Travel Archives

October 14, 2011April 26, 2021

When Pet Rocks Grow Up

Were you one of the folks who bought a Pet Rock in 1975?

You don’t know what a Pet Rock is? Here’s a 70s website that will fill you in on the history of the Pet Rock (the comments are actually better than the original story).

To the road-building Steinhoff family, rocks were something you blasted out, dug up or crushed.

Gary Dahl had a better, more profitable idea. He bought three tons of stone from Rosarita Beach in Baja, Mexico, and created over a million pet rocks that sold for $3.95 each.

(Click on any photo to make it large enough for you to see if one of your Pet Rocks is here.)

Pet Rocks and puppies start out cute

You know how cuddly kittens and puppies are? Well, Pet Rocks started out that way, but quickly grew out of control. Some were turned loose in the country to fend for themselves; some slipped away from their owners; others, thought dead, were unceremoniously flushed or buried in coffee cans in the back yard. Most of those seemingly dead rocks were really still alive: their slow metabolism had fooled their owners.

Before long, these rogue rocks were getting large enough to be noticed, just like the poodle-poaching pythons in South Florida.

Environmentalists were concerned that the Rosarita Beach stones, without natural predators, could upset the balance of nature.

Privatizing Pet Rock control

The better behaved Pet Rocks were rounded up, given wooden beds to sleep on and were allowed to become free range rocks under close supervision.

Local governments, not wanting to have to build and staff rock shelters, turned to private enterprise and companies like Lotus Naturescapes to round up, domesticate and find homes for the aging Pet Rocks. This particular no-kill shelter is located in Ware, Ill., at the intersection of Ill 3 and Hwy 146 West, not too far from Cape Girardeau.

Rock ‘n Roll takes its toll

Some Pet Rocks have seen some tough times, as evidenced by the wrinkles on this one. Rock and roll will take its toll.

Some Pet Rock are well-behaved

The rocks in the background have learned the STAY command. The ones in the foreground weren’t as well-trained. They still have have to be restrained.

Nocturnal Meanderings

Some of the rocks get up and meander around when nobody’s looking, but they’re not all that smart. Everybody knows that moss grows on the north side. This rock has shifted until his (her?) moss was facing nearly due south. He (she?) has a rather smug expression, but the folks at Lotus Naturescapes know what’s going on.

[It will come as no surprise to you that I didn’t actually check my facts with anyone at Lotus Naturescapes. Why spoil a good story?]

October 11, 2011

Sunsets and Rainstorms on the Turnpike

Why do you never catch a red light when you want one? I had just pulled out of the Steak ‘n Shake in Ft. Pierce, Fla., getting ready to turn onto the Turnpike when I saw the setting sun lining up right under the overpass. Luckily, I had my camera where I could grab it off the center console, but it was set for time exposures from a lightning storm we had a couple nights ago. (Click to make it bigger.)

By the time I got the camera setting right, I was where I was going to have to turn left, there was traffic behind me and the bleeping light was green. Any other time, it would have been a long red. I managed to get off one frame.

Fixin’ to get a car wash

Just south of the Fort Drum service plaza, I noticed that the sky was getting dark and that there were streaks of rain right where the road was heading. A couple miles north of here, the skies really opened up.

That’s when I’m really glad I put Rain-X on the windshield before leaving home. I’ve been using that stuff for years and I made sure it was in all our hurricane go-bags. It makes it possible to see clearly without having your wipers on.

I made it to Gainesville Tuesday night. Traffic was moving smoothly and the couple of rain squalls I hit didn’t last long.

August 4, 2011March 8, 2015

Seattle’s Pike Place Market

Lamberts might be the home of “throwed rolls,” but the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle is the home of the flying fish. Fishmongers got tired of having to walk out to the Market’s fish table to retrieve a salmon each time someone ordered one. Eventually, the owner realized it was easier to station an employee at the table, to throw the fish over the counter.

It’s become part street theater and part efficiency over the years.

Customers get in the act

Not only can you watch employees flinging fish here and there, customers can get involved, too. Caron St. John of New Jersey was told to practice using her “eagle talons” to grab the fish when it came flying at her.

Caron celebrates catch

She must have paid attention, because seconds later she was holding a hunk of salmon in her arms.

Wide variety of seafood

If if lives in the water, it’s likely to be found in the market. Here is a link to the fish market’s website.

Farmers’ Market opened in 1907

Pike Place Market opened in 1907 and is said to be one of the oldest continuing operating farmers’ markets in the country. Even though tourism has caused the Market’s emphasis to shift towards crafts, there is still a lot of beautiful produce sold there.

Wikipedia has a long piece on the history of the place and how it was almost lost to development.

Produce as a work of art

It’s like walking through an artist’s palette of edible paints.

Covers nine acres

The Market’s official website says that it covers nine acres and attracts 10 million visitors a year.

That’s the good news and the bad news. They must have all been here when we were in town.

“Traffic Alert. Slow traffic ahead”

We’re leaving Seattle early, partly because it looked like West Palm Beach might be visited by Hurricane Emily on Saturday, but mostly because we were tired of fighting traffic. We couldn’t go five miles without the GPS intoning, “Traffic Alert. Slow Traffic Ahead. Expect delay of 52 minutes.”

This afternoon we wait through six cycles of a traffic light before getting through an intersection on our way to a downtown attraction. We decided we don’t have that many more years left to waste them in gridlock, so we bailed.

A tour guide said that the average Seattle resident spends 44 hours a year stuck in traffic. You can see why bicycles are so popular in the area.

There might be a couple days of no updates while we’re flying back home.