DINO's GHOST TOWN BLOG

Here is something that all the cat lovers like myself are sure to love.  Enjoy.

Kitten Vs RC Mouse @ Yahoo! Video
Cat On

Last night I saw an ad for a game called SPORE on TV.  Its a game where you build these alien creatures and the world they live in and create an alternate universe with weird little creatures in it.  I want that.  They said to download the trial version so I did.  It won't work tho.It says I needed Direct X 10 so I got that and installled it.  Cool.  Then it said I need a video card that is Direct X 10 compatible with at least 128MB of on board memory.  I dont't have that.  I was looking around and the cheapest I could find was around $400 smackers.  I'm not Bill Gates.  I'm glad. He is one dorky lookin rich dude.  Do you think he would donate a vid board to me?  Do you know where I can find one for cheap?  Can you help me play this game?  The full version is only 10 bucks so maybe i'll just go get it and wait for my vid board. Help.
Vid On.

Hello and welcome to my Ghost Town blog-a-boo.  I am Dino as most of you mangs know and I just have a little something to say again.  I just couldn't stay home for the Labor Day weekend so I took the better half to Silver Mines Recreation Area again. The first time we went last year we knew we would be back.  The place is so totally frosty that one day just does not do it justice. And if you like to hike, as we all know I do, than this place offers a special treat on a hot day. Or any day for that matter.After a hike of only a mile and a half you are surprised to find the AIR CONDITIONER. Here I am in the air conditioner, taking a time out from the radiation to adjust some settings on a camera. Its called the Air Conditioner cause you can sit in it and feel the cold air rushing out from the great unknown.  There is a deep deep shaft back there and I wish I could image it but oh well.
This fantastic place is the original entrance to the silver mine. Its grated heavily and you would be crazy to want to go in there but I would.  The opening for the shaft is only about 2 feet wide by about 2 feet tall. SMALL!  And from what I can see its small all the way back.  I would kill to get some images from the inside but thats not gonna happen.  Besides, its HELLA DANGEROUS!  Its real old and unstable as Jeffrey Dahmer and claustrophobic to the maxx.  Just my cup of green tea. Here is a better image from the inside away from the radiation.  And if you are wondering why I shoot images of myself like an egomaniac, it is only to prove that I have been to the places I show you in real time.  Some peeps seem to have the dishonorable idea that I sometimes PhotoShop myself into these images and that could not be further from the truth.  I no lie mang.   I am no piss pot!  See the various graffiti?  Most heinous and not at all polite.

Here you can see the  remnants of part of the dam that remains on the other side that was built by the miners.
 Yeah thats right. Thats me imaging some dam divers.

 This fun loving guy looks to be walking on water and stylin at the same time, but in fact is just about to hit the water. I wish I could swim.

 Yeah that was the place to be for these guys.  Big Fun.  The square openings in the dam wall are the water exits from the turbines that used to power the mining machines. The air conditioner is small. Small but social.  And highly robusto.  Built by the CCC, the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1920 it is a marvel of structural engineering and complexity.  Nah!  Its just FROSTY as all get out.

An extremely heinous and enlightening place this is.  It just reeks of nature, animals, and the pristine forest.  You must come to this place before you die.I hope to come back in the winter for some winter images. We'll see.  In the meantime mang, in your travels, be happy, enjoy yourself, be safe, and never forget I am out there with you. After all, and its no lie, I am the Beta and the Zeta, you cannot deny.



Mine On.

Ok mang, dig this.  Here I am traveling down highway 94 at about 30 miles an hour.  At night I do even slower due to the tremendous amount of deer in the area. Cruising along with my trance just trancing when I spy something in the road.  I immediately kick on the brakes and stop.  ITS A BABY SKUNK just twittering around in the middle of the road just begging to get hit.  I block traffic both ways, turn on my four ways and my emergency lighting and get out of the car.  Traffic starts to back up as I am chasing this crazy animal off the road.  People never honk their horns or try to get around. I don't know why. Perhaps its the way my car looks.  Its festooned with antennas, a huge American flag on the trunk lid and lighting you can't see until they are on. Amber strobes in the back and a dash cam in the front.  My wife says that she is sure that some people think its a small cop car but I doubt it, and yet no one seems to mind when I block traffic to help the animals. I chased the baby critter off the road, walked back to the car and waved to all the nice people, thanking them for understanding and not honking and raising a ruckus, shut down the lights and I am on my way again.  Till another critter needs my help.
Help On.

Hello and welcome to my life. My little nightmare.  Come with me won't you and see what I see.  This is the bridge close to the Vilander Bluff Natural Area in Onondaga State Park.

And Me.

Diggin the summer sun in my sorry little life.

I was within the boundaries of this sign without knowing it.  There was no sign from where I went in to this point. I don't trespass  or do anything that will cause to to be ejected from the park. Well, at least not at this point in time, at this juncture and factor in time.



 I was very hot due to the black I was wearing on this day. Its all good G.
Sun On.

Well well well.  I'm back.  And what a trip its been.  Since you cannot see where I was at night I shall show you where I was during the day. Its the same except it was night time.  This is where I set up my little camp.
The weather was beautiful that day and so it was at night.  This was my fifteenth trip up the mountain and my fourth at night tho it was my first on the new trail.  They built a new parking lot and a new path to the trail, which they say is wheel chair accessable.  Not the trail, just the path.  The new trail is a bit of a killer, which climbs much more steeply than the old trail but it intersects with the old trail and the old trail is much easier to navigate. Here I am on the "easy part" leading up to the "hard part".

The path is really nice tho.
On my way up I spotted something glinting in the sun. I walked over to it and it was a water bottle filled with water. Someone had forgotten it or threw it away or whatever, so I picked it up and dumped the water and put it in my pack.  Gotta keep the area clean mang. If you are gonna be here ya gotta pack it in and pack it back out.

People who throw trash and littler really tee me off.  Why would you do that in a place like this?  Dang assmasters!

This is where I was at night.  I got here at midnight and it was simply magical. I put down my tarp and pulled out all my stuff and looked at all the stars. The moon was coming up behind me and was a very sinister looking brown in color.  The clouds were starting to roll in.  I could hear dogs barking miles away and several Whip-Or-Wills were just singing away close by. Amazing to hear them.  They were gone for so long. I thought they had gone extinct.  I brought some fried chicken that I had made and some Diet Pepsi and had a very nice midnight snack on the mountain. While I ate I was listening to my scanner. From up here I could hear Berkeley PD as well as Maryland Heights and North Central Fire Alarm, Saint Louis County 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th precincts. Amazing!  With nothing more than a little rubber antenna.The Rhyolite here on Devil's Honeycomb is wonderful. Its Precambrian, meaning its over FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION YEARS OLD!!!!  Some people don't believe that. They can't comprehend that kind of time span. Thats frosty. I understand.  As a scientist I can relate and comprehend the immense span of time that it takes for things like this to occur.  These rocks were old when the Dinosaurs were here in the Jurassic period one hundred and sixty to two hundred million years ago.  As a matter of fact these fine examples of Rhyolite might have been UNDER WATER. Hard to believe?  Yes it is but totally true and frosty to the max mang.  



My little Vid Cam.
Well it got to be two o clock in the morning and I knew I had a long drive so I gathered up my little camp and began my way down the mountain.  At the terminus of the forest there is a large marker consisting of a steel pole with a sign at the top telling you where the trail to the bottom of the mountain is.  At night you can't see where the forest and the trail is without it.  The sign has been torn off by the severe weather this place sees.  On the way up I had snapped a chem light and affixed it to the top of the pole so that no matter where I was I could see where the forest trail was.  It cast an eerie glow in the distance from my vantage point.  I made my way to the marker and took the chem light down and stuffed it in my sock.  When I leave you cannot tell I was even there. All I leave is foot prints.  I take any trash and leave it a better place than it was before. I was almost to the bottom of the trail when I spotted a glowing light in the forest. I have an LED headlight on when on the trail at night as well as a powerful hand held LED light in my hand to help light the way.  As I got closer to the light in the forest I could see that it wasn't a light at all.  It was the reflection of TWO EYES looking at me.  I almost freaked out at that point mang but I thought, ITS ONLY A MOVIE.......uhhh.....I mean, its only an animal looking at me.  Probably a Raccoon.  Then there were two sets of eyes looking at me.  Then three!  As I watched them with their eyes they began to move up and down a tree and one was on the ground running around.  I was totally intrigued by this excellent display of night time wildlife.  I began to slowly walk toward the eyes to get a better look when a loud buzz began to circle me.  Than the buzz stopped.  I waited.  What happened to the buzz?  Then without warning I was stung on my side by the buzz bomb!  I let out a yell that I am sure scared the bejesus out of the animals that were watching me and I am sure they got a big laugh at the stupid human running down the path in the dark.  Holy cow that hurt like the dickens.  What a climax to a great morning.  Sheeesh!  I got home at FOUR TWENTY.  Went to the little room, put on some anti itch stuff and a bandage and went to bed, thanking GOD for another wonderful and safe adventure in the night.
Sting On  

They have a new trail up to the top and I have to hike it at night so I am leaving at this moment. I'll catch ya when I get back.  Gotta go get frosty on the mountain in the dark. Bye.
Hike In The Dark On.

Well hello my good Earth friend. Come in mang. Take a seat take a seat please.  Its so nice to see you after these many days. Please, may I get you something to whet your whistle maybe?A Heineken Special Dark?  A cold Diet Pepsi perhaps?  How about Para Come"?  I just made some fresh and very stable Haggas. A heaping helping to calm your mind and swell your stomach?  Ahhh yes well yess I will have a Diet Pepsi with you then. Please let me say to you this utterance. On the eleventh day of the month of August the Earth will orbit thru the tail of comet Swift-Tuttle and as a consequence will allow us to view the largest and most spectacular Meteor Shower for the last 1,000,000,000 years!
Would you believe 10 years?
Would you believe last night?
Anyway my good and Earthly friend, I shall be taking this rare opportunity to Image (taking pictures and taking photographs is OUT)  the event from a location is Saint Charles county just adjacent to the Katy Trail and across 94 from Lost Valley Trail.  I shall arrive about midnight as it will take me about an hour to hike to the imaging location in the middle of a 5 thousand acre corn and sunflower field. The Perseid Shower should peak from about 2 AM to 2 45 AM or there abouts. Mostly.  This promises to be a pretty cool event for me. I'll be using the Bulb technique of imaging where you open the shutter WAY longer than normal to catch lots of light. Thats why it has to be so dark where the imaging takes place. I'll also be imaging in digital as well as film and digital video so who knows. I might go infrared. That is gonna be cool.  I'll be using 2 tripods as well for simulimaging. Gotta pack it in and pack it back out including any trash or discards or water bottles or crack pipes.
Care for another Diet Pepsi my fine friend?  Ok well then I shall let you be on your way. Watch the last step. It will rip your face off.  Come back soon. Trance On my freaky friend and Stay Frosty.

What a coward!  He died way too easy. Most heinous indeed!
One hundred and one degrees and here I am standing next to a huge field of sunflowers in the Weldon Springs area. FantasticDiggin the hot life on a remote water pumping station in the sun.

And here we see whats left of the Weldon Springs Ordnance Works Thorium Quarry.  The government used to mine Thorium here. Thorium, which is an element that is slightly radioactive, was used as a neutron absorber in the Fat Man implosion device. The Thorium slowed down the neutrons to allow a more complete chain reaction and thus a higher yield from the implosion device. The Thorium is still there but is no longer mined. This area was shut down in 2001 and cleaned up. They say its perfectly safe to hike thru there but they don't recommend going down into the quarry.
I did.  Its hot down there.  They also use Thorium in certain welding rods. COOL!


Yeah I can dig that. At that temperature it certainly izn't frosty but it is cool. Cool but Hot.
Stay Frosty.

Remember when people used to use baking soda to keep their teeth white and their breath fresh? The toothpaste companies remember. I remember. They put baking soda in the tooth paste. Thats frosty. But do they put ENOUGH?  I say NO.  I take my toothbrush, wet it, spread my favorite tooth paste on and then I dip the brush in baking soda to cover all the paste nice and thick like. Then brush as usual. Fantastic!  Does a great job of taking those darn crack stains off the teeth and it keeps the meth from rotting all the enamel off the teeth as well. You ever seen meth heads teeth?  BAD!  Try baking soda to white and brighten and stop using it to cook down your cocaine into crack. It tastes good too. Try it and stop smoking crack. Smoke a big fat hot dog instead.

I LEFT THE HOUSE. I got to the trail at twelve thirty in the afternoon. It was hot but not too hot. The humidity was not bad at all but I knew it would change once I got on the trail and into the forest. I got out of the Cav and put on a heavy concentration of DEET.  I had my wife spray my back real good before I left. Having the mosquitos bite your back and put you in misery cause you can't reach the itch is terrible. This time Deet everywhere. I even spray my fingertips and apply deet around my eyes and around my ears. That keeps the no see ums from being seen and keeps the buzzers out of your ears. Forty Five percent or higher. I keep a spray bottle of one hundred percent DEET in my pack for emergencies. Don't use it everywhere and don't use it unless you can take a shower and get it all off after the trail. Fantastic stuff but its a chemical like any other chemical. Use with caution and use sparingly. Spray the forty five percent all over tho. Repel Max.  Good stuff.  
I put on my heavy leather belt which holds my cameras as well as extra essential like a Buck knife, two flashlights, carabiners for extra hangers on, handheld scanner and stuff.  After thats on I put on my pack which holds my half gallon of water, two Diet Pepsis, Benedryl anti itch gel extra strength in the green bottle, Glucose, and other essentials.  Off I went into the unknown.
Lost Valley Trail is a wonderful trail for hiking and mountain biking. I was met on the trail by many cyclists who are very friendly, tho being a mountain bike rider myself I just can't see me doing these trails on my bike. Maybe when I was fifteen or so but not now. Its a death trap for me on a bike. I'll just stick to hiking and put my bike back on the Katy Trail at Weldon Springs. Tumbling on rocks and stinging nettles is NOT my idea of fun. 
There are many examples of days gone by here. The U.S. Army used to develop the explosives used to initiate the nuclear implosion weapons being created by the Manhattan Project. The whole Weldon Spring area was used in the war effort, displacing three towns in the process.  I recommend staying on the trail for these reasons. When you go in past the cattle gate there will be a low water bridge on the left. Take the trail across the bridge and continue. There is a small lake here. DON'T DRNK THE WATER.  DON'T EVEN FILTER OR PROCESS THIS WATER IN ANY WAY. AND DO NOT GET IN IT. NOT GOOD.
Stay on the trail but be warned. The trail is an eight mile long loop. They say three hours for the loop? Yeah. Maybe by an olympic decathlon athlete. Certainly not by this frosty reporter. But I didn't stay frosty for long.  The temperature climbed into the nineties and the humidity was stupifying. Its NOT a dry heat. During the hike, for all intents and purposes, I had been swimming. It looked that way anyway. Soaked to the bone with sweat.  I kept going.

There are many many streams here. All stemming from the Little Femme Osage Creek. I would not filter this water because of the areas past. But it is nice to cool your heels. Watch the weather tho. This place flash floods FAST. I saw it. Never have seen anything like it. When it rains stay away from the creek as it will fill up astonishingly fast. Amazing and very frosty.
  The place is very very green right now. There are a few mud pits to contend with on the trail but nothing to worry about. Just watch your footing. All will be well.


While on the trail watch out for the many varieties of mushroom and fungi that live here. A wide and varied assortment of shrooms can be found here. Do NOT eat them unless you have a very very good and thorough knowledge of shrooms. Amanita Muscaria and Amanita Phalloides live here and WILL KILL YOU. Amanita Phalloides is also know as The Angel Of Death and the Death Cap. DO NOT EAT!  YOU WILL DIE A VERY BAD AND PAINFUL DEATH. Look. Take photos. Smell. Touch. But NO eating! VERY VERY BAD!Here is a photo of the Angel Of Death having a good time in the forest for your perusal and edification. Submitted for your approval. This is the most poisonous toadstool known to man. And woman.

Many many varieties of shrooms. NO EATING!
Here we see a little overhang with the creek flowing over it. Very peaceful.And quite frosty indeed.


The creek flows along its natural course.




Are you going my way? I hope so. You will see many wonderful and varied things. There is a Fire Hydrant here, deep in the woods. Its from nineteen forty five when a town was here and when they were making the implosion explosives here. I couldn't take a photo of it cause it began to rain but I will be going back for further explorations. You will see it. Its on an unmarked trail that is NOT officially part of this trail. I call it the explosion trail. I can't tell you where it is cause I don't believe that I am supposed to be there but I will be there none the less. If your careful you can find it. There is a very large two part gate that remains open now but was closed in the past to keep you out of the area. It wouldn't keep me out tho. If you go, watch the weather. There is NO shelter along the trail and even less along the explosion trail. Trees fall when the wind blows hard so watch out. I watched a very large tree fall cause of the wind. Made a terrific sound. Would have killed me for sure. One thing is certain now.....trees make a sound when they fall in the forest. A big sound. There also seems to be a cave here. Did not get a chance to check it out as the stinging nettles would have eaten me alive. I'll check it in the Fall and Winter and let you know what its like. Have fun on this trail and be safe. Stay away from the ponds and water and do not eat the shrooms. I'll be looking for you along the cool and moist canyons and valleys of Lost Valley.
Hike On.

Its almost Ten AM and i'm hittin the road again. Checking out the Lost Valley Trail off Ninety Four in the Weldon Spring Area. This area is turning out to be one of my favs. I found this trail on the web using Trails.com. Never been there before so it should be interesting. Lots and lots of DEET and water. Full report is sure to follow.
Film at eleven.
Hike On.

Well it was a wonderful night last night so I thought I would get some air. It was about twelve thirty in the A M.  I packed a few Pepsis, some trail mix and headed down three sixty seven to Ellis Island again. The last time I was here was July the third and the water was ALL THE WAY OVER THE ISLAND.  I kinda guessed it would be so I tried to go to Dresser island off ninety four. Same sitrep. But here I was, headed to the flood again. When I got there I was pleased to see the flood waters were gone but they were certainly not far away. I got out of the car and surveyed the damage. I was able to walk out on the island and get a better look. I'm gonna tell you what, the island is trashed. Destroyed. It has come undone. I was upset but I knew it will rebound just fine. I decided to leave and get home and hit the sack cause some of my meds were beginning to take their toll. I got out of the car and what did I see?  Two of my good friends staring back at me:


They come to see if there is food out. There is ALWAYS food out for my friends. Cats, Dogs, Raccoon, Squrrill, Fox, Wombat or Wildebeast. Food and Water is always there for them.

That made my whole night. Now I didn't care if the island was trashed. My friends came to see me and thats what counts.
And John Moses Browning of course.
Wildlife On.

So. What be going on mang?  Been staying busy?  Good to hear. I been in the woods a little lately. I had to go back to one of my future favorite hangouts, the Weldon Spring Clark Trail, part of the Lewis And Clark Trail at Weldon Spring Missouri. If you go, take the Clark Trail, as its only five point ? miles versus the Lewis Trail which is eight point ? miles. Bring DEET!  I cannot stress this enough mine friends. I use Repel forty five percent on my body but I also use Repel one hundred percent. In this area you wanna load for bear. It starts out subtle, with a bug or two. The skeeters are gonna get ya. The furthet you travel into the forest the more intense the skeeters are until at mile two they are a force to be reckoned with. If you stand around they form an all devouring cloud around you and in a matter of minutes you could be gone so load the DEET.  If you cannot tolerate high concentrations of DEET than this is no place for you. People who cannot tolerate the direct Sun will love this trail. The thick canopy of leaves and branches do an excellent job of cutting sunlight down to a reasonable level my main mang.Here I am at mile two point two five.
When I got here I was shocked at the view. Oh my goodness
This was a very special treat. Oh yes! But don't get too close to the edge. After this I was tuckered. Three miles there and three miles back, with the cool forest and a trillion skeeters in between.


And now I must say goodbye for now. Farting is such sweet sorrow.

is awash in flood water but still offers Saint Mary's Antiques. A fantastic place to find good deals in hardware and stuff. I bought a brand new Norton NorZon III grinding wheel, IN THE BOX, for two dollarinos. The stone goes for one forty nine nighty five on the web. TWO DOLLARS!  I'm a happy mang! 
The whole area is flooded to the max tho. Here is a little train box getting ready to bite the dust, or drink the water as it were. HA!
Further on down sixty one you see this:
Oh yeah. Flood stage mang.



Fishing off the track with your best friend. Thats nice and frosty mang.This is what its supposed to look like:
BUT NOOOOOOOOOOO!  ITS GOTTA BE THIS:



The water is getting up there.




Check out the antique shops in this area if you can and sample the friendly people of Saint Mary, Bloomsdale, Saint Gen and the Kaskaskia flood plain. Bring your swim fins and your S.C.U.B.A. Its getting wet around here mang.

Swim On.