| |
| It
can be said that some of Texas was built on Legends, a way of understanding events
that defy explanation – too great or too unnatural to imagine. The thing about
“Legends” is, sometimes they are true. |
| Two
miles north of Saratoga off
FM787 is the beginning of Bragg
Road which travels north to FM1293. It is the Ghost
Road where the Saratoga
Mystery Light has appeared. Peering down this road is like looking in an infinite
rifle barrel, that is green trees on top - pink dirt on bottom. This former railroad
bed is now a dirt road, 8 miles long by 2 cars wide. Under daylight conditions
it takes 30 minutes to safely drive to its junction with FM1293. |
| Photo
1 - Ghost Road Scenic Drive, Hardin County Park sign |
| The road was dry and
dusty the day we were on it. We drove and photographed what we saw to familiarize
ourselves with the road in daylight and perhaps understand the source of the Mystery
Light at night. From the south, first we came to a blocked side road (6) then
more than a mile north of our start - a parked road maintainer (7) then another
east bound side road opening, at about the 6 mile area was a pipeline crossing
and deer stand (9) and finally the junction with FM1293 (10) and the road sign
there (11). The last mile (or so) at the north end has electric power lines paralleling
Bragg
road and couple of mobile homes. |
| Photo
6 - A blocked side road |
| Photo
7 - A parked road maintainer |
| Photo
9 - Pipeline crossing and deer stand |
| Photo
10 - Junction of Bragg Road and FM 1293 |
| Photo
11 - Old Bragg Road sign at the junction with FM 1293 |
| At night,
the Big Thicket is black darkness and tends to hide what small lights that may
be there. Since 1943 I have photographed everything imaginable. I came prepared
and hoping to make a photo of the Mystery
Light. For shots like this it is best to compose before it is totally dark.
I setup the photo (12) similar to the daylight photo (4). Darkness came – and
then we noticed, a light was visible. I made several exposures of varying length.
The best of which is (12) and that image is enlarged to maximum benefit as (13).
In both (12 & 13) some light illuminates the road in the foreground. The parked
maintainer - more than a mile away is silhouetted – indicates the Mystery
Light was still further away. Minutes pass and as quickly as it appeared,
the light faded and was gone. |
Still excited we waited
a while to no avail, but were pleased with our hope of good results.
The results are what they are – but I know nothing more to say.
– Ken
& Yvonne Rudine |
| Photo
2 - Ghost road history |
| Photo
3 - General Braxton Bragg Historical Marker |
Photo
5 - Hardin County Ghost Road Ecology
All photos courtesy Ken
Rudine, August 2007 |
| Photo
courtesy Jim Adams, Jr. , 2011 | |
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