Stu's recent thread about the "Nudist Colony" in Whiting - the Nature's Rest Resort - got me really excited at the thought of finding some ruins. So, I packed up in the new Jeep (what's that, another new Jeep?) and went to explore.
First, the new Jeep. After being stranded too many times with my somewhat recently purchased Grand Cherokee, I bit the bullet and bought a 2008 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Those who have known me for a while may remember my 2004 Rubicon, also in yellow.
Anyway, the directions in the blog post that Stu linked to got me right to the ruins. You can take 539 to Harry Wright Blvd, and make a left onto Newark Ave. Follow that to the end, park, and walk in. There are runs all over the place.
According to the article, the hotel burned down in the 1960's. Judging from the materials scattered around, that seems about right. It's mostly cinder block, with a bit of sandstone here and there.
There were a number of these small foundations. They might have been for outhouses:
The area seems closed to vehicles, but it seems like ATV's ride around the area. Sorry, Russ.
I think this is one of the walls of the hotel:
One of the walls leads off into this swamp:
Doctor's Pond:
Maybe this was part of the pump house?
Non-Native Trees:
The "orchard:"
Like I said, just about everywhere you go there are ruins to be found. You can see my entire gallery here.
Next I decided to take a trip up around Buckingham to look at an abandoned bog. It's really small but it shows up on the topo map. It's been long abandoned, and isn't too wet. I was wearing sneakers, though, and didn't want to ruin them so I didn't venture too far in. It seems like the bog has been taken over by other plants -- maybe blueberry bushes?
Then I drove up the road a bit more to check out some ruins that I saw a few years ago. Along the way I passed several stands of pines that clearly had been cut and then replanted in a straight row. The aerial photos in USAPhotoMaps shows those areas to be fields, so it was somewhat recently. I wonder if there's a sawmill base around there? It was most evident around here.
Here's the ruins, farther up the road. This may have been a sawmill at one time too:
And then right nearby is the ruins of what most likely was a gun club. It looks like it was a large building that burnt down. I explored here a few years ago but the flies were so bad I had to run back to my Jeep. Today was nice -- no flies, chiggers, or ticks.
They had a "shed" or trailer at one point in time too:
First, the new Jeep. After being stranded too many times with my somewhat recently purchased Grand Cherokee, I bit the bullet and bought a 2008 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Those who have known me for a while may remember my 2004 Rubicon, also in yellow.
Anyway, the directions in the blog post that Stu linked to got me right to the ruins. You can take 539 to Harry Wright Blvd, and make a left onto Newark Ave. Follow that to the end, park, and walk in. There are runs all over the place.
According to the article, the hotel burned down in the 1960's. Judging from the materials scattered around, that seems about right. It's mostly cinder block, with a bit of sandstone here and there.
There were a number of these small foundations. They might have been for outhouses:
The area seems closed to vehicles, but it seems like ATV's ride around the area. Sorry, Russ.
I think this is one of the walls of the hotel:
One of the walls leads off into this swamp:
Doctor's Pond:
Maybe this was part of the pump house?
Non-Native Trees:
The "orchard:"
Like I said, just about everywhere you go there are ruins to be found. You can see my entire gallery here.
Next I decided to take a trip up around Buckingham to look at an abandoned bog. It's really small but it shows up on the topo map. It's been long abandoned, and isn't too wet. I was wearing sneakers, though, and didn't want to ruin them so I didn't venture too far in. It seems like the bog has been taken over by other plants -- maybe blueberry bushes?
Then I drove up the road a bit more to check out some ruins that I saw a few years ago. Along the way I passed several stands of pines that clearly had been cut and then replanted in a straight row. The aerial photos in USAPhotoMaps shows those areas to be fields, so it was somewhat recently. I wonder if there's a sawmill base around there? It was most evident around here.
Here's the ruins, farther up the road. This may have been a sawmill at one time too:
And then right nearby is the ruins of what most likely was a gun club. It looks like it was a large building that burnt down. I explored here a few years ago but the flies were so bad I had to run back to my Jeep. Today was nice -- no flies, chiggers, or ticks.
They had a "shed" or trailer at one point in time too:
