Travels with Joe: The Ship Ashore Motel

Last year, while driving up route 101 near the Oregon border, I came across a ship sitting in the middle of a field.   My first thought was, wow, high tide is pretty bad around here, and I decided to drive towards higher ground.   Then I realized that this was the infamous Ship Ashore Motel and Resort, located in Smith River, California.

The ship was built in Germany in 1925 for a New York millionaire.   No expense was spared to make this yacht one of the most palatial type ever built.  It sailed around the globe, and many foreign dignitaries, including members of the royal family, accepted a ride on the "Caritas," the original name of the ship.
In 1941 the US Government bought the ship and retrofitted for use as a naval ship in World War two. It was stationed in Hawaii until 1946, when the ship was decommissioned.  She made the rounds of different harbors in the next few years, eventually becoming a floating restaurant, gift shop, museum and motel office in the waters off of Smith River.
In 1965, 12 tractors were hitched to the boat, and she was dragged a quarter mile to her current resting place along Route 101.   The trip took 10 hours, but she made it intact, and is now a prominent landmark in the area. 
Unfortunately, the boat was closed for repairs when I arrived, with no re-opening date announced.   Still , it was worth a quick stop for a picture.

Did I mention that this was the infamous Ship Ashore Motel?   As I looked up the ship's history, I discovered that the Ship Ashore motel was also the site of a mass shooting.   In March of 1975, Robert Sander killed seven people in cold blood for apparently no reason.  I had prepared this posting a few days ago, unaware of what was going to happen over this weekend in Colorado.  I considered pulling it, but decided to go ahead.   It's amazing how little changes.   My prayers go out to the people in Aurora....

On the Road with Joe #2

While traveling through Blue Earth, Minnesota, I found myself in the valley of everyone's favorite advertising giant, the Jolly Green Giant.   The town of Blue Earth erected this 55-foot statue in 1978 at the meeting point of the East I-90 and West I-90 freeways, the longest running interstate highway in the US.  Blue Earth has a Green Giant canning plant that still packages peas and corn every summer.  

The Minnesota Valley Canning Company was founded in the Valley around Blue Earth in 1903.   In 1925 the "Green Giant" slogan was first used to promote a type of pea, the "Green Giant Great Big Tender Peas."  In 1928 they introduced the Jolly Green Giant as their advertising icon, and in 1950 the Company was officially renamed Green Giant.   The Giant is now the third most recognized advertising icon, just behind the Marlboro man and Ronald McDonald (For the complete list follow this link).

The Giant's first appearances were scary...   let's face it, he's a creepy looking figure, not unlike a vegan version of the Incredible Hulk.   The advertisers finally learned to use him sparingly, especially in television commercials.  The "Ho-ho-ho" signature and the appearance of Little Sprout helped make him more approachable.  Please click on the advertisement on the right to see how creepy he could be...

The valley around Blue Earth is appreciative of the Giant's effects on their local economy, especially the nearby town of Le Sueur, where the Minnesota Valley Canning Company began.  They have a large billboard that comes up at you in the middle of nowhere.   According to reports it has startled drivers along the highway.

The top photo is me standing with the Giant.  There are entirely too many jokes to be made, and since I try to keep this a family-friendly blog, I am not going to make any of them.  Make your own jokes in private.  I'm sure the Giant would respond:  "Ho Ho Ho..."