Abandoned Places

( a bit of vanity under the cut )

Flickr set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jameth/sets/72157605500547168/

The sun was still riding high in the afternoon sky when we departed the former George Air Force Base again. Even though we were asked to leave (politely) I felt very satisfied with the photos I’d retrieved. My kids were anything but happy though. With few exceptions, I’d kept them in the car at most sites due to the security (patrol) situation and they were aching to photograph some sites too. Given the time and the routes homeward that were available, we swung south out of Adelanto and drove towards Palmdale. There were (very) old houses in that area I’d been told about by Amanda ( lady_angharad). We weren’t disappointed.

In the 1880 to 1910 timeframe, there was a major homesteading push in the Antelope Valley and communities like Lake Los Angeles were surrounded by hundreds of homesteader shacks and small farms. It’s hard to conceive that this desert area could have been a large farming community, but the evidence is there.



( Home sweet home (14 behind the cut) )

After departing the Hawes Communication Relay bunker, we back tracked and headed south along US Hwy 395 hoping to find ruins or sites along the way. Unfortunately other than sage brush and Joshua trees, there’s very little to be seen close to this busy highway. Given our lack of success, we swung by the abandoned sections of the former George AFB, now the Southern California Logistics Airport. As mentioned previously, George AFB was closed in 1988 and much of the facilities were left to decay while the community struggled to decide what to do with the vast air base. Much of George is a ghost town existing in various states of adaptive reuse, decay or preparation for the bulldozer.

When first entering the old base area (versus the maintained flight operations area), the first thing you pass through are the remains of the “Wherry” and “Capeheart” styled housing areas. These houses could not be reutilized because some were considered sub-standard for utilities, some had asbestos, and some were considered outside of local building codes. Now they look like a war zone.


Welcome to the battlefield
( Going for a stroll down Memory Lane (14 behind the cut) )

Several months ago (February in fact), the munchins and I made a trip out to the Hawes Bunker (this was visit 2 of 3). This was mainly a side trip as we searched locations along the US 395 corridor. As it happens the search along US 395 wasn’t terribly successful so we stopped at familiar places like Hawes, and the former George AFB. On the way home, we found a bunch of 1880 thru 1920 era shacks in the desert near Lake Los Angeles.

Why so long with these photos?.. Read on at the bottom..


The pit of despair - This time we visited the Hawes site with heavy duty lights. Even with these lights, it was still and very, very dark.


( Into the depths of darkness (5 behind the cut) )

We safely got past the fire without incident, though my daughter was very upset by it. We descended back into the Antelope Valley and before angling north towards Rosamond, we found a double-wide mobile home that was abandoned to the elements and vandals.


On one side was a decaying couch

( Dust in the wind..[+20] )

After viewing the old squatter’s shack with amazement it was still standing, we headed further west to revisit another old friend – The Roadhouse. Sometimes also referred to as the Umbrella House, this building is mostly faring well despite its age. It’s estimated construction circa 1910 and most recent activity (last noted use) was 1992 as a staging point for helicopter rides over the artist Christo’s “Umbrella Project.”

Here’s some links to the Project in case you’re interested (these are not my sites):
http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/umFiles/umUSA.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude#Umbrellas
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/9173/umbrellas.html



( The future’s uncertain and the end is always near..[+18] )

Last week, badgerphone, my kids and I embarked on a road-trip adventure into the back country west and north of Lancaster. We stopped at a few old sites and a few new ones. Three sites are covered in this post: The Mott House, The Ranch Ruins and The West Valley Shack

Cruising north out of Palmdale, we spied the Mott house. I call it that, because there was a large volume of bills, letters, correspondence and even 1980’s era slides addressed to “L. Mott” (first name omitted for privacy.



( Openings and closings )

Sorry about the delay in posting these, but the last week or so has been something of whirlwind of excitement and activity for me. In fact, its very hard to post photos, when you’re very busily out on the road taking more of them. More on that to follow...

When the road becomes history, where do the vehicles of those past travels vanish to? Nowadays, vehicles go to die in vast impersonal scrap yards where rarely one finds a wreck older than a few years from the current models on the streets. Time moves a little slower on Route 66 and the past refuses to goes gently into that long dark night. With a huge ‘For Sale’ sign in front, found an old graveyard alone and forlorn in the desert. The sign noted 200+ acres of prime land on Historic Route 66 (cars, not included)..



( Sitting in neutral )

After making a photographic side trip to note the Felicia search, we return you to the expedition already in progress.

As we headed out of Oro Grande and east along National Trails Highway (old Route 66), it becomes evident that this is not a well traveled area. In fact, when we saw the Bottle Tree Ranch, we didn’t know what to make of it. The ranch was one individual’s attempt to collect many of the bottle and jars left over, on and around the “Mother Road” into an eclectic piece of roadside Americana. Hundreds of places like these used to line the highway from Chicago to LA. According to our info, the ranch owner had died recently and the huge display was being minded by a neighbor. When we walked up, there were definite signs of activity.



( in the words of Sponge Bob, ooohh shiney...! )

It felt sort of odd walking down the ally towards this building in tabi boots. However they were quite necessary. This building is sealed up tight; fences, locked doors, razor wire, and sometimes a guard sitting in the parking lot were there to try to keep me out. However a little climbing goes a long way to help find a way inside...

( Story Continues )

Yesterday as mentioned, we went out looking to make contact with Felicia. The very first place we went to was Floyd’s house, a primary Felicia site. As we drove up late Friday morning something didn’t look right. Parts of the roof were gone and the house was crisped on the edges.



( ”The )

Some of my photos from trips that I've taken to the local abandoned mill.



( a few more photos inside )

A month ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with one of my LJ friends in San Diego. zoonew is a fellow photographer and she wanted show me some of the sights and photo spots around her community. We didn’t have any particular places in mind for this trip, and we happened to find this wonderful old building. Other photos of my wander around the city are in my personal LJ.



( The California Theatre [+13] )

I'm glad you guys are posting such great stuff. I feel like I've been slacking this month. Not in exploring, just in getting picture ready.

I want to thank the folks who commented and left encouraging notes about the prospective gallery showing ideas. I've been going through my photos and selecting images for the theme - "Lost Places / Lost Souls - abandoned places I've known". The showing will consist of 20 to 25 images varying from 8 x 12's to 20 x 30 inch color photo prints, mount on foam board. I have to choose these based on which photos can be printed without loss of clarity. I'm also going to have smaller 5 x 7(8)" images available for immediate sale also. No I have no idea what I'm charging (I don't even know what they'll cost to print). I may see about have images ready as soon as late July (I had an offer to show them while on vacation in the Louisville, Ky area). Right now, tentatively I will be displaying the work at the September edition of Fright Night LA. This will make me the final artist to display work at the current incarnation of Fright Night (October is the final edition of the show and the organizer has something special in mind).

In the mean time..


( Read more... )

I'm making one final effort to get onto the former George AFB (Southern California Logistics Airport) to photograph several buildings. In fact, I contacted the authorities who manage the site, because the pace of demolition has increased dramatically as has their security measures. Over 50 buildings (mainly housing and 1950's era warehouses) have been torn down in the last 3 months. Phase 2 of their renovation plans kicks off in two months and another 54 buildings will be pulled down.

In six months, modern warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing and container trans-shipping centers will be going up in place of the south housing area (now a combat training site), base hospital complex, the officer's club and the old billeting (hotel) complex. It's sad to see the old sites disappear, but good to know that the new stuff will put this glorious old airfield to good use.

Ft. Steilacoom Park, Lakewood, Wash.
( gone soon... )

It seems to surprise people in other parts of the world (and even southern California) that the Antelope Valley used to be a major agricultural region for the state. When the farm economy went into free-fall due to failing ground water reserves, many farm owners saw the writing on the wall and turned to other work or sold out. In this case, the majority of this former dairy farm (main house and storage barns) lies within a construction company’s walled and gated property. Just outside the site were the remains of the farm’s former dairy barn. My son and I investigated this site in November of last year.



( Photos [10 behind the cut] )

The Hawes Radio Relay Annex site

My daughter and I went back into the bunker with the other group. My son wanted nothing to do with it and I was comfortable leaving him in the car for a bit (weather was nice). As we reentered the greater number of folks seemed to change the air in the place. The foreboding feeling faded to a dull sense of confusion and annoyance. Distractions are a good thing.


PA system, no orders today

( Klaxxon , Klaxxon, Klaxx.. )

The Hawes Radio Relay Annex site

Warning!
I’m going caveat the beginning of this post with a simple warning to (local) explorers. Most military bunkers, silos and facilities which are abandoned are not only the most exciting in terms of uniqueness, but they also tend to be highest on the danger scale. The Hawes bunker complex qualifies for this description. Like other military sites, there’s exposed and jagged metal, damaged support structures, insufficient light, open pits and chemical hazards. Compound the risk assessment by the fact that this site is in the middle of nowhere and cell phones will not work inside, so help isn’t going to come running quickly. As noted in reply to a comment, “Twenty years empty has made it a right of passage site for some kids to drink, smoke and try not to run screaming from it. Paintball player have used it as a game zone. Drug users have played and died inside the two (foot) thick walls of the main bunker”


Behind Door #1

( It’s only forever, not long at all [16 behind the cut] )

The Hawes Radio Relay Annex site

Hwy 58 (former US 466) is steeped in military history. As the road proceeds east from the vicinity of Edwards AFB, it lays under huge aerial training and testing ranges. In fact from the 1940’s to the 1990’s, most of the airspace in the southern California, Nevada, northern AZ and western Utah, was highly restricted and used for training, testing and classified programs. During the early days of WW2, the area became home to hundreds of flight training bases and their auxiliary associated airfields. Thousands of aircrew members completed their flight certifications for P-38’s, P-40’s, B-24’s, P-51’s, F4U’s and C-47 aircraft before shipping out to Europe or the Pacific. Although many of the main bases have closed following WW2, George AFB and its annexes remained open supporting Cold War defense. One of these annex fields had been Hawes AAF (AUX) #1. Flying operations ceased there in the early 1960’s when it’s remote location by land and secure airspace above made it ideal for another mission.



( Down, in the Underground )