Old and stranded

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I recently braved the harsh winter nastiness for some sunset photography and paid this old equipment a visit. I don’t know what it is, but it’s photogenic. I’m no stranger to this piece, but this is probably the best photo I have of it as it’s drifted in pretty well.

One way to protect your abandoned missile launch facility

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When the 321st Missile Wing was deactivated, its silos were imploded, communications lines cut, and underground launch control facilities filled. The above ground portion of its facilities were turned over to private landowners. I’ve visited many of these, and sadly many are in a state of decay. Then there’s this one.

I got quite a laugh after pulling up to the gate. You may remember that I have a strict NO TRESPASSING rule in my photography, so the gate is as far as we went. There was something odd about this building, and my eyes quickly honed in on a shape in one of the windows, behind the former security desk:

Thankfully one of the lenses I carry is a long telephoto, which allowed me to see what the spooky shape was: a manikin! Boo! The sight of that head just barely peeking over the counter is probably spooky enough to dissuade any potential trespassers…especially since it reminds me of that bald chick from the first Star Trek movie.

By the way, if you’re interested in more of the sights I saw on this trip, check out some older posts:

“Cold War Mancation”, Part One

“Cold War Mancation”, Part Two

“Cold War Mancation”, Part Three

“Cold War Mancation”, Part Four

“Cold War Mancation”, Part Five:

Sadly, this old postcard just got a lot more relevant

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This is one of the old Bismarck postcards in my collection, and it is particularly noteworthy because the hotel it features suffered a terrible fire in January. The postcard was issued by AAA a long time ago. It lists the hotel as “1 Mile East of Downtown Bismarck on Highway US 10 & 83”.

It’s sad to see parts of Bismarck-Mandan history pass, isn’t it?

A couple of cool postcard finds

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Poking around the other day I found a couple of new postcards. As you know, I’ve got a fondness for the old Liberty Memorial Bridge. This card features the bridge from way back…even before it connected to west Main Street! I’m too young to remember this, but I sure can appreciate it.

This incredibly blown-out and oversaturated post card is very important to me. Look at the top of the tower to see why: it’s got lights hanging from the top edge of the capitol tower! It actually wasn’t until I discovered an older postcard of the capitol that I discovered this interesting tidbit. I thought the tower had always been lit from below. I was wrong.

Here’s a postcard I bought last year, the one through which I made my illuminative discovery. I’m so glad they light the tower from below now; those lights on the top look really cluttered! I bet it was no picnic changing bulbs, too!

I’ve got a couple more interesting old Bismarck postcards to share soon. Stay tuned!

I can’t believe I took this long for legislature photos

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But here they are! I spent some time breaking in my press badge while perusing the legislature last week. This photo is from the House…

and this is the Senate. This was during a normal day’s business, but I’m hoping that the legislature decides to participate in an event I’ve enjoyed during the past two sessions: Citizens Night at the legislature.

Curious? Check this link and this link for more.

Watching the watchers

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While working in the Joint Operations Center a while back I couldn’t help but notice the large wooden Samurai standing in the far corner next to the monitors. Once we wrapped up I was given permission to take a couple of quick cell phone pics so I could do some background checking later. This particular statue is very important.

The Samurai portrayed here is Kusunoki Masashige, a warrior who was a legend and an inspiration to Kamikaze pilots during World War II. This particular statue originally stood in a Tokyo military school and was claimed by a North Dakota unit, the 164h Infantry Regiment, as a war souvenir. Given to the State Historical Society, it spent nearly forty years in their care and adorned the Liberty Memorial building on the capitol grounds. In 1986 it returned to the National Guard and now sits in a very high-tech setting at the JOC, one suitable for such a revered warrior.

One more tool for emergency awareness in Bismarck

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If you’re like me or many of my friends, you cancelled your landline long ago (years, in my case) in favor of cellular. There are some drawbacks to going cellular-only, though, mostly in emergency situations. This should be of keen interest to all “cellular-only” residents of Bismarck.

A coworker emailed me the link to Bismarck’s “Wireless Notification” form yesterday. This allows use of the “reverse-911” system, used to notify residents of a certain geographic area, to reach people who don’t have a land line. It can also be useful if you’d like to receive notifications while away from home.

This could be extremely useful in cases such as the standoff in a south Bismarck trailer park earlier this month. With spring flooding around the corner, this can also be a critical tool in getting timely information out to people in an affected area.

You can check out the form by clicking here. It’s one tool in the arsenal, not a failsafe, but it’s certainly a good way to help stay informed for those times when you need reliable information in a timely manner.

Something REALLY BIG happened this time last year

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One thing I love about this business is being able to go where few are able. That was the case last January as I was on site for the move of the Falkirk Mine’s dragline “Chief Ironsides” from the west side of Highway 83 to the east side.

Weather delayed things a bit, but we finally got going just before sunset. That made for some challenges with shooting video. Stills are one thing in low light, but HD video is another. The main shot I was set up for was a time lapse of the roadway crossing, and the light was changing on me very quickly.

It was quite dark by the time the thirteen million pound behemoth, controlled by a woman named Melody, crossed the road. There was a thick dirt road constructed across Highway 83 just for this purpose, since the dragline needs a level deck for moving. It also protected the highway from the immense weight of the machine.

I froze myself silly, but I got the shots. I had one HD camera doing the 1080p time lapse while I ran around getting other angles and video footage with a second HD camera. Of course I kept my trusty still camera bag with me at all times. It was something I’d looked forward to seeing for a long, long time…but I was also quite glad to be out of that wind and cold!