Every town has an old, unused train bridge. Always the same, always completely unique. "Bebop," the graffiti says, "F**k college". The beams are broken, burnt, rotting. The walk is treacherous. The wind doesn't help my vertigo, but it sends the faint scent of Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix into my eyes. Every town has a smelly mill, only one smells like cocoa.

Along the Red Cedar State Trail in Menomonie you can see a fair share of beautiful sights. This includes a limestone wall that is home to some pretty impressive looking tunnels and caves. Don't go in alone.

Living in a new city is a strange and wonderful thing. When I first moved to Menomonie I prayed that I would be able to find the same kind of beautiful and old structures that Eau Claire has a wealth of. Well my prayers we're answered on a long walk that led to a disused train depot. It was littered with old Vinyl's, distorted by the sun and shattered by who knows what. There was a sign that said "Leave only footprints, take only pictures". And so I did.

A fawn grazes on Forest street at sunset.

The ring of fire that you see above Wells Fargo may be an ominous sign of our nations banking crisis. Maybe. Or maybe it's just a sun-kissed wreath celebrating their personal banking and investing success!

Maybe. 

Every year, for the past 18 years, I have watched the fireworks from the stadium in Carson Park. I was always under the opinion that the great annual explosions must be viewed as near as possible. All those people you see camping by the lake? Hippes. Lazy, scaredy-cat hippies.

That's what I thought, at least. It wasn't until this year that I discovered how beautiful and serene the fireworks look reflecting off the waters of Carson Park. Rather than suppressing your fight or flight response watching the show from the stands, why not try something different next year? (Don't try watching from the cranes).

Meridean is a shockingly tiny town 15 minutes away from the city. The huge sandbar island is a perfect place for feeling alive on a summer night.

 The cranes towering over half moon lake have been an almost nightly delight of mine on the drive home from work. Despite the industrial machinations that spawned them, they have a striking symmetry and effect.  I produced the effect in this shot with a long exposure and mid-exposure zoom.

The grand opening of the new fountain of Washington Square Park, in NYC. There were chlidren playing in the water, musicians, rainbows, and all around good times. (Original vertical edit here)

The old High School on Main looks both beautiful and frightening, almost Burton-esque. The impressive overgrowth of vines and the ominious nuclear reminder makes this intimidating structure one of the most memorable facets of downtown eau claire.