Monday, March 21, 2005

Colorado's Own Ripley's Believe-it or Not

Saturday the ear doctor and I drove an hour and a half away from the mountains into the flat, drab plains of Eastern Colorado in pursuit of the bizarre.

We'd heard about the Genoa Tower and wanted to check it out.

It was INSANE.

Every square inch of this place was covered in junk.

We met and hung out with the owner, Jerry Chubbuk. He was a character. The tour cost $1 each and was worth every 100 pennies. Before starting the tour he gave us a chance to win our money back. If we could correctly guess 20 items in a row he'd refund our money. I got one of the 20.

As we wandered through the 21 rooms filled with every bit of imaginable junk I was completely overwhelmed. Things were attached to every square inch of the structure. Sharp saw blades were suspended overhead by a twist of rusty wire and a screw.



My favorites had to be the stuffed people at the top of the tower, the 2 headed stuffed calf and the carcass of a fetal pig with 8 legs.



I do'nt think Jerry makes a boat load of money off his tours since it was Saturday afternoon and we only saw 2 other couples there. In fact, I don't even think he makes enough to turn on the heat because it was freezing out there. The only amenity out there was electricity. No plumbing necessitated making do without some standard convienences.



If anyone is every driving cross country on I-70, do NOT miss the chance to check this place out. It blew my mind.

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