Miracle Mindset

Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey I honestly should change my official title to 'Louisiana Railroad Archeologist' because I have the knack of finding all sorts of abandoned railroad equipment all over the Pelican State. Case in point, last week I was driving around Cross Lake in Shreveport looking for a place to view and photograph the water when I stumbled upon this old steam locomotive just off the road in a closed portion of Ford Park. Wanting to get a good set of photos of the locomotives I snuck in an open gate and weaved my way through twisting roads to the back of the park, dodging crews cutting down all the trees along the way. The old steam locomotive is in bad shape, as is the case with all such locomotives in the state, and it was obvious that the workers at the park had stopped taking care of it long ago.

Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey When we lived in California, one of the things that my wife and I loved to do on a Saturday afternoon was to pack up a picnic lunch and travel up into the San Bernardino Mountains for a hike around Big Bear Lake. The mild temperatures were a relief from the hot temperatures down below in the Mojave Desert. The trails that follow the rim of the lake are easy to navigate, and there are plenty of scenic places to stop and enjoy that packed lunch. On this particular outing, my wife and I picked up a bucket of fried chicken on the way to eat.

Written by Ken Hulsey Over the past couple of weeks, Terri and I have been enjoying Ken Burns' series on The National Parks on Amazon. We truly love learning about our great nation's history and certainly love seeing all the vast beauty that we here in America have been blessed with. The early episodes of the series focus on the efforts of acclaimed naturalist John Muir to preserve many of our nation's most majestic locations, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and even the Grand Canyon. Muir considered the mountains and meadows of Yosemite to be one of God's most majestic temples, a living example of his divine power of creation. From viewing scenes of this amazing natural wonder, one can do nothing but marvel at its beauty and gaze in awe at its majesty. 

 Written by Ken Hulsey This morning I was going through more of my photos from the Monster Island News archive when I stumbled across this one of the puppet used for 'Grumpy' the Tyrannosaurus who menaced the Marshall family in the 70s Saturday morning science fiction series Land of the Lost. I believe that the image originally came from a 1998 Sid & Marty Krofft memorabilia auction when it was sold to a private collector.

Rocks That Seem To Extend Endlessly Into The Pacific Ocean - Oceanside California - By Ken Hulsey  Written by Ken Hulsey "Huh! I should think that you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and... heh heh heh... wisdom." - Dexter Jettster (Star Wars) Only this Space Cowboy would start off a post about wisdom with a quote from a Star Wars movie. It may be a sign that I need some of that elusive wisdom because I chose not to quote a wise Star Wars character like Yoda or Obi-Wan Kenobi in favor of something uttered by an intergalactic fry cook in a movie that I don't particularly care for instead.

 From Visit Anaheim If you’re dreaming of your perfect summer getaway, look no further than the beautiful beaches of Orange County, California ! Whether you want to ride the waves, unwind on golden sands, or wander through charming coastal towns, there's a slice of paradise waiting for you. From the iconic Huntington Beach Pier , alive with surf culture, to the serene coves of Laguna Beach , you'll find that SoCal's beach vibes are the perfect escape this summer.  

 Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey In its heyday, Route 66 was a literal haven of roadside attractions and souvenir emporiums. Some of these landmarks were rather interesting, while the others truly deserved the title 'tourist trap'. Indeed, the 2,448-mile highway that spanned from Chicago to Los Angeles was a thing of wonder for anyone who pulled over from time to time as well as anyone who simply spent the hours staring out the window.

 From History.com At 9:32 a.m. EDT, Apollo 11 , the first U.S. lunar landing mission, is launched on a historic journey to the surface of the moon. After traveling 240,000 miles in 76 hours, Apollo 11 entered into a lunar orbit on July 19. The next day, at 1:46 p.m., the lunar module Eagle, manned by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, separated from the command module, where a third astronaut, Michael Collins , remained. Two hours later, the Eagle began its descent to the lunar surface, and at 4:18 p.m. the craft touched down on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong immediately radioed to Mission Control in Houston a famous message, “The Eagle has landed.” At 10:39 p.m., five hours ahead of the original schedule, Armstrong opened the hatch of the lunar module. Seventeen minutes later, at 10:56 p.m., Armstrong spoke the following words to millions listening at home: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” A moment later, he ...

Written By: Ken Hulsey June 24, 1947, Mount Rainier, Washington The fascinating era of UFO sightings kicked off when pilot Kenneth Arnold made a remarkable discovery over Mount Rainier in Washington State. While he was on a mission to locate a downed U.S. Marine Corps C-46 transport airplane, Arnold's attention was suddenly captured by a cluster of unusual aircraft darting through the sky. In an official report that quickly garnered worldwide attention, he described these strange flying objects as being “saucer shaped.” This catchy description resulted in the now-iconic term “flying saucer” entering the lexicon of popular culture, forever changing the way we think about unidentified flying objects. Adding to the intrigue of Arnold's sighting was his background—he was not just any pilot; he was an experienced aviator and a decorated combat pilot from World War II. His credentials lent significant credibility to his claims, suggesting that he was well-acquainted with various type...