Old and Abandoned

Last week on our way to eastern Washington we drove through the area of the Carlton Fire, Washington's largest-ever wildfire. The fire began as several fires all started by lightning which merged into each other and became one massive fire that burned over 250,000 acres and over 300 homes both in rural areas and in the towns of Pateros and Malott. The fire is under control now though areas are still smoldering and burning. When we drove through the area it was hazy from the smoke but we did not see what was left of the fire itself. We saw many burned homes and businesses and took a lot of pictures, though we felt rather awkward taking pictures of someone else's misfortune. This picture, however, says more than all the pictures of burned homes and vehicles. It was taken by my wife in the town of Pateros, in an area of the town where all the homes had burned to the ground. This pile, all that was left of someone's treasures, was in front of a home where only the chimney was still standing. The inset picture gives a wider view and the pile of china and dishes can be seen on one side. My wife, after taking the picture came back to the car in tears - this was more affecting than anything else we saw.

We photographed this old abandoned house on the Olympic Peninsula somewhere north of Sequim, Washington. The house was so striking that as we drove by we both decided we ought to stop and photograph.

This is the same building shown in the previous photo but now from the inside. It was a bit scary to be inside since the whole thing look like it will fall down at any moment. Liked the patterns the light made in the roof and on the floor and took the chance to get this shot. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This is one of the farm's outbuildings at Northern State Hospital. It appears to have been used as a shelter for cattle or for hay and falling down and overrun with brambles. This photo also gives a sense of how large this area is. The main hospital grounds are beyond the trees at the far side of the open area beyond this building. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This was on the land north of the farm buildings and between them and some of the outbuildings to the north. Like so much else on the grounds of Northern State Hospital it is broken and overrun with weeds. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This old boiler (there are several of them) was in one of the old dairy buildings at Northern State Hospital. These are some of the only pieces of equipment still remaining on the site, almost everything else having been removed or stolen. I believe that these were coal fired and that there was a railroad spur to the hospital that brought in the coal and other necessities. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

Taken from the pastureland to the north of the barns, this view looks back at the main complex of barns on the 400 acre farm that once supplied Northern Sate Hospital with milk, eggs, meat and produce. Across the Skagit Valley the foothills of the North Cascades can be seen. It is obvious from this shot that some effort was made at some point to protect the buildings, since some of them have new roofs, but even these are damaged, especially on the building at the left of the picture and much more needs to be done. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This photo was taken in the hospital area before we were told to leave. Though some of the buildings there are in decent shape and still in use, others are not, as is evident in this shot. I do not know, however, what was in this building when the hospital was still open. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This is another shot from the agricultural area of Northern State Hospital, the part of the grounds that is now a public park. As I noted in an earlier post, the cannery provided employment for the residents and income for the hospital and used the fruits and vegetables which were grown on the farm. These are the most dilapidated buildings on the grounds as is evident here. What exactly the equipment was used for I do not know, but it is rather ironic that the fallen fruit from an old apple tree outside now litters the floor of the cannery and goes unused. I don't ordinarily post in black and white or monochrome, and because the sunny day accented some of the subtle coloring, I didn't, but most of these pictures are actually better in monochrome which seems to emphasis the sad condition of these buildings and seems to make them more stark and grim. I am, for that reason, tempted to repost the whole set in monochrome, but we shall see. I have a lot of other pictures from last summer that I would like to post also before spring and summer and another hiking season arrive. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...