Today’s Roadside America is called Steel Dinosaurs and is just inside the New Jersey border from Pennsylvania in Phillipsburg. Miss Google directed me down this sketchy road into an industrial park and into the side yard through a half-opened gate. I could see my prey on a nicely manicured lawn. There was a “life-size” brontosaurus with a T-Rex, mouth open, coming at the bronto from behind. There was also a time traveling caveman looking back at the T-Rex to the side of the brontosaurus.

When I got out of the car, I noticed a couple of dogs coming my way, neither in a menacing way. One came about 50 yards away and stopped, just kind of watched me. The other came a bit closer and was barking, but he seemed like he just liked the sound. Roadside America said there were 3 dinosaurs, but there were only two. Surely they weren’t counting the Neanderthal-like figure. I exited via a slightly different side of the field, and there, right behind a fully closed gate, was the 3rd, a brightly colored stegosaurus.

Up until Asheville, NC, where I got tricked into being on one for 3-5 miles, I had never been on an interstate highway. Until today, because here in the Northeast it becomes nearly impossible to not take one, so I spent a significant time on the Eisenhower Interstate System. To sum up how I feel about interstates, at one time I created a bumper sticker and sold it on CafePress that read “INTERSTATES SUCK!”

 
The gate on the driveway to the house was locked, but I walked the 1/2 mile to the house anyway to see if anyone was home. Sadly, neither Ellwood nor his brother Jake was there.

I jest; this house served both as a hospital and a general’s headquarters for both the US Army and the CSA Army at different times during the Civil War. It is also, or maybe not, the burial place for the left arm of General Stonewall Jackson. His arm was amputated after a friendly fire accident at the Battle of Chancellorsville on the second of May 1863. Either way, after amputation, it was buried in the family cemetery of the owners of Ellwood Manor. My friend Richard is an avid Civil War buff, and he regaled me with a fanciful story of the arm and I have asked him to write it out in an email, and if I get it, I’ll add it here. But for now I leave this bit of wit from him:

Confederate General Robert E. Lee referred to Stonewall Jackson as “my right arm,” so what is buried there is the left arm of Lee’s right arm.

Richard’s wife had family business to take care of, so us guys were turned loose. First we went to the Hollywood Cemetery to walk the dogs and to see where 3 presidents are interred. The 5th President of the US, James Monroe; the 10th President of the US, John Tyler; and the 1st and only President of the CSA, Jefferson Davis.

After dropping the dogs back home, Richard and I toured a couple of Civil War battlefields, including the one he volunteers at. Then we headed to a BBQ place for lunch, and we ate way too much because we were unsupervised.

Today’s Roadside America photo is the Largest Shotgun Shell located in Ashland, VA.

And this evening I visited with another of Donna’s cousins, Susie and her husband, Alex, who live about 20 miles from where I’ve been holed up for the last couple of days.

 
Today’s Roadside America is a very interesting spot: Giant Legs of Ricky Pearce in Henderson, NC. Because I have a terrible inability to back up any car, including a small Miata with a backup camera, after my first couple of failed attempts, I just gave up and dove in headfirst.

I’m pretty sure that Santa Fe Sally doesn’t read this, but if she does, I could fall out of her favor… You see, I am currently staying in the home of ‘He Who Shall Not Be Named’ and his second wife. And I totally get her animosity because of the way she found out he was leaving her. He told the oldest son before he told her. Dick move, but then again his name is Richard.

 
Today’s Roadside America photo is of the World’s Largest Strawberry. It is in Ellerbe, which is practically on the route back to Chapel Hill from Rockingham, where I met up with Donna’s cousin Laurie and her husband Harold.

When Laurie moved south with husband #2 back in the mid-2000s, Donna and I used to visit once in a while. But when Ted passed away, we upped it to once a month at a Cracker Barrel nearer to her than us. She and I, much to Donna’s amusement, would empty the creamer and the real sugar packets on the table into our coffees. Marriage count sidebar: Harrold is husband #3 for her, but Laurie is wife #5 for him. But this union, forged in 2012, is the longest for either of them. So, kids, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.

Unlike yesterday, when I had an hour or so of no rain, today was a total washout. It never quit, and there were times when 55 MPH was too fast to be driving in that quantity of precipitation.

I’m watching the Red Sox game and having some Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips. They are only 140 calories per serving, but unfortunately the bag is listed as 2.5 servings…

 
Last Friday, when I was traveling from Robbinsville to Asheville, I had hoped to travel some of it along the Blue Ridge Parkway. No matter how I tried, Google wouldn’t allow me to use the parkway. I Googled “how come google maps won’t let me select the blue ridge parkway?” The answer came back, “Google Maps typically prioritizes the fastest, most direct routes, and the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) is not considered a typical, fast-paced road.” Convinced I couldn’t get there from here, I went about telling several people how Google Maps sucked.

I was wrong; Google will direct you onto the Parkway. How do I know? It put me right on it this morning where John, Carol, and I got on yesterday.

And in spite of the dire warning from John & Carol and the big yellow sign on the way onto it, to not travel it in fog and rain, I took it all the way to Blowing Rock. This morning’s fog and rain kept me moving at only around 35 MPH until I got under about 4,000 feet level, and even then the Parkway’s posted 45 MPH speed limit was fast enough for me. I saw no one traveling in my direction, and maybe a half dozen passed in the other.

Today’s Roadside America find occured in the small community of Calvander a few miles from Chapel Hill proper, Hartleyhenge and unlike the original, it is more of a spiral than a circle. Also, it’s very worth a visit if you are ever in this neck of the woods.

This, of course, is my second “Henge” of the trip, and another notch in my belt, see: Road Trip – Day 10: A Giant Rabbit & Another ‘Henge