• A climbing Iowa road and power lines are lit by the late sun.
    Iowa
  • A woman held an umbrella to shade herself from the sun while enjoying the afternoon on the Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles.
    Santa Monica, Calif.
  • A man took a video as steam rises from Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.
    Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.
  • Chef Sanmartino made gnocchi in the window at Pane & Vino in Miami Beach, Fla.
    Miami, Fla.
  • A message on the outside of a building in Touchet, Wash.
    Touchet, Wash.
  • A skateboarder enjoyed the skatepark at Venice Beach in Los Angeles on Monday evening.
    Venice Beach, Calif.
  • The South Beach shoreline in Miami Beach, Fla.
    Miami Beach, Fla.
  • Nyema Clark, of Nurturing Roots learns how to drive a tractor for the first time on Small Axe Farm in Redmond, Wash.
    Redmond, Wash.
  • Molly Fite practiced with her marionette puppet during a rehearsal of Hallowe’en Spooktacular at Bob Baker Marionette Theater.
    Los Angeles, Calif.
  • The kitchen in the home where Elvis Presley was born in, Tupelo, Miss.
    Tupelo, Miss.
  • Seattle’s famed Space Needle is framed through Dan Corson’s sculpture called Sonic Boom.
    Seattle, Wash.
  • A vehicle skeleton is advertised for sale on the side of Rte 21.
    Deep River, Iowa
  • Akashic Moves Belly Dancers helped each other down from the stage after performing at the Hyde Park Street Fair. This was the first time the Hyde Park Street Fair had been held since the Pandemic.
    Boise, Idaho
  • Carolyn Doyle Tharp-King sat in the sun during an event commemorating Colia Lafayette Clark Freedom Day at the historical Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, Ala.
    Selma, Ala.
  • A rainbow stretched to the ground after a storm in New Mexico.
    N.M.
  • After switching off the artificial lights, to show the cave in its natural state, ranger Gregg Bailey lit a single candle in Mammoth Cave.
    Mammoth Cave, Ky.
  • This couple moved backwards during a slow song during Adult Skate at The Place Cincy in Cincinnati, Ohio.
    Cincinnati, Ohio
  • A child sprinted down a path as seen from the top of Camel's Back Park, an 11-acre urban park in Boise, Idaho.
    Boise, Idaho
  • A rodeo judge held a rainbow flag during the Calf Roping on Foot competition at the Nevada Gay Rodeo Association’s BigHorn Rodeo.
    Las Vegas, Nev.
  • Danny Bravo warmed up on his trumpet before playing at the Ball and Chain nightclub in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, Fla.
    Miami, Fla.
  • Sisters Elisabeth, 7, (left) and Grace Steinbart, 5, read while seated together at a desk inside the schoolhouse at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead.
    De Smet, S.D.
  • The Blue Swallow Motel along the iconic Route 66 in Tucumcari, N.M.
    Tucumcari, N.M.
  • David Locke drives his truck through his land to distribute feed to his cattle in Roberts County, Texas.
    Miami, Texas
  • A truck kicks up dust as it navigates a side road at sunset in Wamego, Kansas.
    Wamego, Kan.
  • Snoqualmie, Wash.
  • McConnell pets Sadie as she wanders along the bar inside The Mint Bar which has been serving customers since 1907 in Sheridan, WY.
    Sheridan, Wyo.
  • Marcus Isom, left, and his father Melvin enjoy their lunch at Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna, Ark.
    Marianna, Ark.
  • Sheridan, Wyo.
  • Lacey McKay of Waterboro, Maine is silhouetted as she balances on a peak in Badlands National Park after driving 530 miles the previous day.
    Badlands National Park, S.D.
  • Beck Booze, 2, adjusts his cowboy hat while riding his horse around his grandfather’s ranch in Miami, Texas.
    Miami, Texas
  • Congregants prayed along the border wall while attending the Border Church / La Iglesia Fronteriza in Tijuana, Mexico.
    US border
  • Todd Dugan, of Bladensburg, OH, pulled the sled 319.93 feet. at Sandwich Fair in Illinois.
    Sandwich, Ill.
  • Storm clouds settled across the Grand Canyon.
    Grand Canyon, Ariz.
  • Globe reporter Mark Shanahan took in the scene outside Emporium, Kan.
    Emporia, Kan.

Two Weeks in America

We sent a dozen journalists on the road across this complex country. They found it’s better than you think.

Congregants prayed along the border wall while attending The Border Church, or La Iglesia Fronteriza, on a Sunday in September in Tijuana, Mexico.

Congregants prayed along the border wall while attending The Border Church, or La Iglesia Fronteriza, on a Sunday in September in Tijuana, Mexico. (Erin Clark/Globe Staff)

Mexico / Nov. 4, 2022

A church draws families together across the US-Mexico border. A wall pushes them further apart.

The Border Church, or La Iglesia Fronteriza, is not a building — or if it is, it only has a single wall. Instead, it is a weekly bilingual, interdenominational service held simultaneously on either side of the US-Mexico border.

Read more
Tourists had their picture taken with the Route 66 sign, marking the end of the trail on the Santa Monica Pier in California.

California / Nov. 4, 2022

Route 66 has long captured the public’s imagination — you probably haven’t heard the whole story
Read more
Joe Browder from North Carolina tried the huckleberry ice cream in a waffle cone at Espresso West in West Yellowstone, Mont.

Montana / Nov. 3, 2022

Who knew huckleberries were a real fruit?
Read more
More Stories

See the paths 12 Globe journalists took in their journey to the four corners of America. Click on a dot to see a story from that location.

Note: Routes are approximate.

Part 6
Mermaid Marvel performed at the Sip N' Dip cocktail lounge, where guests can cozy up to the tiki bar and watch a mermaid swim while they eat and drink.

Mermaid Marvel performed at the Sip N' Dip cocktail lounge, where guests can cozy up to the tiki bar and watch a mermaid swim while they eat and drink. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff)

Montana / Nov. 3, 2022

Mermaids in Montana, 600 miles from the ocean, may have saved their motor inn

Where to even begin here? Well, I suppose with Sandra Johnson-Thares, who runs the motel and may well personify American ingenuity.

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More stories
Part 5
Faya Toure taught a song to students from the Ellwood Christian Academy during a workshop at the historical Tabernacle Baptist Church, commemorating Colia Lafayette Clark Freedom Day in Selma, Ala.

Faya Toure taught a song to students from the Ellwood Christian Academy during a workshop at the historical Tabernacle Baptist Church, commemorating Colia Lafayette Clark Freedom Day in Selma, Ala. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff)

Alabama / Nov. 2, 2022

‘Selma has given so much to the world’: Residents on what’s changed — and what’s left to be done

We spoke to residents, activists, students, and city officials about what’s been accomplished here, and what’s left to do.

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More stories
Part 4
Jesse Grice, an Elvis impersonator of over 30 years, zipped up his suit.

Jesse Grice, an Elvis impersonator of over 30 years, zipped up his suit. (Erin Clark/Globe Staff)

Nevada / Nov. 1, 2022

Two days, three Elvises, and one pink Cadillac crash: Inside the chaotic world of Elvis impersonators

Elvis drives a temperamental pink Cadillac with no seat belts and unreliable brakes. He is running late for an appearance in a Mexican Independence Day parade. This may be my fault.

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More stories
Part 3
Beck Booze, 2, looked out across his grandparents' ranch while riding a horse in Miami, Texas.

Beck Booze, 2, looked out across his grandparents' ranch while riding a horse in Miami, Texas. (Erin Clark/Globe Staff)

Texas / Oct. 31, 2022

Portraits from ‘Trump Town USA’, the Texas community at the center of a one-time media frenzy

In 2016, voters in Roberts County voted for Donald Trump at a higher percentage than anywhere else in the country — 524 of 554 ballots cast. The world’s media descended seemingly overnight. We were curious whether the wave of attention had changed anything about daily life in the town.

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Part 2
Marcus Isom (left) and his father, Melvin, enjoyed lunch at Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna, Ark., on a September afternoon.

Marcus Isom (left) and his father, Melvin, enjoyed lunch at Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna, Ark., on a September afternoon. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff)

Arkansas / Oct. 30, 2022

Just chopped pork? Yup, and at Jones’ Bar-B-Q Diner, it’s perfect

James H. Jones, 77, is proprietor and pitmaster of the restaurant — deemed an “American classic” by the James Beard Foundation — that his grandfather, Walter Jones, founded in 1910.

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Part 1
Toys and mementos hang on a small section of fence at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, dedicated to those affected by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

Toys and mementos hang on a small section of fence at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, dedicated to those affected by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff)

Oklahoma City / Oct. 27, 2022

A mother’s loss after the Oklahoma City bombing is seared in a photo we can’t forget

The picture from the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 resurfaces from time to time — and I always think about the baby’s parents. What effect has it had on them? Now I know.

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Credits
  • Reporters: Julian Benbow, Diti Kohli, Hanna Krueger, Emma Platoff, Annalisa Quinn, Jenna Russell, Mark Shanahan, Lissandra Villa Huerta
  • Photographers: Erin Clark, Pat Greenhouse, Jessica Rinaldi, and Craig F. Walker
  • Editor: Francis Storrs
  • Managing editor: Stacey Myers
  • Photo editors: William Greene and Leanne Burden Seidel
  • Video editor: Anush Elbakyan
  • Digital editor: Christina Prignano
  • Design: Ryan Huddle
  • Development: John Hancock
  • Copy editors: Carrie Simonelli, Michael Bailey, Marie Piard, and Ashlee Korlach
  • Homepage strategy: Leah Becerra
  • Audience engagement: Lauren Booker, Heather Ciras, Sadie Layher, Maddie Mortell, and Devin Smith
  • Newsletter: LaDonna LaGuerre
  • Quality assurance: Nalini Dokula
  • Additional research: Chelsea Henderson and Jeremiah Manion