Centralia - a city on fire

A blip in bumfuck county, Centralia is a fascinating place in which it was mostly abandoned years ago {1962, if memory serves me correctly}.

The graffiti highway is worth a stop - if one can find it.... a little tricky, but luckily, there were some kids roaming about the area so I did what any suave solo traveler would do: followed them and was quite satisfied.

True....the thought did come to me that I might be attacked, bound, and offered up as an offering in some demented Satanic ritual, but I lucked out and they turned out to be seemingly safe and left me alone! Imagination gone wild... 

Visit from Europeans...? Or possibly Americans who are sick of the mindset that American football is king...?

Does Tree have friends in the area? Many interesting words spray-painted across the macadam.

One of two Pokéballs I came across amongst the names and d!ck pictures. Is American graffiti that unimaginative in this age?? Berlin is a great example of a city with artful graffiti - not phallic images spray-painted on every surface.

*flashback - middle school guys love to draw phallic images in textbooks and a few boys were asked if they had an addiction they'd like to share with the class ha*

Beautiful soulful words shared as well....I loved traipsing down the road and stumbling across hidden gems. A few paths veered off of the road and into the woods. At the edge of the road, they clearly said, "Do not enter," in wickedly spiked handwriting, so naturally, I ventured forth. Not much to see, but had a lovely walk in the woods nonetheless.

Traveling off of the beaten path can get the heartbeat up and lend one some time to just think of anything but work or responsibility...

There are still some people living in the area due to a 2013 squatters' lawsuit, but for the most part, it seemed a dead zone. Interesting place to stop and explore, though. Another town off of my travel bucket list and one I'd love to visit again for further exploration.

Around this time, I was getting a bit peckish and stopped at a local bar, the 901 Pub, in Pottsville. Delicious crab-stuffed mushrooms and a beer later, I felt good to go.

Apparently, my new-found friends thought I looked like a modern Rosie the Riveter and thus this picture was taken and shared.

Here's to new friends and many new adventures to come.