Oh give me a home....

wynkle · Post by **wynkle** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 1:20 pm

Hey! My friend Merritt and I are planning a trip. A trip of freedom. We're going to drive around the U.S. in her rockin' '84 Volvo station wagon, and try to cram in as much pointless Americana as possible. So, in conclusion: what are some places that I wouldn't necessarily think of going?
thanks!

P.S.
Don't bother mentioning Chapel Hill, N.C., because I'm already planning on finding Ben folds's recording studio and doing some sort of ritual adoration dance that may or may not include making out with his life size cardboard cut- out.

meg · Post by **meg** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:00 pm

I would suggest a mechanic.

</killjoy>

Go in the fall and drive through the Adirondacks. Crazy beautiful when the leaves turn. Also try coastal Maine.

wynkle · Post by **wynkle** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:05 pm

Maine sounds good, ayuh. (Maine Joke).

warmfuzzysocks · Post by **warmfuzzysocks** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 3:17 pm

um, the upper peninsula of michigan is quite gorgeous, and if you're driving through the mitten to get there you can literally go to hell. If you're there and it's winter, hell might be frozen over, good for lots of cheesy jokes.

Detroit is alright, but I don't think I'd reccomend it as a tourist spot.

Post by **John** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 5:00 am

The mountains of southern colorado.

Post by **grant** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 6:26 am

Cochise's Stronghold, on the border of Arizona and Mexico.

Post by **grant** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 6:33 am

The Koreshan State Historical Site in southwest Florida.

Post by **grant** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 6:35 am

North Georgia's Len Foote Hike Inn.

sara · Post by **sara** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 7:28 am

you should go to that one place in CA where those dinosaurs are (from the pee wee herman movie) its like off the freeway somewhere in the desert.. i want to go there so bad...

wynkle · Post by **wynkle** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 11:23 am

All hail Grant!!!
Huh? What dinosaurs?I have to say that I missed the Pee Wee Herman boat.
I have never been to the mountains of S. Colorado, and I bet they are gorgeous. My favorite part of any roadtrip is driving through mountain highways. I love how they're so narrow and you're surrounded by these huge.. well, mountains. Sometimes I even think they look like great sleeping bodies, but that may be the elevation.
Lately, though I've been having this crazy fear that if I go into the mountains my arm or some other appendage will get locked under a boulder and I will end up being circled by greedy buzzards. Plus, I know that Merritt would wander off in search of help, but end up eating all of the candy bars and falling asleep under an inviting tree.sigh.
Anyway, has anyone ever been to New Orleans? Yea or nay?

Betty Felon · Post by **Betty Felon** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 8:04 pm

Pointless Americana?

If anything fits that description, it's gotta be The House on the Rock http://www.thehouseontherock.com/the_attraction.htm

Quintessential eccentric American millionaire project. It's way up in northern Wisconsin, almost to Canada. It gets more and more touristy every year, but this is still one of the weirdest, most unique places I have ever seen.

Collections of just about everything, all built in an architecturally interesting private home. Some things I particularly remember:

--a huge carousel indoors in a magnificent room.
--whole turn of the century streets built indoors...including scary torturous dentist and pharmacy shops. I think I saw I real, three-foot-long tapeworm in a jar taken out of someone who was using it to diet.
--mechanized music rooms, meaning the instruments are played by machines, like a player piano. One is a full symphony orchestra.

It's absolutely insane. Stop by the Dells while you are at it and check out the Tommy Barlett crazyman empire. Take home a cheese hat for mom. [/i]

Karousme · Post by **Karousme** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 8:53 pm

The haunted "goatman" church between Poplar and Wolf Point Montana.

Very very pointless local Americana.

ChadyzGroove · Post by **ChadyzGroove** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 10:06 pm

the "gates of hell" in collinsville,il its really boring but theres a few old refridgerators. or you can buy pass the gates of hell and visit the giant ketchup bottle

Karousme · Post by **Karousme** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 11:18 pm

Ok.... now here is a stop to end all stops.

THE GEOGRAPHICAL CENTER OF NORTH AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it is located in Rugby, North Dakota, and there is a tower to signify where this so called geographical center is located. It is the most amazing site in the entire world. You see, if North America were to be of uniform thickness, and you were to put a pole or a pin or some skinny object under the town of Rugby, North Dakota, you would find that the entire continent of North America would balance perfectly. It's true.

Midori · Post by **Midori** » Sun Aug 24, 2003 10:43 am

You can't go wrong with Coral Castle in Homestead, FL. This little 100lb dude built it in secret out of gigantic hunks of coral. Nobody can figure out how he did it, but it is suspected that he had built some sort of insane pulley mechanism because some of the pieces weigh TONS. It's a really, really, cool thing to see.

wynkle · Post by **wynkle** » Sun Aug 24, 2003 10:59 am

Dammit! You guys are awesome!

Post by **Liesbeth** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 11:22 am

ChadyzGroove wrote:or you can buy pass the gates of hell and visit the giant ketchup bottle

And here I was thinking that if I ever go to the States, the highest thing to aspire to would be to visit all the great mountain ranges (we call a 150 ft hill a mountain where I'm from), with some great gigs thrown in.
I know better now.

Of course, you could drive to Roswell, then drive around the rest of the time hoping you'll get a lift to outer space.

Midori · Post by **Midori** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 1:46 pm

You know where else is awesome? Graceland. Home of the King. Awwwwww yeah......

Betty Felon · Post by **Betty Felon** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 12:08 am

If you are gonna go see southern colorado's mountains, the cochise stronghold, and roswell, here are some of the many other places you should go while there in the Southwest:

--Sedona, Arizona to explore the "psychic energy vortexes"
--Lake Havasu, Arizona to see the London Bridge. You heard me.
--Albuquerque, NM-- American International Rattlesnake Museum. They are alive.
--Los Alamos, NM-- The Black Hole Oh yes, that's my America.

While in the Southwest, don't forget to eat everything swimming in green chili, visit at least one border town and one Indian reservation, stew buck naked in at least one natural hot spring, cut a fresh bundle of sage for your car, blast Calexico at insane decibel levels, and avoid anything called "Jumping Cholla."

Oh, and look up at night. That's the milky way.

Betty Felon · Post by **Betty Felon** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 12:12 am

Hey Cali people, have any of you been to The Museum of Jurassic Technology? Creepy, mindnumbingly boring, or super neato?