Thursday, August 1, 2013

Adventuring - October 2012

We starting making plans yesterday to choose some vacation days to take for the remainder of the year so we can extend some weekends. We are not planning on any long vacations this year but we love to have extra days off together for a little thrifting, some laughs, some adventures and just some time together...days like this one from last October...


We went to see The Big Duck! It is a minor tourist attraction on Long Island. You can walk inside and there is always someone there to tell you about the duck's history. There are lots of pictures and you can buy duck souvenirs there too. Around Christmastime, they have a duck lighting (around the same time as the Rockefeller Center tree lighting) and lots of people go there to see the "duck lighting". We have not ever been there for the lighting but maybe this year! 


The Big Duck sign...in case you miss seeing the big duck though you won't because The Big Duck is BIG!!!


The Big Duck in all its glory!

A view of The Big Duck's beak from below!

We went to see the Riverhead Raceway Muffler Man...the big Indian. He was damaged less than a month after this picture was taken when Hurricane Sandy broke him in half at the waist. He has been fixed and he stands proudly once again.

He welcomes all to the raceway!

We listened carefully...we think he said "How"!


We stumbled across this abandoned place a few miles away with some really cool vehicles, dragons and a few oddities.


A giant bed made of Birch Trees!

A giant dragon!

Another giant dragon!

A very cool ice cream truck

We were not sure what this vehicle was supposed to be!

A Queen Smoothie truck

Us with one of the dragons

A GIANT water faucet

A giant wooden teepee located in Center Moriches. It was made in 1890.

Us in front of the teepee

A restaurant in Center Moriches with a really cool shark mouth entrance!

Another view of the shark's mouth

We saw this really cool sign for a Bait & Tackle Shop while walking around Center Moriches.

The Modern Snack Bar in Aquebogue. We love the neon sign!

Another view of the sign. We did not have roast duck, flounder OR cool mint mojitos.

The Modern Snack Bar has been around since 1950

Dinner finished and both of us were full! It was a great day together! 

6 comments:

  1. I am sorry, but I need to know more about the BIG DUCK. Why? What is it made of? Who made it? What does it do? What is inside? Inquiring minds...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Granny Annie! I love that question "why"? Hmmm...I do not know. Here is some info: It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Broadway set designers, the Collins Brothers, and crafted by locals George Reeve, John Smith, and Merlin Yeager in 1931. Originally in Riverhead (about 3 miles away), it has been moved a few times and is now in Flanders. It is just one of those roadside attractions that Long Islanders love. Inside is basically just a mini-Big Duck museum with pamphlets, pictures, souvenirs and a guide who knows all about the duck. They even have an annual "duck lighting" (like the Christmas Tree lighting) every December. (Rob)

      Delete
  2. Looks like some of the places we stopped on my Retro Roadmap visit to LI a couple of years ago - makes me want to go back! Glad I'm not the only one who enjoys that type of fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very cool, Betty! Yes, we love seeing unique attractions as well and love to plan a day of seeing them. I suspect another road trip is coming for us pretty soon! (Rob)

      Delete
  3. Thanks for sharing the Duck and other sites!!!! I love a good roadside attraction. We have a giant snowman just a few miles from here. There is also a large muffler man right by the my in-laws cabin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooohh! The Giant Snowman sounds cool and we are glad you have a muffler man close by. There seems to be a lot of muffler men around. I think everyone should have one close enough to home to visit!! (Rob)

      Delete