Believe it or not, there’s a difference between a hobo, a tramp and a bum. Basically, a hobo travels in order to work (a migrant worker is a type of hobo) and a tramp travels but doesn’t do work. A bum doesn’t travel around and doesn’t work, either.
The Hobo Museum, in Britt, Iowa has photos, various contraptions used by hobos, railroad memorabilia, etc. There’s also a hobo cemetery one can visit to pay their, well, respects to various hobos of note. A visit to the gift shop is a must; one can buy various hobo-made oddities like wood carvings, “monkey fists” (apparently the symbol of all official hobos) and more.
Each year, the town hosts a Hobo Convention where folks come by the thousands to do what it is hobos do. There’s a parade, flea market, concerts and Mulligan Stew to serve 5,000!
Allenstown, New Hampshire is the home of the Museum of Family Camping. It’s located in the old Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) dining hall within Bear Brook State Park, along with a couple of other museums that may (or may not) be of interest. The museum was conceived by Roy Heise and opened in 1993.
The Museum has a story to tell its visitors: The story of manufactured products used in camping; the story of families, groups, and individuals as they share the outdoors; the story of parks and campgrounds that welcome campers for recreation and fellowship.
Sounds like three stories to me. But, if you like camping, it’s worth a visit to the museum just so you can see some of the old camping gear like the canvas tent; you won’t complain as much about backpacking with a modern tent after seeing the stuff people used to lug around!
Looking like something out of a 1950’s “B” horror movie, W’eel is a giant turtle statue situated comfortably near the Turtle Mountains in Dunseith, North Dakota. It was erected in 1982 by George Gottbreht to draw people to his nearby store. It’s made entirely of wheel rims, welded together and the head is mounted on a pivot so it can bob up and down.
The American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan is a collection of entertainment magic props, books, posters and so forth. Housed in two buildings, the collection includes more than 15,000 books and 20,000 photographs in its library.
One of the more popular pieces in the collection is the actual “milk can” made famous by Harry Houdini. Houdini would fill the can with water and then he’d have himself handcuffed and lowered into the can. The audience was invited to hold their breath just like Houdini was doing inside the can while it was sealed shut and Houdini performed his escape. The popular act was only done for four years but it’s one of the stunts most associated with the famous magician.
Proving once again that one man’s pile of trash pile is another man’s castle is Bull Run Castle in Aldie, Virginia. Built by John R. Miller from bits and pieces of scrap he procured for the task, the castle is a real fortress designed to withstand the inevitable Armageddon that’ll certainly take down civilization soon. Inside, John has (or more correctly, “had” since the castle has been sold) an armory, supplies to last until the inevitable looting dies down, strong defenses and secret passages.
In addition to the castle, people can visit the antique store inside. Better yet, why not spend the night? The castle is also a B&B so when the “big one drops” you can be safe and cozy inside. At least until you’re kicked out into the marauding hoards!
Put on your captain’s cap and do your best impression of Thurston Howell III because today we’ll visit the Herreshoff Marine Museum / America’s Cup Hall of Fame. Yes, yachting is on our agenda so let’s shove off and hoist the mainsail; we’re headed for Bristol, Rhode Island!
Yacht racing is not something the average Joe enjoys on a typical summer weekend. Even the Wikipedia entry on the America’s Cup sounds uppity:
The America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige. Although the most salient aspect of the regatta is its yacht races, it is also a test of boat design, sail design, fundraising, and management skills. The Cup originally named the Royal Yacht Squadron Cup was changed to the America’s Cup after the first yacht to win the trophy, the schooner America. The trophy remained in the hands of the New York Yacht Club of the United States from 1857 (when the syndicate that won the Cup donated the trophy to the club) until 1983 when the Cup was won by the challenger, Australia II of Australia, ending the longest winning streak in the history of sport. The skipper of Australia II, John Bertrand, was quoted as saying, “This puts yacht racing back on the map.”
The museum, as the name implies, is actually two museums in one. The Herreshoff museum displays a collection of some 60 boats including the largest boat to compete in the America’s Cup and Rhode Island’s oldest boat, SPRITE. The museum also houses 500 models that are themselves worth the price of admission.
The America’s Cup half of the museum looks at some of the people behind the race. Unless you are really into yachting, this half of the museum is a “must miss” even though the rest of the museum is worth a visit.
What can you do to make an ugly desert God just plopped down in Imperial County, California look nice? Pile up some junk and clay then paint it, of course! And, Leonard Night is doing just that so we don’t have to look at the ugly desert anymore.
Salvation Mountain is Leonard’s tribute to God and his gift to the world with its simple yet powerful message: “God Is Love.” Leonard’s passion has lovingly created this brilliant “outsider art” masterpiece resplendent with not only biblical and religious scripture such as the Lord’s Prayer, John 3:16, and the Sinner’s Prayer, but also including flowers, trees, waterfalls, suns, bluebirds, and many other fascinating and colorful objects.
Leonard became a Christian in 1967, on a Wednesday, at 10:30 in the morning while sitting in his van. He was 35 years old and had held various odd jobs including fighting the Korean War for 10 days. Leonard went around to various churches trying to enlighten them on how to properly worship Jesus but for some reason met resistance. Moving on, he was then inspired to make a hot air balloon to help spread the Lord’s message and began collecting bits of fabric and sewing them together. That occupied Leonard for the next 14 years but apparently it wasn’t God’s will to have Leonard fly in his balloon to spread the Word as it (the balloon, not the Word) kept collapsing on itself when he tried to inflate it. Although he persisted, eventually the balloon began to rot and Leonard looked for other ways to spread the Word.
Leonard decided to leave California but wanted to spend one extra week in the area to make a small memorial with a half bag of concrete he had lying around. Weeks begat months begat years and after tons of junk, sand, concrete and paint were assembled, Leonard had the 50-foot high creation he was after! Until it collapsed on itself.
Undaunted, Leonard rebuilt the mountain, this time using native adobe clay and straw. He applied paint liberally to keep the elements from washing away his work. Over the years, Leonard has applied well over 100,000 gallons of paint to his mountain of clay and debris as (he hopes) a lasting tribute to God.
Ed Leedskalnin was set to marry his one true love in his hometown of Riga, Latvia but she stood him up one day before the scheduled nuptials. Now, I’m not sure which was the cause and which was the affect but old Ed went a little coo coo. He moved to Homestead, Florida and started building a castle out of coral. Big chunks of heavy coral. Being a creative sort, Ed named it Coral Castle.
The castle, was started in 1920, took more than 30 years to complete (Ed’s death being the point of completion). Because the undertaking was so massive (and Ed only weighed in at about 100 pounds) and because he was very secretive about his work, lots of strange rumors about floating massive rocks like helium balloons and using a “perpetual motion machine” began to surface. If asked, Ed would simply explain that he knew the secrets of the pyramids. In reality, others have reproduced his work with simple machines.
But, even if he knew the secrets of the pyramids, Ed didn’t know the secrets of good eating habits and he died of malnutrition at age 64.
Donner's Pass Memorial. The snow level of 1846/47 was as high as this statue is tall.
In 1846 a group of people started out for California. Along the way they met a man who said “hey, I know a shortcut” and so 87 people in 23 wagons headed off on a route that took them through the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake Desert. The arduous trek took three weeks longer than the more normal route and by the time the parties reached the Sierras in November, snow was falling. With Pioneer Spirit and I’m suspecting more than an average amount of stupidity (and perhaps a little whiskey), the party took on an attitude of “hell, we’re almost there, no sense stopping now!” and trod off through the snow and mountains.
After hitting 22-foot deep snow they decided to stop and send 10 men and 5 women for help. Two men and five women eventually found help on the other side of the mountains. The balance of the 15 members became tasty little morsels.
Four waves of rescue parties went after the folks camped out in the Sierras, each wave finding fewer and fewer people alive with those less fortunate once again becoming People McNuggets. Finally, the last surviving man was rescued and taken back to Sutter’s Fort, where he arrived on April 29. In the end, 39 people died and 48 survived. In addition, two California Indians who were bringing supplies from Sutter’s Fort became trapped and also died, bringing the total to 41.
Today, we’ve erected a monument at Donner’s Pass, with the inscription below, to warn others not to try to cross the Sierras in winter without adequate food and supplies lest ye be eaten.
VIRILE TO RISK AND FIND; KINDLY WITHAL AND A READY HELP. FACING THE BRUNT OF FATE; INDOMITABLE, -UNAFRAID.
The Dover Speedway in Delaware is known as the Monster Mile so what better mascot than Miles the Monster? In 2000, the management decided to build a giant monster breaking out of the racetrack and grabbing a car. It’s a great photo op and that’s why you only see the top half of Miles; if the entire creature were erected he would have been too tall to photograph well! Miles also has his own comic book; he’s quite the celeb.
Miles cost $6m, is 48 feet tall and weighs 20 tons. He’s hollow so it’s actually possible to go inside him, climb up to the car and sit in it! It must be one heck of a view but unfortunately it’s not open to the public. Whether you like NASCAR or not, it’s worth a visit to Dover Speedway to see Miles!
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