September 29, 2020
Last time I went to Red Bank’s Good Karma Cafe was 2011. That is like six lifetimes ago. I was glad to see they were thriving despite the pandemic. I received great service as I fumbled about with describing my distinct craving. In the end the counter guy helped me Read more…
The decaying Brooksbrae Terracotta Brick Factory sits over the railroad tracks along Pasadena Woodmanse Road in the tiny New jersey town of Pasadena. Though the location is in Google Maps, the directions brings you to a dead end of residential homes. Upon my arrival, oddly, there was a man in the road Read more…
More New Jersey, because I really needed the diversions this past weekend. I wanted to check out Double Trouble State Park for a couple of reasons. For one, it has that lovely dark, damp and piney ecology being part of the Pine Barrens watershed. It’s the kind of place where Read more…
September 28, 2020
What I love about shore towns is that they’re often like carnivals that stay permanently. And if they’re not there permanently, chances are I’d enjoy them even more wandering around their decay. Vintage, kitsch and color: 💜🧡💚 in Ocean City, New Jersey. I’m putting this here to remember to come Read more…
I think I’d make a pretty good lighthouse keeper. In fact, on my bucket list: staying overnight at one and/or being a temporary keeper. Till then, enjoy these vivid shots of New Jersey’s East Point Lighthouse in Heislerville, New Jersey, which is not available for overnight stays. Built in 1849 Read more…
Hidden at the end of Southern New Jersey is the mostly abandoned resort town of Seabreeze. Though easily accessible, the gorgeous coast facing Delaware was desolate save for some fisherman. An interesting stop with haunting views, it is a great place to explore for that isolated post-apocalypse feel.
Emblematic of our nation’s doctrine of expansion, the train was opportunistic engineering at a grand scale. But now their metal parts are often strewn about defying nature in striking ways that I like to photograph. Metal graveyards, like this on Staten Island, are alluring to me in this way. I Read more…
As the seasons change the Earth presents us with different flowers… such the romantic. So where I gaped upon tulips in the Spring I’d bask within sunflowers at Summer’s end, patting my behind into Autumn. And let’s just thank goodness Autumn is so beautiful, making the heartache of Summer’s end Read more…
August 26, 2020
No Butcher has been high on my list as is any all-vegan eatery that makes its own vegan meats and cheeses–not just putting condiments on Beyond or Impossible Burgers. Plus, a drive thru! Perfect for a gal on the road. I got the Hawaiian Rib sammy which offered me hearty Read more…
August 25, 2020
Local Juicery is the kind of place one craves on the road… fresh, vibrant and healthful. All which is difficult to find roadside. So my arrival in Flagstaff, Arizona, which had the temperature dropping like 30 degrees thankfully, was marked with the seizing of its offerings. I got the Avocado Read more…
August 24, 2020
Rhyolite was another Gold Rush Boomtown. It’s quick rise was short-lived, however–the Panic of 1907 rocked Rhyolite and it never recovered. Its mine closed in 1911 and the town officially died in 1916. Now it has some new life as the recipient of various art installations including Albert Szukalski’s Last Read more…
August 23, 2020
Though Tonopah, Nevada is not dark sky certified by the IDA, it was rated as the #1 stargazing destination in the United States by USA Today at one point. And it has an official stargazing park, The Clair Blackburn Memorial Stargazing Park that has concrete picnic tables set for you Read more…
The International Car Forest of the Last Church is actually an attraction in Goldfield, not Tonopah. But it is a quick 25 mile drive. The collection of automobiles strewn about the desert landscape is a striking visual thought up by artists Chad Sorg and Mark Rippie and has nothing to Read more…
I have to show you this clown motel, aptly named The Clown Motel. Tonoapah’s most popular attraction imparts a layer of color, terror and creepiness to the desert landscape, more so when you consider it sits right next to the Old Tonopah Cemetery. And both are rumored to be Read more…
I hope you don’t mind, but I am going to copy and paste the text from my Roswell, New Mexico post from February 2018 here, slightly edited, to start off. Because I’m outside Area 51, the mysterious military installment in the Nevada desert that allegedly received the Roswell, New Mexico Read more…
I didn’t know much about this abandoned mine in Rachel, Nevada when I meandered over from my accommodations across the street. But I thought it looked as if Tusken Raiders might inhabit the place. Had I had more time in the area I would have pulled into every abandoned hint Read more…
August 22, 2020
I kind of dropped the ball with this night shoot. Though exhaustion and the heat during the day played a part in my not finding the right spot for my shoot, there was also construction, lots of traffic and nonstop visitor action… and my shooting with way too sensitive ISO Read more…
My final National Park on this trip is… The Big One. The Grand Canyon. One of the natural wonders of the world. On my knees at the glorious altar of geological worship, the Colorado Plateau’s exquisite beauty is the draw for the millions who visit Grand Canyon National Park annually. Read more…
August 21, 2020
Well right next to Two Arrows is Two Guns, the location of a very colorful abandoned KOA campsite. The roadside attraction contained a campsite, gas station, pool, a small zoo–other such rotating attractions to bring in the road weary. Now it sits abandoned though apparently that are campers who utilize Read more…
Built in the 40’s, this old trading post is from the Route 66 hey-day. Route 66 Americana weirdness is one my personal kitsch favorites, being a lover of the road and all things vintage. And as I explored the roadside wreck I decided that I would do a road trip Read more…
August 20, 2020
Somewhere in Arizona, a gas station has seen better days, it’s conjoined facilities—abandoned, scrapped, but not vandalized.
Of course I took any opportunity to explore roadside abandoned sites. And there have been a lot! First, two Anasazi Inn locations. They are both large complexes within various states of decay. Wide open, I explored without much worry, even meeting a equally excited gal from Wisconsin who had also Read more…
The Navajo Nation has been hit hard by Covid-19. In the initial plan of this trip, which was thought up before the pandemic hit, included a stay at a Navajo “Hogan” or yáʼátʼééh–a traditional and primitive home with a dirt floor, no running water and, I am sure, dark undeveloped Read more…
Sometimes river beats rock–with breathtaking results. In this case it is the San Juan River, a tributary of the Colorado River, that carved several 1,000 foot high curves into the land, creating the main draw for Goosenecks State Park. It is a primitive site without designated hiking trails–or barriers. Because Read more…
Now officially on my trek south to Flagstaff, Arizona, I hit a series of relatively easily accessible scenic stops along the way, starting with the Sand Island Petroglyph Panel. The Anasazi, ancestors to the Pueblo, carved up this panel good and well, possibly since occupied as early as 6,500 BC. Read more…
August 19, 2020
As thee first IDA-certified park ever, I was really looking forward to visiting Natural Bridges National Monument. One of the darkest skies of the National Park system, my daytime exploration would provide me with an evening plan. I wanted to talk with a Ranger and I wanted to secure a Read more…