The Details are the Picture Picture provided by

The Details are the Picture

Picture provided by National Park Service

Example View 1: A dusty desert byway with a yellow-and-black road marker and a cattle pen on one side. • Wardley: OK, right away I’m thinking American Southwest, probably like Texas, New Mexico, Arizona. Just mostly because of the dryness of the landscape. And then cattle are clearly a big industry in that part of the U. S. But I also know it’s a big industry in Australia. Jim: Yeah, why couldn’t this be Australia? Wardley: I guess it could be. But I’m going to go with my original gut instinct. It feels more familiar than Australia. • Wardley’s guess: Western New Mexico Actual location: Southeastern Arizona

Example View 2: A modern, urban plaza studded with men dressed in suits and a sculpture that looks like a giant swirl of purple frozen yogurt. • Wardley: You can quickly tell this is Asia, just based on the inhabitants and the language on the buildings. Jim: Yeah. But wait, what does that awning say? “Bennigan’s”? And that one says “Texas Western Ice Bar!” Wardley: Ha! I’m thinking that this has to be in Korea. • Wardley’s guess: Daegu, South Korea Actual location: Seoul, South Korea

Example View 3: A two-lane road flanked by leafy, rolling countryside on one side and a palatial estate on the other. • Wardley: Automatically, that’s Europe. And they’re driving on the same side of the road as us, so it’s not England. It almost looks a little like Versailles. Jim: Could it actually be Versailles? Wardley: No, no. Too small to be Versailles. I’m thinking Italy. Clearly the season is fall, so it’s a place with four seasons. There are hills, but it’s not in the Alps. I’m going with Italy. • Wardley’s guess: Northwestern Italy, near Turin Actual location: Northeastern Italy, near Padua

Example View 4: A dirt roadway through scrubby vegetation, with no signs or people in sight. • Jim: Oh man, this could be anywhere. Wardley: Yeah, but it looks beachy. (She notes the sandy-looking soil, which I hadn’t noticed, and the wind-gnarled vegetation. ) Maybe the Bahamas? But wait, the vegetation really isn’t that tropical. And it’s too dry. I’m changing my answer. It’s Australia. • Wardley’s guess: South Australia, near Adelaide Actual location: Kangaroo Island, South Australia, near Adelaide

Takeaway • Language can be a good tip-off, but don’t assume a place is English-speaking just because it has terrible American chain restaurants. • Cultural cues tell you the continent; vegetation tells you the altitude and latitude. But longitude can be trickier. • When there are no signs to read, read the plants and the dirt.

Be Careful, you might be fooled.