"The Abandoned Diner" is my favorite.  I too love abandoned places.  This one is still inviting, still looks sturdy enough to actually go in and if not, at least peek in the windows, wondering and imagining who was there, what went on in there.  And then, I always go a step further and imagine what it would be like to bring it all back to it's original condition, restore it.  And I see the beauty it once had and what it could be again....Thanks for asking, loved looking at all the photos.  

Terry Ann

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the "Abandoned Places" series. I love exploring out of the way places, too.  My favorite photo was of the abandoned lighthouse.  I love the water, for one thing, and I've been captivated by that very same abandoned lighthouse several times!  We have pictures of it from various angles and in different lights from trips we've taken to the Munising area.  We've also traveled the very road you were on when you spied the abandoned house in your articles. Friends of ours own cottages next to Point Aux Barques Lighthouse!  Great spot.  Linda

For me it's a toss-up between the bridge and the gold mine train.  I just love how both are surrounded by natural greenery and conjure up visions of days gone by when they served very important purposes. The bridge makes me feel contemplative; I would love to just spend hours there relaxing or writing a nice story.  The train, however, arouses the kid in me. I just want to climb all over it and imagine going underground with the 7 Dwarves on a quest for gold!  ;-)

What did the 'bridge" say to me....come across and have an adventure..you won't be sorry!

The old train in Panama...my father grew up in Panama when it was being built and he dreamed about going back there some day. I could sit for hours listening to his adventures, as a child in Panama. After my mother died, decided to ask him ...dad , do you want to take a trip with me to Panama? His face lit up and he agreeded, talking about where he lived in Balboa and Peter Miguel. After making reservations and the day was near...dad said...I'm too old and I can't see good any more and beside, I've never been on a plane, I think the memories are good enough for me.

Even though I was disapointed, decided to get his thoughts down on tape of his adventures growing up in Panama and play them often.

The abandoned ship in Alaske is my favorite. It looks like a huge beast long dead with the birds coming to feast on it. The abandoned kitchen is my second choice, as if the occupants had run out in the middle of setting up for dinner. Wonder what happened there that made them abandon the place like it is.

Interesting photos. I love to visit abandoned places. I think my favorite photos were of the trains but also the amusement parks. The diner really caught my attention too. My thoughts when I see or visit one of these places are simple: I hear the whispers and feel the energy of the people who passed through them long ago.  Thanks for the photos and comments. Cj

Hi Brian,

First, i want to thank you for all your articles on this site. I read them with interest and always find them thoughful.

There truly is something about what has been left behind, abandoned, discarded....perhaps run from or left to move on to something new.....  

I grew up in central Illinois and have lived in the mountains of New Mexico, both had their rich abandoned places.  These photos took me back to those times....

thank you again for you preceptive vision.

ken

Great article. I love the bridge in Maryland. There used to be an old miners shack at the edge of a lake near the continental divide above Boulder, Colorado we used to hike around. One year it started to come apart and after a few years it disappeared into the lake. I always wondered about the miners who built and used it. Thanks for the memories.

Peter

Great series!  My favorite picture was the abandoned lighthouse on Lake Superior--for two reasons.  I was born in Superior, Wisconsin, but haven't been back for over 50 years.  I definately plan to when I retire.  But more important, the lighthouse performed a wonderful service for those on the lake--and if needed, could again.  There is better technology now, but it is just waiting to be needed again.  John.

A beautiful photo-essay! Maybe I have been a fan of Bill Peet too long, my favorite places were those that had a "face" or were embraced by vegetation. I loved the abandoned gold mine train, the Iowa Mansion, the North Carolina House and so many others. Still, I couldn't help but feel sad too as they remind me of formerly cherished old folks. They are now alone, without any loving arms around them - often forgotten and discarded. We are such a society of throw-away. So much that could be still of use, yet we leave them behind for the novelty of the new, the plastic, the soul-less...

Dominique

I loved the picture of the abandoned church in Canada and I guess my second favorite was the abandoned bridge in Maryland/the lighthouse on the Lake.  It was more than just the structure itself that attracted me to those particular photos, it was the surroundings too.  It makes me wonder who worshiped at the church?  Was music as well as prayer an important part of worship?  Did a bell welcome the congregation?  I love lighthouses, actually I have an affinity for them as I collect them.  Was it a welcoming beacon for those traveling by ship?  Who maintained the lighthouse,was it a couple or a single fellow?  If those walls could talk!!! I think they do and that is why were are attracted to them. We can make up our own stories about the lives that dwelled there. As Dominique said those dwellings have soul.

Hello--

I like the bridge in Maryland.  I grew up in Md. and so enjoyed the historic value of the state.  The bridge seems to tell a story... who has crossed this bridge?... where were they going?  It seems in good condition... but, forgotten.

God has created such beauty on earth... the hands of man have created even more beauty!

Do you know what town that bridge is in?

Thanks, Brian!

Thanks to everyone for your kind and interesting comments so far...

NOREEN, that bridge is in Paw Paw, Maryland I believe.

Linda F, maybe I will see you by the Point Aux Barques Lighthouse ... sounds like my in-laws have a cabin within the very same area!

  HI, I LIVE IN IOWA AND WAS CURIOUS WHERE THE ABANDONED MANSION IS LOCATED AT. THANKS