2014 was a year of facing obstacles, mostly financial, but that did not stop me from having some amazing experiences across our fine country! My landmark count stopped short, but I had the opportunity to explore parts of the USA I hadn’t thought I’d see for a long time! So I guess that made 2014 a good year for going with the flow. Take a look at my best photos of 2014 and let me know if you agree!

1. The Creek of Bear Creek Road!

On my way to the Letts Valley historical landmark, my GPS led me down Bear Creek Road, which should have been named Bear Creek Trail. It snaked down ten miles of dirt paths, past “Private Property” signs until it finally came to a creek! When you’re ten miles into the wilderness with no phone reception, your only option, really, is to blaze through, and this picture is the result of doing just that! Be brave!

2. Fort Ross in the Mist!

I was so happy to see the sunrise this morning! The night before, I’d camped up the road from this historical landmark and gotten a surprise from a Sonoma County Sheriff around midnight! He told me to watch out for the “gremlins of the night” who had gotten a couple of car campers in Jenner not too long before! I stayed put, but I was pretty terrified all night! This photo captures a lot of the neat structures at Fort Ross, and, I think, a sense of my relief!

3. Point Arena Lighthouse!

I love lighthouses in the mist, and on this misty morning when the rest of California was in the middle of a heat wave, I found refuge here on the Mendocino Coast! The lighthouse was closed for the day, but there was a little path out to the bluff to enjoy the view and the beautiful little seaside plants! It’s also the tallest lighthouse on the Pacific Coast!

4. Glass Beach!

This photo is an illusion! When you see pictures of Glass Beach, they usually depict wide stretches of untouched beach covered in quarter-sized glass crystals. Not so! This beach was crowded and picked apart by hungry history hunters! Even so, this image captures a bed-sized patch of solitude on this beautiful beach on the Mendocino Coast!

5. The Rare Corpse Flower!

The corpse flower is the world’s tallest bloom and is named for its remarkably corpselike smell! Blooms only happen once every 4-10 years, so I got really lucky when I found out there was a corpse flower blooming at the Huntington Library! I love the colors and its exotic shape, and this picture is stinkin’ proof that I smelled it firsthand!

6. The Historic Quarry at Fossil Butte National Monument!

My very good friend died this year, and I had to get away for a day. That took me to Fossil Butte in Wyoming, where the deceased are preserved for millennia. It was a quiet morning walk up the Quarry Trail, and I was lucky to find a very well-preserved fish fossil lying on the ground! Don’t worry, I put it right back where I found it for other folks to enjoy! I love the colors of this photo, and I think it holds a sense of the monument’s remoteness and adventure!

7. The Star-Spangled Banner over Fort McHenry!

I flew with my veteran friend to the East Coast and experienced Fort McHenry, the site that withstood a British bombardment and inspired our national anthem! The flag must fly over this fort all day, every day, by presidential proclamation! The presentation at the visitor center captured the terrors and glories of this battle and really made me proud to be an American beaver. I think this picture, with the flag and veterans in the background, expresses that!

8. Manassas National Battlefield Park!

I’d wanted to see Manassas Battlefield for a while, but especially if I could see it at sunrise. This morning was exceptionally beautiful as the golden sun poked through the mist over this once bloody battlefield! It was eerie to see the silent cannons materialize from nothingness, as if I were walking among ghosts! It was a very special experience!

9. The White House!

This photo was one of my first experiments with zoom! This was shortly after a crazy fellow jumped the White House fence, so nobody was allowed within 400 yards of the White House when I was there! So, I had to set down the camera, zoom in all the way and hope that the lens would do its work. It looks like it did! Plus, it’s the White House! Whoo hoo!

10. Señor Castorieti and Me on Lassen Peak!

This was, singlehandedly, the most beautiful day of the entire year! This was the last day of 2014 that Lassen Peak would be open to the summit, so I drove through a thundering tempest to get here. By the time I started the hike, the clouds had parted just enough that the summit was a gothic fairyland of black rock and white snow, surrounded by boiling clouds! There was just enough snow to summon Señor Castorieti, and we frolicked together in the heights, which made this shot particularly memorable!

I hope you enjoyed these pictures! 2015 will be a year for doing things long talked about, so get out there and start making your own ten best memories!