1960s, and scientists estimate it will burn for another 100 years.
Centralia was a small coal mining town. In the 1960s an underground fire started burning through the vein of coal running through the area. Efforts to put it out were too little too late, and it continued to burn. In 1979, a gas station owner discovered that the temperature of his fuel was at 172 degrees and statewide attention began to grow, culminating in the early '80s. The incident that brought matters to a head is when a sinkhole 150 feet deep appeared beneath a 12 year old child in his backyard.
The government bought out most of the town, but a few diehards refused to leave. In the 1990s, all the buildings were condemned and razed, and Centralia's zip code was revoked in 2002.
When I visited, it was a nice day, clear with little wind. The town's streets are still there, but the buildings have been removed, so there are squares of grass that used to be people's yards. There are several cemeteries that are still maintained, and three or four elderly people who refused to leave, but that's it. Before you enter the town there is the skeleton of an old building that is now used for parties. The main road is blocked off with warning signs. I went to what was the town's dump, where the fire started, to start exploring. There are a lot of trees and vegetation that have died from the heat, and not a lot else. Smoke rises from the ground and you can feel the heat in certain places. I kept possible sinkholes in mind as I explored and continued to the road itself.
Walking down the road is eerie. It was a two lane highway but it was dead quiet and not a person in sight. Weeds grow up and through the road in places, and there is a lot of grafitti. Some of it is humorous, and some is almost eloquent in that it speaks of people who have lost a town. I came to where the road had caved in. It was all torn up and twisted, and there were several chasms through the road with smoke rising out of them. I have no idea how deep they go. I took several photos before heading back.
In a field off to the side, there are several "sniffers". These monitor for dangerous gases. Some of the other equipment I'm not familiar with and didn't want to mess with anyway. :)
Outside of town there is a shrine to the people of Centralia. It is the Virgin Mary and has numerous offerings around it. I also found several rusted out antique cars hidden in the brush and an old coal chute rotting in the woods. They are the relics of forgotten lives in a forgotten town.
Surprisingly enough, Centralia is not the only town with underground fires, just the most famous. Besides "Silent Hill", Centralia has been the inspiration for several other movies, as well as numerous works of literature and even music. There is a lot of information on the web about it if you are interested in reading further. Included with this blog are photos taken at Centralia. Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

The Good Church

I'm keeping a blog at 1000 Markets on my Urban exploration. I think I'll use this one for everything, then post just the UE stuff over there. However, I still want to be able to write about my gardening shop and other things as well. I should probably just start a new blog and post the relevant to my shops stuff there. Not today though.

People seem to be enjoying the blog posts about various locations so I think I'll go with that for now. I have three photos listed that were taken at the same location, known as "The Good Church". There is another church nearby, predictably enough known as "The Bad Church". The remains are in the woods and are now part of a State Park. Originally there was a mill town located there along the river. In the 1960s the mill was relocated and what remained of the town itself was wiped out during Hurricane Agnes.

The Good Church was Roman Catholic and The Bad Church was Pentacostal. They are known as such because The Good Church is said to leave you with a feeling of peace and well being, whereas the Bad Church gives people an ominous feeling of being watched by something evil (or so the story goes). The Good Church dates to the 1800s, but in the 1920s it was struck by lightning and burned, so it was not actually in use for very long. The priest is said to have skated down the river during the frozen winter months. There is a path leading to the ruins that winds along the river and through the woods. The church is up on the hillside, so as to be closer to God. On the river banks, half buried in vines, are the remains of several old rusted out cars, as well as part of a bridge that used to go across the river. It's a beautiful walk, but by the time we got to the Good Church I was hurting. It's a gorgeous place, with the remains of stone walls covered in ivy and trees growing up through what would have been the inside. The arched doorway still stands, and off to the side is a small altar. On the altar was a row of candles with wax melting over the stones, and behind that was hidden a journal. The journal is kept there for whoever visits the place to record their thoughts and how they felt about it. It was indeed a beautiful and peaceful place and I enjoyed just sitting amongst the stones for a while. The original journal was stolen, but a new one had started and I read some of the entries. Everyone wrote about the beauty and peacefulness of the place, and how it made them feel. There were a few scraps of poetry and some thankful notes. I left my own as well, then returned it to its hiding spot.

Off to the side of the church remains is a graveyard. The stones are partially buried in briars and leaves, but you could see that someone had cleared it several times before or they probably would have been completely buried. Some of the stones were worn smooth by time and were illegible. I took photos of the church and graveyard before we left.

I did not make it to the Bad Church, but I have seen photos of it. It opened in the 1940s and was called "the Holy Roller" church by its Catholic neighbors. It is a white concrete or brick building and has been heavily vandalized. There is a lot of spray painting on it, including the to be expected warnings about the nature of the place. What really struck me about it is that the Good Church had not been vandalized at all and was in fact being upkept to a point by visitors. I would like to visit the Bad Church one day if I'm able, just to see it for myself and to see if I do feel anything "negative" about it. I would like to learn if there is any basis for it being called the Bad Church, that is, to find out if something happened there.

Included in the photos attached to this blog is a photo of the Good Church before it burned. Thanks for reading and comments are always welcome!