The eclectic musings of a bitter software engineer.

Luecke

Thursday April 14, 2005 @ 05:49 PM (PDT)

While playing with the new satellite view feature of Google Maps the other day, I came across this. Smack-dab in the middle of Texas some enterprising landowner has spelled "LUECKE" (his name) using hundreds and hundreds of trees.

A little more Google searching told me that I wasn't the first person to stumble across it. As a matter of fact, NASA noticed the oddity a long time ago and has been using it to calculate the ground area represented by a single pixel in photographs taken from space.

Some people have entirely too much time on their hands.

Comments

I remember when they said the only human-built feature you could see from space was the Great Wall o' China! Now anybody with trees and time can git peeped from space just because space can see better! It's not FAIR!

Thursday April 14, 2005 @ 06:50 PM (PDT) Posted by Eilonwy
What you see is about three miles north of Smithville,Texas and 30 miles SSE of austin.I live there.The owner fed-up with with goverment taking the property so he made a deal...As long as he can create something by using what area that can br used.,The goverment will not take it.That's why it's so big an area.On weekend's we go there to party.You can go into the trees and camp there as long as you get permission
from Mr Luecke.

Pete
Sunday June 26, 2005 @ 10:01 AM (PDT) Posted by pete

As an airline pilot, I have been doing PA's for years pointing out "LUECKE" to passengers. Also, west of Phoenix,AZ the Caterpiller Tractor Co. has bulldozed out "CATERPILLER" on the desert floor.

Saturday September 02, 2006 @ 07:30 PM (PDT) Posted by Peter

looks intreging for recent Southwest Flight
hope you distressed the EOA types for using
your land your way

Sunday September 03, 2006 @ 06:15 PM (PDT) Posted by peter

I actually found it myself, then searched google and found this site!

Saturday January 20, 2007 @ 09:41 AM (PST) Posted by aaron

Was searching for parks in betw Ft Hood and Houston with Google Earth...saw "LUECKE" spelled out on the aerial photos and said to myself "I have to google this." And this is where I landed.

Monday February 26, 2007 @ 05:15 PM (PST) Posted by Andrew

Same here... googled route from Houston to Austin and saw it. Was like WTF?

Thursday March 29, 2007 @ 12:12 PM (PDT) Posted by D.W.

Saw it a while ago on Google Earth. Flew from Houston to San Jose, saw it, and was like holy crap! Grabbed the camera and snapped a few pics of it from the plane.

Monday April 16, 2007 @ 07:25 PM (PDT) Posted by David

I work with the guy that did the surveying for this. I don't remember how long he said it took to complete or it's dimensions, but he said that he set up his instrument and shot a straight line and communicated with the bulldozer operator to keep him on line. Look closely at the bottom of the letters (or what would be the bottom if you were to turn it 1/4 turn counter clockwise). There is a fairly faint line just below the letters. The entire rectangular area consisted of the same type of vegetation as the letters currently are. If memory serves me, I believe that the green parts of each letter is 300 to 350 thick. The rest of the field is a coastal hay field.

Friday June 15, 2007 @ 08:08 PM (PDT) Posted by TheBig 'Nowski

What a fun thing to find. Thanks.

Saturday June 23, 2007 @ 02:21 PM (PDT) Posted by Jeff X

I flew in austin from florida, saw the name spelled with hundreds of trees. That's cool! Just checked on google and found your website! :o)

Friday August 03, 2007 @ 01:26 PM (PDT) Posted by Raquel

I flew in austin from florida, saw the name spelled with hundreds of trees. That's cool! Just checked on google and found your website! :o)

Friday August 03, 2007 @ 01:33 PM (PDT) Posted by Raquel

Thank you Google! I saw this as we flew into Austin recently. It was bugging me to find out just who or what or why this was done. These posts have been a tremendous help to answering my questions. Now I need to find out why we have strange symbols in the north Arizona, New Mexico area. They Look a little like Indian symbols.

Thursday October 11, 2007 @ 08:23 AM (PDT) Posted by pat

Soon fascist imminent domain laws will prohibit such acts. Opting to do something so completely whacky – so completely outside the bounds of what others would prefer done with the land – will soon be a thing of the past. God bless Texas.

Sunday January 20, 2008 @ 06:44 AM (PST) Posted by Clim

That's my last name......awesome!

Saturday February 16, 2008 @ 07:54 AM (PST) Posted by Sheila Luecke

Looks like a perfect place for the Luecke family reunion!

Friday April 25, 2008 @ 07:02 AM (PDT) Posted by Ms. Luecke

I saw this on a United flight from Houston to Austin and I thought it was a fantastic tribute to the ‘Luecke’ name!

Saturday April 26, 2008 @ 04:47 PM (PDT) Posted by Port_Wing

The pasture is Coastal Bermuda grass. The pasture land is used for grazing cows. The trees allow the cows and other animals to get shelter. Pete wrote, “I live there.The owner fed-up with with goverment taking the property so he made a deal…As long as he can create something by using what area that can br used.,The goverment will not take it.” Maybe this is true but I think Mr. Luecke would have told me if the government was the reason for doing this. He did it because he wanted to. BTW Mr. Luecke is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.

Tuesday May 06, 2008 @ 03:10 PM (PDT) Posted by Friend

that’s awesome!

Tuesday July 01, 2008 @ 12:43 PM (PDT) Posted by daniel

That was so cool! I was on the way back from Harlingen flying home to Austin when I saw this name spelled out in trees. What a great idea!

Wednesday July 09, 2008 @ 06:29 AM (PDT) Posted by Rhonda Bozeman

Proves everything is bigger in TEXAS. We are a different breed.

Monday July 21, 2008 @ 03:23 PM (PDT) Posted by Ed

How do you pronounce Luecke? Loo key? Lucky? Leaky? Luke?

Thanks. Just curious.

Monday July 28, 2008 @ 01:31 AM (PDT) Posted by cw

I was looking at something from the Sat view, and I stumbled across it and then searched the web. That is hilarious.

Obviously there are some people who do things because they can.

Does anyone know when the trees were cut in this fashion.

Saturday August 09, 2008 @ 10:54 AM (PDT) Posted by Sandy

In German it would be pronounced luke-ah. I’m not sure what the Texified version of it would be.

Thursday August 21, 2008 @ 06:59 PM (PDT) Posted by lauren Hanson

While flying to San Antonio and looking out the plane window, I was these letters LUECKE on the ground and had no idea what they stood for or meant. After googling LUECKE Texas I now know what those letters mean. Mr. Luecke, thanks for making a long, boring flight interesting! BTW, does anyone know what those large dark circles are that look like various pies with pieces missing are? Saw tons of them while flying over the midwest.

Sunday September 21, 2008 @ 08:16 AM (PDT) Posted by May

I was looking for ponds to fish in when I came across this huge name. Cool. 30SEP08

Tuesday September 30, 2008 @ 12:27 PM (PDT) Posted by Don Morey
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