The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
looked for oddities, big and small
in the state of Washington
July 20, 2013

A 24-foot long, very realistic pencil is balanced on its lead point, and leans against the front porch of The Freeman Center in Centralia, Washington. The pencil is 24-feet tall, 2-feet in diameter, and weighs 250 pounds. It is made of cedar and plywood with a foam eraser. The home was built in 1923 and is currently a tutoring and educational enrichment center. The owner of the business built the pencil just to see if he had the skills and enough knowledge of geometry to get it done. Obviously he did! Once the pencil was built, it was carried in a local parade on the bed of a vintage pickup truck. It is now bolted to the porch of the home as a way of sharing it with more people. This is featured on RoadsideAmerica.com as are many of the oddities on this website.

Gospodor Monuments in Toledo, Washington: (These were difficult to find. The directions on RoadsideAmerica.com say to take I-5 to exit 63, turn east, then make a quick right onto Camus Road. Drive south 1.5 miles and it is on the right.) Well, that was true but the two RV Gypsies did not see it and drove by it. When they turned around, they could see the monuments. In other words, they can only be seen on Camus Road from one direction.

This attraction seemed to be closed because there was a fence. But there was NO sign saying closed nor keep out, so the two RV Gypsies squeezed around the fence to take photos.

Below: Towering metal columns support sculptures cryptically commemorating the Holocaust, the American Indian, and Christianity with 20-foot statues or symbols atop 100-foot tall steel-pipe towers. Creator Dominic Gospodor died in 2010 at the age of 86. The first three monuments were placed in 2001. Mother Teresa was added later. Gospodor was considering additional monuments to polio vaccine inventor Jonas Salk, African Americans, Susan B. Anthony, William Seward and 17,000 people killed annually by drunk drivers.

Below:The weather-vane had a replica of the Alaska flag.

Below: According to RoadsideAmerica.com Dominic Gospodor never told anyone why he built these monuments, or exactly what he meant to say with their peculiar combination of themes. He reportedly wrote in his will that upon is death, a nonprofit organization had to be found to take over ownership of the monuments, but he left no money to maintain them or to pay for the electricity that lights them at night. The new owners of the Gospodor Monuments are the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, who have pledged to maintain them and maybe turn their lights back on at night.

Below: Residents of western Washington state are familiar with "Yard Birds" - a home improvement chain popular in the region since the 1950s.Now the home of the northwest's largest indoor swap meet.

Below: The mascot of Yard Birds is a Gawky cartoon bird with hunched shoulders, gloved yellow hands and a large beak.

On the other side of the building, the two RV Gypsies came across a whale-sized Yard Bird at least 30-feet tall and 60-feet long. Unfortunately this Yard Bird was undergoing a renovation and paint job at the time the two RV Gypsies visited.

Below: In Chehalis, Washington: a 2-sided billboard with movie marquee-style letters that the owner rearranges was seen from I-5near exit 72 by the two RV Gypsies. According to RoadsideAmerica.com the farmer put up the "Right Wing Uncle Sam Billboard" in anger because I-5 was built right through the middle of his farm! He was mad and sought revenge -- the billboard is that revenge. His legacy lives on, thanks to his grandson. He moved it from its original spot a few years back to its current location.

Below: The World's Largest Egg is in Winlock, Washington, south of Tacoma. It is 12-feet long and weighs 1,200 pounds. It sits on a pedestal that says "World's Largest Egg, Winlock." Winlock was America's second largest egg producing two until the 1950s. Winlock holds its Egg Day Festival on the third weekend in June.

Below: The area around the Egg had been fenced, and the town has constructed a very tiny park. Freight trains roared through on the adjacent track (see photo below).

Below: The back of a truck on a highway
"Drink a mug a milk a meal!"
Say it fast several times. We dare you!

Below; A big boot on top of a shoe store

Below: A Jail Bonds truck

Cows and more outside of a bedding store

The two RV Gypsies were not sure what the below objects are called, but they are made of chairs and were located in a front yard not far from the big pencil.

If you enjoyed these oddities, there are a lot more unique oddities to be seen by clicking here. But be sure to return to this page to continue with the 2013 travels.

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