I recommend you carry a good map when you travel, mostly so you don't get lost. But there are other benefits too. I remember a vacation in Maine, when we saw something from a bridge and wondered what it was. The map identified it as Fort Knox, from where the Penobscott River was guarded from the British.
Back to the present, and my friends and I looking for a good photo hike on New Year's Day. My newest map showed a small parcel of BLM land a few miles up Cattle Creek. Down the west side flowed Fisher Creek, and along this a trail led up the valley.
After about a mile and a half of hiking, I saw a rectangular shape across a large meadow. It didn't look natural, and I traversed an old barbed wire fence to get back to the trail and work my way towards this object. Getting closer, I could see it was a long-abondoned ranch at the confluence of three small creeks. There were several structures and parts of an old corral still fighting in vain against gravity and weather. The various textures and patterns kept our attention - and shutters - rapt for over an hour.
It was a great hike, and one to which I'm sure we'll return again.
