Author's Statement
This is a book about bridges, and you'll see a lot of them here. But more than the physical structures that span rivers and streams, this is a book about bridging the gaps between red and blue, rural and urban, young and old. It is the photographic record of a three-month odyssey that tested my mettle as a travel writer and photographer. Parts of the trip were written up in my blog, If There Were Witchcraft, which can be found at
http://mtbearded1s.blogspot.com. Look for the 2007 postings. I took over 1,000 photographs, summarized by the fifty-four included here.
My original intent was to cross the country, leaving the California Coastal town of Smith River, where my parents were buried, and drive to Washington, DC, and thence into southern Maryland where my McAtee forebears settled in the 1600s. In the end, I never made it east of Buckhannon, West Virginia. I also intended to return west via a southern route that would take me through South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma, but had to forego that route in favor of a quick, 3-day drive home to Missoula following the Interstate Highway System. Upon my arrival, I learned that my prolonged absence had put too many stresses on my nine-year relationship, and that it was essentially over.
Along the road I saw places and met people who have changed my life--for the better. I learned more about this country we call home and the deep, deep roots I have in her. It is my fervent wish that this book challenges and encourages you the reader to take your own mystical journey. Whatever you love, do it. I also hope that you enjoy riding along with me on my 6,000 Mile Sunday Drive.
© 2011 by the author of this book, Bryan D. Spellman. The book author retains sole copyright to his or her contributions to this book.
September 4, 2007
The Siuslaw River Bridge
Florence, Oregon
Crossing the Siuslaw on this bridge designed by Conde McCullough marked the true beginning of my trip. On many occasions prior to this, I had travelled the Oregon Coast south of the Siuslaw in search of sites to photograph and geocaches to uncover. But by crossing the river, I left behind the home fields, as it were, and truly set off on what would turn out to be one of the finest travel experiences of my life. I heartily recommend a long, leisurely vacation on the American road. This bridge is one of several still standing that were designed by Oregon Department of Transportation engineer Conde McCullough. If you're driving through Oregon and see a particularly beautiful bridge, like as not Conde McCullough designed it.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 125, f /8.0, 1/250 second.
September 4, 2007
Heceta Head Lighthouse, Oregon Coast
The Heceta Head Lighthouse is located just north of one of the most famous tourist traps on the Oregon Coast, the Sea Lion Caves. While I strongly recommend visiting the caves, take the time to pull off the highway at Heceta Head. Enjoy the beach, the ground floor view of the Cape Creek Bridge, another one of Conde McCullough's fine designs, and, of course, the lighthouse itself.
From Heceta Head, I continued on to Portland where the Volvo got a pre-drive physical thanks to the good folk at Swede One. After two nights in Portland, I took Interstate 84 east through the Columbia Gorge.
Focal length: 38 mm. ISO 125, f /8.0, 1/250 second.
September 6, 2007
Water Park, Arlington, Oregon
Arlington, Oregon is an oasis on an otherwise barren stretch of Interstate 84 along the Columbia River. Between the town and the river is this fine aquatic park--a good place to get off the road and relax with a soft drink or ice cream cone. From Arlington, I continued on to Umatilla, where I crossed the Columbia entering Washington. Interstate 82 took me west to Kennewick, then US 395 took me north to Ritzville. At Ritzville, I got back on the Interstate system, this time I-90, heading east to Spokane, Washington, Coeur d'Alène, Idaho, and finally home, Missoula, Montana.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 125, f /8.0, 1/250 second.
September 8, 2007
The Montana State Capitol
Helena, Montana
After a couple of nights at home in Missoula, I was back on the road, with the first stop at our state's capital, Helena. The capitol building itself was constructed in 1902 with wings added in 1909 and 1912. The capitol dome is copper, as befits a state where Copper was king. The equestrian statue located in front of the building honors Second Territorial Governor Thomas Francis Meagher (pronounced MARR), an Irish rebel, English prisoner, transportee to Australia, escaping thence to New York. A Brigadier General in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, he followed his wartime service by becoming first secretary then acting governor of the territory of Montana. And yes, the floral display is changed every year.
Focal length: 22 mm. ISO 125, f /6.7, 1/250 second.
September 8, 2007
Meagher County Farmland, Montana
My goal in crossing the country was to take back roads as much as possible, and avoid the Interstates unless absolutely necessary. U.S. Highway 12 crosses Montana as a (mostly) 2-lane highway. This dirt farm road heads south from U.S. 12 toward the Castle Mountains in Meagher County, a county named for the territorial governor mentioned on page 5. By bedtime on the 8th, I was in Roundup, Montana, the seat of Musselshell County, and I pitched my tent in a city park on the banks of the Musselshell River. In the spring of 2011, as I write this, most of Montana is under flood watch, and Roundup has been isolated for several weeks. I have no doubt that the campground where I stayed is completely underwater.
Focal length: 31 mm. ISO 125, f /6.7, 1/250 second.
September 9, 2007
Rosebud County Landscape, Montana
As you continue east across Montana, you run out of mountains, and find yourself in the rolling landscape of the western Great Plains. This is a large, empty country, depopulating now as children leave for better paying jobs out of state, and the family farms are consolidated. Near this location, I stopped to photograph a huge building, three-stories tall, standing alone and abandoned in the middle of a field. It turned out to be the Vananda School. I wonder where the children came from to attend school and fill such a large building.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 125, f /6.7 , 1/500 second.
September 9, 2007
The Yellowstone River at Forsyth, Montana
The Yellowstone River flows north out of Yellowstone Park, then turns east, flowing in a northeasterly direction across most of central and eastern Montana. It is Montana's third river in the amount of water it carries out of state. The Clark Fork of the Columbia in the west has Montana's largest stream flow, and the Missouri is second, following a parallel course west and north of the Yellowstone. The Missouri and Yellowstone converge at the Montana/North Dakota border. After stopping to photograph the Rosebud County Courthouse in Forsyth, I reluctantly got onto Interstate 94 to drive to the next town east, the Custer County Seat, Miles City. From there I continued on US 12 east toward Baker, Montana, leaving the highway at Plevna to head south to South Sandstone Reservoir where I pitched my tent for my second night on the road in Montana.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 125, f /8.0, 1/350 second.
September 10, 2007
Fallon County Landscape, Montana
The landscape of southeastern Montana is both varied and colorful. After packing up the tent at South Sandstone Reservoir, I drove on south and slightly east, heading for the Carter County Seat of Ekalaka. Carter County lies in the southeastern corner of the state. There's only one paved road into the city, and when you leave, you take that road back north. This view was not taken from the paved road, however, but rather from the dirt road that I had been following ever since leaving Plevna the day before. In time, this dirt road connected with Montana Highway 7, and I drove into Ekalaka.
Focal length: 34 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/500 second.
September 10, 2007
Medicine Rocks State Park
Carter County, Montana
North of Ekalaka sits Medicine Rocks State Park, a treasure of eroded sandstone formations. It's a place I want to revisit, but on the 10th I was already beginning to feel that I had miles to go. A quick tour of the park won me some exciting photographs, but there's lots more to capture in the park. Further north on Montana Highway 7, I turned east onto US Highway 12 at Baker, the Fallon County Seat, and headed for the North Dakota line. From Bowman, North Dakota, I drove south toward Belle Fourche, South Dakota. Along the way I stopped at Crow Butte for some ice cream and a wonderful chat with an old cowboy.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/500 second.
September 10, 2007
The Center of the Country
Butte County, South Dakota
Slightly north and west of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, lies the geographical center of the nation. The flag, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, flies adjacent to a USGS survey marker noting that fact. Having certified through photography that I had, indeed, made it to the center of the country, I got back in the Volvo and drove on through Belle Fourche, Spearfish, Sturgis, and spent the night, in a motel, thank you very much, in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/350 second.
September 11, 2007
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
South of Rapid City stands one of the most famous pieces of stone in the US, Mount Rushmore. I was not headed south, however, but rather east, and that way lies Badlands National Park. Vistas similar to this extend for miles on end across south central South Dakota. It was for occasions like this that I had purchased my US National Parks Visitor's Pass. Once through the Badlands, I drove north and east to camp for the next couple of nights at Oahe Reservoir on the Missouri River near South Dakota's capital city, Pierre.
Sigma 70-300 mm tele/zoom/macro lens.
Focal length 70 mm. ISO 200, f /13.0, 1/125 second.
September 12, 2007
The South Dakota State Capitol
Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre, South Dakota is not the smallest state capital in the nation. That honor goes to Montpelier, Vermont. Pierre is, however, second. Small though it is, Pierre does hold what I consider a necessity for a good life--it has a fine privately owned bookstore. It also has the most beautiful grounds I have seen for any state capitol. By the way, the name of the city is pronounced "pier" not "Pee-air." "Pee-air" would be the old fort across the Missouri, Fort Pierre. It is said that an early city father had supplies shipped up the Missouri to be unloaded at the pier across from Fort Pierre. And now you know. I spent two nights camped at Oahe Reservoir, then continued east on South Dakota Highway 34 toward Minnesota.
Focal length: 40 mm. ISO 200, f /13.0, 1/125 second.
September 13, 2007
Barn and Silos in Eastern South Dakota
Crossing South Dakota in September, I saw three cash crops growing in the fields: sunflowers, corn and soybeans. South Dakota was the last state where I saw anything growing other than corn and soybeans. The fine brick corn silos next to this wonderful old barn are testimony to the importance of corn (maize) in our economy. It took me a while to catch on to the fact that mid-grade fuel was actually cheaper than regular. When I asked why at a service station near the South Dakota/Minnesota line, I learned that mid-grade is 10% ethanol, and this ethanol is made from locally grown corn, so it costs less than the un-corn-fed fuel. Crossing the state line, I pitched my tent at a campground in Pipestone, Minnesota. For the first time this trip, I was cold all night long.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/250 second.
September 14, 2007
Southwestern Minnesota Farmland
It was not my intention to travel through Minnesota, but since I was in an adventurous mood, why not? Leaving Pipestone, I headed north just a bit to catch US Highway 14, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Highway. The road crosses rolling hills with beautiful farms such as this, and the land actually looks manicured. I can see Rose Nyland (Golden Girls) and Garrison Keeler (Prairie Home Companion) getting together with rulers to make sure that every grass blade is exactly the same height.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/350 second.
September 14, 2007
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Sleepy Eye, Minnesota
Across the plains, historically the tallest items in any landscape are grain elevators, farm silos, and church steeples. Sometimes it's hard to say which will be the tallest. But while exploring this structure, I saw something I'd never seen before. Perched prominently on the grounds of this Roman Catholic Church was a tombstone for those children killed by abortion. I've since been told that this is a common practice, but somehow it had not previously caught my eye. Leaving Sleepy Eye (what a great name), I continued on through New Ulm and then Mankato where I turned south, and after driving through Blue Earth (another great name), I crossed into Iowa heading for the Raccoon River Retreat twenty miles west of Des Moines.
Focal length: 40 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/250 second.
September 15, 2007
Raccoon River, Iowa
It was late when I arrived at the Raccoon River Retreat, and owner Harold suggested that rather than pitch my tent, I stay in one of the guest rooms. So I did--for the next week. Now there were some extenuating circumstances, like the broken windshield that caused me to spend an extra couple of days while the car was repaired, but the simple fact is that Harold and his friend Fred basically adopted me, and I fell in love with them and with central Iowa. OK, I'm on vacation, I'm trying to learn more about parts of the country where I haven't previously traveled, and hey, I don't really have a set itinerary. When someone makes you feel at home, the way Harold and Fred did, well, gee, sometimes the three-day rule just doesn't seem to apply. Fair warning: this seemingly placid river can become a raging torrent in the spring, and Harold's land has been re-arranged several times in the few years since I last visited.
Focal length: 34 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0 , 1/250 second.
September 16, 2007
The Best Ass on Campus, Iowa
The main reason I spent a week at the Raccoon River Retreat was that Harold and Fred were such wonderful hosts. Turns out I was in town at the same time as Senator Tom Harkin's Steak Fry, an annual event that serves to raise money not just for the Senator, but for the Democratic Party. And Iowa being Iowa, and 2007 being 2007, a lot of Democrats attended the same steak fry that I attended--Christopher Dodd, for instance, Bill Richardson, not to drop a name or two, and a couple of lightweights including Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards. Now neither Fred nor I are Democrats, but Harold was so thoughtful in including us that how could we say no. Fred and I did say no to an evening event where Harold had to/got to introduce the main speaker. And that refusal of mine is why I didn't get to shake hands with the man who became President Barak Obama.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /11.0, 1/350 second.
September 16, 2007
The Iowa State Capitol
Des Moines, Iowa
By now you should be aware that I like photographing government buildings. Indeed, my next project is a photographic portrait of Montana's fifty-six counties which started as a desire to photograph all fifty-six county courthouses in the Treasure State. And since I was in Des Moines, anyway, of course I had to get a photo of this imposing structure. A couple more days and nights at the Raccoon River Retreat, the first of several gay men's campgrounds I visited on my trip, and I was ready to continue on toward my next destination, Carroll County, Missouri, the furthest west my great-grandparents ever strayed.
Focal length: 18 mm. ISO 200, f /9.5 , 1/250 second.
September 20, 2007
One of the Bridges of Madison County, Iowa
South and slightly west of Des Moines is Madison County, Iowa, the site of Robert James Waller's best seller. I love photographing bridges, and there are lots to see in Madison County which also boasts having the hometown of John Wayne. In an effort to remain scrupulously honest, I have to admit that I've never read The Bridges of Madison County, nor have I seen the movie made from the book and starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. From Madison County, it was just a hop, skip and a rather long jump and I found myself at the Missouri state line. Now if Rose and Garrison were maniacal in keeping Minnesota's grass neat and tidy, Clint and Meryl weren't quite so obsessed with their lawns. Still, Iowa seemed quite tidy--just not as much as Minnesota. Then I crossed over into Missouri and tidiness was not a concept understood in the Show-Me State.
Focal length: 32 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/350 second.
September 20, 2007
A Windfarm
Worth County, Missouri
If, as I stated previously, steeples, silos and elevators were the tallest structures on the plains, they have now been joined by an even taller, and in many places more ubiquitous structure, the wind turbine. Looking for a geocache hidden near the tree at the left of this picture, I stepped back to document the new prairie sky-scraper. I had been in east-central Missouri before, but never had I driven across the state. More to the point, my great grandfather, Henry Stephens, took his young wife from their home in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and moved her to western Missouri, Carroll County, to be precise. In less than ten years, they were back in Virginia, this time in the Ohio Valley, and there they stayed, even after the Civil War and the division of Virginia which left them living in West Virginia. Finding nothing of interest in Carroll County, I continued on and spent the night in the University town of Columbia, Missouri.
Focal length 25 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/350 second.
September 21, 2007
The Missouri State Capitol
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City, Missouri's capital city, lies on the Missouri River close to the middle of the state. The city has a lovely downtown, with lots of photogenic buildings and some beautiful parks. But perhaps the most intriguing (and least obvious) photographic subject is the statue atop the cupola above the dome on the capitol building. Viewed from the "right" angle, you'd swear that the sculptor was having a private joke of some sort. The sculpture appears to be a man holding a rather large, erect penis. The official story is that the statue is of the goddess Ceres and she's holding an ear of corn. Yeah, right.
Focal length 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/500 second.
September 23, 2007
Priapus Pines Campground, Illinois
Priapus Pines is a gay men's campground in south central Illinois, about sixty miles east of St. Louis, and that's where I spent the next two nights. The first night I was the only camper, and enjoyed the pool, the hot tub, and the hiking trails all by myself. The second night I had company, but the two of us were the only guests. I suppose mid-week in late September is not a prime time to pitch a tent. The next two nights were spent at another gay campground, Camp Buckwood south of Indianapolis. I had a lot of fun with the guys camped at Buckwood, but all good things must end, and I packed the car in the rain and drove on toward Ohio.
Focal length: 18 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/15 second.
September 25, 2007
Cannon Fodder
Liberty, Indiana
Liberty is the County Seat of Union County, Indiana. On the courthouse lawn sits a Grand Army of the Republic cannon. Dare we say that we're in a spot proud of its Civil War heritage? As I walked around the courthouse, camera in hand, a young male voice asked, "Are you taking pictures?" I was tempted to say "No, I'm shooting squirrels," but the urge passed and we had a good conversation. He had never been to Montana and couldn't imagine a pine forest. Or mountains, I'd guess. As Joan Baez sang, "He was just 18, proud and brave." In two weeks he was leaving for boot camp. He wanted to be part of the Special Forces--"they're the best, you know." With two seemingly endless wars raging, I feared he was just another piece of cannon fodder. I did not get his name, and have had no further contact with him.
Focal length: 22 mm. ISO 200, f /5.6, 1/90 second.
September 28, 2007
Ohio Country Road
Harrison County, Ohio
The next two nights I spent in a Mount Vernon, Ohio motel. Mount Vernon is the County Seat of Knox County where in 1842 my great-great grandfather, William Spellman, married Celia McKown. I found the record of their marriage in the Knox County archives, but was not able to find out who William's father was. There are Spellmans in the phone book all through central Ohio, and I started calling around until I met Larry Spellman. We weren't able to establish any connection, but we had an enjoyable time, even as he showed me the Spellman graves in the local cemetery--a cemetery where Daniel Decatur Emmett is also buried. He is the man credited with writing "I wish I was in Dixie." I'm really in Civil War country now, aren't I. From Mount Vernon, I drove on to my next gay campground, Circle JJ, near Scio, Ohio. For my morning walk, I followed this road near the campground.
Focal length: 29 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/125 second.
September 28, 2007
Eastern Ohio Farm
Jefferson County, Ohio
Circle JJ was the smallest of the gay campgrounds I visited, and I really didn't want to pitch my tent. They have a bunkhouse, but the host insisted that I'd be alone in the bunkhouse and would be more comfortable in the main house itself. This would have been true, possibly, if I hadn't been in a great deal of pain--so much that I seriously considered aborting the trip. Also my bedroom faced the dance hall, where one rather drunk fellow spent the night playing disco music loudly. To top it off, the house was, to put it mildly, not smoke-free and I could barely breathe. Other than that, the facilities were well appointed, with a hot tub, a steam room, a large open-air swimming pool and deck, and the afore-mentioned dance hall. One night was enough for me, and I continued on my way, passing this farm in the eastern hills of Ohio.
Focal length: 45 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/500 second.
September 28, 2007
The Ohio River Bridge
Weirton, West Virginia
It may come as a surprise to you that no part of the Ohio River is in Ohio. Admitted as a state after its neighbors Virginia and Kentucky, Ohio's borders end at the riverbank. My ancestors settled on the western edge of Virginia in the late 1600s. My roots there run very deep, and as I crossed this bridge from Steubenville, Ohio to Weirton, West Virginia, I heard a voice saying "You've come home." Mind you, I've never lived in West Virginia. My parents moved to Montana three years before I was born. After my grandmother died just after my fourth birthday, we never again went east as a family. I'd made two short trips as an adult, filling in long weekends when I was nearby for a conference, but I only knew the Mountain State from my parents' stories.
Weirton is in the northern panhandle where West Virginia is all of five-miles wide. I continued on into Pennsylvania, before taking a winding back road that led me through the hills to Wheeling. From Wheeling I drove south along the Ohio to Moundsville, then back into the hills for my next gay campground, Roseland, where I stayed the weekend.
Focal length: 22 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/500 second.
Taken through the windshield while driving.
September 29, 2007
Roseland Morning, West Virginia
Roseland is the largest, and plushest of the gay campgrounds I've visited to date. Set atop a ridge line, Roseland has lots of space for travel trailers (many of which are parked there permanently for the "seasonal" campers). It has cabins, and lodges with motel-like rooms, tenting spaces, a dance hall/bar/gift shop, steam room, gang shower room, work out room, massage studios, and a very accommodating staff. In 2007, the pool was above-ground, set into a wooden deck, but this has now been replaced by an in-ground pool. On my last morning, while checking out, I asked the staff about the possibility of finding a gay masseur in Parkersburg, my next stop. They handed me a card bearing the name "Ron Stephens." I'd call Ron when I got to Parkersburg. Oh, and by the way, my mother's maiden name was "Stephens."
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/1000 second.
October 1, 2007
View from the Grave
Jackson County, West Virginia
One of the people I had promised to call, once I was settled in Parkersburg, was my cousin Vikki who lives in the Ohio River town of Ravenswood, West Virginia, about 30 miles south of Parkersburg. Vikki is the daughter of my father's half-brother, Ralph. After we'd visited a while, she offered to take me to the Spellman family cemetery, high in the hills between Ravenswood and Ripley. This is the area where my father grew up. The cemetery has been neglected, and several stones are missing, but here is where my grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great grandparents and countless other Spellman kin are buried. Standing on my grandparents' grave, I looked east from the cemetery to the hillside where the family farm used to stand. I have rarely felt so grounded in a place.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/180 second.
October 1, 2007
The Ripley Church of the United Brethren
(Calvary United Methodist Church)
Ripley, West Virginia
My father grew up in the Church of the United Brethren, a denomination formed by German speaking people in the United States. When Francis Asbury established the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1784, the leaders of the United Brethren asked him to supply them with German speaking pastors. He refused, saying that English was the language of this new country, and it was not until 1968 that the Brethren, now called the Evangelical United Brethren joined with the Methodists to form the United Methodist Church. I don't know how many generations of my family attended church in this building, but I'm sure that they were here when this structure was built. It was in this church that my grandfather's funeral was held. I can only suppose that previous generations also called it their church home.
The United Methodist Church is very strong in West Virginia, as were the various groups that have come together over the years to form this second-largest U.S. denomination. My father moved west because he was told, "There's a Methodist church on every street corner in West Virginia. Come to Montana where we need people." Two blocks from this imposing building sits an equally large church, the Ripley First United Methodist. Ripley is a town of 3,000 people.
Focal length: 29 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0 , 1/750 second.
October 6, 2007
The National Road
Wheeling, West Virginia
The Ohio River formed a natural barrier to westward expansion. The National Road, authorized in 1811, was supposed to connect Cumberland, Maryland with St. Louis, Missouri. This stone and cable bridge, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, carries the National Road across the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was built in 1848 and cars still cross it today, as did the Volvo. A newer, wider bridge is visible in the background. Today, the National Road is known as U.S. Highway 40, itself being supplanted by various stretches of the Interstate Highway System.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /5.6, 1/500 second.
October 6, 2007
Wheeling Windows
Wheeling, West Virginia
Downtown Wheeling is an historic district along the eastern bank of the Ohio River. While I had a great time walking the street and the riverfront park, this window and its reflection of windows across the street, captured my attention. The only trick was to not photograph myself in the mirror-like glass.
Focal length: 32 mm. ISO 200, f /4.8, 1/90 second.
October 8, 2007
Big Isaac United Methodist Church
Doddridge County, West Virginia
My dad always said that the hardest thing he ever had to do was ask my mother to give up their newly built home so that he could quit his job and go to school. While a student at West Virginia Wesleyan College in the early 1940s, Father served as pastor for a circuit of six small, rural churches in central West Virginia. I can no longer remember all six communities he served, but one was unforgettable. Big Isaac sits in a narrow valley about half way between Wolf Summit and Weston. I don't know if this is a new building, or rather if it has been recently sided, but the Methodist Church in Big Isaac was one of the six on my father's circuit.
Focal length: 31 mm. ISO 200, f /9.5, 1/125 second.
October 8, 2007
The West Virginia State Hospital
Weston, West Virginia
The last public building authorized by the Commonwealth of Virginia prior to the Civil War was also the first public building built in the new state of West Virginia. Easily the largest building in the central West Virginia town of Weston, the former state hospital now sits abandoned, although I have heard rumors that a developer wants to turn it into a destination resort/casino. This photograph shows only the central part of the building. Extensive wings flank this core on both sides.
The founder of the town of Weston was a man born Heinrich Fleischer. He died Henry Flesher, and his name appears at numerous spots on my family tree. Because he just keeps popping up at various branches in my ancestry, I like to say that I'm my own fifth cousin, twice removed.
Weston is also the home of the Central West Virginia Genealogical Library where I was able to learn a great deal about my ancestry. I plan to spend much more time perusing their materials.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /9.5, 1/180 second.
October 10, 2007
Tobacco Barn, West Virginia
According to one article I read, the first painted barn advertisements were for tobacco and were found on barns in West Virginia. This barn, in Wirt County east of Parkersburg, is a good, "modern" example of the art form. Note the tobacco hung for drying in the loft. The fields were so small, and the valley so narrow, that I have no idea where that tobacco actually grew, nor do I know if it's destined for a Mail Pouch pouch.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /9.5, 1/90 second.
October 19, 2007
Fort Boreman Park
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Located on a promontory above the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers, Fort Boreman was used during the Civil War as an observation post guarding the Baltimore & Ohio rail yards and Union Army shipping on the Ohio. Originally named Fort Logan, with the outbreak of the Civil War and the statehood of West Virginia, the fort was renamed for Arthur Boreman, a resident of Parkersburg and the first governor of the new state. After the war, the post was abandoned, and largely forgotten. It was not until 2006 that the good people of Wood County started bringing the old fort back from the dead. You can get some great views of the Ohio and of Parkersburg from this hilltop setting.
The three flags are the U.S. national flag (of course), the Wood County bicentennial flag, and at the extreme right of the picture, the flag of the State of West Virginia.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/180 second.
October 20, 2007
The West Virginia State Capitol
Charleston, West Virginia
Dedicated in 1932, the West Virginia State Capitol was built at a cost of $10 million dollars. This at a time when my father was just out of high school and making 25 cents an hour. The splendid building replaced two other capitol buildings, both of which burned down in the 1920s. At 292 feet, the capitol is the tallest building in West Virginia and the dome actually is five feet higher than the US Capitol dome. Most West Virginia cities have their monument to the Confederate Dead, but as West Virginia became a state only because Virginia seceded, Charleston's Confederate memorial is placed behind the capitol. The more prominent is the memorial to the Union soldiers. Today the capitol sits at the center of a complex of buildings which include offices for all facets of state government and the governor's mansion.
Focal length: 32 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/125 second.
October 20, 2007
West Virginia Fall Color
When I set out on this adventure, I had hoped to lure my cousin Sharon into a road trip to the Shenandoah Valley and Washington DC. Instead we ended up going south on the West Virginia Turnpike to visit Tamarack, a glorified shopping mall dedicated to all things "Made in West Virginia." From Tamarack we continued south, passing through Bluefield, West Virginia and its cross-border sister, Bluefield, Virginia. We stopped for lunch at a lovely little Mexican (yes!) restaurant in Wytheville, Virginia, and turned around when we reached Mt. Airy, North Carolina. This scene is a hillside in south central West Virginia, just off the turnpike.
Focal length: 22 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/180 second.
October 20, 2007
Mayberry RFD, North Carolina
Had we known that Aunt Bea really was serving lunch, we wouldn't have stopped in Wytheville, but we were only joking about visiting Bea, Opie and Andy until we approached Mt. Airy, North Carolina, and saw the billboard advertising Aunt Bea's home-cooked meals. I don't know just when Mt. Airy decided to transform itself into a caricature of its tv image, but the city fathers might as well change the signs to Mayberry. Aside from Aunt Bea's restaurant and Floyd's barber shop, it seemed that every other shop in the downtown area was selling Andy Griffith memorabilia. Want a life-size stature of Gomer Pyle or Barney Fife? You can get one in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. At that point, Sharon and I decided to turn around and head back to Parkersburg. And yes, that is my reflection in the glass.
Focal length: 45 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/20 second.
October 21, 2007
Coal Country, West Virginia
As I approached this Allegheny Power Station from the north, I assumed that it was a nuclear power plant. No, Coal is king in West Virginia, and this plant turns coal into electricity.
Located at Willow Island, just south of the town of St Marys, this plant is the site of the worst industrial accident in US History. As the second cooling tower was being built in 1978, the walls started to collapse and took the workers' scaffolding with them. All fifty-one construction workers fell to their death. The dead included five members of the Steele family from St Marys. Today there is a memorial to the dead, just across West Virginia Highway 2 from the plant.
Sigma 70-300 mm tele/zoom/macro lens.
Focal length: 70 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/180 second.
October 21, 2007
Middle Island Bridge, West Virginia
I took a lot of photographs at St Marys, where cousin Ron had a massage studio. The combination of brilliant blue skies, calm Ohio River water, and striking fall colors meant that shots like this one of the old bridge connecting Middle Island with the West Virginia mainland were sure winners.
Sigma 70-300 mm tele/zoom/macro lens.
Focal length: 70 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/30 second.
October 21, 2007
St Marys Bridge, West Virginia
Another winning fall color/river shot, this one of the St Marys Bridge crossing the Ohio. This bridge replaces the one demolished in 1971. The former bridge was the same design as the infamous Silver Bridge further south connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia with Kanauga, Ohio. On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed at evening rush hour, taking 46 people to their deaths. The State of West Virginia immediately closed the St Marys bridge, and replaced it four years later. Only the section seen in the previous picture remains from the old bridge.
Sigma 70-300 mm tele/zoom/macro lens.
Focal length: 70 mm. ISO 200, f /4.8, 1/180 second.
October 22, 2007
Grampa's Road, West Virginia
My mother was born on the family farm north of Parkersburg. Ron's mother, ten years younger than my own, was born after the family moved into town. Ron knew that the farm was in the Five Mile area, and this is the road that takes off West Virginia Highway 2 at Five Mile. I suppose you could follow this road all the way to the farm, but after doing some research at the Wood County Courthouse, Ron and I found an easier route coming from the other side. Among the things we found at the courthouse were the original document deeding the land to our great-grandmother, Mary Stephens, and the one whereby Mary deeded it to our grandfather. I thought it highly unusual for the deed to be in a woman's name in the late 1800s.
Sigma 70-300 mm tele/zoom/macro lens.
Focal length: 70 mm. ISO 200, f /4.8, 1/125 second.
October 22, 2007
The Belpre Bridge, West Virginia
A foreshortened view of the old US Highway 50 and Baltimore & Ohio Railroad bridges across the Ohio River between Parkersburg and Belpre, Ohio. I took this shot from Quincy Park, a lovely park on top of one of Parkersburg's highest hills. The Belpre bridge is still in use, and you still pay a toll to cross it, but US Highway 50 now crosses the river on a new, free bridge a few miles south of here.
Sigma 70-300 mm tele/zoom/macro lens.
Focal length: 150 mm. ISO 200, f /4.8, 1/125 second.
October 25, 2007
Take Me Home, Country Road, West Virginia
One of the great pleasures I had while visiting family, was getting out and exploring the back country roads in the area. This road crosses the ridge between Lubeck and Washington, West Virginia. The latter community is so-named because this land all belonged to George Washington once upon a time. The fall colors just added the whipped cream to the sundae drive, as it were.
Sigma 70-300 mm tele/zoom/macro lens.
Focal length: 70 mm. ISO 400, f /5.6, 1/180 second.
October 31, 2007
The Ohio River, West Virginia
View from Fort Boreman Park of the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers, and the various bridges that cross those streams. Note the fortress-like floodwall protecting Parkersburg from spring run-off in the two rivers. Built after World War II, the floodwall stands between 22 and 30 feet high and stretches for most of Parkersburg's waterfront. Normally, the Ohio sits at 20 feet at Parkersburg. Flood stage is 36 feet. On March 29, 1913, the Ohio rose to 58.9 feet and flooded almost all of downtown Parkersburg. Again on January 26, 1937, the Ohio rose to 55.4 feet flooding my parents' home, among other places. I grew up with an heirloom piece of furniture scarred by the 1937 flood. As soon as the waters receded, my parents moved to higher ground, not wanting to have that experience a second time.
Focal length: 34 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/350 second.
November 9, 2007
The Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, Tennessee
Another side trip, this time with Ron and Derwin in their Chrysler Aspen, took me to Nashville, Music City, Tennessee. Great photo ops as we walked by the Ryman Theatre, Music Row, and the state government buildings. After the imposing structures in Charleston, West Virginia, and Des Moines, Iowa, and the lovely grounds in Pierre, South Dakota and Jefferson City, Missouri, the Tennessee capitol seems almost austere, classic in its simplicity. It's hard to believe that much government business is conducted in this relatively small edifice. Completed in 1859, the building is modeled after a classic Ionic temple. There are monuments to two of the three US Presidents who hailed from Tennessee, Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson, and the other US President claiming a Tennessee home, James K. Polk, is buried on the grounds. Curiously, while all three spent much of their public lives associated with Tennessee, not one of the three was actually born there.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /6.7, 1/180 second.
November 9, 2007
Absolut Nashville, Tennessee
After a day filled with sight-seeing and photo shoots, Ron, Derwin and I headed out to see what kind of nightlife was available to gay Nashvillians. Stopping for dinner at Red Restaurant, we ran into men who asked if Ron and I were brothers. Personally, I don't see the resemblance, but Kevin assures me that we do, indeed, share family traits. What's all the more dismaying is the amount of time that Kevin and Derwin spend in comparing notes--notes on how the Stephens boys aggravate their partners. WHATEVER.... Attached to the Red Restaurant is the Tribe Bar where I was able to catch this, my own take on the Absolut® vodka ads that have been so plentiful in gay publications over the years.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /6.7, 1/180 second. (Note that no flash was used.)
November 10, 2007
Nashville Sunset, Tennessee
It wasn't the end of my cross-country drive, nor even the last day in Nashville, but I'll close with this sunset taken from near Opryland as each sunset brings not just the close of the day, but the promise of a new dawn tomorrow.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/350 second.
Dedicated to:
My Baby Brother
Ron Stephens
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Is there a gay masseur in Parkersburg, West Virginia? Well, as it happens the answer is yes, and his name is Ron Stephens. Five years younger than I, and the same age as Sharon, Ron and I had never met for the same reason I hadn't met Sharon before her trip west. When I called the phone number on the card I was given at Roseland, I told the answering machine that I wanted to schedule a ninety-minute massage session and a genealogy check. The next day my call was returned. "This is Derwin Yoak. I'm Ron Stephens' assistant, er, secretary, er, uh, partner. He is your cousin and he's dying to meet you."
Ron is the middle son of my mother's younger sister. That makes him an ortho first cousin. If I thought that Sharon and I had a lot in common, that goes double for Ron and me. My mother didn't want me to "come out" to the family in West Virginia, but Ron and his partner Derwin have been together for twenty-five years and no one gives a fig.
Aside from Kevin, Ron and Sharon are the two most important people in my life, and I take great pleasure in dedicating this book to them.
This photo was taken on the back road to our grandfather's farm, where my mother was born.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 1000, f /8.0, 1/30 second.
And to:
My Little Sister
Sharon Sullivan Muncy
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Sharon is actually the daughter of my first cousin, Betty Lee Sullivan, herself the daughter of my mother's next older brother, Brady Lee Stephens. For you genealogy buffs, Sharon is a cross first cousin, once removed. That said, she might as well be my sister.
For her high school graduation, Sharon's grandmother, my aunt Augusta, took Sharon on a trip west, and one of the places they stopped was in Pinole, California where my parents and I lived while I was attending U.C. Berkeley. Sharon is five years younger than I, and since we never went east after my grandmother's death, I hadn't met her before her graduation trip. We quickly found that we had so much in common that it was almost frightening.
Since her trip west, I'd made two trips to West Virginia as an adult--both of them with the intention of seeing Sharon. It was my intention on this trip to stay with Sharon while in Parkersburg, and see if I couldn't entice her to take some time off work and go to the Shenandoah Valley and Washington, DC with me. But that was before I met our cousin Ron.
Focal length: 50 mm. ISO 200, f /8.0, 1/250 second.
My Trusty Nikon D80
This wonderful camera, my first digital Single Lens Reflex, performed an admirable job, and is responsible for all the photos in this book. It is pictured here with the two lenses I used, a Sigma 18-50 mm lens (fitted on the camera) and a Sigma 70-300 mm lens alongside.