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On a bluff south of Medicine Bow, Wyoming is the remains of this aviation arrow located at the seemingly forgotten airport. Before our current GPS satellite & radar, airplane pilots who did transcontinental airmail routes at night would fly following these large cement arrows built high up on ridges or mountaintops, often accompanied by beacons with a light. While there were over 1500 of them across the country back in the day, about 100 of them remain today, decaying & forgotten like this one. This one was the 32nd arrow of the San Francisco - Chicago airway route which was officiated in September 1920 & lasted for several years until radar came. Pilots would follow the beacons & directions of the arrows using a compass to stay aligned w/ each arrow until they encountered the next one, directing them ultimately to Chicago. This particular arrow points in the direction towards the next arrow near the town of Bosler. Most of these sites are now gone, particularly during WWII as a means of making sure any enemy aircraft didn't use these features to scout out American soil. This site is unique in that all three components of the airway beacon are still intact, of which still include the beacon, arrow, & old generator shed. Maybe one day this will be kept in historical preservation before the Wyoming wind blows it all down. The arrow is still relatively intact w/ a few cracks & the shed still stands, though there is aviation trash inside & the rooftop is missing the old painted numbers & letters.
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The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.
