UPDATE:

You really never know what’s around the corner, do you? When I set out to tour all 24 of Indiana’s State Parks in 2 years, I truly thought I’d still be living in my home of the Hoosier state. I’d just gotten into the groove of packing up my Subaru each month when my course drastically changed. Family care took me to Maryland for 3+ months. And a wedding brought me to Wisconsin, where I fell in love with a new kind of landscape, one I’d never heard of before: an isthmus.

For posterity’s sake, I’m leaving evidence of my past park visits and ill-fated (for now) ambitions below (because you really never do know). In my half-year of monthly park photo adventures, I visited just one-fourth of Indiana’s State Parks. But what a beautiful set they are!

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Having lived in vastly different climates across the United States, my perspective on the ecosystems around me has deepened my appreciation for the health and beauty of the air, soil, water, and biodiversity. Gorgeous vistas and severe climate crises were frequent experiences in Colorado and Maine, but both states enticed me away from screens and onto trails and mountains.

But, I missed Indiana’s flat horizons for their beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I missed the sound of cicadas, crickets, and family. However, my homeland’s wetlands are routinely threatened, and its soil quality eroded by horizon-to-horizon monoculture farming. Strengthening spring winds and deteriorating climate stability motivates me to cherish natural beauty. It took moving back to Indiana as an adult to realize how much more natural beauty there is to see, how many more trails and parks there are to explore.

I strive to share this natural beauty with others and make choices that improve the health of the environment. So, in the summer of 2024, I started my tour of Indiana’s 24 State Parks in 24 months with a photojournalist series to document my experiences. Take a look at the series so far and follow along.