Welcome to the post featuring my favorite photos of 2016. Road Trips with Tom celebrates its second birthday this week. Our first post, which featured Fort Ross State Historic Park in northern California, appeared January 2, 2015. Since then, I’ve posted over 100 articles, spent several thousand dollars on travel and technical assistance, and earned exactly zero. Who knew working for free could be so much fun?
To note the occasion, I offer this special issue featuring 19 of my favorite photos from 2016. None have appeared before in this blog or in Facebook. All have captions indicating when and where they were taken.
I hope you enjoy them.
JANUARY: Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California

MAY: Black bear mother and cub at edge of Tracy Arm, Alaska
MAY: Tracy Arm, Alaska, looking toward Sawyer Glacier

JUNE: Horsetail Falls, Columbia Gorge, Oregon
JUNE: Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington


SEPTEMBER: Pronghorn, Custer State Park, South Dakota. Another photo of this animal appeared on Facebook several weeks ago
SEPTEMBER: Early morning view of the colorful old mining town of Deadwood, South Dakota
SEPTEMBER: The general store in Aladdin, Wyoming, has operated continuously since 1890
SEPTEMBER: Dawn near Bismarck, North Dakota
OCTOBER: Fine old homes line Front St. in the Ohio River town of Ripley, Ohio

OCTOBER: Sunset, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Similar to a photo that appeared on Facebook in December
OCTOBER: Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia
OCTOBER: View from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Boone, North Carolina

Thanks for visiting the Road Trips with Tom anniversary post containing my favorite photos of 2016. On Sunday, January 8, we’re heading for what I think is the country’s top historical attraction — Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.
Congratulations on your anniversary. For some time I’ve been meaning to let you know that I’ve been enjoying your posts and really have no excuse to offer beyond the normal “I’m lazy”. Since I follow the blog via RSS, I’m probably not showing up in any of your stats but I’ve been around for most or maybe all of those two years. So far I’ve just been enjoying the pictures and observations but imagine I’ll make use of some of your tips in the future.
The Ripley, Ohio, view in this post is quite familiar to me. It’s one I see several times each year. When I first saw your photo, I thought I might have missed a post but assume that your October visit will fuel a future report. Had I known of it in advance I’d have been happy to buy you a beer at Snappers or a float at Rockin’ Robin’s. As it is, I’m looking forward to seeing what you discovered along the banks of the Ohio.
Thanks, Denny!
Thanks, Denny, for following my humble blog. I’ll probably do the post on the Ohio River trip in March or April. I flew to Louisville and drove upriver as far as New Martinsville, WV. I’m trying to mix up the geographic focus, keeping in mind that I and a large number of my readers are here in the L.A. area.