TWO HUNDRED FIFTY YEARS AFTER PEOPLE: The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, its stainless steel body corroded and rusted, finally gives way.
The next day, I decided to return to the Big Woods in Fillmore County, Minnesota. My purpose was to recheck some White Ash trees in hopes of verifying a potential state size record. The only problem was, Mr Woodsman (me), with the assistance of Mrs. T (the photographer), got lost. I turned up the wrong Minimum Maintenance Road, and then the wrong driveway. Well, they do tend to all look pretty much the same in the deep woods. Based upon the relatively shiny new mailbox at the entrance, the farmstead had only recently been abandoned. Mother Nature had moved in.....
A few years back I happened to be watching The History Channels ten part series "Life After People ." The premise is, what does planet earth look like after people all (for some unknown reason) disappear? A day, a year, a hundred years etc. later. It ain't good folks. Mother Nature, not always so benevolent, ( think Hurricane Katrina) takes over.
The next day, I decided to return to the Big Woods in Fillmore County, Minnesota. My purpose was to recheck some White Ash trees in hopes of verifying a potential state size record. The only problem was, Mr Woodsman (me), with the assistance of Mrs. T (the photographer), got lost. I turned up the wrong Minimum Maintenance Road, and then the wrong driveway. Well, they do tend to all look pretty much the same in the deep woods. Based upon the relatively shiny new mailbox at the entrance, the farmstead had only recently been abandoned. Mother Nature had moved in.....
"Sic transit gloria mundi" is a Latin phrase that means "Thus passes the glory of the world". It has been interpreted as "Worldly things are fleeting." Indeed. 
Nature covering up our concrete, steel, and junk would be a huge improvement. I think there is one fallacy in the History Channel's story. When we are through destroying the ozone and poisoning the water, will even vegetation be able to survive on earth? I think by the time we have finished our work here, the planet will be a dead moonscape.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
I have always wondered what our earth will look like 100 yrs, 200 yrs from now. I hate seeing trees knocked down for new development where there are blighted areas that can be redeveloped. Seems like we keep leaving our junk behind and destroying more of nature's beauty unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and great photos to illustrate it. I believe man will end up being the author of his own demise. Mother Nature will try to correct it.
ReplyDeleteJust taking advantage of Troutbirders blog to say Hi to Montanagirl and to hope she is fit and well.
DeleteVery thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteHi Troutbirder - nature will win through ... it heals and recovers extraordinarily easily ... if we leave it alone to do so. It will win - we will not ... but can it wait a few decades please! and let's do what we can to protect it for the time being and our grandchildren's future .. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't take mother nature long to take over and the worrying thing is, she always gets her way.
ReplyDeleteThose are pretty much being taken over my Mother Nature, all right. Looking at those green encroaching plants makes me remember how quickly weeds take over my own garden if I don't tend it. :-)
ReplyDeleteHow quickly nature takes over. We saw it with my grandparents property when it wasn't farmed any more. Lots to think about!
ReplyDeleteLove reading your nice post and the pictures are so beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteJessi
I watched that series also. I pretty much agree with Hilary and just hope we don't cripple Nature in the process.
ReplyDeleteand she moves in quickly.
ReplyDeleteI just returned from Yucatan Peninsula and the Mayan structures, once so grand and busy with human activity, now covered with jungle and dirt. Same here in the southwest where Puebloan structures were built thousands of years ago, now covered with dirt.
ReplyDeleteWooooo----interesting! I'm glad you made it outta there!!!! That would have been sorta spooky.... Wonder how many critters were enjoying living where that house and property were?????? Shows that nature can/will take over if left alone....
ReplyDeleteI love hiking in the Smokies in areas that have not been touched by humans....
Hugs,
Betsy
Abandonment is a fun thisng to find and photograph.
ReplyDeleteNature taking back its own...certainly gives us something to think about. Glad you lost souls found your way. Wait...that didn't come out just right. Kudos to your photographer for the amazing pictures.
ReplyDeleteI think the vegetation is a lot prettier than what it is covering up there.
ReplyDeleteWe see lots of abandoned homes in rural South Carolina and it's always amazing how quickly whole trees grow right up through them, and how the power of their inch-by-inch progress lifts whole roofs, knocks over chimneys, pushes up concrete.
I'm sorry you guys didn't find the record White Ash but finding that place was a nice consolation. How bizarre. I'm with the commenter who said it's sorta spooky. It kind of gives me the creeps. Brings to mind The Twilight Zone. Where did they go?
ReplyDeleteComedian George Carlin had a good routine about the end of humanity which he saw as imminent. He said the earth will flick us off like you'd flick off a flea off your shoulder. His theory was that the earth wanted plastic but couldn't make it so it made us and now that it has it we're going away.
It's so good things get covered up like that!
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ReplyDeleteThe post is a meditation on the Latin phrase Sic transit gloria mundi ("Thus passes the glory of the world"), highlighting the fleeting nature of human influence compared to the enduring power of the environment. View more info about Stamped Concrete
ReplyDeleteSeveral visitors share stories of seeing abandoned homes in rural South Carolina and elsewhere where trees have grown through roofs and toppled chimneys with "inch-by-inch" progress. See more about Stamped Concrete
ReplyDeleteInspired by the History Channel series Life After People, "Troutbirder" reflects on how quickly nature reclaims human-made structures once they are abandoned. While searching for record-sized White Ash trees in Fillmore County, Minnesota, the author and his photographer wife accidentally discovered a recently vacated farmstead already being overtaken by encroaching vegetation. Concrete Contractor Augusta
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ReplyDeleteThis thought-provoking post reflects on the fragility of human civilization by observing how quickly nature reclaims abandoned spaces, inspired by a chance encounter with an overgrown farmstead in rural Minnesota. It highlights the striking contrast between the enduring power of the natural world and the fleeting structures left behind by people.
In this reflective post, the author explores the concept of "Life After People," inspired by a History Channel series about nature reclaiming the earth. While searching for record-sized White Ash trees in Minnesota, he encounters a recently abandoned farmstead where vegetation and decay have already begun to take over the man-made structures. Augusta Fencing Contractor
ReplyDeleteThe post uses the Latin phrase "Sic transit gloria mundi" (Thus passes the glory of the world) to underscore the fleeting nature of human achievements. The author and commenters discuss how quickly vegetation, weather, and wildlife can dismantle what humans spend lifetimes building, viewing nature not just as a benevolent force, but as a persistent and inevitable successor to human civilization. Check out more about Fence Company Johnson City
ReplyDeleteAfter getting lost while searching for a record-sized White Ash tree, the author stumbled upon a recently abandoned farmstead where nature had already begun its reclamation process. Get more info from Fencing services Cedar city
ReplyDeleteThe author recalls the premise of the television series: witnessing the slow decay of iconic structures, such as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, which is depicted as corroded and collapsing 250 years after the disappearance of humans. This serves as a starting point for a broader meditation on the Latin phrase "Sic transit gloria mundi" ("Thus passes the glory of the world"), suggesting that human achievements are ultimately fleeting. Decorative Concrete
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