Left Behind

Things thrown away were a common theme in our travels. On several occasions we made camp in an abandoned homestead. When strapped for cash or just looking to be frugal we would look to grocery store dumpsters for freshly disposed food. Litter along the road is much easier thought about when bicycling as opposed to driving. I feel like so much can be learned about people by what they leave behind. By what isn't worth keeping, worth finishing or has simply lost its worth to time. 

One night we camped under almond trees in California. There was an abandoned pool and mansion there that were clearly let fall to waste when a larger farmer bought the almond grove. In Tennessee we explored a house that was left empty and half built for at least a decade when the owner went to prison, there were even paintings in the house that were left half finished with paint cans half empty. Some people have taken to recycling, others just let their waste slowly succumb to nature's will. In Kansas I found mountains of pallets that were in a backyard next to the giant beef slaughter houses in Dodge City. What were these places supposed to be like and what can we learn from the absence of those who once cared enough or not enough when they created them?