Red Rock Saloon

I've always liked this neon sign for the Red Rock Saloon and Bowling despite never paying the place a visit. Heck, I really have no idea if there is still bowling in the tavern as it appears to be quite a small place. The Red Rock Saloon is in Newport along Highway 61. With the new construction that took place in Newport removing the three stop lights in town, it's very easy to overlook the neon lights while driving at night.

Extreme Custom Choppers

Found along Highway 61 in Newport. I really loved the flames painted on this building. I must say, this is the first time I've ever seen flames painted on a building.

North Pole Cafe

From Newport, I love this mosaic on the wall outside the North Pole Cafe.

Really Fresh Fritzie Fresh

Raceway To Fun

Newport is home of the Entertainment Complex, Raceway To Fun. Along Highway 61, this fun factory has go-cart racing, mini golf, a driving range, video game arcade and bumper tubes on water.

Steve's Newport Drive-In

Though it has been closed for quite some time now, at least three years. It was known for it's great burgers and rootbeer floats. I believe it was once an A&W Rootbeer stand before it turned into Steve's Newport Drive-In. The drive-in became a casualty of the Highway 61 road construction that eliminated the stop light and nearly all of it's passer by traffic.

  

Deserted Drive-In

Sidwalk Sale

What happens when you have a hardware store next to a thrift store, with both store have items for sale sitting out on the sidewalk....well, it looks like a bunch of junk from this angle. I'm sort of laughing at the photo because there are actually three store entrance doors among all of the goods for sale [there is a bird feed store inbetween]. Though with this tight angle, makes it tough to find the entrance. Really I liked how trustworthy both stores feel having so much of their inventory sitting out in the open. I guess it takes a small town attitude these days.

Boyd's Motel

Located in Newport along Highway 61, Boyd's Motel is another place that has survived the ages. This was really a tough shot to take. Nothing was ideal. I wanted the faded sign with the hotel in the background, but that telephone pole was smack dab in the middle of any shot I wanted. The other side doesn't get any sunlight, thus it was not faded, but if I shot the sign on that side, the hotel was out of the photo completely. So this strangely arranged photo was the best I could come up with.

Newport Center

Along highway 61, in the city of Newport, this red, white, and blue Newport Center signage is hard to miss.

Fritz Company Inc

Based in Newport, Minnesota, Fritz Company Inc which you've probably heard the phrase "Fritzie Fresh", yeah, that candy company. I've been googling on some facts about the company as I'm under the impression it has closed, or parts of it at least. I'm fairly sure they no longer manufacture candy from this facility, but what part of it is still open, that info I could not locate at this time.

Windy Road

On the back roads in Newport.

Driving Range Snakes

One always has to watch themselves on the driving range in Minnesota for snakes during the winter months. One never knows when a reptile will show it's face, it's a nightmare I tell you....

Wakota Bridge Progress

After too long of a delay over funding, the Wakota Bridge replacement project is back in full action. While originally scheduled to complete in 2007, the south bridge is scheduled for completion in the year 2010. Yeah, that's a very long delay don't you think for road construction? The big square is where the foundation will be formed. If you look closely, you can see the other side where the bridge will connect.

The Road To Nowhere - Revisited

A photo at the request of a comment from Don of Rotterdam, Netherlands: he requested a photo without the fog from a post I made on August 26 featuring fog in Newport as I drove to work. I described as best as I could of what you couldn't see in the photo from memory. The crane is gone, the houses are there on the hill, [you'll have to trust me on this, the leaves are blocking their view, but I did a pretty good job from memory. There are a few items out of frame, but the lens wouldn't allow them to be in this shot. Plus it took me a few days to get this shot, I took it on a morning when the traffic was light and was a bit safer to take a photo.


My 5 Daily Photo Favorites:
Manila, Philippines
St Paul, Minnesota
New York, New York
Prague, Czech Republic
London, England

The Road To Nowhere

I've always being amazed when there is heavy fog. It doesn't happen too often around here. I've tried in the past to take photos of it, but I've never been happy with the results as it usually doesn't capture the depth and density of the fog. This photo however I believe captures it pretty decent. Perhaps the secret to a photo of the fog is to have objects close and far disappear. That is what we all like about the fog isn't it? You know what's ahead, but you're not able to see it in the fog.

Let me paint the picture for you: Up ahead is the entrance to connect with Highway 494 that crosses the river, it's rush hour traffic and there are hundreds of cars ahead. There are trees to the left that rise up a cliff, on the other side of 494 is another cliff with houses on top of them. There are very tall street lights that shoot up about 75 feet and cast their light during the dark hours. There is also road constructions on the east bound lanes of 494 where they are building a new bridge. Among the construction are mounds of dirt, trucks, a crane and lots of metal rebar. To the left and continues straight north is highway 61 with more cars on their way to work.

Now can you picture what is not seen?

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Orlando, Florida
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dubai, UAE

Winter Storm from March 13, 2006

Here are a few photos of a recent storm that passed through here about 5 weeks ago. It was quite the storm, but for March in Minnesota, you can usually expect to get a good sized storm to finish off the winter season. I started out the day planning on going to work, but after sitting in traffic for almost two hours and moved about 300 feet, I decided I had to call in sick. These I took on my drive back to my home. This was an open field with the snow blowing across from right to left. I could hardly see the road ahead of me This photo is of the traffic I was running into. The traffic heads into downtown St Paul and from where this is taken is the first exit north of 494 on Highway 61. That's about a ten mile traffic jam into downtown. It took me a while to get off of the road and head back home as you can see in the photo on the exit ramp. This is on the other side of my drive way in my neighbors yard. In their back yard. Looking down my driveway. This one is awesome how the snow collected.