Desert of Maine
You may think we’re still talking about Arizona when we bring up a stretch of desert in the United States. But the fact is, we’re talking about Maine, which has to be one of the unlikeliest places in the United States to have anything that could be considered a desert.
The Desert of Maine is not the biggest desert on earth at about 300 acres or half a square mile, but, again, it’s got to be one of the most unlikely. Yet this little pocket of desert, according to The Huffington Post, “has all the trappings of the Sahara – vast expanses of soft sand, disagreeable soil, and even higher temperatures than those found in the rest of the state.”
Just how did the Desert of Maine come about? The Huffington Post continues, “A glacier about 11,000 years ago moved across the area and left behind a massive sand deposit. Fertile topsoil hid the mini-desert for centuries and as recently as 1797, farmers successfully toiled the land, but poor crop rotation and overgrazing eventually sped up erosion and by the 19th century, the sand had completely resurfaced and taken over the former farm.”
The Desert of Maine, located in Freetown, near the southern Maine coast, comes complete with tram tours, hiking trails, and campsites in the forest alongside the desert.
Bottle Tree Ranch
Route 66 near Barstow, California, is home to artist Elmer Long’s Bottle Tree Ranch.
Urban Ghosts describes Bottle Tree Ranch as “one of the more weird and wonderful attractions along historic Route 66.” Urban Ghosts continues, “Made from hundreds of empty bottles mounted on recycled scrap metal poles, the quirky masterpiece was born around 2000 when artist Elmer inherited a wealth of discarded treasures that his late father had found over the years while wandering the desert.”
Says Urban Ghosts, “Elmer decided to re-purpose the colorful glassware into his first bottle tree. Before he knew it, the Bottle Tree Ranch was born and a decade later, the offbeat attraction was an exhibition of colorful recycled glass that draws motorists travelling the historic route through Mojave County.”
Once Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, wrote that Captain James T. Kirk was from Iowa. The super-small town of Riverside needed a theme for its yearly festival and the council thought, “Hey, why can’t Kirk be from our town?” and wrote Mr. Roddenberry to ask if it could be so. They received an official letter with his permission, and with that, Riverside became “The Future Birthplace of Captain Kirk.” A tiny, former beauty salon became the birthplace; a sad wooden plaque saying so is in the backyard. [Apparently they wanted to make a nice statue, but Paramount, which owns Star Trek, wanted $60,000 in licensing. So the wooden sign won’t be going anywhere soon.] The city also holds an annual “Trek Fest”, celebrating all things Star Trek.
Ronny: Great explanation. I appreciate the info.