Exploring Three of Ohio’s Surviving National Road S Bridges
The National Road brought a more deliberate form of overland travel across eastern Ohio, carrying stagecoaches, wagons, livestock, and westbound settlers along the first highway built entirely with federal funds. As the road crossed the rolling streams of Muskingum and Guernsey counties, its builders used stone arch bridges that were practical, durable, and suited to the terrain. Among the most distinctive survivors are Ohio’s S bridges, whose curved approaches gave each crossing its name.
From Sturgeon Point to Forty Mile Point: Winter on the Lake Huron Coast
In early 2016, after a fresh snowfall had settled across Michigan’s lower peninsula, I set out to follow the Lake Huron shoreline north. The roads were quiet, fields and fence lines reduced to white planes, and each stop felt slightly removed from season and routine.
Snowshoeing West Virginia’s Coopers Rock State Forest
A winter visit to Coopers Rock State Forest featuring snowshoe hikes, the Henry Clay Furnace, CCC history, and views over the Cheat River Gorge.
Preserving History: The Story of the Jackson County Bicentennial Barn
On an early autumn morning, the Jackson County Bicentennial Barn on the Pleasant View Farm stood bright against a clear blue sky, its red linseed-oil siding still carrying traces of the sun-faded Ohio Bicentennial logo. The bold blue script and white banner painted across its broad gable face recalled a time when these barns, one for each of Ohio’s eighty-eight counties, were symbols of statewide pride.
Oklahoma’s Route 66 “Sidewalk Road”
Near Miami, Oklahoma, a nine-foot stretch of pavement survives as the only remaining section of old U.S. Route 66. Known locally as the “Sidewalk Road,” it dates to the early years of federal road building.
El Morro: Petroglyphs, Inscriptions, and a Pueblo in the Sky
Discover El Morro National Monument in western New Mexico, where a desert pool, ancient petroglyphs, Spanish inscriptions, and the ruins of Atsinna Pueblo tell the story of travelers who passed this sandstone bluff for centuries.
An Evening Walk on the Edge of the Las Vegas Strip
We were in town for work but carved out time one pleasantly cool evening to explore the southern fringes of the Las Vegas Strip on foot.
Photographing Crown Hill Cemetery: Indianapolis History in View
Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana, takes on a particularly somber character under an overcast spring sky.
An Autumn Day at Indiana’s Skyline Lookout Tower
On a crisp autumn afternoon, I traveled to Jackson County, Indiana, to enjoy the beauty of the season and visit a historic fire lookout tower.
An Autumn Morning at the Hickory Ridge Fire Tower
The air was crisp, if not a little damp, on this spectacular autumn morning at the Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower in the Hoosier National Forest in southern Indiana.