After leaving the surreal and creepy ghost town of Chloride, AZ, we stopped for an obligatory chocolate malt at one of the many charming diners on Route 66 and considered the time. With five hours …
July 1, 2013
At the World's End
At the World's End
At the World's End: Grand Canyon Caverns
At the World's End: Vulture City, AZ
There is no denying it; I am an apocalyte. A lover of all things bleak and transient, the beauty of decay is in my blood. Find me a ghost town, a derelict asylum, an abandoned …
April 18, 2013
Last Stop: Rhyolite, NV
Rolling into the small town of Beatty, Nevada, is a strange experience. One of the few settlements on the edge of the brutal Death Valley, it appears as a welcome rise of gaudy lights after …
March 5, 2013
At the World’s End: Ghost Mountain, Anza-Borrego
The majestic Anza-Borrego Desert never ceases to surprise me. It is an alien environment of ghostly, pale rocks and unforgiving heat. Ocotillo plants sprout like underwater coral from the barren sands that hide translucent scorpions …
August 16, 2012
At the World’s End: Centralia, the Burning Town
In May 1962, an ill-advised trash fire set light to the veins of coal running beneath the small mining town of Centralia, PA, and sparked a dangerous inferno that has raged ever since. Despite various …
July 30, 2012
At the World’s End: Ballarat Ghost Town, Death Valley
Death Valley must be seen to be believed. From the turquoise flats rolling out beneath lofty Dante’s View to the salty vertigo of Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, it is a place …
July 7, 2012
At the World’s End: Lake Tōya, Japan
Lake Tōya in Hokkaidō, Japan, is a small tourist resort nestled among mountains and active volcanoes. Known for its serene landscape and relaxing onsen spas, it also has a darker side; in 2000, the majestic …
June 5, 2012
At the World’s End: Bombay Beach and the Salton Sea
Three hours from San Diego, east of the Anza-Borrego desert, lies the Salton Sea. When stopped by border patrol on our first drive out to the sea, the officer seemed surprised by our destination. “You …
May 8, 2012
At the World’s End: Hiroshima and Miyajima
The tragic events of 1945 can barely be appreciated without seeing the peaceful, dignified city of Hiroshima, Japan. Within minutes of stepping off the bullet train, a local resident offered us a free tour of …
At the World’s End: Chernobyl and Prypiat
I was two years old and living in the U.K. when the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, on April 26, 1986. Naturally, I have no memory of the event, but my mother assures me that …
March 5, 2012