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chochiyo_sama
This is one of Minnesota's strange tourist sites/sights. It's actually on line as an odd thing to see when traveling: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/4025
After I met with Billy, I drove onto the fair grounds and took a picture of it, since it is now my goal to visit all the weird tourist sites/sights within my immediate area.
This thing has been there for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, it was sort of on the edge of town. We always knew we were almost to our destination (the Apache Mall) when we saw that giant ear of corn rising up out of the fields. Now it is in the middle of town--town grew up all around it.
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Date: 2012-07-26 05:36 pm (UTC)We have two things like that I would use to determine how close I was to the end of the trail.
One is the dinosaur. There is a big, cement dinosaur on the north side of the freeway on the way to Palm Springs. We would always see it when we were going to palm Springs to take the tram up to the top of the mountain where there is snow. (Protected. No way developers are going to build up there!) When I would go to the CUE conference every year in Palm Desert, I would still pass by the dinosaur. One year on the way back, I decided to pull over and see the dinosaur. It was built as a restaurant but failed. No ventilation or air conditioning, too small, etc. But now it's a privately run museum. Mostly old native american artifacts, cowboy and miner stuff. Not much. But you're IN the dinosaur. There's a smaller cement T-Rex out back. Unfortunately, after the death of the original owner/creator it was bought by creationists and is now used to promote that view. But it's still neat to see and you can ignore that crap.
Oh, the dinosaurs are in roadside America too.
The other was the U.S. Tire plant when we would go to Anaheim to Disneyland.
That place was vacant for decades. But was untouched because the facade was done in a babylonian style. Fabulous. It was in danger of demolition at one point. But some enterprising guys bought it, gutted much of it by NOT the façade and made it into an outlet mall. Now it is really successful. And SAVED! I've been meaning to go explore that mall at some point. I've taken quick pictures of it from the freeway, but always want to go up close and really look around. It's called The Citadel now.
Maybe I will some day.
I just love this roadside oddity stuff.
You know that movie "Michael" with John Travolta as the angel that wants to stop and see every tourist site on along the way. I would be so going along with that. Worlds biggest frying pan. Yeah, let's go.
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Date: 2012-07-26 10:54 pm (UTC)In Owatonna, there is a kind of freakish statue of second-coming Jesus on a rearing white horse brandishing a sword.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/blog/end-times-jesus-draws-battle/
The head is large and looks very eerily familiar to the Burger King. I have been by it several times but have not stopped and taken a picture--something I must do soon.
Before it gets too far into winter, I want to make a trip to see the world's largest ball of twine that has been rolled by one individual. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/714
I've been trying to think of something cool that I can make to put Ellendale on the map. The only thing I have come up with is "The World's Largest Barbie doll House." There's an old gas station/restaurant right off interstate 35 that would be the perfect place to turn into my Barbie "house/museum", but I don't even know who owns it, and even if they let me play in it and create my doll house, l couldn't afford to heat it or cool it.
It would be really nifty, though, if I could afford to do this--I could charge people $5 a head to see it, have a souvenir shop where I would sell Barbie accessories, a little "Barbie Chapel of Love" where little girls and old fart collectors like myself could bring their barbies to get married--for a small fee!, a doll sized school house and restaurant and bar and other local buildings--and of course a park with a real running stream with little kid dolls playing in or near it and older dolls fishing or wading. I could even build myself a little living quarters in the back and spend all my time there, upgrading and updating things. There could be all sorts of seasonal things too! There is a great big billboard right across the street from the building, so I could have that with a giant invitation to visit Minute, Minnesota--Barbie's World. (Minute as in very tiny object, not as in 60 seconds of time).
Ah, the dreams of a fool....LOL
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Date: 2012-07-26 11:06 pm (UTC)If I win the lottery, you'll have enough to buy the gas station/restaruant, billboard and do all of the renovating plus build yourself a cozy place out back. You could hire anyone to redo the insides however you want.
If there is some land around, buy that too and create a picnic area/playground.
Too much of a headache to have overnight facilities, but you might find someone else to open a camp ground close by for RVs or something.
With millions in lottery money you could also afford to buy all sorts of original Barbie furnishings and accessories so your Barbie house could be truly to scale and have official Barbie stuff. Of course she would have many closets, filled with stuff. Maybe do a series of chronological dollhouses. She could have a mansion for the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, etc. Each with period stuff. With millions you could build the biggest and best Barbie collection for display museum in the world.
How close is Minute to where you are?
As soon as I can afford it, I'm going to start buying lottery tickets again.
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Date: 2012-07-26 11:37 pm (UTC)I need to start buying tickets again too--haven't bought any in a long time.
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Date: 2012-07-27 12:00 am (UTC)I'm surprised the gas station/restaurant is derelict. You'd think both would thrive with the RV park so close.
You know, with enough money you could basically buy the area, incorporate and have the county declare it the town of Minute. You could be mayor.
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Date: 2012-07-27 07:53 am (UTC)I forgot to mention that I love that dinorsaur and the Babylonian building. They are both uber cool.
There is another gas station/restaurant on the other side of the exit ramp, and the one that is now a derelict had owners who were not very organized and had ideas beyond that which their pocketbooks could afford.
Sad.
The food at the restaurant was good.
I can see it now--a little sign--"Welcome to Minute--the smallest small town in Minnesota!"