Homeward Bound...Foamhenge...

That's right...FOAMHENGE...not STONEHENGE...but very, very similar.

In my searching for uncharted territory for Claude and I, I came across a bit on the Internet about Foamhenge. There is an artist named Mark Cline. He loves to do art that is little bit out there. (After seeing this piece of work, I'm in'cline'd to view others of his!) Mark was visiting a Styrofoam factory and noticed these monolithic pieces of Styrofoam. The light came on, an idea was born, and he set to work making it happen. He found a piece of ground near Natural Bridge, Virginia. This is just south of Lexington, Virginia on Hwy. 11. Now folks, when Claude and I were riding the trusty Honda Goldwing all over the country, we spent a lot of time on Hwy 11. It runs parallel for the most part along I-81 which is a major north/south corridor in western Virginia. When riding a motorcycle you are wanting to enjoy the ride and not fight traffic so these old federal highways are a great way to ride and still make fairly good time. Before Interstates, the federal highways were the main, fastest means of getting for point A to point B. But, again, I digress... This hill near Natural Bridge was a perfect location for Mark Cline to recreate Stonehenge (found in England) out of these monolithic blocks of Styrofoam. He worked closely with the people at Stonehenge to get an exact replica on this hill. You simply drive to the location, pull in and find a spot to park at the bottom of the hill (there is NO parking lot). Then you hike up the hill and view at your leisure. There is no fee. There is no tour guide. It is artwork for fun and enjoyment. There are some very clever signs about defacing property.

Mark has also added some quirks of his own. Merlin the magician is there on a slab of stone with the suggestion that maybe he is the one that moved the real Stonehenge stone to their location. The face of Merlin is actually modeled after a friend of Mark's that has passed away and wanted to be remembered in some of Mark's art.

I was able to get my good-hearted hubby to re-enact Samson pushing on the pillars so that they fell and the building crumbled.

This was a quick, quirky, and totally fun stop for us both. We would recommend it. If you have a child attending Southern Virginia University, it is very close.