A Ride Along Cliff Drive Scenic Byway

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

Winter Sunset, Kessler Park

It will be cool again....

Summer Day North Terrace Lake

Old Reservoir, Fairly New Waterfall

 Fiddling with the camera.  Above and below the Carl Dicapo Fountain by the Eastern entrance to Cliff Drive.    Above, Nikon D800, 24-70mm lens at 35mm, ASA 100, manual focus and used live view to eliminate camera shake from the mirror.  F22 at 1/4th.    Below, same settings but ISO 50, and 1/2 second.  70mm.  Tripod.

 The old City Reservoir also in Kessler Park.  Seven photos stitched together.  ISO 100, F5.6 at 1 125th.   Handheld.

The folks in Pendleton Heights have been working to clear the Reservoir of brush... but it's a bruising task.... this structure is huge...operated roughly from 1920 to 1925 it was used to furnish water for industrial purposes to the East Bottoms.

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.

Snojourn

A wet snow is a photographer's friend outlining the trees with soft white. Went down to Indian Mound and the Museum to capture what I HOPE is the last snow of the season. Above and below, Indian Mound.

Above, Kansas City Museum, below, Kessler Park. All shots taken with Nikon D3 and 24-70mm lens. F11 at 1/500th basic exposure with HDR intervals at 1 stop for 5 shots. ASA 200.

Panoramarama

Lately obsessed with the genre.. if it can be called a genre. Above is the view from Cliff Drive north about a 1/4 mile east of yesterday's shot. Right foreground is the Purina plant (I've heard they make dog food there). The red-brick buildings left of center are what's left of the old Heim Brewery which operated under that name from 1887 to 1905 when it merged with another organization... it stopped operating with the advent of prohibition. Just north of those buildings was the original site of Electric Park. A turn-of-the-last-century amusement park operated by the Heim Brothers.
Above, I've shot this many times before... is the hill directly above Scarritt Point looking northeast.

Why We Live in Northeast

A video I prepared to highlight the reasons we live in Northeast Kansas City.

It runs 13 minutes.

Slow Walk Snow Walk

Last time I walked was last year... business and weather have conspired to keep me in the cabin. Ventured out Friday to visit Scarritt Point and Cliff Drive.... above and below the Point.

There are, not unexpectedly, a large number of animal tracks in the snow.... it's somewhat reassuring to see that the deer paths from last year are still in use.
Above the view up from the Point... below the view from the Point.... Pendleton Heights is on the horizon.



Above.... this portion of Kessler Park, in which Scarritt Point is located, is in the Reduced Mowing Program... which at first I didn't like but now do because of the more natural appearance it brings to the hillside. Below down on the Drive.... which really, except for the sky, is totally monochromatic.





Very rugged and stark all winter..... all photos taken with the D3 .... five exposures of each image sandwiched softwarily to give higher dynamic range. All taken with the 24-70 zoom at 400 ISO.
This month, Jan 6th in fact, marks the second anniversary of Hyperblogal.... time flies.

If Walls Could Talk

Below Cliff Drive you can still find remnants of structures that pre-date the creation of North Terrace Park now Kessler Park. A lot of large stone walls remain, foundations of other buildings, even the remains of streets. This is a small sample of what exists... after the bush honeysuckle drop their leaves I'll venture forth to get more photos.
Above, old foundation, below, who knows. I'm gonna go with Aztec.

This large wall seemingly has no purpose that I can see.... may have been intended for erosion control.... but, in lieu of knowing for sure, I'm going to, once again, go with Aztec.