I didn’t appreciate what a boon the high country climate is to old structures in Colorado. Back home in the Midwest, the humidity turns old wood to pulp within a generation. But here, intense sunlight combined with the thin, arid, atmosphere combine to merely dessicate abandoments, while leaving them intact and standing. Thus, remnants of … Continue reading Urbex, Colorado Style
On our trip to Colorado, we’d read about some ancient pines on a hillside not far from we were staying. The local guidebook made it seem like it was not far from the main road, but a half hour of tedious driving over increasingly rough terrain had us doubting whether we’d read the map correctly. … Continue reading Windy Ridge
With Covid in full swing last fall, my wife Shawna and I were looking for a pandemic-appropriate getaway. We decided on a mountain cabin rental outside of Fairplay (the inspiration for the South Park cartoon series) and spent the better part of the week hiking, driving scenic roads, or bumming around the cabin. Of course, … Continue reading High Country Graveyard
One of the few things that break up the monotony of driving across the rural midwest is coming across a windfarm. For untold miles nothing but soybeans, and suddenly, an army of quietly spinning sentinels appears. From a distance, there is a languid grace to their movement, at dusk the synchronized blinking of their aircraft … Continue reading Windfarm in White
In four parts, namely: The old boarding house, a Jimmy Carter era motel, this humble abode, and, lastly, the manor in the woods. Continue reading Empire State Gothic
Some recent vacation time at work gave me the opportunity to escape the bitter cold and massive snowfalls of Chicago. I gladly traded those in for… the bitter cold and even deeper snows of upstate New York. At least I wasn’t unprepared; my trusty shitkicker boots proved their worth yet again. Having to trudge through knee-deep … Continue reading The Great Outdoors
On a disused stretch of railroad tracks in the woods of Tennessee stands an abandoned train. Just a locomotive and two passenger cars make up the train which sits between a creek and a wooded hillside. The French language signs inside the cabins suggest an origin in Quebec, or at least Canada, which seems a … Continue reading Tennessee Ghost Train
