< more recent | 1-15 December 2025 | older >
15 December 2025: Did a little bit of exploring around the town of Folkston in the afternoon, checked out the site of the Old Sardis Church and some backcountry roads that led to the public boat launch into the swamp. Then made my way to the swamp for sunset. It was very cold and the wildlife was mostly hiding, though we did site a few gators and some great blue herons, as well as a few other birds. But we didn’t find the owl. Oh well, the sunset was fabulous on the swamp despite the shortage of wildlife, and we stayed out as the sky changed from golden to pink, to red to purple and then darkness fell…
14 December 2025: Spent a great day exploring part of the South Carolina Lowcountry and finally got to check out St. Helena Island (I had wanted to come here a couple of years ago, but had to detour due to storms that were flooding the roadways making it too potentially dangerous at that time, in contrast to today where the sun is shining and it is just a lovely warm day). My route was defined by “ruins” that shed some light on history and some mysteries of the Sea Island culture that influenced the unique Gullah experience. First stop was at the Old Sheldon Church ruins in Yamassee. On my way there I had an interesting chat with a Gullah man at the gas station, and he suggested I go to the Penn Center, but said there would unfortunately probably be nobody there. I added it to my list. From the Old Sheldon Church I continued into Beaufort and St. Helena where I did stop at the Penn Center, and the man from the gas station was right — there was no one there, so I just took some photos and will have to research it later. My next stop was the ruins of the Chapel of East, and then the ruins of Fort Fremont, before finally turning back to the waterfront at Beaufort where I just enjoyed some live music on the outdoor terrace at Hemingway’s before getting back on the road to continue the drive to Folkston, GA…
13 December 2025: Got an early start on the annual “holiday roadtrip” today, driving about 500 miles from Long Island NY to Battleboro NC. These long pavement drivedays can be fatiguing, but I try to make it fun by adding a few stops where I can get out and take short hikes and do a little exploring, and today that spot was Assateague Island National Seashore where I hoped to see the wild horses. Arriving around 1130am, it was definitely not the best time to see wildlife, but I had some good luck and found a few of the horses near the “Life of the Forest” trail. From there I continued the journey south along the Delmarva Peninsula to the Chesapeake Bay where I got the Bridge-Tunnel across and made my way back to the interstate I-95. My choice to detour to Assateague kept me off the interstate for a good chunk of the day which was awesome. One “fun fact” about today’s marathon drive, was that I started the morning at 23°F and by the time I reached Norfolk VA, it was 58°F and the sun had come out from behind the clouds finally…
2 December 2025: Very excited to be working on route planning for the Sichaun Basin – Tibetan Plateau expedition. Seeing the route on paper maps brings to life the reality of the extreme terrain we will be travelling across as we make our way to the snow leopard’s habitat in the very high mountains. We will be starting our journey at an elevation of around 1,000 feet and going up to 14,000 feet at the highest points of our journey. Even though this trip is months away, I am starting the research and planning part now, as it gives me plenty of time to learn more about the project details and context, and maybe pick up a few words of Chinese, too …
THIS MONTH:
December is Holiday Roadtrip time, and this year we are heading back to a few favorite locations in the southeast as well as exploring a couple of new ones…
COMING UP SOON:
We will be taking part in an international overland expedition from the Sichuan Basin to the Tibetan Plateau in April, where we will be tracking snow leopards and working with local nomadic herders in cooperation with wildlife conservation efforts that aim to reduce human-wildlife conflict in one of the most remote areas of China…
USnomads.org is very proud to be presenting the fifth edition of the Nomad Rally in 2026. This is a unique kind of rally experience — a ten week event that participants can do from anywhere within the continental U.S.A. Competitors design their own routes as part of the rally, then drive it in a points-based online competition that includes optional activity tasks, quests and weekly challenges. The 2026 rally will run from 8 June – 17 August and is open to any driver within the United States who has an off-road capable vehicle — stock or modified. Registration for 2026 is currently open. For more information see the Rally website …
SOUTH CAROLINA SEA ISLANDS
South Carolina’s Sea Islands are a chain of unique barrier islands along the coast, from the Charleston area down to Georgia. These islands, separated by salt marshes, have a unique history rich in the Gullah culture. First settled by indigenous cultures thousands of years ago, the islands were selected by Spanish colonists as sites for founding of colonial missions. The mission system ended under pressure of repeated raids by English South Carolina colonists and Indian allies, and the islands were turned into plantations where enslaved Africans were used to work labor-intensive crops like cotton, rice, and indigo. The Sea Island plantations generated enormous wealth, but the rough living conditions meant the planters did not often live on these plantations, and the enslaved workers were able to maintain much of their culture, which evolved over time into a distinct Gullah culture and language. During the American Civil War, the Union forces quickly occupied the islands and the white planter families fled to the mainland, leaving behind their slaves. The slaves largely ran their own lives during this period, supported by Northern missionaries and abolitionists. They had already created cohesive communities, and after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became effective on January 1, 1863, more than 5,000 slaves on Union-occupied islands obtained their freedom…
ASSATEAGUE ISLAND
The Assateague Island National Seashore, managed by the National Park Service, stretches for 37 miles along the Atlantic coasts of Maryland and Virginia and is part of a vast chain of barrier islands extending from Maine to Texas. Barrier islands form when offshore sand deposits accumulate sufficiently to break the water surface or when sea level rise causes inland dunes to become separated from the mainland. These islands are highly dynamic constantly reshaped by storms and currents that transport sand south along the coast throughout the year. On a seasonal basis, harsh winter weather pulls sand from dunes and upper beaches, depositing it into offshore sand bars and reducing beach width. This process is reversed during milder summer weather, as gentler wave action acts to restore the shoreline. Assateague’s terrain includes sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays connected via a series of small bridges and causeways. Assateague is most famous for its resident Wild Ponies …
Nesconset | Paris | Belgrade | Berlin | Folkston | Fargo | Fernandina Beach | St. Augustine | Fort McCoy | Tampa | St. Marys
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
November – New York
22-31 October – Paris
16-21 October – Paris
1-15 October – Paris
22-30 September – Vermont
13-21 September – Vermont
1-12 September – New York
16-31 August – New York
1-15 August – New York
July – New York
June – New York
May – New York
18-30 April – New York
8-17 April – Eastbound
1-7 April – Eastbound
22-31 March – California
17-21 March – AZ to CA
8-16 March – Arizona
1-7 March – Glamis
22-28 February – Roadtrip SW
15-21 February – Roadtrip SW
1-14 February – New York
January – Paris
23-31 December – Holiday Roadtrip
16-22 December – Holiday Roadtrip
18-15 December – New York
8-30 November – New York
1-7 November – Roadtrip South
Archive
ROADTRIP
An epic journey crisscrossing the USA from east to west and back again, exploring some of the beautiful wild spaces that make up our “public lands.” The roadtrip covered almost 15,000 miles, much of it off-grid and off-pavement, focusing on the deserts of the American southwest. Some locations were truly “iconic” while others were little known, and the segments of independent exploration where punctuated with some fun events across the region… [read]
SPECIAL REPORT
All about exploring ghost towns and abandoned places in the USA and beyond, with tips, and information on the many different types of sites to be found across the globe, including detailed guides for eight specific sites… [read]
