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My Big American West Photo Road Trip (A Video Journey)
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My Big American West Photo Road Trip (A Video Journey)

Keith Dotson
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Join Teena and I on an epic adventure across the northern half of the United States

6,298.8 total miles.

Eleven states.

This route roughly illustrates our itinerary from Nashville to the West Coast.
This route roughly illustrates our itinerary from Nashville to the West Coast.
And this map shows our general course back to Tennessee.
And this map shows our general course back to Tennessee.

Last summer, Teena and I traveled across the northern tier of the United States, making many stops along along a circuitous route that took us through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Washington State, Oregon, and Northern California; then returning through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and back through Missouri to Tennessee.

It was thrilling, exhausting, and eye-opening — truly a trip of a lifetime.

My own personal photography efforts were made difficult thanks to an ever-present blue sky, broken only by one thunderstorm and episodes of wildfire haze at various points along the way.

Below is a video record of our journey, listed in the order of our travel agenda

This blog post will be updated as new videos and photographs are published.

First stop — ILLINOIS

We began our journey with a stop in Cairo, Illinois, which is a favorite destination of mine for making photographs of abandoned places. The story of Cairo is a tragic one, and the race against the clock is urgent for capturing the abandoned parts of the city before they are lost forever to the wrecking ball.

We arrived in Cairo at 8:40 a.m. On this trip we made photographs of a tall public housing tower that was demolished shortly after our visit. Standing before the abandoned housing tower, with one door squeaking open and shut in the wind, was an eerie experience. But visits to Cairo are always eerie.

(Video) Endangered Cairo, Illinois: A Tour and Update

Join us in the long suffering city of Cairo, Illinois, where remaining citizens fight against the town’s status of becoming a ghost town.

Snapshots from Cairo, Illinois

Standing on the tiled entry way of a store that no longer stands in Cairo.
Standing on the tiled entry way of a store that no longer stands in Cairo. This same location can be seen from a different viewpoint in the next photo below.
Standing on the tiled entry way of a store that no longer stands in Cairo.
Ruins and vacant lots along 8th Street in Cairo, Illinois.

More videos from Cairo

I’ve been to Cairo many times. You can see my previous videos of the community here:

MISSOURI

Video coming soon.

IOWA

Video coming soon.

SOUTH DAKOTA

In South Dakota, we visited the ghost town at Okaton and Cottonwood, hiked in the Badlands, stopped at Mount Rushmore, and saw the Corn Palace in Mitchell. We also drove beneath a gnarly thunderstorm that was intense enough to produce a tornado (but luckily it didn’t).

Teena checked-off a bucket list item with a visit to see Abe Lincoln on Mt. Rushmore. While there, we also enjoyed watching a very bust chipmunk scamper around the feet of tourists, looking for snacks. Teena is an ardent fan of President Lincoln, and she has been to many of the historical sites associated with his life.

Our stay in Deadwood was brief, but we did manage to see the gravesites of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Janes, and a few others in the scenic hillside cemetery at Mt. Moriah.

(Video) South Dakota ‘Ghost Towns’: Okaton and Cottonwood

Making photogrpahs in two (almost) ghost towns in South Dakota: Okaton and Cottonwood, South Dakota

(Video) South Dakota Thunderstorm

Dramatic footage of dramatic weather we encountered in South Dakota.

Snapshots from South Dakota

We entered South Dakota at sunrise with a wonderful golden glow surrounding the magnificent sculpture, “Dignity of Earth and Sky” by Dale Claude Lamphere. This photo somehow deemphasizes the sculpture’s height. It’s quite tall.
The Corn Palace, located in Mitchell, South Dakota
The Corn Palace, located in Mitchell, South Dakota
A giant statue of a smiling corn cob near the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota
A giant statue of a smiling corn cob near the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota
Abandoned house and church in Cottonwood, South Dakota
Abandoned house and church in Cottonwood, South Dakota
Deadwood, South Dakota: A memorial to Wild Bill Hickok in the Mount Moriah Cemetery. The gravesite of Calamity Jane can be seen in the background.
Deadwood, South Dakota: A memorial to Wild Bill Hickok in the Mount Moriah Cemetery. The gravesite of Calamity Jane can be seen in the background.
Photo of Teena at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota.
Teena checked a bucket list item with our visit to Mount Rushmore. She’s a huge fan of Abraham Lincoln.

WYOMING

Wyoming is one of my favorite places to visit out west. To me it epitomizes “the west.”

(Video) Wyoming: Devil’s Tower and Laramie

Join us for a visit to the sacred and dramatic rock formation known as The Devil’s Tower, or Bear’s Lodge, in Wyoming.

MONTANA

In Montana, we avoided some of the state’s more popular (and crowded) parks in favor of incredible but lesser-known places like the Missouri Breaks, named after words written in the journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, we also drove past several underground missile silos, easily identified by the tall, rectangular chain link fences that surround them all, and their abundance of communications towers and surveillance cameras on site.

(Video) Landscape Photography at Montana’s Missouri Breaks

Be there with us as we travel across the rugged north central Montana landscape, past missile silos and cattle.

Snapshots from Montana

Fish and chips at the River City Grill in Missoula, Montana
Fish and chips at the River City Grill in Missoula, Montana
There's Teena in the broad expanse of Montana, photographing some horses. They became spooked and ran away very soon after this snapshot.
There’s Teena in the broad expanse of Montana, photographing some horses. They became spooked and ran away very soon after this snapshot.
When I saw the travel time on this map, I thought it must be a mistake. It wasn't. The lengthy travel time was due slow dirt roads and winding terrain, especially nearing the park.
When I saw the travel time on this map, I thought it must be a mistake. It wasn’t. The lengthy travel time was due slow dirt roads and winding terrain, especially nearing the park.

WASHINGTON STATE

Video coming soon.

OREGON

We had some of our best meals in Oregon, from Bannings in Portland, to a cute little coffee shop on the main street in the drop-dead gorgeous beach community at Cannon Beach, the food was terrific.

But a highlight of this entire trip — and one of my personal favorite things ever — was the drive down Highway 101 along the Oregon Coast as we left Portland and drove to our next destination in California. As the road winds from deep green forests to magnificent overlooks, the wonders keep coming around every bend. Breathtaking!

(Video) Oregon Coast and Highway 101 to California

Snapshots from Oregon

In Oregon, we picked up a determined hitchhiker. This seagull wouldn't leave the top of the car until we were exiting the parking lot.
In Oregon, we picked up a determined hitchhiker. This seagull wouldn’t leave the top of the car until we were exiting the parking lot.
A quick selfie of Teena and I on the Oregon coast.
A quick selfie of Teena and I on the Oregon coast.
One of the best meals of the entire trip was at Bannings in Portland, and the pie case looked divine.
One of the best meals of the entire trip was at Bannings in Portland, and the pie case looked divine.
A food truck park in Portland where we dined on one evening.
A food truck park in Portland where we dined on one evening.

CALIFORNIA

Our Northern California leg of the road trip was all about the ocean and the redwoods. To see the ocean, look at the Oregon Coast video above, because we traveled south from Oregon along the coast into the Golden State.

(Video) California Redwoods

(Video) California’s Shasta Ghost Town

Snapshots from Northern California

Inside Valley Azteca restaurant in Arcata, California, where we spent a few nights to be close to the redwoods.
Inside Valley Azteca restaurant in Arcata, California, where we spent a few nights to be close to the redwoods.
Teena nestled into a massive redwood tree in Redwoods National Park in California.
Teena nestled into a massive redwood tree in Redwoods National Park in California.
A snapshot of Teena and I at a museum in Willow Creek, California, famous for the big hairy man sightings.
A snapshot of Teena and I at a museum in Willow Creek, California, famous for the big hairy man sightings.
Here's a picture of Teena in the mountains near Mount Shasta, using the Canon 5D Mk III with a 70-200mm lens.
Here’s a picture of Teena in the mountains near Mount Shasta, using the Canon 5D Mk III with a 70-200mm lens.

NEVADA

Video coming soon.

UTAH

Video coming soon.

Snapshots from Utah

In Utah, we made an unplanned stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats, a 12-mile-wide, 5-foot thick salt pan where numerous land speed records have been set.
In Utah, we made an unplanned stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats, a 12-mile-wide, 5-foot thick salt pan where numerous land speed records have been set.
Me plinking around on a public piano in Salt Lake City.
Me plinking around on a public piano in Salt Lake City.

COLORADO

Video coming soon.

By the time we got to Colorado, we were growing road weary and really just wanted to spend time in Denver. Bypassing Rocky Mountain National Park, I took the opportunity to visit the Colorado Photographic Arts Center in Denver, where I saw an exhibition and also some of their permanent collection, including a small print by the late, great Ansel Adams.

Snapshots from Colorado

Me at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC) in Denver to see an exhibition.
Me at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC) in Denver to see an exhibition.
Keith Dotson at CPAC in Denver, posed next to an original signed photograph by Ansel Adams.
Keith Dotson at CPAC in Denver, posed next to an original signed photograph by Ansel Adams.

KANSAS

Video coming soon.

Be sure to come back often, as this post will update many more times!

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