Sunday Snapshot: On this lonely road, I see the river through the trees

As we drove through Lecompton, Jim and I saw a sign for a “Scenic River Road” and had to follow it. The old road, probably an old wagon trail, twists and turns and winds its way into the hills. Connecting historic Lecompton with Topeka, part of 2190 Road is also marked the Kansas Capitol Trail.

A canopy of trees close in over “Scenic River Drive.”

Old trees and older hills shadow the path, but when you look north between the trees, you realize that more than 100 feet below, the Kansas River meanders through sandbars, the water flowing from Topeka to Lawrence.

Trees grow along the steep bank right bank of the Kansas River, which can still be seen through the leafless woods.

Sunday Snapshot: Haunted historic Lecompton city jail?

A few months ago, Jim and I toured the historic sites of LeCompton, a Kansas town best known for being an early territorial capital of Kansas and proslavery (or, at least, not opposed to slavery, as nearby Lawrence was). Behind Constitution Hall is the city jail, which was built in 1893 and is currently in the backyard of a private residence (though it is open to the public).

The jail is a very small building with almost no light. We shot many photos. One in particular gave us pause.

“It has to be dust,” Jim said.

“Do you see any dust in other pictures?” I flipped through the other photos we shot of the doorway to jail small enough to make some people claustrophobic.

“Huh,” he said.

“Exactly,” I said.

So, in honor of Halloween and my personal fascination for the paranormal, I present my pause-inducing photograph of the entrance to the historic Lecompton city jail. I’m also including other photographs of the jail, all shot within less than ten minutes of each other. All of the photographs were shot using the digital camera in my smartphone, which was set on the daylight setting. They have not been altered in any way. The photos were shot in August in the middle of a hot, dry afternoon.

What do you think is going on in this picture? Let’s discuss.

The photo that made me look twice. What is that mist in the door?

Other photographs:

The jail can be seen from Constitution Hall. As you can see, it sits in what is currently someone’s backyard, though we were told by the museum workers that the plan is to move the jail before it decays further.

Jim stands just inside the opening of the little jail.

The old door opens directly into the single jail cell.

The only source of light in the jail was this little window on the south wall.

The photo that made me look twice. What is that mist in the door?