10BEST: Obscure attractions decoded

While the globe can sometimes seem predictable and packaged, it’s still full of strange and unimaginable places, says Dylan Thuras, co- author of the new book Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders ( Workman, $ 35), based on the

DEVIL’S KETTLE GRAND MARAIS, MINN. It’s hard to believe, but no one has been able to explain what happens to the Brule River when a section tumbles down a waterfall and disappears into a hole. Attempts to track the water with dye or even ping pong balls all have failed. “It’s a mystery that feels like it should be solvable, but it isn’t,” Thuras says. dnr. state. mn. us/ state_ parks/ judge_ cr_ magney/ index. html

INTERNATIONAL CRYPTOZOOLOGY MUSEUM PORTLAND, MAINE While Sasquatch and the abominable snowman are star attractions, Thuras says this museum, devoted to creatures that may not exist, takes a careful scientific approach to its topic. One exhibit, for example, is a replica of the coelacanth, a dinosaur- age fish discovered swimming off the coast of South Africa in 1938. “It’s a very charming place,” Thuras says. cryptozoologymuseum.com

UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE CENTER SCOTTSBORO, ALA. If you ever leave a jacket or an iPad on a flight, it just might end up for sale in a tiny Alabama town. This sprawling store, which has a café and museum, receives its inventory from airlines’ lost and found. “There are things you wouldn’t expect to find here, like a 3,500- year- old Egyptian mask and Hoggle, a gnome puppet from the movie

Labyrinth,” Thuras says. unclaimedbaggage.com

CALIFORNIA CITY, CALIF. Although it’s the Golden State’s third largest city in size, this settlement doesn’t have a professional sports team or an airport. The largely empty metropolis on the edge of the Mojave Desert was created by a developer, who went as far as building parks and streets. But few people wanted to live in the middle of nowhere, and now ATV riders and four- wheelers cruise its mostly- empty boulevards. “It’s a strange quixotic dream that’s only remembered by Google Maps,” Thuras says. californiacity- ca. gov/ CC/

OZYMANDIAS ON THE PLAINS AMARILLO, TEXAS Although the great English romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley probably wasn’t picturing Texas when he penned the tale of a great king named Ozymandias, that’s where you can find him. True to the verse, the concrete statue consists of just the legs of a once- mighty monarch, but these stand in a cow pasture, not the Egyptian desert. And quite often the concrete limbs are painted with socks. But Thuras says Shelley’s theme still resonates. “It’s basically about the ultimate transitional nature of everything.” visitamarillo. com

HOLMDEL HORN ANTENNA HOLMDEL, N. J. Although it doesn’t look like much, this radio- telescope helped establish the history of the universe. Back in the 1960s, a pair of Bell Labs physicists were trying to monitor NASA satellites but they kept hearing a hum. “It was driving them crazy. They thought it was bird poop on the giant antenna, but what they were hearing was the background sound of the Big Bang,” Thuras says. Eventually the men won the Nobel Prize for their discovery. tourism. visitmonmouth.com

RA PAULETTE CAVERNS LA MADERA, N. M. They may look like caves, but these underground rooms with columns, windows and bas relief walls are all the work of Ra Paulette, who carved them out of sandstone. “He’s an artist whose medium is caves,” Thuras says. While most are located on private property, the creations can be visited on guided tours. originnewmexico.com/ sandstone-art- cavesorigin-new- mexico/

THE GREAT STALACPIPE ORGAN LURAY, VA. One of the world’s largest musical instrument is found beneath the Shenandoah Mountains. Designed by a Pentagon scientist in the 1950s, the electric organ uses the stalactites of Luray Caverns as its pipes. Miles of wire link the instrument’s four- keyboard console to geologic formations that have been sanded down to produce perfect pitch. “It’s played daily, and it’s a joy to know about,” Thuras says. luraycaverns.com

BISHOP CASTLE PUEBLO, COLO. While every man’s home is his castle, Jim Bishop takes the expression to an extreme. For nearly 50 years, he has gradually constructed what’s now a sprawling stone building on his property. The castle includes several towers and is topped with a fire- breathing dragon. “I was there last year and it’s like out of a medieval fever dream,” Thuras says. bishopcastle. org

THE FREMONT TROLL SEATTLE One of the city’s most striking pieces of public art is found under a highway overpass. Made of concrete, the 18- foot monster is regularly tarted up by visitors who give it tattoos and paint its fingernails. “It’s a beloved denizen of Seattle, but you have to know it’s there,” Thurassays.fremont.com/ about/ fremont troll- html/

JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC The Great Stalacpipe Organ in Luray Caverns was designed by a Pentagon scientist in the ’ 50s.

JAY GOEBEL, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO The Ozymandias on the Plains statue in Amarillo, Texas, is inspired by poet Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous verse about a once- great king. Visitors give it a custom look.