A Ride Along Cliff Drive Scenic Byway

Take a ride on the Cliff Drive Scenic Byway...  a ten-minute trip..... enjoy!!!!!

Running the Drive: Cliffhanger 2011

Perfect weather for 1300 souls who raced along Cliff Drive in the 5K and 8K Cliffhanger 2011 a benefit for Northeast Neighbor to Neighbor and Gladstone School. You can see all of the images I shot here: http://gallery.me.com/dremley#100856&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Above the start of the Elite Runners Race beginning at 8am.... below, all ages participated from 5 to 85....

The Drive looked beautiful and the folks were impressed. Parks and Recreation did a great job of getting it ready....
Above and below, the crowd for the second race which began at 9am.

Above and below, the start of the second race.... walkers and runners together....

Young critters.... including, in the carriage, Simon Henggeler, born three weeks ago, pushed by his Mom Jen.....
Some participants had four legs... all shots taken with the Nikon D3 and either the 24-70mm lens or 70 to 300mm lens. ASA 1000 to get a high shutter speed ...usually 250th or 500th... to stop action.... F stops varied... usually around F8.
I am terrifically impressed by those who can smile on the way back.....










After the race participants headed to Gladstone School for pancakes.... eating in the gym.

Above, Pam and Malenda enjoy their reward!!!

Concourse Brush Crush

Yesterday Northeast neighbors and a crew from Parks and Recreation tackled the area west of the Colonnade continuing the brush removal that was begun last fall. I was booked all day... so I get zero credit for this.... but certainly can contribute before and after pictures. They even had some heavy machinery this time!!

Scarritt Spring - Lost and Found

Above, what Scarritt Spring looked like in the early part of the last century. Below, what it looks like now. This site is located directly below Cliff Drive just east of the DiCapo Fountain (the waterfall). It commemorated the site of the spring (still flowing) which the Scarritt family used for water and to keep things cool. As late as the 1950s you could still go down there and get watercress for salads. But, when the Cliff Drive Spring above was closed due to contaminated water, so was this one below.
The walls shown in the postcard view are still there and in remarkably good shape. At some point it would be fun to clear away some of the debris and brush to see if any of the walking paths still exist. There is the desire to bring this back to its 20th Century condition... but it will take some time.

The original spigot (left in the image) is still there with ample water coming forth. The spring had a mind of its own though and opened a new channel on the right.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of the original stonework that made up the basin is still in place under the dirt and debris.

Above, closeup of the spigot and, below, much of the original granite is still in place lining the channel.


The pieces below "crawled" about 50 yards to the east.... probably a failed attempt at "recycling".
I'll keep you posted on any efforts toward restoration.

What A Difference A Day Makes....

The 110-year-old Colonnade above familiar to all who grew up or now live in Northeast KC. It's getting some much needed TLC from neighborhood residents and KC Parks and Recreation. Below... a TINY part of the trash and brush cleared off the hill behind the structure.

Above... before the clearing... below.... after the clearing. 20 neighborhood folks helped along with a crew of 7 from Parks and Rec...

Below... the view now from Cliff Drive.

The view up (south). Below, some branches and brush remain to be picked up by Parks and Rec Monday. Chainsaws, pruning sheers, and elbow grease used in large amounts.
All the stumps of the invasive bush honeysuckle and scrub trees were coated with a chemical which moves down to the roots so we don't have to do this again....There's still more work to do. More brush clearing, graffiti removal and stair restoration... but a huge beginning has been made. We WILL reclaim our neighborhood.