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A clouded hazy view from near the top of Mt. Leecher near Carlton, Washington. Fire lookouts have adorned the summit since at least 1922 w/ a road leading to the top constructed around 1931. In 2014 the lookout was surrounded & almost destroyed by the Carlton Complex Fire which scorched 256,108 acres b/w July 14 & August 24.
During our visit we were greeted by Lightning Bill Austin who has worked 33 years for the US Forest Service scouting out for fires. He gave us a rundown of a current storm that was passing through the area during our visit, yet somehow in the moment we were dodging all the lightning. It was his eighth year manning the Leecher lookout after having served at other lookouts in the region, a job he was very passionate for. Also an avid painter, he also had a collection of jewelry danglies (he referred to them as Lightning Bill Danglies) that he was busy making to which he let visitors to the lookout take a few as souvenirs.
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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.