Tin Man

North Dakota has its own tin man. In fact he is the largest tin man in the world that is made out of, not tin, but scrap metal including oil tanks and watering troughs. The tin man's wife is a tin woman and his son is a tin son. They live along the Enchanted Highway in North Dakota. Like the tin man of Oz, this tin man also has no heart. And like the scarecrow he also has no brain. But unlike the lion he does have courage. It takes courage to stand out in the prairies of North Dakota in the winter. You might say he is "a little under the weather."

If you travel to Regent, North Dakota, (that is if you are hard up for a vacation destination) you can get your picture taken with your face in place of the tin man's face. It might be worth the drive (that is if you are on your way to Devils Lake to do some fishing). In Regent you might be lucky enough to meet the sculptor of these sculptures. He might even dish up some ice cream for you or pour you a cup of coffee (I guarantee you it is not Starbucks). Hey, you are in Regent, North Dakota. Yes, it is part of the United States that don't seem so united nowadays. Anyway, these sculptors are the best sites you will see in that part of the state, excepting oil well pumps. I love oil well pumps. I forgot to take pictures of them, though.

If you drive your Prius up there you will get 48 miles per gallon round trip. You might get more if you don't mind impeding traffic and never have a head wind. I'm still trying to figure out how to drive down hill both ways. Speaking of that my wife got 99 miles per gallon the other day on a 40 mile drive. Of course she was coasting down the mountain.

I guess I got a little off the subject, but remember, Rod's Blogs is basically about nothing, and some people find that interesting.

So, I actually enjoyed looking at the sculptures along the enchanted highway. I understand there is an ice cream shop in Regent, too. Real ice cream. I wonder if North Dakota's Chamber of Commerce, or Department of Commerce will hire me. I think I plug them pretty good. I could take pictures of the world's largest Cow, and write an article and get you to drive over there. Perhaps I could convince Starbucks to set up a shop so when you get there you could feel more civilized. Their big glass windows could face the big Holstein, and you could sit there with a latte admiring it. Cool, huh?