Fueled for a Star-Spangled Summer

He may be neither red, white, nor blue, but the Golden Driller is as American as any Uncle Sam statue, and much taller, too. He's a towering symbol of the oil that fueled the USA's love of the open road -- and the tourist attractions that made the roads memorable. Tougher than any classical colossus, even the Golden Driller's paint (oil-based, of course) is said to be strong enough to last a century -- a century of progress!

Craftsmanship: It's Tiny and Awesome

The itty-bitty machines and microscopic tools at the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum are a testament to the steady hands and steely nerves of those who Think Small. It took one man seven years to get his tiny Do-Nothing Machine to do nothing the right way.

America's Teeth, Toughest in the World

Disgusting "Bauxite Teeth" prompted dentists to seek the power of fluoride, and are displayed at the Bauxite Museum, along with the all-aluminum dress that dared to be different -- but was a dud. The Bauxite Miner Family Statue celebrates the human side of America's most underappreciated ore, while the World's Only Building Made of Bauxite reveals its limitations as a rock.

This Tree Went to the Moon

And it has a sign to prove it. It was just the seed part of the tree -- and some say not even that is true. But the Bicentennial Moon Tree grows on, inching moonward, satisfying tree-huggers and space geeks as it has since 1976.

Berlin Wall Har-De-Har-Har

Why so serious? A French artist mocked the Berlin Wall when he covered it with goofy heads in the 1980s. The Germans gave this Big Head Berlin Wall Slab to New York City, whose busy inhabitants probably don't even know what the slab is or where it came from.

One Man's Home Was His Mud Castle

Cabot Yerxa built and built a bizarre junk castle in the desert for 24 years, and then died. The dry air preserved his mega-mud-home, and now you can tour it as Cabot's Old Indian Pueblo Museum.

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Spotted by Tipsters

Robot Chickens in the Machine: For four bucks (crisp bills only) Kristina was able to watch singing, gyrating robot chickens in the Glaum Egg Ranch egg machine -- and take home 22 eggs. So can you!

Collar Size XXXXXXXL: Shutterbug Andrea shared her novel snapshot of a tiny person to show just how giant the Giant President Heads of Houston really are. Let the exuberant vacation photo ops commence!

Ocean Liner of Doom: Tipster Gene Murrell navigates us to the maritime museum with the prop ship used in the 1972 disaster film The Poseidon Adventure. It's not far from the actual haunted ocean liner that inspired its design (though not its flip-over doom) -- The Queen Mary.

Restricted Access to Cheesy Goodness?: Tipster Annie had stern words for the overly-protective security cordon surrounding the Big Cheesy Noodle. "It's a noodle sculpture...not a secret recipe. Simmer down, Kraft!"

Duncan Hines: More Than Cake Mix: Kentucky museum showcases the actual person Duncan Hines and the World's Largest Underpants, and KarenMountainView saw them both.

Canada: It's a whole country filled with larger-than-life treats and worthy oddities. Jeff Hammer stood in the shadow of Nova Scotia's Giant Fiddle, while frequent tipster Signmanjoe wandered Ontario, with sightings such as the stone-tossing statue of Donald Dinnie, Greatest Athlete of the World.

For more fun discoveries and updates from the road, head over to the Latest Tips.

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Latest News on Roadside America

Stanley Marsh 3, the eccentric oilman who bankrolled Cadillac Ranch, passed away, and so did the Magic Restroom Cafe, which was flushed after only eight months of serving food in toilets. The clock is ticking on the Natural Bridge Wax Museum and Deep Throat's Parking Garage, but the future is brighter for the Floating Bridge and the Huge Wooden Colonial Guy, both promised much-needed repair. The Recycled Roadrunner has reappeared on its old perch after an infusion of new junk, and Daddy-O's Tango Frogs returned to Dallas after 30 years in exile. The most impressive news of the month belongs to Virginia's Tank Museum, which is feeling unappreciated and plans to pack up its tanks -- all 118 of them -- and move to Ohio.

Keep pace with important attraction updates on the Roadside America Twitter feed.

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Back after the Bar-B-Q,
The RoadsideAmerica.com Team