Road Trip

In search of Paul Bunyan

Fun Stuff, Museums, Road Trip, , ,

American folklore hero and lumberjack Paul Bunyan was said to be so loud that fellow lumberjacks had to wear earmuffs year round. When he sneezed, legend has it that he blew the roof off the loggers’ bunkhouse. “When he was a baby, it took five giant storks to deliver him,” Carol Olson, manager of the Bemidji Tourist Information Center in Minnesota, said of the larger-than-life figure.

“North America has a fascination with powerful men such as Daniel Boone, the fur traders, prospectors and the cowboys, who opened or cleared wilderness,” said folklorist Jens Lund. “And in Paul Bunyan, we combine the superhuman powers of a mythological entity with a frontier hero and the humorous appeal of ridiculous exaggeration.”

Here are a few places around the country where you can spot the big guy this summer.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, courtesy Visit Bimidji

Bemidji, Minn.
If you’re passing through Bemidji, Minn., on a Wednesday, you’ll see lots of people dressed like lumberjacks, in black and red plaid.

The midweek get-up is at the request of the mayor and part of a year-long celebration that includes cake-decorating contests and museum exhibits to mark the 75th anniversary of the city’s famous Bunyan statue.

One of the exhibits at the Beltrami County History Center is a collage made up of hundreds of photos sent in by people who stopped to get their photos taken with Paul and Babe over the years. It was put together by Mitch Blessing, creative director of Design Angler Inc.

Collage of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox photos

 

At 18 feet, the big Bunyan figure outside the tourist information center on the shore of Lake Bemidji is not the world’s tallest statue of the legendary logger, but it is one of the oldest.

“In 1937, there was a lot of logging around here and the statue was built for a winter carnival,” said Olson. “The mayor at the time was 6 feet tall, so they made the statue three times his size.”

A statue of Babe, the blue ox, was added two years later and, ever since, visitors have been bee-lining to Bemidji to get their pictures taken with the oversized duo and to see the display of Bunyan’s personal effects, including his giant-sized flannel shirt, toothbrush, wallet and telephone.

Brainerd, Minn.
In Brainerd, there’s a 26-foot tall, 5,000-pound Bunyan statue at the Paul Bunyan Land amusement park with a moving head, arms and eyes and who greets visitors by name. “I can’t tell you how he knows everyone’s name,” said amusement park co-owner Lois Smude. “That’s part of the magic.” Smude said the park, which also features more than 35 rides and attractions and a pioneer village with antiques from the late 1800s, celebrates Bunyan’s birthday on June 29 each year.

Akeley, Minn.
In the middle of Minnesota, the city of Akeley (pop. 432) has a 25-foot-tall Bunyan with an outstretched palm low enough for visitors to climb into for a photo op. “Right next to the statue we have his giant cradle,” said Akeley clerk/treasurer Denise Rittgers. “We don’t do anything special for Paul Bunyan’s birthday, but if you drive into town, he’s right there, you can’t miss him.”

Paul Bunyan in Bangor, Maine

Bangor, Maine
Once called the “Lumber Capital of the World,” Bangor, Maine, boasts a Bunyan statue that’s 31-feet tall. “Even though Lucette, Paul’s wife, has begun to try to make him eat healthier, poor Paul still weighs in around 3,700 pounds,” said Jessica Donahue, marketing and promotions director at the Greater Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Paul is also friends with famed author and Bangor resident, Stephen King, and was brought to life in ‘It,’ King’s 1986 novel.”

Portland, Ore.
A 31-foot-tall Buynan statue in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Ore., dates to 1959 and depicts the legendary woodsman leaning on a giant axe and dressed in a red and white plaid lumberjack shirt and blue pants. Originally created for display at the state’s Centennial Fair, this big Bunyan was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Klamath, Calif.
At the Trees of Mystery attraction in Klamath, Calif., there’s a 49-foot-tall Bunyan leaning on this axe with a 34-foot tall Babe the blue ox by his side. This Bunyan has been winking, swiveling his head and “talking” to passersby via a hidden public-address system since 1961.

“Paul Bunyan is indeed very appealing, especially in forested regions of North America,” said Lund. “No doubt the decline of logging and commercial forestry also makes him a perfect nostalgic character in those regions.”

(My story about where to see Paul Bunyan first appeared in a slight different version on msnbc.com’s Overhead Bin.)

Driving – not flying – on the weekend? Watch for speed traps

Road Trip,

Flinstone car - from the movie - at LeMay:America's Car Museum

 

If you’re driving – not flying – this Memorial Day holiday weekend, you won’t be on the roads alone: AAA is predicting 34.8 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, the highest volume in last five years.

But as you hurry to reach your holiday destination, be careful about stepping on the gas: Holiday traffic brings out the traffic cops, the speed traps and the likelihood of bringing home a speeding ticket among your holiday souvenirs.

Mobile apps such as Trapster and websites such as the National Speed Trap Exchange, sponsored by the National Motorists Association (NMA), do their bit to warn lead-footed drivers of what lies ahead on the road.

The NMA, a grassroots motorists’ rights group, has also updated its 2010 rankings of the cities and states that are generally more likely to dun speeding drivers.

“Most states don’t have a central collection point for traffic ticket data,” said NMA spokesman John Bowman. So the group analyzed eight ticket-related search queries using Google’s Insights for Search, which shows search trends across the country.

The NMA found that:

• Nevada is the state most likely to issue traffic tickets, followed by Georgia and Alabama. (In 2010, Florida took the top spot; Georgia and Nevada tied for second place.)

• Wyoming is the state least likely to issue speeding tickets, followed closely by Montana. These two ranked at the bottom in 2010 as well.

See the full list here.

Bowman said the list of top 25 states hasn’t really changed that much since 2010 and that the bottom 10 are also much the same, with a few exceptions.

“Three states moved up into the top 10 in terms of volume of tickets: Maryland, Louisiana and California. That didn’t surprise us at all as it jives very well with the calls we get from members looking for help,” said Bowman.

He also said that something has changed, ticket-wise, in Nebraska. “Two years ago Nebraska was in the bottom 10, but it has moved up to number 33 in the rankings. We’re not sure what’s going on there.”

In addition to the state rankings, this year NMA also ranked the top 10 metro areas for traffic tickets. Atlanta, Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth topped the list of cities most likely to ticket drivers. Miami, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C, Houston, Orlando and San Diego also made that list.

Beyond the irritation (and embarrassment) of getting pulled over for a speeding ticket on your vacation, there is, of course, the cost.

“More people are traveling this holiday, but many are economizing by cutting entertainment expenses, traveling shorter distances, booking hotels with value added features and staying with friends or family instead of hotels,” said Cynthia Brough, spokesperson for AAA National, which doesn’t monitor speed traps but does warn members of strict enforcement regions. “And most people don’t include the cost of speeding tickets in their travel budgets.”

(My story ‘Taking a road trip this holiday weekend? Watch out for speed traps‘ first appeared on msnbc.com.)

Teapot Dome Gas Station has a new home

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Since 1922, this teapot-shaped gas station has been a fixture on a highway near Zillah, WA. Built as a comment on the Teapot Dome scandal , the service station was in operation through the 1980s, but has been boarded up since then.

No longer on “the” main highway, the classic roadside attraction was in danger of fading away. But, luckily, the City of Zillah stepped forward to save the teapot.

Thanks to individual donations, grants and a loan, the teapot was picked up and moved recently to a new site right in town. Repair and restoration is underway, with a ribbon cutting scheduled for mid-May.

Zillah's teapot has a new home

Zillah's teapot is getting a makeover

When the teapot is completed, it will serve as welcome center for visitors stopping in town.

Historic teapot gas station on the move

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Travel between Yakima and Sunnyside, Washington on Interstate 82 and you’ll come upon a turnout for the town of Zillah, home to a 15-foot-tall teapot complete with sheet metal handle and concrete spout.

It’s a classic 1920s bit of roadside architecture that for many years served up gas to motorists and a history lesson to everyone.

The story goes that Jack Ainsworth decided to build the teapot after a night of drinking moonshine and playing cards. Ainsworth and his buddies were appalled over the outcome of President Warren G. Harding’s decision a year earlier to transfer the control of naval oil reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyoming and Elk Hills, California from the Navy to the Department of the Interior.

It seems that the then Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, had leased those oil fields to two businessmen who had given him what ultimately were deemed to be illegal ‘loans.’

Investigations ensued, fines were paid, folks ended up in jail, and the oil fields reverted to government control in 1927.

Ainsworth built the Teapot Dome Gas Station to poke fun at the whole situation
while the trials were underway and, until it ceased commercial operation in the early 1990s, the station was said to be one of the oldest functioning gas stations in the United States.

Even though it was boarded up and forlorn-looking on the edge of town, the teapot  had a spot  on the National Register of Historic Places.

Now it’s going to have a place of honor in Zillah’s tiny downtown.

The city of Zillah raised funds to purchase, re-locate and re-purpose the teapot as an information booth and last week, minus its spout and its shingles, the teapot was packed up and trucked into town.

When it is all put back together, repaired and refurbished, the Teapot Dome Gas Station, along with its old “Gas” sign and outhouse, will sit next to the Civic Center in Zillah, WA.

Could there be any better excuse for a road trip?