Places That Were
I took a road trip in early 2015 through half a dozen of the western states. I was gone 17 days, visited over 60 abandoned sites, drove 4000 miles, and took 5000 pictures. It was an incredible experience.
About placesthatwere
Jim and the Fragile Arch
I've had a fascination with abandoned places for as long as I can remember. When I was young, my dad often took my brothers and me on hikes near my grandparents' farm in rural Wisconsin. Sometimes we'd find collapsed barns or the foundations of old homes.
I'd try to envision what the structures looked like before they became weathered husks overtaken by nature. I'd wonder about the people that knew those buildings, the lives they lived, the hopes they had for their futures, and whether or not they ever came true. And then I'd try to imagine the circumstances leading up to the abandonment. Was it a calm, deliberate event, or hurried and frantic?
A recent trip to the abandoned military base at Treasure Island rekindled my passion for exploration. It inspired me to spend more time visiting and documenting abandoned sites before they succumb to the elements, vandals, or developers.
I took a road trip in early 2015 through half a dozen of the western states. I was gone 17 days, visited over 60 abandoned sites, drove 4000 miles, and took 5000 pictures. It was an incredible experience. You can find some of my pictures, along with the stories that go with them, in Places That Were.
Since I've been back, I've visited a few sites closer to home. I'll be posting about those pretty soon too.
My Travel Map:
