Nebraska was yesterday, today we are going to conquer Mount Rushmore. Did I mention that we are planning on going camping? Right off the highway near Sidney, Nebraska, is located the outdoor outfitter Cabelas. We bought a five person tent, sleeping mattresses, a sleeping bag and all that stuff you need. Even though our salesman John T. did a great job, he sold us a broken sleeping mattress, which no one of us recognized until we put up our tent at Horse Thief Campground, Mount Rushmore. We also bought a compass, which does not really work. Whatever will happen, we´ll find our way - Silver Surfer surely knows the way. It must have been sad for our little car when we arrived at Carhenge - a replicate of Stonehenge in England. It´s basically a cemetery for cars. Buried half way into the ground, we showed our little Silvy Surfer that its life won´t be endless. Unless this trip will gain fame, our Honda Civic will probably be owned and crashed by a College Kid in La Jolla whom I´m going to sell it to.
Though Carhenge is like a cemetery for cars, it´s supposed to be art. Cemeteries can become museum-like, too. In almost every big European City you will find a historic cemetery with beautiful tombs, famous persons buried and stories to tell. To the folks in Maastricht I can recommend to take once a walk on Maastricht´s cemetery located west of the city on Tongersestraat. In Edinburgh there is the Greyfriars Cemetery that features a story about a famous police dog Bobby who protected its masters grave for years. There is also a historic Jewish Cemetery in Prague worth a visit. It´s located near the Moldau/Vltava in the center of the Jewish district.
Though Carhenge is like a cemetery for cars, it´s supposed to be art. Cemeteries can become museum-like, too. In almost every big European City you will find a historic cemetery with beautiful tombs, famous persons buried and stories to tell. To the folks in Maastricht I can recommend to take once a walk on Maastricht´s cemetery located west of the city on Tongersestraat. In Edinburgh there is the Greyfriars Cemetery that features a story about a famous police dog Bobby who protected its masters grave for years. There is also a historic Jewish Cemetery in Prague worth a visit. It´s located near the Moldau/Vltava in the center of the Jewish district.
Carhenge was put up in the summer of 1987 by Jim Reinders and his family, just north of Alliance, Nebraska (www.carhenge.com). Sprayed in a grey stone-look-a-like color, this site is most definitely not going to survive another few thousand years like the original one in England. All glass is broken, people jumping around on it, the hot summer sun and the dust are contributing its parts. Besides the goofy appearance of Carhenge, I believe that the wild or intentionally planted sunflowers are far more beautiful than scrumbled pieces of metal.
To me, the true art on this site is embodied in the car-composition of "Ford Seasons". Inspired by Vivaldi´s Four Seasons, Mr. Reinders installed composition of only Fords overlooking the Nebraskan landscape, including Carhenge. Each column of cars representing one of Nebraska´s seasons, the Ford Season to me is the true piece of art on this place. Carhenge compared to the original is nothing more than a funny joke, worth watching, but nothing of greater intellectual value. Ford Seasons, only consisting of Fords, sprayed in different colors and arranged in different shapes, is far more original and located rightfully compared to Carhenge. Using cars to represent the seasons, on which people and nature depend on, is a good choice as one can only survive in that state having a car. The corn-industry and people in daily life depend on their tractors and cars. Life in Nebraska is so different compared to for example San Francisco.
While there are some fast-food chains that will conquer every remote corner of the US, there are so many regional differences when it comes to nature, history and social life. Europeans tend to think of US citizens as isolated, ignorant of other cultures and unknowledgeable. When you travel the US, you will see that there isn´t really a need for US citizens to leave the country. You will find everything in the US, especially when you think of Alaska and Hawaii. For Europeans it´s almost a necessity to know their neighbors well as they are so close that history had produced too many clashes amongst them.