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The 2010s saw an increase in fiery destruction throughout the world, but 2019 was a standout year of disaster. Fires have raged wildly all across the planet, costing billions in property damage and causing hundreds of casualties. While fires are a relatively common occurrence, the terrifying increase of infernos has led to alarm and panic, especially from those living in drier climates. Questions have piled up surrounding this topic: Where are these fires occurring? What is causing these conflagrations? What hazards do they pose to the planet and to our health? How do we prevent them from escalating in the future? California Of the twenty most destructive fires in California, ten have occurred within the last five years. According to the Independent Institute, the most destructive and deadly fire was the Butte County Camp Fire in 2018, which killed 85 people and destroyed 14,000 residences. While 2019 may have been a relatively tame year in comparison to the infernos Californians faced in 2017 and 2018, thousands of residents still felt the effects of the spreading danger. An estimated 800,000 people were left without power for several days as electric companies attempted to tame the electrical arcing from power lines—arcing which could spark even more fires. Two of the most devastating fires acreage-wise were the Walker and Kincade fires, which destroyed 54,612 acres and 77,758 acres respectively. According to the California Government Fire website, the state of California faced over 7,800 wildfires, with 200,000 acres burned, 732 structures destroyed, and three people killed. Australia Unlike California, where most of the wildfires of 2019 could be contained and extinguished by the end of the year, the bush fires in Australia remained hot until early 2020. Millions of acres have been burned, thousands of houses obliterated, and dozens of people injured or killed. Just because the fire is out doesn’t mean that the danger is over. The most devastating fires recorded are fires in New South Wales, where fires burned over 12,000,000 acres, demolished more than 2,000 houses, and killed 25 people. Many of the fires are attributed to dry conditions and lightning strikes, with many territories and counties being put under extreme fire danger warnings; East Gippsland even declared a state of disaster. Ecologists from the University of Sydney said that since September about 480 million animals were lost to the fires. They shared concerns that the fires possibly wiped out entire specifies of both plants and animals. Amazon There are very few people who could (or would) undermine the Amazon rainforest’s importance to the global ecosystem. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Amazon contains over “half of the planet's remaining tropical rainforests” and is the largest and most biodiverse rainforest on the planet. There are an estimated 390 billion individual trees in the Amazon, and they play a significant role in stabilizing the global climate. Experts have noted a surge of fire activity in the Amazon over the last several years; however, the cataclysmic fires that raged from January to October in 2019 were a turning point. Millions of acres burned, with the most blame placed on slash-and-burn farming as well as unusually dry weather and higher temperatures. Effects of Fires On Humans

Above: While you're catching the sun in San Francisco, make sure you check out the Aquatic Park Bathhouse for a gorgeous example of WPA-era craftsmanship. “We are definitely in an era of building, the best kind of building—the building of great public projects for the benefit of the public and with the definite objective of building human happiness.”

160 rooms. 2,000 doors. 10,000 windows. 24,000 square feet.

Photo by Claude ValetCaverns around the world hide artwork that is both mysterious and haunting. The artists of these displays were people who lived thousands of years before any written record, and they painted echoes of a past full of now-extinct creatures and untold dangers. Some of these paintings are tens of thousands of years old. Though there are examples of this prehistoric art on every continent, a few caves are especially worth visiting.Chauvet Cave in southern France is one of the best-known examples of ancient cave paintings. Cave bears, mammoths, and other creatures have decorated the walls there for close to 30,000 years, making this one of the oldest known displays of cave art in the world. Since the cavern itself is protected for preservation purposes, a large cave replica called the Pont d’Arc Cavern was built to display copies of all the artwork so that people can come and view it. The expressive techniques show animals with repeating shapes intended to imply movement.Sulawesi, Indonesia has cave paintings that rival even the oldest known artwork in Europe. The discovery of these paintings made it clear that people were developing art all over the world in a fairly contemporary time period, raising questions as to whether people were developing the arts individually in different places, or whether it was part of an older inherited tradition from a previous, shared location. Although some of the oldest paintings in existence, including one of a hand print and one of the ancient pig-like babirusa, are closed to visitors, other parts of the caves can still be explored today with a guide.Cueva de las Manos is famous for having a large number of the stenciled hand imprints that are so often present in works of ancient cave art. Looking at these hand prints and comparing them to many a preschooler’s painted handprint art project makes it seem like something within us has been trying to figure out our human identity for thousands of years. The handprints and other examples of artwork in the Argentine cave are younger than similar examples in Europe and Asia, but they are still close to a mind-boggling 10,000 years old. To see a really old picture of a guanaco, or to see a flurry of stunning and colorful handprints, visitors can approach themselves or get a guided tour.Other notable cave paintings can be found all over the world. La Cueva del Castillo in Spain has a red disk painted on a wall that has been dated to be one of the oldest paintings in the world. The Bhimbetka rock shelters in India contain paintings from close to 30,000 years old to dating from medieval times. A number of paintings in the Santa Barbara region and Burro Flats Painted Cave of California reflect the tradition of cave painting from the Chumash people, and some of the paintings were added as late as the 19th century.It’s humbling to gaze at the relics of the past. The people who left their handprints and memories on cave walls had no inkling of computers or airplanes; their artwork tells tales of a much different world. Should you ever get the chance to see this most ancient art, take time to admire the strength of our species and how far we’ve come to create cultures beyond what these artists could ever have dreamed of.Written by Jerica Nicholls Photo by Xipe Totec39

Whether it’s science fiction, fantasy, or even science fantasy, movies that take place off of this earth capture the imaginations of filmmakers and viewers alike. Fortunately, you don’t need a spaceship to experience the places in some of these movies. Natural landscapes across the world serve as stand-ins for otherworldly scenes in popular movies. So if you’ve ever wanted to travel to Mars or Middle-earth, you can have your own adventure by traveling to these film locations that are “out-of-this-world.”

Just northeast of Los Angeles is a town that nearly all Californians would agree is paradise, even when compared to the multiple well-known cities of the state: Santa Barbara. Its downtown consists of white buildings with red tile roofs, a Spanish-derivative style that references lasting ties to the Spanish Franciscans who founded this paradise in the late eighteenth century. Even just a few days in Santa Barbara can show you why this old city is a treasure to California.

The rough strip of California’s coastline between Fort Bragg and Crescent City is often known to non-locals as simply “the Redwoods,” but to the people who live there, it is the Lost Coast, a land of wonder and defiantly eccentric culture, a land of drifting mists and towering trees. On your trip through the Lost Coast, discover its secrets by stopping at a few of these forests, wildlife refuges, beaches, and centers of local culture.

It’s that time—the afternoon slump. The sun is blazing, the sweat is dripping, and the blisters are forming. And, most regrettably, the magic of the Mouse House has dissipated in a poof of pixie dust. But this all-too-common scenario is entirely avoidable—anyone can maintain the magic of the Disney parks all day long. The following suggestions will help you keep the wonder in your wanderings.

Baker, California, is a popular stop for weary travelers, and not just because it’s the halfway point between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Alien Fresh Jerky is a shop in Baker that offers “alien jerky” for those with a taste for the supernatural. A UFO-themed hotel is also in the works to accommodate the shop’s 750,000 annual visitors.

Although most people try to plan workouts into a trip, some tourists plan trips around their workouts. These competitors learn that athletic excursions can expose new ways to exercise—and new ways to travel. Whether it’s a weekend stop to participate in a race or a two-month vacation to bike across countries, destination athletes are finding ways to make exercise their motivation to travel and travel their motivation to exercise.

Beautiful homes line the west cliff face of the beach in La Jolla (luh-HOI-uh), California, located just 14 miles northwest of San Diego. The homes are situated at the perfect angle to see the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean at the end of each day. Slowly, however, this sandstone cliff is crumbling away, and soon the historic home of one of La Jolla’s most famous residents, Dr. Seuss, will likely crash into the ocean below, endangering the very ecosystems and landscape that inspired many of his works.

San Francisco is known for landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. But did you know that it is also home to moving landmarks? Street performers, known as “buskers,” are scattered all over the city and have been entertaining natives and tourists alike for years.

There’s something about the crunch of leaves underfoot and the hints of an upcoming winter that makes people want to celebrate. But don’t limit yourself to the traditional Americana of Halloween and Thanksgiving. The United States is home to many ethnic enclaves with a variety of cultural festivals. It turns out that, for all the cultural differences, deep down we all just want an excuse to eat, dance, and celebrate.

If there’s one summer activity that everyone can agree on, that’s eating food. Pack your bags, spoons, plates, doggie bags, and appetite, and head for a food-filled road trip through the wonderful world of factories

Illustrations by Jordan LysenkoWith horror movies like The Devil Inside (2012) and The Woman in Black (2012) coming out every year, Americans’ fascination with ghosts and haunting is readily apparent. Let’s face it—we’re either curious about the next life or we’re just addicted to the exhilaration of a fright attack. If you’re the kind of person who goes to all the new horror flicks hoping to jump five feet in the air, here are a few haunted spots to hit this fall. Each is known as one of the most haunted places in America.