Past the Florida Keys

As aforementioned, my work travel currently brings me to Jacksonville, Florida for a couple weeks hence.  The area seems pretty nice, and all the Mayo Clinic buildings really bring me back to my childhood.  Florida is a huge state that has a lot of different faces, and before a few years ago, it was the state I'd spent the second longest time in, yet I haven't seen that much of it.  Obviously, I've seen Disney and Universal more times than I can really remember to count, but most of the state is a mystery to me.

One of the major motivations for wanting to take a trip while I'm down here is the fact that I've always been curious about a monument known as the Coral Castle.  It took a couple other sites to make me realize and be able to really articulate my love for places such as the Coral Castle.  Last year, Dana and I rolled through Ohio on our way to California, and made a stop at the Hartman Rock Garden.  Originally created by its namesake during the Great Depression, it was clearly a labor of love, thousands upon thousands of tiny stones glued together to create an elaborate work of art.  One man took the time and effort to do something he thought was important, and spent a great deal of his life creating it.  If there's a better definition of "suffering artist," I really am not aware of it.

In the early part of the twentieth century, a man named Edward Leedskalnin moved to the United States from Latvia after being jilted by his fiancee at the altar.  For twenty-eight years he labored in south Florida to create what he dubbed Rock Gate Park and later became Coral Castle.  Using a deep understanding of weight and leverage, he was able to lift and arrange over a thousand tons of stone into gates, arrangements, and doorways.  Purportedly, before it failed in the eighties, there was a nine-ton gate that a child could push open using a single finger, due to the perfect balance that Ed had crafted.  Ed died in 1951 and the monument was passed on to a few other entities, finally ending up as a private company which still does tours today.

The castle is six hours away from where I'm staying, so I figure a two day trip would probably be best.  Fortunately, there's plenty to see between here and there, so I won't be bored for things to see!  Below is my brainstorming for things I find interesting that are potential visits on the way.

Below I'll be classifying things into a few categories:  quick stops/statues, museums and amusement parks, hikes, and restaurants and snacks.

The World's Largest Cross - 27 Ocean Ave, Saint Augustine, FL
A follow up to the Effingham Cross we saw last year, this thing is apparently even taller.  It's dedicated to Our Lady of La Leche, and is lit up at night to comply with FAA regulations. (+5 minutes)

The Bluebird of Happiness - 180 Vilano Rd, St. Augustine, FL
Originally erected in the 1940s as an advertisement for oranges, it was rebranded as a bluebird more recently to advertise Vilano Beach.  It's eight feet tall and truly looks VERY happy.  Makes me continuously hum "Birdhouse in Your Soul," so it must be good.  (+6 minutes)

Michelangelo's David Replica - 19 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine, FL
A replica of the famous statue, made in the same manner as the original and now displayed outside the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum.  It weighs 20,000 pounds and was created in the sixties for the New York World's Fair by Italian artisans.  (+3 minutes)

First Airplane Replica - 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL
A replica made of steel of the first airplane flown by the Wright Brothers in North Carolina.  Nearby is a statue of one of the Wright Brothers, looking on as his sibling takes off in their new contraption.  The statues live near the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  (+12 minutes)

The Ruins of Bongoland - 950 Old Sugar Mill Rd, Port Orange, FL
A defunct amusement park of past, Bongoland was open for only four years in the late 1940s and early 1950s before being closed for lack of public interest.  Most of it is gone, now, save for a few (some purportedly awful) concrete statues of various dinosaurs.  It's free to explore, but donations are accepted.  (+18 minutes)

The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame - 6225 Vectorspace Blvd., Titusville, FL
A tribute to the few hundred Americans who have flown into space.  It only seems fitting to give this place a visit after the recent death of the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong.  (+20 minutes)

Earth Rock - 3645 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island, FL
A large boulder painted to look like the earth.  Well, half the earth, anyway.  One side is completely painted black, possibly representing the night side.  Either way, it seems like an interesting quick stop.  (+22 minutes)

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex - Hwy 405, Titusville, FL
I've been here before, but it's been years and years, so I'm thinking of potentially visiting again!  It's a bit pricey, though, so that alone may make me back off a little.  Maybe some external shots of the facility, though.  (+38 minutes)

Giant Orange - US Hwy 1 and Masterson St, Melbourne, FL
Kind of just what it says - a giant orange sitting in a park.  It apparently features a memorial to those who fought and died in the Vietnam War.  (+18 minutes)

Burt Reynolds and Friends Museum - 100 North US. Hwy 1, Jupiter, FL
A museum dedicated to history's greatest actor, Burt Reynolds.  Lots of memorabilia and interesting objects document the actor who grew up on the Atlantic Coast of Florida.  Oddly enough, one of the podcasts I follow features a guy named Mike Carano.  In 2005, he tried to purchase a wax figure of Reynolds from a closing California wax museum and lost the auction.  He was then contacted by Burt Reynolds himself and contracted to deliver the figure to Florida for him.  I'm not sure if it ends up here, but that would be pretty amazing if so.  (+25 minutes)

Butterfly World - 3600 W Sample Rd, Coconut Creek, FL
A kind of zoo that features over eighty species of butterflies.  Seems like a pretty good time, actually!  (+6 minutes)

Scooby Doo Van - 530 Northeast 167th Street, North Miami Beach, FL
An unfinished replica of Scooby and the Gang's blue-and-green detective van.  It sits in the parking lot of a diner, apparently, so it might be a good place to grab a meal after getting a couple pictures of the seventies-inspired Mystery Machine.  (+6 minutes)

Oldest Building in the Western Hemisphere - 16711 W. Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach, FL
A monastery that was originally built in Spain in the 12th century.  It was moved to Florida, piece by piece, in the 1950s and now stands as the oldest modern structure outside of Europe and Asia.  Costs $8 to tour the place and it's open until about 4pm.  (+16 minutes)

Coral Castle - 28655 S. Dixie Hwy, Homestead, FL
As described earlier, the Coral Castle is a collection of monolithic stones arranged in patterns to create a "castle".  It's precisely the kind of thing I love - an interesting art piece created by a lifetime of work from a single person.  Open until 6pm most days.  (main attraction)

As far as hotel goes, I'll probably be able to stay at one of the Hampton Inns in Miami after my 7-8 hour drive.  Right now, this is all only a bit theoretical; we'll see if it can actually happen!

That Road Trip Business

I'll admit, I've been slacking.  After glancing through the last couple years of posts, I realized that the road trip posts I made (particularly the one almost exactly a year ago to the west coast) were some of my favorite things to glance back on.  Realizing this has made me really wish I would have better documented a few of our more recent trips, so, I figured I'd share some of the plans we've made recently!

We were originally planning for a fall road trip up to northern Vermont with some of Dana's friends, but it seemed shortly thereafter that it probably wouldn't fall into place.  Instead, we've decided to head south past the Mason-Dixon line into Virginia.  I've seen parts of Virginia - primarily Wallops Island, on the other side of the Chesapeake from most of the state, and the areas around Dahlgren for work.

Instead, this time, we're thinking about seeing the more southern portions of the state, specifically Shenandoah National Park.  The National Park follows the Blue Ridge Mountains southward from Harrisonburg, Virginia, and includes a road known as Skyline Drive.  This scenic byway winds through the mountaintops for a little over a hundred miles.  Skyline Drive connects up to another road known as the Blue Ridge Parkway, a National Scenic Byway that is often considered one of the top five drives in the entire nation.

After our adventure two years ago on the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as Route 1, in north and central California, we've always wanted a similar yet new experience.  The Blue Ridge Parkway is very similar - it is windy and slow, and offers some ridiculously scenic views.

Speaking of scenic drives, after researching a bit for the Blue Ridge Parkway, I discovered that Florida's A1A is also apparently a National Scenic Byway.  I happen to currently be down in Jacksonville for work, which it just so happens is near the northern terminus of A1A!  There are a lot of interesting things to check out around the area, too, so I may have to make an impromptu, regrettably solo, road trip out of it.

Either way, I'm going to write up both of these trips in the coming day or two, so stay tuned for the plans.  I'll make sure they include lots of dumb, novelty, giant things!

Roadtrippin' 101

So after some discussion a few weeks ago about some road trip sights I pointed out to my friend Josh, I was asked to basically draw up a hypothetical plan or two for a trip up to Acadia National Park in Maine. Though I will be thoroughly jealous of their travels, I decided to whip up something akin to what I usually do for Dana and my road trips.

First of all, the destinations, in order:
Boston, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Portland, Maine
Acadia National Park, Maine
Montreal, Quebec
Burlington, Vermont

Leg 1: Collingswood, New Jersey to Boston, Massachusetts
Leg 2: Boston, Massachusetts to Acadia National Park, Maine
Leg 3: Acadia National Park, Maine to Montreal, Quebec
Leg 4: Montreal, Quebec to Collingswood, NJ

State by state attractions below. Color coding is: Quick stops/statues, museums and amusement parks, hikes, and restaurants and snacks.

New Jersey

1. FDR's Giant Head (12 N. Rochdale Ave., Roosevelt, NJ) - Just a giant bust of the 20th century president. Apparently the town changed its named shortly after FDR's death in the 1940s and put up the colossal head in homage to the guy. Apparently the amphitheater containing the bust is falling apart enough to be a little creepy. (+14 minutes, public display)
2. World's Largest Lightbulb and Edison Memorial Tower (37 Christie St., Edison, NJ) - A large tower peaked with a thirteen-foot light bulb intended to memorialize the state's greatest inventory. It marks the place where Edison's workshop once stood in Menlo Park, where, among other things, Edison invented the light bulb and was the first person to record and play back sound. (+4 minutes, museum open 10a-4p Tuesday-Saturday, free with recommended donation)
3. World's Largest Water Tower (US Hwy 22, Union, NJ) - Pretty much what it sounds like - a water tower that's really tall. It's actually in the Guinness Book of World Records. (+9 minutes, public display)
4. The USS Ling Submersible Museum (78 River St., Hackensack, NJ) - While technically a submersible, the Ling is for all intents and purposes a World War II era submarine. The main tour guide is named Tom Coulson and apparently served on the same class of ship, so he knows a ton of technical details about it. (+0 minutes, 10a-4p Saturday-Sunday, $12 / person)

Connecticut

1. The World's Largest Dairy Store (100 Westport Ave., Norwalk, CT) - A ridiculous tourist trap filled with all the best tourist trap-y stuff, including a bunch of animatronic bands (milk cartons singing songs, yes please) and a cow that apparently tells jokes. Sounds awesome to me, and probably good for a snack. (+3 minutes, open 7a-11p all days)
2. National Helicopter Museum (2480 Main St., Stratford, CT) - Includes some strange early helicopter designs and details the history of the helicopter. Apparently it's at a train station nowhere near a helipad or airport. (+5 minutes, open 1p-4p Wednesday-Sunday in the summer)
   
3. PEZ Visitor Center (5 Prindle Hill Rd, Orange, CT) - Why wouldn't you want to go to a PEZ museum? You get to see how PEZ is made, stand next to a ten-plus foot tall dispenser, and be enthralled by the history of PEZ. Seriously, go to this. Apparently opened in early 2012. (+2 minutes, 10a-6p Monday-Saturday, 12n-5p Sunday, $5)
4. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (157 Wooster Street, New Haven, CT) - A great pizza place, in addition to being one of the oldest, opening its doors in 1925. Second only in my mind to Lombardi's in New York City and has a Yelp rating of 4.32 average with nearly 500 ratings. (+0 minutes, 11:30a-10p Monday-Saturday and 12n-10p Sunday)
   
5. Neon Turkeys (2443 Boston Post Rd, Guilford, CT) - Just plain awesome. Unfortunately, this isn't very exciting except in November and December, when the turkeys are outside, but apparently Gozzi's Turkey Farm dyes their turkeys neon colors during Thanksgiving time. (+1 minute, public display November and December)
6. Wells Dinosaur Haven (2464 Rte 32, Uncasville, CT) - A bunch of dinosaurs built by a guy who's made it one of his life's hobbies. In his wooded back yard live several neon-painted dinos, including a full-sized T-rex holding a mandolin. Long pants are recommended to hike through his dinosaur-laden yard. It's a private display, so you have to call and ask permission to trot around. (+19 minutes, private display, call 860-848-0616)

Rhode Island

1. The Enchanted Forest (Hwy 3, Hope Valley, RI) - The remains of an amusement park rotting away in the wilderness. One should probably ask permission before heading onto the property, but there are lots of pictures available featuring disheveled bumper cars, a rotting pirate ship, and a few other long-shutdown attractions. There's apparently no gate, but hike through at your own risk. (+0 minutes, potentially private property, abandoned site)
2. Grave of Suspected Vampire (Victory Hwy., Exeter, RI) - The headstone marking the grave of one Mercy Lena Brown. A bunch of her family started dying without explanation (as was common in the 19th century) and eventually she succumbed, too. After being buried, she was exhumed two months later and her heart was found to be quite fresh, so of course, she was clearly a vampire. They removed the heart and burned it, because that's the only way to be sure. It's more a good story than a good stop, since the headstone doesn't mention her vampirism. (+2 minutes, public site)
3. World's Largest Bug (161 O'Connell St., Providence, RI) - A huge termite mounted on the roof of an pest control business. It's 58 feet long and cost over $20,000 to make. Wowzers. (+0 minutes, public site)
4. Rhode Island's Modern Diner (364 East Ave., Pawtucket, RI) - One of the 1940s Sterling Streamliner diners, and the first ever diner to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. It's one of two Streamliner diners to remain in operation nationally. (+4 minutes, 6a-2:30p Monday-Saturday and 7a-2p Sunday)
5. HP Lovecraft's Grave (585 Blackstone Blvd., Providence, RI) - The prolific horror writer's gravestone. Frequently attended by his fans who like to leave weird objects near the grave in his honor. Maybe they're trying to summon Cthulhu? (+6 minutes, public site)

Massachusetts

1. The Museum of Bad Art (580 High St., Dedham, MA) - A ton of paintings and sculptures that qualify as horrendously bad. A lot of them could probably be described as "so bad they're good," but probably not. Apparently they have a good amount of turnover, so you can go back again and again! (+9 minutes, 6:30p-10:30p Monday-Friday and 1:30p-10:30p Saturday-Sunday)
2. The Original Dunkin Donuts (543 Southern Artery, Quincy, MA) - The first of the east-coast institution. Last year this shop was retro-renovated, as it had been upgraded since its 1950 inception. (+7 minutes, open 24 hours 7 days a week)
3. The World's Largest Nearly Perfect Sphere (Hancock St., Quincy, MA) - Made of granite and weighing almost ten tons. It's polished on a regular basis and quite shiny. (+3 minutes, public site)
4. Boston, Massachusetts - A city filled with a ton of history. When Dana and I visited, we ran around and saw a plethora of old churches, the USS Constitution (the first ship in the US Navy), Paul Revere's House, the site of the Boston Massacre, the Massachusetts State Capital with its trademark golden dome, some awesome graveyards with original colonists buried therein, and of course, clam chowder from the beautifully named Boston Chowda Company. The age of the city is evidence from the basic layout of the streets, which zig-zag every which way with no real rhyme or reason.
5. Salem, Massachusetts - Another historic city, famous for its frenzied witch hunts in the late 17th century. There are plenty of museums to be found, including the Salem Witch Museum and the New England Pirate Museum. Plenty of random gift shops and unorthodox witch-related shops abound.
6. Dogtown Ghost Town (Dogtown Rd, Gloucester, MA) - The last home was built in Dogtown in the early 19th century, and since, everything has fallen into disrepair. The area also features large boulders with random advisory inscriptions carved into them, like COURAGE and LOYALTY. These carvings were made by a man named Roger Banson, who apparently hated and feared the force of gravity so much that he implored local colleges to attempt to come up with a way to defeat it. (+37 minutes, public site)

Maine

1. Animal Store (301 US Hwy 1, Kittery, ME) - A gift shop filled with about fifty full sized stuffed animals, including a pair of moose locked in antler combat. Outside, there are several wooden sculptures carved with chainsaws. (+4 minutes)
2. Lenny, the Chocolate Moose (419 US Hwy 1, Scarborough, ME) - The mascot of an ice cream parlor, Lenny is a full-sized moose made out of milk chocolate. Apparently the sculpture has existed for about fifteen years. Probably worth seeing and grabbing an ice cream snack before Portland. (+6 minutes, 9a-8p Monday-Saturday and 10a-8p Sunday)
3. The International Cryptozoology Museum (11 Avon St., Portland, ME) - A museum filled with weird twists of "nature" which are more than likely just a bunch of bunk, but don't let that spoiled the fun of it! (+9 minutes, 11a-4:30p Wednesday-Saturday, 12n-3:30p Sunday)
4. Eartha, The World's Largest Rotating Globe (2 DeLorme Drive, Yarmouth, ME) - A huge globe, apparently 131 feet in circumference, makes one full rotation every eighteen minutes. It's free to enter the lobby, but the globe is visible twenty-four hours a day through a large window. (+2 minutes, 9:30a-6p seven days a week)
5. The Monster of Unfathomable Pedigree (4 State Rd, Bath, ME) - Probably the best name for a sculpture ever. This red junk sculpture resembles several things, but it's tough to pin down exactly what it's supposed to be. Still, because of the name, you should probably go visit it. (+9 minutes, public site)
6. Mainer C. Lobster Statue (161 Main St., Woolwich, ME) - The only thing goofier than the Unfathomable Pedigree Monster is this one. He's apparently the mascot of a seafood restaurant and takes the form of a lobster with googly eyes and one buck tooth. (+8 minutes, public site)
7. Statue of the Little Ambassador (230 State St., Augusta, ME) - A statue of a little girl who, at ten years old in 1982, wrote a letter to the Soviet Union urging for peace. She died a few years later, and a statue was erected of her releasing a dove in honor of peace. (+3 minutes, public site)
8. World's Largest Non-Stick Frying Pan (Crosby St., Pittsfield, ME) - Brought out every year in July for the Pittsfield Egg Festival, where it cooks several dozen eggs at a time, apparently. The festival is held the first weekend in July. (+12 minutes, public festival)
9. Paul Bunyan's Birthplace (519 Main St., Bangor, ME) - A statue of the mythical lumberjack looms over his purported Maine birthplace, axe slung over his shoulder. Apparently over a dozen states claim Bunyan for their own, including Minnesota. (+4 minutes, public site)
10. Chainsaw Art Show (734 US Hwy 1, Hancock, ME) - Ray Murphy, a Santa Clause lookalike with a penchant for sculpture, holds art shows from June to September every year. His canvas is a block of wood and his tool of choice is the inelegant chainsaw. You can e-mail him at chainsawray at hotmail dot com for showtimes. Apparently he's made over 57,000 sculptures. (+0 minutes, e-mail for showtimes)
11. Wilbur the Lobster (792 US Hwy 1, Hancock, ME) - A roadside attraction consisting of a twenty-foot, bright red fiberglass lobster. Probably a nice photo opportunity with Maine's most famous animal. (+0 minutes, public site)
12. Acadia National Park - Featuring plenty of hiking through woodlands on the coasts of Mount Desert Island. The island has some excellent views, including those from Cadillac Mountain, where visitors can view the surroundings and look out upon the ocean. Also of note is Somes Sound, once described as a fjord but now more accurately described as the fjord's younger brother, the fjard.
13. Angel Falls (Bemis Track, Houghton, ME) - A waterfall that occasionally resembles an angel when the water flow is just right. Apparently quite far off the beaten path. Described as "remarkably scenic". (+47 minutes, hike)

New Hampshire

1. Santa's Village (Jefferson, NH) - A curious little park themed around Christmastime but only open in the summer. It has a few Christmas and wintery-themed rides and is a symbol of bygone days where Christmas theme parks peppered the east coast. (+5 minutes, $26/person admission, open from mid-June to Labor Day)

Vermont

1. Cheese Factory Tour (2878 Main St., Cabot, VT) - A tour through a functional cheese factory. There are plenty of free samples, so it's well worth the $1 admission charge. See how the Vermont cheese stacks up to Nichole's home state's. (+8 minutes, $1/person admission, open daily 9a-5p)
2. Ben and Jerry's Factory and Flavor Graveyard (Rte 100, Waterbury, VT) - A tour of the Ben and Jerry's factory where dozens of ice cream flavors are conceived and manufactured. The tour includes free samples, and the flavor graveyard displays rejected and retired flavors in Ben and Jerry's history. (+2 minutes, $3/person, 9a-9p in the summer and 10a-6p otherwise)
3. Round Church, Devil Resistant! (25 Round Church Rd, Richmond, VT) - A sixteen-sided church, about as close to round as you can get in the 19th century. Apparently it's round to prevent there from being any corners the devil can hide in, but I'm not convinced. A sixteen-sided church has a lot more corners than a regular one. (+14 minutes, public site)
4. Whale Tails (I-89, South Burlington, VT) - A pair of granite tails stick out of the ground on the site of the interstate south of Burlington. Probably a pretty interesting thing to notice as you're driving into town. (+16 minutes, public site)
5. Memorial Park (Home Ave., Burlington, VT) - Just a nice stroll through a park but... wait, what is that? Apparently this park is filled with several lion-headed, crouching statues that defy explanation. (+8 minutes, public site)
6. Four Corners of the Earth Deli (310 Pine St, Burlington, VT) - The perfect complement to a hippie college town is a hippie sandwich shop! Dana and I rolled through this place on our way up to Montreal, and the sandwiches were pretty fantastic. It has a 4.30 rating on Yelp, and the sandwiches on the menu are named after locations. Cash only. (+0 minutes, opens around noon)

Quebec

1. Montreal, Quebec - A great city, and probably the closest you'll get to a European city without crossing an ocean. It's a lot of fun just to walk around a bit in, though on our visit Dana and I visited a few landmarks like the Montreal Olympic Stadium, the interestingly-colored Parliament Building, and dropped by the parade for La Fête nationale du Québec, AKA Quebec National Day. Obviously, the whole city is pretty hopping during that day, which happens to be June 24; so if you get the chance, check it out. Also, everyone loves poutine!
   

Vermont

1. Ausable Chasm (US Hwy. 9, Ausable Chasm, NY) - "The Grand Canyon of the East," purportedly. Looks like a nice place to stop and gawk, as the chasm features a nice group of waterfalls. Better for hikes than a roadside stop, and very popular with the French Canadian tourists.
2. Santa's Workshop (324 Whiteface Memorial Hwy., North Pole, NY) - The oldest theme park in the United States. Seriously. Originally opened in the late 1940s in northern New York state, it was the brainchild of a businessman whose daughter asked him to take her to Santa Claus' summer home. Also features the world's first petting zoo. Pretty awesome and intentionally preserved. ($17.95 a person for adults)
3. Creepy Davey Crockett Statue (2828 US Hwy 9, North Hudson, NY) - A 20-ish-foot-tall representation of a mountain man outside of a trading post. Apparently there was a frontier-town attraction that originally built and owned him, but he was auctioned off to the trading post in the past decade. (public site)
4. Elephant Rock (Route 8, Hague, NY) - A larger-than-life-sized elephant "statue". It's more of a big rock that was vaguely shaped like an elephant that someone painted to further resemble one. Pretty neat looking. (public site)
5. Benedict Arnold Boot Memorial (648 Route 32, Stillwater, NY) - More of an oddity than something you would probably want to see (with a price tag), the statue depicts the leg of Colonial General Benedict Arnold. He was apparently pretty badly wounded in the area during the Battles of Saratoga. His name was later extracted from the monument after he defected to the British side. (Open 9a-5p, $10 or National Parks Pass)
6. Grave of Uncle Sam (42.762481,-73.668111) - Samuel Wilson of Troy, NY was posthumously given the title of "Uncle Sam" by his granddaughter. His grave is here, usually decorated with lots of American flags and various other fanfare. (public site)
   
7. Uncle Sam Statue (River St., Troy, NY) - Probably a bit cooler than the above Uncle Sam grave, this statue made out of aluminum stands next to a bus stop. It's modeled after the popular image of Uncle Sam and not the actual guy. (public site)
8. Big Nipper (7 Tivoli St., Albany, NY) - And I thought Moorestown, NJ had a lot of Nipper statues. This guy stands on top of a building along with his victrola phonograph. The building used to belong to RCA, but now is some kind of moving company. (public site)
9. Opus 40 (50 Fite Rd, Saugerties, NY) - A large sculpture piece built out of an old quarry in the Catskills Mountains. It would be fairly impressive on its own, but then you realize that this entire sculpture, spanning six acres, was built over thirty-seven years by one guy. He used hand tools and blasting power to create a giant monolith and tiered rock sculpture. Definitely fits into one of the criteria that Dana and I look for in awesome places to visit: it's a labor of love. For all his effort, Harvey Fite lost control of a mower and was thrown into the quarry at the age of 73. (Summers, Friday-Sunday, 11:30a-5p, $10 admission)
10. World's Second Largest Garden Gnome (5755 Route 209, Kerhonkson, NY) - Take a look at some second-tier history. The gnome stands on the side of Route 209 on a guy's farm. (10a-8p in the summer)

From there, a quick jaunt back to south Jersey completes the trip. Now I want to take this same road trip, and this certainly provides some great stops whenever you're planning on taking a trip through New England!

Europe Day 4 - Versailles Kart

Our last day in Paris started a bit later than the day prior. We slept until midmorning and headed down to get breakfast before packing up our stuff and heading out. The trip over to Versailles was a fairly long one; from the hotel, we had to take the shuttle to the Orlyval light rail, ride that to Antony station where we could transfer to RER B, head up to the Saint Michel station to transfer to the RER C, and then take that all the way to the end of the line.

We arrived at the palace around one in the afternoon, and it took another forty-five minutes to get tickets. The line wasn't too bad, though - it moved quite quickly and we got to the ticket counter right before the novelty of the amazing scenery wore off.

After receiving our tickets, we tried to check in our bags, but because they contained laptops, the folks at the counter wouldn't let us. No worries, though, we'd just have to deal with carrying them along with us. We received our English tour guide thingies, which resembled cell phones, and headed into the exhibit. Fortunately, the guides also had headphone jacks, which Dana and I both utilized in order to not look like tools holding phones up to our heads.

The tour began with a section devoted to paintings done by Baron Louis-Francois Lejeune, a general and painting during the Napoleonic era. The audioguide explained the subject and significance of each piece and did a pretty good job at presenting everything. One of Lejeune's most well known paintings is known as The Battle of the Pyramids and depicts a battle which took place for Cairo in 1798 between local forces and Napoleon's army.

The next portion of the tour took us through the various rooms that Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI used to entertain guests, consult with his advisers, and even eat and sleep. Though the palace dates back to the eleventh century of before, Louis XIV is known for expanding its bounds during the 17th century. His heirs, the next two kings, resided in and continued work on the construction of the palace. After the reign of Louis XVI and subsequent French Revolution, the palace was designated a museum.

Many of the rooms were named and designed for several Roman deities. Included were the Venus Room, the Jupiter Room, the Mars Room, the Diana Room, and the most important to Louis XIV, the Apollo Room. Also featured was the Hall of Mirrors, a huge hall filled with chandeliers and mirrors (a luxury object at the time) that once served as a throne room.

Ceiling painting

Artemis/Diana, Goddess of the Hunt

The Hall of Mirrors

After walking through room after room of absolutely stunning architecture and artwork, we were ready to sit down for awhile and escape the crowds lumbering through each room. Fortunately, there was a small cafe within the grounds of the palace called Angelina's, which had been highly recommended by a friend of Dana's. We grabbed some rather expensive hot chocolates before moving on to the outdoor area, the gardens of Versailles.

The moment we first saw the gardens, it was clear how expansive they were. We had been carrying around our backpacks all day and didn't really feel like continuing to walk around on our sore feet. Fortunately, the entrepreneurs of Versailles offered a solution: little electric golf carts that could be driven around the grounds, for the low low price of thirty euro. I paid up and they gave us some ground rules and took my license for collateral, and off we went!

ACTION SHOT

Unfortunately, due to the season, most of the statues were covered to prevent wear and tear, but as can be seen above, some of them were on display. The little cart was our for about an hour, so we raced back to return it before the five o'clock deadline. It worked out perfectly! By the time we returned it, the sun was setting and I got some good shots of the palace's back side.

We boarded the train and headed back to the Eiffel Tower to bid a farewell to Paris, for this trip anyway. We got to the Champ de Mars station just in time to take a few nice pictures of the tower before it got dark. Sadly, we elected not to go to the top, as the line for the lift would have taken more time than we had, and the idea of hiking to the top was not appealing after such a tiring day at Versailles. We elected instead to grab some dinner near the Trocadero before we hopped our train back to London.

The Eiffel Tower while the sun sets

View of the tower from the Trocadero

Dinner was quite good. We decided on a little cafe adjacent to the tower, obviously well-trafficked by tourists. I ordered the famous croque-monsieur, very similar to a grilled cheese and ham sandwich, and Dana elected for the steak and fries. I asked what the waiter recommended for a red wine and ordered what he suggested. Did I mention that I didn't have a single bad piece of food in France?

After buying a couple last minute souvenirs and taking one last glance at the illuminated Eiffel Tower before riding the train back to Gare du Nord station. It took quite a while to board our train, and after slogging through the line, we were finally off about fifteen minutes late. Fortunately, the train served a rather substantial meal of spinach/goat cheese, chicken, and chocolate mousse for dessert. After an episode of Hoarders, we were beat, so we took naps while the train raced across Europe and through the channel tunnel back to London.

After our diversion to Paris, there's so much left to do in London! Coming up this week:

• The Doctor Who Experience
• A trip to the House of Commons and surrounding landmarks
• A drive out to Stone Henge and the Salisbury Cathedral
• The British Museum

For the weeks, I think I'll consolidate them to once big post, since they'll be markedly less action-packed than the weekends. Stay tuned!

Europe Day 3 - Talkin' About Butts in the Louvre

After the rousing success of our landmark sightseeing yesterday, today was museum day. We planned to first visit the most trafficked art museum in the world - the famous Parisian Louvre. Yep, that one - who knew I'd be going to the LOUVRE in 2012?! We got up about forty-five minutes later than we'd planned, but managed to squeeze in breakfast. Since I'm HHonors Gold, breakfast is complimentary, and this was probably the best spread I've seen; tons of pastries, the standards eggs, bacon, and sausage, and amazing French bread with several types of cheeses and cold cuts. So great I look forward to breakfast at the hotel tomorrow!

After taking care of our dietary needs, we were off. We took the train up to central Paris, and after some trouble with Dana's Paris Visite travel pass, we managed to make it to the museum. The sight of everything in Paris is overwhelming, as every building seems incredibly old and beautiful, despite being apartments or offices or what have you. The Louvre blended right in, though it was a bit larger than most, so it was reasonably easy to spot.

The Streets of Paris

Inside the Louvre

The Louvre's Iconic Pyramid

The museum cost us about €20 for the two of us, and it was well worth it. The Louvre is filled with some of the most famous paintings and sculptures in the world, and exploring it would literally take days. Dana and I managed to thoroughly explore the Italian and Spanish Renaissance section, the Greek/Roman Sculpture section, and much of the French section, leaving several sections completely untouched. The guide for the museum specifically says you have to prioritize, though - that the entire museum is impossible to see in one day.

First of all, some of the best pictures from the Italian and Spanish section. Of course, this section features the most famous painting in the entire museum, the universally-known Mona Lisa painted by Leonard DaVinci. The painting was very crowded, but we managed to elbow our way up near the front to gather some camera shots.

The largest hall in the Italian/Spanish Renaissance Section

Mona Lisa; yep

After the paintings, we felt like taking a look at some sculptures. We sauntered over to the nearby Greek and Roman-dominated sculptures section that featured another well-known piece - the Venus de Milo. The section featured hundreds if not thousands of sculptures, most featuring leaders or gods and goddesses of the two related pantheons. It was overwhelming and absolutely gorgeous, to say the very least.

Venus de Milo

Moia

The rest of our visit was strolling through various other sections and standing in awe of the magnitude of the collection. It was overwhelming! We grabbed some drinks from the museum cafe as an intermission, and then hit up the French sculpture section for a stroll. After that, we headed out in search of our next landmark!

Next up, it turned out, was the famous cathedral of Notre Dame. It's within pretty easy walking distance from the Louvre, but it still managed to sneak up on us a little. Rounding a corner treated us to the sight of the cathedral towering over the Seine:

Notre Dame

The cathedral was incredible and gigantic, and pictures were forbidden inside. Fortunately, tons of people were taking pictures anyway, so I managed to snap a couple of the huge stained glass windows inside. The cathedral was cavernous and contained a ton of different areas for prayer and reflection. We wanted to go to the top, but the line was a bit longer than we wanted to wait, so we made do with just the internal tour.

After Notre Dame, we walked in the direction of our final stop for the day, the Centre Pompidou. The Pompidou serves as one of Paris' modern art museums, and came highly recommended from Dana's friend Richie. The building, first of all, is more than imposing. It's huge and decorated with variously colored tubes which rise from the ground to the top of the building in, tracing seemingly random paths at times upward. As you enter the museum, you work your way back outside, where you take escalators upward through the tubes on the side of the building, as seen below.

The outside of the Centre Pompidou

The tubes that transport visitors skyward

Dana on the escalators

The museum was a welcome change of pace after a day filled with the Louvre. Modern art hits all the notes that antiquated art does not - confusion, eccentricity, playing with and mixing mediums. The first piece we were treated to was a Warhol, and there were a ton of interesting sculptures and paintings.

Warhol painting featuring Liz Taylor

Chair

One of several Picassos

After spending a couple hours at the museum, we were worn out and ready to head home to the hotel. Before the journey, though, we decided to grab a quick supper and ducked into a cafe. Our waiter was nice and spoke perfect English, so I asked him to recommend his favorite red wine. I ordered a dish which consisted of duck on toasted bread with cream cheese and nestled in a bed of greenery. Dana ordered a croque-monsieur, a selection of several cheeses layers on bread and then grilled. Both were excellent!

We managed to make it back to the hotel fairly early, and I managed to grab a fairly long nap while Dana worked on her paper due the next evening. When I woke up, she was nearly done, and we spent the rest of the evening mocking French television and uploading the multitude of pictures I had taken.

Tomorrow we do one last tour of the City of Lights by visiting Versailles and then heading back to London.

Europe Day 2 - Bourguignon

My first full day in Europe kicked off reasonably early. We roused out of bed just after nine in the morning after a late night, got ready, and headed downstairs for breakfast. Despite the claims of the receptionist the night before, the two of us were admitted to the breakfast restaurant without incident. The food was pretty good, as was the spread - eggs, bacon, waffles, fresh fruit. All the standard fare.

Our first destination of the day, after checking out of the hotel, was to stop back at Dana's flat to drop off our excess luggage. The walk went quickly, and we managed to make it to St. Pancras station afterward well before our departure. We got our tickets from the machine and after a quick hop through security, we were on our train and bound for France!

London Underground, aka the TUBE

Streets of London

St Pancras Station

British Coke and French Coke

Gare du Nord in Paris!

It only took a little over two hours for the trip, and I slept away a good bit of it. Of course, jet lag was starting to get to me, but additionally, we didn't get to the hotel until quite late last night and I only got five or so hours of sleep. Either way, a nap did me well, and we were immediately off!

...But not so fast. We disembarked from the train and Dana had to use the bathroom. No problem, right? Well, when we got to the toilets, they apparently charge €0.70 to use them, and we didn't have any of the currency. So, after walking around aimlessly for a bit and eventually stumbling across a money changer, we managed to finally get money for the bathroom. Crisis averted!

After that business was taken care of, we managed to purchase two Paris Visite passes for zones 1-5 for the next three days. The passes are valid on virtually any form of transit within the greater Paris area, including the light rail service that goes to the Orly airport and our hotel. It boiled down to a little less than €15 (~$20) per day for unlimited travel, and considering a one way trip to or from our hotel is a bit more than €10, it's completely worth it.

Our first stop was intended to be Trocadero to get a good view of the Eiffel Tower, but after a couple wrong turns on the trains, we ended up emerging at the Champ de Mars station. After rounding a couple corners wondering where the Eiffel Tower was, we were treated to this, suddenly:

Pretty cool! The rainy day made it look a bit like a post card, and it's always a bit surreal to see something as iconic as the Eiffel Tower (probably the most recognizable symbol in all of Europe). We meandered about a little and took some pictures, gawking up at the huge tower straight off the television before we decided to move on. We'll be back, Eiffel Tower, hopefully on a clearer day!

Next, we took the local metro to the Charles de Gaulle stop and it happened again. We emerged from the station to find the Arc de Triomphe looming over us, and my reaction was fairly similar to seeing the Eiffel Tower: it was just sitting there, in the middle of the urban spread!

Arc de Triomphe

Champs-Élysées, one of the most expensive strips of real estate in the world

Dinner consisted of boeuf bourguignon for Dana (it was excellent and I was quite jealous) and a Paris ham sandwich for me, made with awesome bread. It was in the Champ-Elysees area, so it was fairly expensive, but probably pretty normal for Paris in general. After we finished with dinner, our penultimate mission was to find a bakery Dana wanted to visit known as Ladurée. They are apparently famous the world over for confectionery treats known as macarons. They come in a rainbow of colors and flavors, and we purchased eight of the small ones for €12: lemon, raspberry, chocolate, "special" Columbian chocolate, coffee, vanilla, rose petal, and vanilla grapefruit. They're really great so far, even if they were a bit pricey.

Anyway, the way back to the hotel wasn't too difficult to tease out. Our passes cover the light rail line, known as the Orlyval, that takes us back to the airport. From there, we just take a shuttle back to the hotel and we're back home. The hotel room is fairly strange-looking in general, though not in a bad way by any means.

Macarons!

Hotel room for two days!

From top to bottom - Euro, Pounds, US Dollar, Yen

It's nearing 2:30am, so it's about time for sleep. Tomorrow's plans include breakfast, the Louvre, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Modern Art Museum, with lots of stops in between. Wish us luck!