Spotted on the Roadside: Coyote’s Flying Saucer Retrievals and Repair Service in Jacumba Hot Springs, CA

June 10, 2016 Comments Off read California, Pacific, Spotted on the Roadside, Travel, USA, West

The truth may or may not be out there, but Coyote not only wants to believe: he’s ready to take action and lend a helping hand if need be. Situated right outside the desert view tower, Coyote’s collection of saucers and little green men beckons passersby to pull over and contemplate the final frontier. Although Coyote wasn’t there when I dropped by, I have heard that he and his saucers are a regular fixture at Burning Man, where he gives people UFO rides across the playa. In other news, I really, really want a flying saucer ATV to put around the neighborhood with. Just because.

Spotted on In-Ko-Pah Park Rd in Jacumba, CA

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Spotted on the Roadside: A Monument to an Online Empire

May 20, 2016 Comments Off read Attractions, Iceland, Spotted on the Roadside, Travel

Once upon a time, about a decade ago, there was a young man in the greater Seattle area who seriously considered dropping out of school to play Eve Online, whiling away his days in his parents’ basement, eating cheetos, and engaging in virtual space warfare and corporate espionage. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that if that young man had followed through with this course of action, there’s no way he would have ever visited this monument to the game and its players that was dedicated in 2014 and we wouldn’t be married. His name would have been on the monument, though, so I guess all decisions come with sacrifices. The End.

Spotted in the old Reykjavik harbor, Iceland.

Spotted on the Roadside: The Friendship Chimp in Ellensburg, WA

September 18, 2015 Comments Off read Pacific, Spotted on the Roadside, Travel, USA, Washington, West

Washoe the chimp was born in 1965 and raised in Reno, NV. From infancy until age five, she was only spoken to via sign language, which she quickly learned and began to use. In 1980, Washoe and her signing family moved to Ellensburg; for the next twenty years, she would be part of weekly “Chimposiums” given at Central Washington University which educated the public about chimp language abilities. When she died in 2007 at age 42, messages of sympathy arrived from around the globe, even getting a mention in The New York Times. Not only had she broken the language barrier, but she’d done so as part of a project that was dedicated to proving that animal research could be conducted with kindness and respect, which was a huge step forward. In 2012, this park in downtown Ellensburg was dedicated to Washoe, along with a statue in her likeness, signing “friends”.

Spotted on E 5th St, Ellensburg, WA