Our moto-splorin' adventure ride today

[Azylum]

We met up at my place of work at 2pm and headed out. My friend Laurie knew of an abandoned school house, so I thought that would be the perfect place to start. We were unable to dig up any history on this place as far as age/era, or any kind of specifics. As it turns out, it had collapsed a bit since last time she went by. I still managed to snap some photos of it tho.

Btw, these are all raw, untouched photos.

Going inside:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309018.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309021.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309023.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309029.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309022.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309032.jpg

Behind the school was a water tower with a windmill:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309035.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309036.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309039.jpg

Going through the woods, this was growing in the middle of nowhere:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309044.jpg

Along side the school, about twenty yards away, was the school master's house. It managed to stay mostly intact:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309045.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309054.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309058.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309068.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309069.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309070.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309079.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309083.jpg

A gratuitious shot of me scooter:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309100.jpg

We left the school and continued on. We came across this old truck:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309114.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309120.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309121.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309126.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309131.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309129.jpg

This thing was parked in the woods about thirty yards behind the truck:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309123.jpg

The trusty steeds:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309128.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309140.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309142.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309144.jpg

Don't know why, but I felt compelled to take a shot of barbwire.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309147.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309148.jpg

My friends 94 zx7
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309149.jpg

Gratuitous shot of me scooter:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309150.jpg

Had to pull over after I noticed how awesome the sky looked:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309153.jpg

Further on we found a lake. I have no idea what lake this was, but we stopped and snapped some photos.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309155.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309175.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309178.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309186.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309177.jpg

Who says you have to have a dual sport to go off road?
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309184.jpg

Venturing further we came across this little crossing. I don't know what creek this is, but it was covered in lily pads.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309187.jpg

And directly across the street, you see this. Weird.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309190.jpg

Lauries bicycle
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309193.jpg

We finally stopped at a park on the Brazos River and snapped a couple.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309198.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309199.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309212.jpg

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand a gratuitous shot of me scooter:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309011.jpg

All in all we rode for about six hours before heading home as we had no more day light left for shooting. We had an absolute blast and I can't wait until the next one. :mrgreen:

[Squeaky]

Awesome shots!

I'm eerily drawn to the cobweb detail on the keyhole in this one. Any chance you took more of it?

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309070.jpg

[Azylum]

Awesome shots!

I'm eerily drawn to the cobweb detail on the keyhole in this one. Any chance you took more of it?

unfortunately no. i need to get into the habit of taking several shots of the same subject.

[dixonduke]

Great shots!

What were you shooting with?

[Mer]

Wow...what cool stuff ya'll discovered!! LOVED the pictures...AWESOME!!! Thanks for sharing your adventure!!!

[poser]

great shot and those were some good look'n bikes.

the cob web door knob was my favorite too.

I figure my memory card can hold well over 1000 pics so I'll soot one subject several times, and play with the framing and angles

[Warpbender]

Neat adventure Mike, looks like y'all had fun!

[tonylonesome]

I also dig the doorknob. I missed the cobwebs around the keyhole until squeaky pointed it out. I may be using the wrong term for this but my eye was drawn to the "depth of field" of the door itself. I like the couple you had of the water. I think those might look cool in b&w, although I am a bit of a sucker for b&w. It adds a little bit of an artsy flair and helps compensate for my lack of talent ;-)

[Janet]

The doorknob was my favorite also. Great shots!

[ed29]

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/40309123.jpg

This is one cool old truck. Or what is left of one anyway. I am struck by the can covering the carb... it speaks to me. It tells me that when this truck was first parked here it was not intended to be the truck's last stop. Somebody wanted to ensure that no rain got into the engine through the intake. Don't think that matters anymore.

Nice report, and excellent pictures.

[klrno2]

Thanks..interesting photos. :clap:

[Azylum]

thanks everyone for the kind words. we will be planning another one of these in the near future. i actually had alot more pics and shots planned but brought the wrong mount for my tripod. i was MAD!:rofl:

[M38A1]

Those are a series of GREAT shots!

One thing that would make them stand out a notch above where they are is to look at everything in the viewfinder before taking the shot. If you get in that habit, you'll make sure peoples shoulders, hands, trucks, legs etc. don't make it into the picture. If you look at the posts, you'll see the 'little' things that distract or take away from the shots that will make them exponentially better. It's no problem to wait for someone to enter or exit the house. You just wait a bit and then take the shot.

I'm amazed at all the topics you shot on one building. :clap:

[Azylum]

thanks! i gotta keep practicing thats for sure. :mrgreen:

[Azylum]

Great shots!

What were you shooting with?

sorry just saw your post, wasnt trying to ignore you. its a canon rebel xt eos. all on factory settings. i have yet to get off my lazy behind and read the manual and learn how to change things up.:rofl:

[Azylum]

i agree with the black and white. heres the door knob:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/doorknob.jpg

and i looked through again and i DID snap a pic of the key hole, though the focus is off a little:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/keyhole.jpg

[Azylum]

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/oldtruck.jpg

[dixonduke]

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/oldtruck.jpg

Excellent :thumb:

[Azylum]

thanks. i think im gonna have to have that one printed.

[M38A1]

Excellent :thumb:

+1

Anybody else notice the single bullet hole on the drivers side? :eek2:

[Azylum]

that thing was pock-marked with bullet holes. most were pellet gun holes i would suspect.

[Tracker]

if walls could talk...
Those types of places always intrigue me; imagining the people that lived lives there with hopes and dreams.
lots of good pics, too.

[Azylum]

the school is what was most intriguing. i was imagining students sitting in their desks doing their math and learning how to read. it was kind of breath taking.

[Tracker]

every time I drive through some small town and see all the boarded up businesses and abandoned houses, I think about how someone built them with hopes and dreams, probably pouring their life savings into it. How proud they were when they opened for business the first day or slept in their house for the first night. I don't know why it gets to me, but it does.

[Azylum]

ya our next trip will be planned out. this one we just picked a starting destination and from there we just rode to where ever our little hearts took us. id like to hit up a marina, railroad, helipad...i got all kinds of ideas.

[Navajib]

Sweeeet. Nice shots again, sir. :mrgreen:

[Azylum]

hi miranda!!:mrgreen:

[stacie074]

beautiful shots!:clap:

[wanabeguru]

OUTSTANDING photojournalism!!