Although my direct ancestors have only been in this area for around 150-170-ish years, it wasn't exactly a desert for humanity. Only a few hours east of here (unless you gotta stop to charge for a while in a WalMart parking lot) is Cahokia, a famous UNESCO world heritage site in the St. Louis area: the largest city north of Mexico in the 12th century CE. That population, BTW, was in the 25000 to 50000 range, compared to, e.g. London at around 13000 at the time.

Such earthworks dot North America, often hiding in plain sight, and dating back over 5000 years. That pre-dates the pyramids of Egypt . . .

But since old barns and such are fair game, Madison County, Iowa (of the bridges fame) is even closer. And closer still is the old machine shed at my grandparents' place, which may still be standing, despite the fact that the house site itself was replaced by a dentist's office a few years ago. We'll just have to see!

Exciting theme, looking forward to shooting something but especially seeing what everyone else shares.