The Wandering Scot

The MSR Pyramid  North Dakota is home an abandoned 1970s Anti-Ballistic Missile complex, originally intended to protect the US ICBM launch sites from incoming missiles. In theory, it was a de-escalation step, since the ability to protect the launch sites in the face of an enemy first-strike would make the US less trigger-happy in the […]

I’m in Fargo, North Dakota, where I’ve been participating in Traditional Local Customs. Yes, this is the actual wood chipper used for body disposal in the movie Fargo.  Oh ya, you betcha!  🙂  It’s now the star attraction at the Fargo Visitor Center.  You can bring your own body parts. Update October 2024:  I revisited […]

New Mexico’s Bisti/De-Na-Zin is a confusing trackless wilderness, but in these days of GPS and downloadable maps, that’s not a big issue. I saw lots of hoodoos, some petrified wood, many weird rocks.  But the main thing I was looking for was the “Cracked Eggs” aka the “Alien Egg Hatchery“.  This is an area with […]

I’m on an all-electric road trip through California into Arizona and back. The trip has ended up having a distinctly botanical flavor, including visits to: The Joshua Tree National Park. Indian Canyons, near Palm Springs, with lush palm groves along narrow desert canyons. The Desert Botanical Garden near Phoenix, for an amazing collection of mature […]

I’m doing an all-electric road trip across California into Arizona. I’ve got delayed a little in Yuma, Arizona, at the Yuma Territorial Prison – apparently there was a problem with my paperwork when I bought my admission ticket. I’m sure it will all be fixed soon, but if someone could bake me a cake in […]