jlley's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Hirta Island Ghost Town

The last inhabitants of one of the U.K.'s most remote islands were evacuated in 1930.
Outer Hebrides, Scotland

North Rona Island

This remote Scottish isle is only inhabited by seals, birds, and the memory of a tragic settlement.
Portland, Oregon

Reed College Research Reactor

World's only nuclear reactor operated by liberal arts undergraduates.
Portland, Oregon

Collins Beach UFO Boat

This abandoned boat sits on a nude beach, is shaped like a UFO, and is covered in graffiti.
Portland, Oregon

Casa Diablo Vegan Strip Club

Is this the most Portland place ever?
Portland, Oregon

The Witch's Castle

These old stone ruins in the Oregon wilderness were once bathrooms and are steeped in legends of murder.
Suomussalmi, Finland

The Silent People

Menacing or in memoriam, the Silent People and their meaning are left to interpretation.
Vardo, Norway

Steilneset Memorial

The people murdered during a 17th-century Norwegian witch hunt have been honored with a pair of stark, modern installations.
Murmansk, Russia

Kola Superdeep Borehole

The deepest hole drilled in the name of science, where evidence of Precambrian life was found.
Murmansk, Russia

Alyosha Statue

A monument to the defenders of the Arctic in Murmansk, Russia.
Saariselkä, Finland

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort

Rent out a glass igloo to watch the Northern Lights like you live in the future.
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

Brooks Range Supply

This general store is a one-stop-shop for workers at the Prudhoe Bay oil field.
Barrow, Alaska

Barrow Whale Bone Arch

The "Gateway to the Arctic" connects Barrow's indigenous population with the sea and its traditional industry: whaling.
Forks, Washington

Kalaloch Tree of Life

This large Sitka spruce that appears to be floating in mid-air, has defied logic for years.
Port Angeles, Washington

Olympic Hot Springs

Rustic natural hot springs in the deciduous rain forest.
Forks, Washington

One Square Inch of Silence

A tiny red pebble marks what may be the quietest outdoor spot in the United States.
Forks, Washington

Hall of Mosses

Stroll through a wonderland of stupendous moss-covered trees.
Yachats, Oregon

Bazalgette the Whale

There's something big lurking beneath the surface of this tiny Oregon park.
Tillamook, Oregon

Octopus Tree of Oregon

No one knows how this Pacific Northwest spruce tree came to have so many trunks.
Pescadero, California

Año Nuevo Island

Elephant seals and sea lions have turned the abandoned buildings on this island into their endangered love shack.
Gerlach, Nevada

Fly Geyser

A collision of human error and natural geothermal pressure created this rainbow-colored geologic wonder.
Battle Mountain, Nevada

Armpit of America

Small Nevada town embraced its designation as the "Armpit of America" with an Old Spice-sponsored festival.
Elko, Nevada

White King

The world's largest dead polar bear, immortalized by taxidermy and Hunter S. Thompson.
Wendover, Utah

Sun Tunnels

A sculpture for the sun and stars, created by Nancy Holt.