A couple of writers from Associated Press recently set out across the US and reported back to the world some of the weirder roadside atractions they had encountered. Needless to say these were rather mundane and ordinary. A call-to-arms within Henry Warwick's Usual Gang (his personal email list) harvested these gems. Next time you plan a trip across the U.S. consult this article and if you know of a bizarre and truly weird location off the American freeway system feel free to email it through to us. Maybe we can keep this installment going as a regular feature.

U.F.O. Crash Site, Foster Ranch, Corona, New Mexico On July 2, 1947, during the evening, a flying saucer crashed on the Foster Ranch near Corona, New Mexico. The crash occurred during a severe thunderstorm. (The military base nearest the crash site is in Roswell, New Mexico; hence, Roswell is more closely associated with this event than Corona, even though Corona is closer to the crash site.) We have heard this story for years and years and it has been the subject of wild debate and conspiracy theory but without having visited the exact location of the crash you can barely call yourself American.

Perry's Nut House, Belfast, Maine
As you travel north on the East Coast towards Belfast, Maine you eventuall start to notice the signs....much like you start to see the signs for Wall Drug in S.D., miles and miles before you get there. What miraculous surprise could Perry's Nut House hold in store? Perry's Nut House is a nut museum with nut varieties from all over the world. Perry's houses many stuffed animals, which, when alive, traveled with P.T. Barnum. Also on hand is a water buffalo shot by Teddy Roosevelt. Don't expect a grand museum or elaborate display it is really more akin to a small general store gone terribly awry with some eccentric's vision of being able to pique the curiosity of the masses with a few musty taxidermy vectims strewn here and there. It tends to lose its appeal after you reach the age of ten.

Wall Drug, in the lovely town of Wall South Dakota Perhaps not quite weird, but certainly an institution. The signs for Wall Drug (Free Ice Water!) begin about 1000 west, east, and south of its forsaken spot - this is the motherlode of cedarwood souveniers, an enormous establish hard by the Black Hills of South Dakota and Mt. Rushmore, and a definite stop on every vacation west in the Family Truckster. The "Free Ice Water" pitch started during the Depression, when ice water was pretty much free wherever you wandered, at drug stores everywhere ... so offering it as an "added value," as we say today, was a kind of reverse-psychology novelty. AND ... they ring this REALLY BIG BELL whenever they catch a shoplifter. (pictured to the left are Bill and Ted Hustead, owners of Wall Drug)

Traveller's Books, The Connecticut and Massachusetts border.
A diner/used book store. The food is nothing short of horrible, the used book store in the basement is slightly above average, but everyone who comes in gets a free book. I, being an avid reader, adore books of any sort so, although the food sucks and the free books are usually not spectacular ones, this is a super roadside American attraction. Mostly what I like is the concept: giving out books to people who wander in off the highway and the inspiration to be gleaned from the knowledge that such a place exists and had survived for a long time.

The Funny Farm, Redmond, OR There are many hightlights in this little stop over, all thinly held together by a wiz du oz theme. Follow the yellow brick path to the bowling ball garden (seeds available for purchase) where rotting bowling balls on metal rod stems bloom year round. Visit near dead or absent farm animals including the pot belly pig twins: pig newton and jezebel and bear (a dog) that sits on the roof and sullenly greets newcomers and who you can feed hot dogs to for a pittance. For those requiring action, there are goat races and la piece de resistance: the love pond: an empty heartshaped pond with a huge arrow piercing it's thirsty center. Skip around it three times repeating the magic words (I forgot them because it didn't work for me) and love will drop into your life forthwith! Or maybe the real piece of the whole show is the Electric Kaleidoscope which collides with an endless loop of THE WIZARD OF OZ! AND oh so much more!

The Mutter Museum on 19 South 22nd street in Philadelphia
Without a doubt one of the weirdest (and most memorable) places I have ever been. This is a medical museum. Among the oddities they have ensconsed in their little enclave: Chang and Eng's liver, tons of skeletons, an old iron lung, a lot of body parts in little jars, many old surgical tools (very frightening) a decayed woman who's body turned to soapy stuff, the tallest and shortest persons skeletons, etc. This place is weird and creepy, and totally fascinating.

Mr. Bee's Restaurant, Somerville, NJ. This is far worse on LSD than any mere cop shop could ever be ... beee beeee beeezssszss-sszs-sssz-ssszz! The entire establishment, just a modest fast food place, really, is literally crawling with anatomically correct bee illustrations, honeycombs in the corners ... it's too weird for words. And the mascot, of course, is MR. BEE -- not long ago, someone hijacked Mr. Bee and flung his corpse (he's a stuffed doll) out onto the highway, which I had to swerve to avoid.