Night over Austin Ranch

On this night (er, morning) i had just gotten back to the apartment from a christmas party. The skies were clear, and there was a mild chill in the air.

The views at night were one of the reasons why i enjoyed living at Austin Ranch. At the time, they were just building the complex -- so there wasnt a whole lot of people out there. And eventually, i ended up in a building on top of a hill facing west with 6ft high windows. Anytime a storm rolled through i could see it an hour out, lightning just bouncing off the ground on the way in. And it was in the middle of the aircraft patterns of DAL, ADS, and DFW, so i could watch traffic in and out.

Anyway, because it was almost middle of nowhere at the time (and like 3am) light pollution wasnt a problem on this night. So i was able to get some star pics from the field across from the complex.

The Big Dipper through the trees. . .

. . . the moon through the trees. . .

. . . trees backlit by the sky. . .

. . .the moonset.

ROAD2002 (MO) -- St. Louis Skyline

Some pics of the St. Louis Skyline.

The across the river shots were nearly life threatening. . .Between the casino wanting you to come in and spend your money (so they bricked off all the shorline), the very active railroad -- and how East St. Louis isnt remotely safe -- i was lucky to get the last couple of pics. On my way across the river, there was a high speed police chase over the bridge (of which i still watch cops looking for my car in the background). I had to drive into a darkened active railyard behind a wall. A few shots taken, i looked around and realized that nobody would ever find my body if something happened. . . so that was the end of that idea.

But the shots were definately worth it. . .

The Mississippi was low, so i could park on the banks. . .

. . .a barge pushing up the river. . .

. . . one of the many bridges across the Mississippi. . .

. . .the tress were changing colors on the park property. . .

. . .the Old St. Louis County Courthouse. . .

. . .this church was just next door to the arch. . .

. . .the skyline at twilight. . .

. . .a casino boat across the river. . .

. . . from the railyard across the river -- the Arch lit up at night.

ROAD2002 (MO) -- The Arch

The Arch is particuarly photogenic. .

This is a view of the Arch from across the Mississippi River. . .

. . .a scenic tree below the arch. . .

. . .more daytime shots of the arch. . .

. . . the obligitory 'Here's Where You're At' sign. . .

. . . this is the stairway inside the arch. . . once you get out of the elevator, you still need to walk up two or three flights worth to get to the observation deck. . .

. . .the exact middle and top of the arch. . .

. . . the windows are small because of the weight and structure of the arch. . . the sun lights them up when you're inside. . .

. . .the arch at dusk. . .

. . . the windows from the outside. . .

. . . the gilmmer of the sunset off the arch. . .

. . .reflections of the streetlights off the arch. . .

. . . the moonrise through the arch.