Return to Apple Valley Toyland
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Day 34: July 22, 2013 Return to Apple Valley Toyland |
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And now the old car is in front of the
Apple Valley Hillbilly Gardens and Toyland Museum Roadside
Attraction. I've been here before, in the
winter of 2009, and
the last words I wrote about that visit were that I "want to go back
when it's warmer". I'm back and it's definitely warmer. Another
difference from that previous visit is that today's tour was conducted by
Keith Holt, Apple Valley's creator, himself. Keith has led a number of
lives one of which was as a puppeteer in his
native Indiana with near human sized puppets including the one pictured
with him. It was Keith who first made me aware of Tinkertown where I was
just four days ago.
Some items I remember from my first visit make up this set of pictures. There's Lawnmower Ranch, the Hillbilly Chariot, and the Hillbilly Spaceship. The last picture is of a pair of Mister Tree Heads. Several of Apple Valley's trees, like this one and this one, have faces. Keith credits Roadside America with the Mister Tree Head name though I didn't see it on their site. Keith also credits last year's Roadside America visit and article with improved visibility and an upswing in visitors. |
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The Pot Garden is new to me. Keith planted it in response to repeated
attempts by undercover cops to buy drugs. As he always points out,
"You gotta weed out the pans". It's hard to tell which comes
first, the display or the pun. I imagine it's a little of both. At another
point, Keith warned me "don't get mugged" then pointed to some
coffee mugs in the overhead tree branches. He's got a million of 'em and
they're all part of the Apple Valley charm. The doors (There are four of
them including one with a screen missing to represent a shirtless Jim
Morrison.) were here on my last visit but not the
floating furniture. I'm not sure about Alice in
Wonderland's Smoking Caterpillar but I don't recall it.
Inside Toyland, I grabbed a picture of one of the running trains as it passes between Timmy Tiger and Ozzy Osbourne. Before we left, the train derailed at that same corner but was soon set right. The cowboys are an image I recall seeing on Facebook when I first heard of Apple Valley. I took the last picture as I was leaving. The signs do bear something of a resemblance to Burma-Shave signs but they are not a series. Each is a two-line standalone phrase such as "No Imagination -- Follow". The signs are probably the most serious thing about the place and they're not all that serious. |
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I returned to US-60 and was soon crossing the Tennessee River on a 3 ton
limit bridge. After about a dozen miles of pleasant country two-lane I
crossed the Cumberland River on what looked to be an identical bridge but
with no weight limit. Both the Tennessee and the Cumberland are
tributaries of the Ohio River which US-60 is more or less following at
this point.
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I stopped in Salem, Kentucky, for gas and went inside to use the restroom.
There was a good sized food counter and some booths at one side and I was
reminded that I'd not yet eaten today. When I realized that I could get
this journal up to date with just a little effort, I stayed in the motel
just a bit longer than planned then headed straight to Apple Valley
Toyland. I bought a catfish sandwich ($2.99) and a big pile of fried okra
($1.99) and went back to the car. Someone had commented on the car went I
walked into the store and someone else was looking it over when I
returned. A conversation ensued and before long there we had a group of
four or five men of a certain age talking about old cars and good
memories.
I'd thought to take my lunch to a park or something similar but found this little church instead. I pulled into the empty lot and watched traffic pass on US-60 while I ate. The late start, leisurely pace, and the more than two hours spent at Apple Valley resulted in a lunch/breakfast time of nearly 2:00. As I drove on, I did some calculating. It was about 4:00 when I neared Owensboro. It was hot and home was a four hour plus drive away with a time zone change along the way. Driving through the heat and then the dark just didn't interest me. I opted for one more day on the road. |
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