If one continues half a mile northeast past Howland Flat, over Potosi Creek, one will come to a fork in the road. This fork is where the town of Potosi was located. No one knows the source for the name of the town of Potosi. However, potosi is the Spanish word for “great wealth” and … Continue reading
First settled in 1853 when mines known as the Union Company and California Company were discovered, Howland Flat was once second in size and importance only to La Porte. Located twelve miles north of Downieville on the East Branch of Slate Creek and at the base of the dramatic 7,000′ elevation Table Rock Mountain, Howland … Continue reading
Okay, technically, Scales is not yet a ghost town as one to two homes here are still occupied. However, the town is certainly a shadow of its former self and is well on the way to “ghost town” status. Scales is a part of that remote band of rapidly decaying (and often already disappeared) Gold … Continue reading
Also of interest on Utö was a massive labyrinth of abandoned bunkers that we stumbled across on our last day of the island… The shoreline housing the bunker complex: A view over the bunker complex looking back to the interior of the island… You wouldn’t know it, but beneath the surface is a vast network … Continue reading
Yes, your editor can’t seem to avoid such things… It turns out that a significant part of Utö Island is also a military testing site and weapons range. I noticed the signs first: And then we stumbled upon the military base itself: I was rather shocked to be freely walking around and exploring the military … Continue reading
Stockholm’s famed archipelago covers 80 miles of scenic islands stretching out from the capital. Locals love to brag that there are 34,000 islands — but they must be counting mossy little rocks, so I wouldn’t put too much stock in that figure. A hundred of them are served by ferries, providing Stockholmers with many ideal … Continue reading
Now, I get bored pretty quickly on beaches, but this one was interesting to me (and not because they were filming an episode of Survivor when we arrived). Some historians claim that it is here, rather than Playa las Flechas, where Christopher Columbus and his crew landed. Playa Rincon from a distance: With the exception … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 