The next town is definitely a must visit. It's a "town" in name only, really, as there are only 10 people left in Centralia. Everyone has left and for a good reason: over 50 years ago, an underground coal vein was accidentally lit on fire, and the underground fire has been burning every since, emitting noxious fumes. They say it may continue burning for another 250 years.

The Traveler is psyched about this opportunity to experience a true "post-apocalypse town" ... a town that might give clues into what what the world will look like, once modern society collapses. He has visited many towns that have given him glimpses into the past. Perhaps this one will be glimpse into the future.

You can hardly notice there is anything there as you enter Centralia. The abandoned houses have been removed, leaving behind only ghostly steps leading to what once was a doorway. The wide streets are slowly being eaten by the forest, which is once again reclaiming its territory. Some streets have mountains of trash in them. With no local police, there's not really anybody looking around to make sure laws aren't broken. There is still a volunteer firefighter station that's in use--and even a nicely maintained church up on the hillside, standing all by itself.

Strangely fitting though, it's the cemetery that's the best maintained spot in the city. In fact, it's the first American cemetery he's seen with a high fence around it and video surveillance--for good reason . This ghost town attracts tourists and thrill seekers--and I imagine the cemetery in this ghost town has to be a popular nighttime spot for thrillseekers.

It seems strange that, after civilization has collapsed, society has disappeared, there should still be concern for maintaining the place of the dead. If nothing else, Centralia is a reminder that, on a big enough time scale, nature wins, humans lose. Somehow we aren't able to acccept that.

The Traveler sits on edge of the road pondering on the experience. Off in the distance are two houses with nice cars parked outside. Two families seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are living in an abandoned town. Seeing the trees, plants and forest creatures spreading and living out their lives just as they have for hundreds of millions of years is somehow soothing. Life will go on here on earth for a very, very long time. Even long after intelligent beings are no longer around to observe, classify and analyze .

So what might be the final messages humans leave behind? A bit farther up ahead is an abandoned highway with gaping cracks in it where gases from the endless fire beneath escapes. The entire highways isn blanketed with graffiti--looking very much like a message board of humans leaving behind their final notes before fleeing a zombie apocalypse.

So what kind of messages will humans leave behind? If this highway offers any clues, it will be mainly lots of pictures of penises.

There are couple of intriguing messages, like an ominous "All Men Must Die!" and a picture of an alien spaceship with a message "Get in Loser!" But mostly it seems that when the world comes to an end, people's obsesssion will be with depicting the male reproductive organ...

And then, the graffiti highway ends, and a real highway with real cars begins. The Traveler finds himself back in the present day, when human civilization is still at its peak. People are prospering, building, expanding, conquering...

At least for now.