National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

This hall of fame honors the pioneer spirit of women who helped to shape the west, from cowgirls and ranch women to writers, artists, teachers, and ntertainers.

Begun in 1955, it has inducted more than 145 honorees, including Enid Justin, Annie Oakley, Sacagawea, Georgia O'Keeffe, Dale Evans, Patsy Cline, Henrietta King, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Nellie Cashman, Terry Stuart Forst, Kalyn Brooks, Patsy Montana, Elaine Kramer, Mary Jo Milner, Sandra Day O'Connor, Cynthia Ann Parker, Donna Howell-Sickles, Nellie Snyder Yost, Willa Cather, Texas Rose Bascom, and Alice Van Springsteen.



Address: National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, 1720 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76107; 817-336-4475; 800-476-3263; Fax: 817-336-2470. Web: http://www.cowgirl.net.

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad

Originally built in 1880, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad is a narrow-gauge steam railroad that runs through some of the most scenic country in the United States: northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. The train travels from Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado. It is America's longest and highest narrow gauge railroad.



All trains stop for lunch at Osier, Colorado — roughly the mid-point of the railroad — where a hot meal with salad bar and homemade desserts is included in the fare.



During the winter holidays, the railroad runs the Cinder Bear Christmas Express.



Address: Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, 500 Terrace Avenue, P O Box 1057, Chama, New Mexico 87520; 888-286-2737. Email: info@cumbrestoltec.com. Web: http://www.cumbrestoltec.com.

Chama Depot: 575-756-2151; Fax: 505-756-2694.

Antonito Depot: 719-376-5483; Fax: 719-376-2545.

National Submarine Memorial: Submarine Wall of Honor

At the National Submarine Memorial Wall of Honor, granite stones display the names of each of the 52 submarines lost in World War II and list the date, place, and names of each sailor who was lost on board these submarines.

These granite stones are engraved with the submarine name and number, date lost, location, patrol number, how sunk, and how many valiant submariners of the U.S. Navy gave their lives onboard.



On September 2, 1994, a Wall of Honor, containing the 3,617 names of the submariners lost during World War II, was dedicated.

Address: National Submarine Monument. Near the point where Bridge Street runs into Thames in Groton, Connecticut, just south of the Gold Star I-95 Bridge, is the USS Flasher National Submarine Monument.

World's Largest Gold Nugget

IronStone Vineyards, a Sierra foothill winery and entertainment complex, features great wines, a pipe organ, and a Heritage Museum that houses a 44-pound crystalline gold leaf specimen — the world's largest gold nugget.



Address: IronStone Vineyards Heritage Museum, 1894 Six Mile Road, Murphys, California 95247; 209-728-1251; Fax: 209-728-1275. Email: info@ironstonevineyards.com. Web: http://www.ironstonevineyards.com.

Frog Hop of Fame

The Frog Hop of Fame honors the prize-winning frogs and their handlers of the Calavaras Jumping Frog Jubilee. The gold plaques honoring the Hop of Fame inductees are embedded in the sidewalks of Angels Camp, California.



Address: Frog Hop of Fame, Calaveras County Fair, 101 Frogtown Road, P O Box 489, Angels Camp, California 95222-0489; 209-736-2561; Fax: 209-736-2476. Email: info@frogtown.org. Web: http://www.frogtown.org.

Wonderfully Weird Houses

The Broken Column House was created by the aristocrat François Nicolas Henri Racine de Monville who live there during the years before the French Revolution.



The Bubble House was constructed by Antti Lovag for an industrialist. Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble.



The Glass House by Philip Johnson is one of the world's most beautiful and yet least functional homes. It's a house I could live in. The interior space is divided by low walnut cabinets and a brick cylinder that contains the bathroom. The cylinder and the brick floors are a polished purple hue. The Glass House is now open to the public, with tours booked many months in advance.



The House on the Stick was inspired by highway billboards. Only 27 square meters (290 square feet), it is designed as an object suitable for almost any place on earth: forests, seas, lakes, mountains, meadows, or a city street.



The Hundertwasser Apartments were constructed in 1982 to 1985. A popular tourist attraction, it has no straight lines or surfaces, with tortuous corridors, rounded-off corners, plants and trees. A huge Hobbit house.



The Toilet House, built by the founding member of the World Toilet Association, features four deluxe toilets including a showcase bathroom placed in its center. Other toilets have features that range from elegant fittings to the latest in water conservation devices.



The Upside-Down House was created by Daniel Czapiewski in the village of Szymbark, northern Poland in 2007. A tourist attraction, it took 114 days to build because the workers were disorientated by the strange angles of the walls.

A Wonderful Go-Nowhere Staircase

I just saw this wonderful go-nowhere beautiful staircase in the Levine Breaking News E-lert (http://www.lbnelert.com). I thought you would enjoy it as much as I did.



They didn't say where the staircase is but I sure would like to know. I'd love to run up and down those staircases.

WidgetBucks

World's Largest Strawberry Shortcake

Held on the first full weekend in June, the Lebanon Strawberry Festival serves the World's Largest Strawberry Shortcake.

Contact: Lebanon Strawberry Festival, P. O. Box 273, Lebanon, Oregon 97355-0273. Web: http://www.lebanonstrawberryfestival.com.

Contact: Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, 1040 Park Street, Lebanon, Oregon 97355; 541-258-7164; Fax: 541-258-7166. Email: mary@lebanon-chamber.org. Web: http://www.lebanon-chamber.org.



Other cities also claim to have created the World's Largest Strawberry Shortcake: Plant City, Florida; Pasadena, Texas; College Park, Maryland; and La Trinidad, The Philippines.

WidgetBucks

World's Biggest Free-Standing Mind-Bender

Discovery Channel has called the five acre maize maze at Cherry-Crest Farm near Ronks, Pennsylvania "the world's biggest free-standing mind-bender." It's an apt description.

Address: Cherry-Crest Farm, 150 Cherry Hill Road, Ronks, Pennsylvania 17572; 717-687-6843; Fax: 717-687-8143. Web: http://www.amazingmaze.com. I don't know who owns the land.

Lowrider Capital of the World

Expanola, New Mexico is proud to call itself the Lowrider Capital of the World because of its tradition of highlighting lowriders as part of local culture and the high number of lowriders per capita. Around the 4th of July, the city hosts the Espanola Low-Rider and Custom Car Show.

Address: Espanola Valley Chamber of Commerce, 710 Paseo de Onata, P O Box 190, Espanola, NM 87532-0190; 505-753-2831; Fax: 505-753-1252. Email: info@espanolanmchamber.com. Web: http://www.espanolanmchamber.com.

For more images of lowriders, see http://www.espanolaonline.com/lowriders.

Very Funny Beer Commercials

If you enjoy funny commercials, here are 12 funny beer commercials. Enjoy.

Wake Up by Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff's Wake Up. Enjoy!

Hilary Duff's Beat of My Heart

Hilary Duff's Beat of My Heart. Enjoy.

Aly & AJ: Walking on Sunshine

Aly & AJ's Walking on Sunshine. Enjoy.

Aly & AJ: Do You Believe in Magic

Aly & AJ's Do You Believe in Magic. Because I like pretty ladies.

Urban Ninja

Here's a great video from youtube.com. Enjoy it.

Snowmobile Capital of the World

Eagle River, Wisconsin, the Snowmobile Capital of the World, hosts the World Championship Snowmobile Derby every year around the middle of January. The 2007 derby will be held January 18 to 21, 2007, at the Eagle River Derby Track, P.O. Box 1447, Eagle River, Wisconsin 54521; 715-479-4424; Fax: 715-479-9711. Web: http://www.derbytrack.com.



Address: Eagle River Chamber of Commerce, 201 N. Railroad Street, P.O. Box 1917, Eagle River, Wisconsin 54521; 715-479-6400; 800-359-6315. Email: info@eagleriver.org. Web: http://www.snowmobileEagleRiver.com and http://www.eagleriver.org.

Snowmobile Racing Hall of Fame

The Snowmobile Racing Hall of Fame is located in St. Germain, Wisconsin, just down the road from the Snowmobile Capital of the World (see next entry).

In 1983, Mike Trapp, C. J. Ramstad and Loren Anderson were talking about the great and exciting history of snowmobile racing. Mike was a two-time Eagle River World champion and Loren had been a number one bib in open and 650 classes. CJ talked of the fantastic photo library he had which told the thrilling history of racing. Before that day's riding was over, the three had decided that a museum and a hall of fame should be created to honor the race drivers and to display their unique and exciting sleds. The idea for the Hall of Fame and Museum was born.

Address: Snowmobile Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, 8481 Highway 70 West, P O Box 720, St. Germain, Wisconsin 54558; 715-542-4488; Fax: 715-542-4477. Email: hallfame@newnorth.net. Web: http://www.snowmobilehalloffame.com.

World's Largest Musky Shop

Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop in Minocqua, Wisconsin is the World's Largest Musky Shop. That's what their catalog says, and I don't doubt them. At their store, you can get anything you want having to do with catching, mounting, or displaying musky.

Address: Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop, 7542 Highway 51 South, Minocqua, Wisconsin 54548; 715-356-6011; 800-453-5224; Fax: 715-356-5719. Email: info@muskyshop.com. Web: http://www.muskyshop.com.

Rock Album Cover Locations

Chris Epting, author of Elvis Presley Passed Here and other cultural history travel books, has a wonderful page on his web site that features the actual locations that were used in the cover art of major rock albums by The Doors, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Jackson Browne. You really have to visit this page: http://www.chrisepting.com/rockRoll.htm.

Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy album . . .

Prescott, Arizona: A Special Place

Besides its natural beauty, Prescott, Arizona has three exceptional things about it.


1. Prescott sits amid the largest stand of ponderosa pines in the world.


2. Prescott was Arizona's first territorial capital.


3. Since 1888, Prescott has been home of the world's oldest, continuously running rodeo. This rodeo is still held around the 4th of July.


Address: The Prescott Chamber of Commerce, 117 W. Goodwin Street, Prescott, Arizona 86302; 928-445-2000; 800-266-7534. Email: chamber@prescott.org. Web: http://www.prescott.org or http://www.visit-prescott.com.

Cowboy Capital of the World

Bandera, Texas bills itself as the Cowboy Capital of the World.

Contact: Bandera Visitors Bureau, 1206 Hackberry, P O Box 171, Bandera TX 78003; 830-796-3045; 800-364-3833. Email: bandera@hctc.net. Web: http://www.banderacowboycapital.com.

The Poor Man's Dante's Inferno

In this case, it's Hot Times, Very Hot Places!


Known as the poor man's Dante's Inferno because of an underground fire that has been burning for more than 40 years, the coal mining town of Centralia, Pennsylvania has been the setting for the film Silent Hill, starring Radha Mitchell, as well as bestselling novelist Lisa Scottoline's new book Dirty Blonde.



The story of Centralia's fire began sometime in 1962 along the outskirts of town when trash was burned in the pit of an abandoned strip mine, which connected to a coal vein running near the surface. The burning trash set fire to the exposed vein of coal. Thought to be extinguished, the first began burning underground. For two decades, the government battled the fire in a number of ways: flushing water down the mine, excavating burning material, cutting ditches, etc., but all attempts to put the fire out were fruitless. By the early 1980s, when much of the town was abandoned, the fire had encompassed 200 acres. The fire continues to this day and is expected to continue for many years to come.



Note: It is very dangerous to walk or drive in the area near the fire. As the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental protection notes: "Walking and/or driving in the immediate area could result in serious injury or death. There are dangerous gases present, and the ground is prone to sudden and unexpected collapse. DEP strongly discourages anyone from visiting the immediate area."



The best resource for more information about the on-going fire is the offroaders.com web site at http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia.htm.