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Home
Journal
Map
Destinations
- Historic Site
- National Park
- Nature
  - Arch
  - Bog
  - Canyon
  - Cave
  - Desert
  - Dune
  - Lake
  - Prairie
  - View
  - Waterfall
  - Wetland
  - Wilderness
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  - Cemetery
- Transportation
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- Mid-Atlantic
- Midwest
  - Indiana
  - Michigan
  - Ohio
- Northeast
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  - North Carolina
  - Tennessee
- Southwest
  - Arizona
  - New Mexico
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Peekamoose Blue Hole

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American Byways

February 12, 2021

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Sturgeon Point Lighthouse stands along the Lake Hu

Sturgeon Point Lighthouse stands along the Lake Huron shoreline in Haynes Township, just north of Harrisville, #Michigan. Built where a shallow reef extends more than a mile into open water, the station marked a persistent hazard along Michigan’s northeastern lower peninsula. The brick tower, distinguished by its white and red daymark, remains an active aid to navigation while anchoring the broader landscape of Sturgeon Point State Park.

Congress appropriated approximately $15,000 in 1867 after the United States Lighthouse Board identified the reef as a danger between established lights on Lake Huron. A 60-acre site was secured in 1868, and construction of the limestone foundation, brick tower, and attached keeper’s dwelling was largely complete by late 1869. The light was first exhibited in 1870 using a kerosene-fueled lamp and Fresnel lens. Perley Silverthorn served as the first keeper, overseeing operations during a period of growing vessel traffic tied to lumbering and regional trade.

In 1876, a station of the United States Life-Saving Service was established adjacent to the lighthouse, reinforcing the site’s role in rescue work along this exposed reach of shoreline. Technological improvements led to automation in 1913, and after the creation of the United States Coast Guard in 1915, responsibility for the station gradually shifted. Full automation was achieved in 1939, and staffing ended by 1941.

Congress appropriated approximately $15,000 in 1867 after the United States Lighthouse Board identified the reef as a danger between established lights on Lake Huron. A 60-acre site was secured in 1868, and construction of the limestone foundation, brick tower, and attached keeper’s dwelling was largely complete by late 1869. The light was first exhibited in 1870 using a kerosene-fueled lamp and a Fresnel lens. Perley Silverthorn served as the first keeper, overseeing operations during a period of growing vessel traffic tied to lumbering and regional trade.

#PureMichigan #HistoricPreservation #GreatLakesLighthouses #LighthousePhotography

Driving east on US Route 40 through Putnam County,

Driving east on US Route 40 through Putnam County, Indiana, the evening light struck a farmstead in warm gold.

Barns and grain silos rose against the sky, their shapes darkening at sunset. Strings of LED lights spelled out “Jesus Is The Reason” and “Noel,” a quiet roadside glimpse of local faith and rural life.

The farm, known as Shields Farm, includes a two-story brick house built around 1843. Its five-bay façade, gable roof, modest porch, transomed doors, and segmental-arched windows reflect Greek Revival and Italianate styles typical of mid-19th-century Indiana homesteads.

The farm holds historical significance. Locally known as the Shields Farm, it features a two-story brick residence built around 1843. The house combines Greek Revival and Italianate elements, including a five-bay façade, gable roof, modest entry porch, doors with transoms and lights, and segmental-arched windows, characteristics typical of mid-19th-century homesteads.

#RAW_landscape #AmericanRural #rawusa_nov25 #VisittheUSA #wanderingusa #SmallTownValues #LiveAuthentic #ThisIsHome #RoadsideAmerica #Indiana #VisitIndiana #igersIndiana #ExploreIndiana #myIndiana #putmeinputnam

A late-winter hike through the Red River Gorge Geo

A late-winter hike through the Red River Gorge Geological Area in #Kentucky in 2009 offered a quiet day on the trail with my dad, moving through bare hardwoods and lingering patches of evergreen and rhododendron. We followed well-worn paths to Princess Arch, a modest sandstone span, and continued on to Rock Bridge along Swift Camp Creek.

The gorge, carved into eastern Kentucky’s sandstone plateau, is defined by its natural bridges, cliffs, rock shelters, and seasonal waterfalls, features that have long made it one of the region’s most distinctive landscapes.

#OptOutside #Appalachia #appalachian_explorers #TravelKY

Winter travel set the pace for the day, with snow-

Winter travel set the pace for the day, with snow-covered roads and light traffic guiding a quiet drive through Putnam County, #Indiana. Moving steadily in my Subaru along secondary routes, the landscape drew attention toward creek valleys and crossings rather than distance or speed, leading naturally to Baker’s Camp Covered Bridge along Big Walnut Creek. Built in 1901 by Joseph J. Daniels, the single-span Burr arch truss reflected a period when timber bridges were engineered to meet everyday rural demands.

#WinterWonderland #VisitIndiana #RAWbridges #Total_Bridges

The walk to Whispering Cave at Hocking Hills State

The walk to Whispering Cave at Hocking Hills State Park in #Ohio began at the Old Man’s Cave trailhead, following a gentle winter route through open woods and along sandstone cliff lines. Icicles hung overhead, breaking apart in the winter sun as temperatures shifted through the day. The cave itself is a broad recess—nearly 300 feet wide—cut into the Blackhand sandstone, its scale felt before it fully came into view. A seasonal waterfall drops roughly 105 feet into the hollow, subdued by cold but still shaping the space. This spirited hike marked the close of our New Year’s winter visit to Hocking Hills. 💖

#OhioTheHeartofitAll #OhioStateParks #HockingHills #WinterWonderland

Sometimes the best nights on the road begin withou

Sometimes the best nights on the road begin without a plan—just an open highway and a rough idea about a stand of Joshua trees in northern Arizona. That’s how we found ourselves heading south of Boulder City, chasing the last light into the Mojave.

The road turned black near town, headlights cutting through the dark along U.S. Route 95. We turned off onto quieter roads toward the Grapevine Mesa Joshua Tree Forest—a stretch of high desert where the trees grow thick and old. Miles from pavement, we pulled onto BLM land and camped beside aging radio towers. From that knoll, the Joshua trees fanned out in tangled silhouettes beneath a sky full of stars. We chalked the tires, opened the rooftop tent, and slept.

Dawn came slowly. Pinks and soft blues gave way to sunlit cholla and creosote. The Joshua trees turned golden at the tips. We walked among them for an hour, stopping often to photograph and listen to the wind. No other visitors. Just a few signs and open land—a place that felt nearly forgotten. Years ago, a group called Friends of Arizona Joshua Tree Forest pushed for protections, but it has since disbanded. Quiet efforts still continue.

By late morning, we crossed into the Hualapai Indian Reservation. Our destination: Guano Point, a rocky outcrop with broad views of the Grand Canyon and a curious history. In the mid-20th century, miners blasted a tunnel 2,500 feet into a cave rich in guano—bat droppings once prized for fertilizer. A cable tram stretched across the canyon. The effort was short-lived. By 1960, the mine was abandoned.

We stood at the edge, watching the Colorado River carve the canyon below. It was awe-inspiring—but incomplete. The Hualapai have preserved access to this landscape, but the experience felt limited: worn overlooks, few signs, no trails. Aircraft buzzed overhead, a constant presence compared to the quiet of park-managed lands. Still, the land spoke in stone and shadow.

#VisitArizona #CaptureArizona #arizonaisgorgeous #OnlyInArizona #ArizonaPhotographer #ExploreArizona #ArizonaLife #ArizonaCollective @visit_arizona @capturearizona #GrandCanyon #GrandCanyonState #rawusa_aug25 #VisittheUSA #wanderingusa @visittheusa #RAW_landscape

On the slow road to El Morro, New Mexico, somewher

On the slow road to El Morro, New Mexico, somewhere between the dusty roads and the clear blue sky, we found Los Gigantes.

This land carries more than stone. The area surrounding Los Gigantes has long been part of the cultural geography of the Diné and their neighbors, the Zuni. Ancient trails pass nearby—footpaths connecting springs, ceremonial sites, and pueblos. Petroglyphs, though harder to find now, record generations of presence. Stories tied to these cliffs speak to origin, migration, and reverence—narratives not always visible to a passing traveler, but deeply embedded in the land.

The site itself sits quietly off a narrow Bureau of Indian Affairs road, unassuming and almost easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. There are no signs, trail markers, or interpretive panels—just sandstone cliffs standing watch over the high desert. The air smells faintly of juniper and dust.

Their bones run deep. The base is Zuni Sandstone, which was laid down by ancient winds and marks the farthest reach of Jurassic rivers and lakes. Above that sits Entrada Sandstone, deposited when this place was a shifting expanse of beaches, tidal flats, and dunes some 180 million years ago. Now it forms soft slopes beneath the cliffs, a quiet record of time layered in stone.

#stayandwander #WildernessCulture #OptOutside #folkscenery #RAW_landscape #RAW_allnature #rawusa_aug25 #VisittheUSA #wanderingusa @visittheusa #NewMexico #NewMexicoTrue #NMTrue #VisitNewMexico #NewMexicoMagazine #NMMagazine

Atsinna Pueblo, located atop the sandstone bluff a

Atsinna Pueblo, located atop the sandstone bluff at El Morro National Monument in western New Mexico, was a large ancestral Zuni village inhabited primarily in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Built around A.D. 1275, the settlement contained nearly 875 rooms arranged around a central plaza, with multiple stories that housed several hundred people at its height. The location offered strategic advantages, including access to water from a perennial pool at the base of the bluff and visibility over the surrounding landscape. Although the pueblo was occupied for less than a century, it remains an important site for understanding ancestral Zuni lifeways.

#rawusa_sept25 #VisittheUSA #wanderingusa @visittheusa #NewMexico #NewMexicoTrue #NMTrue #VisitNewMexico #GramOfEnchantment #NewMexicoMagazine #NMMagazine #RoadsideAmerica #Americana #ArchitecturePhotography #HistoricPreservation #OptOutside #NativeAmericanSites #NationalPark #NationalParkGeek

Just an hour from Las Vegas, Valley of Fire State

Just an hour from Las Vegas, Valley of Fire State Park is Nevada’s oldest and one of its most visually striking parks, known for its vivid red sandstone formations and ancient petroglyphs. As the morning sun hits the landscape, the rocks seem to glow, earning the park its fiery name. Trails lead to natural arches, slot canyons, and sweeping desert views shaped over millennia by wind and water. It’s a quiet, otherworldly place where geology and history meet in vivid color.

Our first stop was Wind Stone Arch, a small, graceful formation tucked into a quiet alcove reached by a short, rocky climb. Further in, Arch Rock stood prominently above the desert floor, near a cluster of campsites nestled among wind-carved cliffs.

#Nevada #TravelNevada #VisitNevada #ExploreNevada #NVstateparks @travelnevada #rawusa_jul25 #VisittheUSA #wanderingusa @visittheusa #RAW_landscape #RAW_seasons #RAW_allnature #stayandwander #WildernessCulture #OptOutside

The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington features a no

The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington features a notable collection of equine sculptures honoring the legacy of legendary horses and their bond with people.

At the park’s entrance stands Man o’ War, a 1948 bronze by Herbert Haseltine. Regarded as the greatest Thoroughbred of the 20th century, Man o’ War won 20 of 21 races and sired champions including War Admiral. His statue and remains, relocated from Faraway Farm in the 1970s, form the park’s central memorial.

Outside the Salyer House stands Secretariat, a 2004 bronze by Edwin Bogucki. It depicts the 1973 Triple Crown winner led into the Derby winner’s circle by groom Eddie Sweat, with Ron Turcotte aboard, immortalizing one of racing’s most iconic moments.

The 2018 Sgt. Reckless monument by Jocelyn Russell honors the small Mongolian mare who served with the U.S. Marines during the Korean War, hauling ammunition and rescuing wounded soldiers under fire. Decorated with two Purple Hearts, she remains a symbol of courage and devotion.

The Bret Hanover bronze by Luis Sanguino (2002) commemorates one of harness racing’s greatest pacers. Winner of 62 of 68 races and a Triple Crown champion, Bret Hanover stood at stud at Castleton Farm and now rests beneath his statue at the park.

Finally, Phoenix, a 1993 bronze by Patricia Crane, stands near the International Museum of the Horse, depicting the five-time world champion American Saddlebred “The Phoenix.”

Visitors can explore these and other works through the park’s Equine Sculpture Walk self-guided tour.

📸 Key:
1 - Sgt. Reckless
2 - Man o’ War
3 - Secretariat
4 - Phoenix
5 - Bret Hanover

#VisittheUSA #wanderingusa #Kentucky #KentuckyKicksAss #ourKY #TravelKY #ExploreKY #BestoftheBluegrassState #KentuckyLife #OnlyinKentucky #KYStateParks #ShareTheLex #VisitLex #LexKY #LEX18 #KyHorsePark

It was a wonderful New Year spent at Hocking Hills

It was a wonderful New Year spent at Hocking Hills in #Ohio, once again marked by the blessing of fresh snowfall during our visit. #OhioTheHeartofitAll

The waters of Lake Vesuvius in Wayne National Fore

The waters of Lake Vesuvius in Wayne National Forest near Ironton, Ohio, have been lowered to allow repairs to a faulty dam gate. An initial repair attempt was made in August, but further work is required. The lake was being drawn down about 31 feet to provide access to the gate, with normal water levels expected to return after fall and winter.

#RAW_landscape #rawusa_sept25 #Appalachia #appalachian_explorers #Ohio #OhioExplored #beautiful_ohio_scenes #OhioTheHeartofitAll #WeAreOhioSE @ohioexplored #naturalohio

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