Tetanus Shots
At Old Car City USA, photographers flock to capture beauty in a forest containing thousands of decaying vehicles. The highway derelicts remind us of a time before seat belts, when gas was cents a gallon, and blood poisoning was a badge of honor for bumping down the highway in the back of a rusty pickup truck.
The history of each car corpse is unknown, but surely some survived epic journeys, climbed mountain roads, raced along beaches, traversed deserts. Did this 1930s Chrysler carry bank robbers or G-men? Was its rotted bench seat where an impulsive ancestor started a family?
Perhaps our own fuel efficient jitneys will elegantly decay in the woods for future generations to ponder. But those generations will already know we spent our time taking snapshots of junk cars, so they probably won't bother.
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Glorious Propaganda, Comrades!
A just opened California museum presents the art of mind control and mass manipulation, a collection of 20th century visual propaganda from around the world. For budding despots, the Museum of International Propaganda is divided into helpful sections, such as "Idealization of the Leader of the State" and "Veneration of the Military." Story
Town Boulder of Doom
A large chain bolted to an even larger rock at the top of a mountain has spared the little town below from utter destruction. Or so the tale goes about Kentucky's Chained Rock.
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Concrete, Beer Bottles, and a Dream
No one knows what was in Fred Smith's head when he built hundreds of cement people outside his Wisconsin bar. Not even Fred. He's dead, but the petrified mob in Fred Smith's Concrete Park survives to mystify new generations of admirers.
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Literary Chills in Twain Town
Mark Twain, master of horror! The 19th century scribe terrifies today's travelers in the eerie Mark Twain family dummy room in Hannibal, Missouri's Haunted House, and with the towering, open-mouthed Twain guarding the highway into town. Story
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Spotted by Tipsters
Big in Canada: Tipster Lady Amanda dispatched essential attraction photos from her road trip in Canada. Not enough Lower 48 dwellers venture there, even though it's full of large statues (such as the World's Largest Axe). Perhaps after Nov. 2nd?
World's Largest Bowie Knife: Wait! We're not done with sharp accessories for giants. This new knife sculpture slashes and stabs at our driving bliss in Texas. Thanks to Not So Funny Looking for looking.
For more fun discoveries and updates from the road, head over to the Latest Tips.
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Did Our Social Stream Splatter You?
With only so much time, and many ways to connect with fans of offbeat roadside attractions, we make tough choices. So do you. Sightings newsletter? We catch up and coax you over to the website (plenty of new and great content). Facebook? Its accursed algorithm hides posts, but 20 billion users say "Hi mom!" Instagram? Good place to share a new photo, or an old photo with new filter effects to make it look really old. Twitter? Your as-it-happens #hash#tag #pipe#line of news and events. You Tube? It requires too much effort to make a good daily video — but here's one of the Old Car City USA theme song. Clap along if you want more!
We appreciate your continuing interest and participation!
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Keep on rustin', America!
The RoadsideAmerica.com Team
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