A few days ago, I reported on a man who built a nearly exact replica of the set from MASH in his own backyard, but to my dismay, I couldn't determine his location except to say that he lived in Orlando, Florida. Well, today I know where he lives!

Admittedly, I hadn't done all that much research — hey, it's Christmas week, after all — but thankfully, Laura Leu from Asylum stepped up and tracked him down for me. The creator's name is David Dilday and he has proclaimed himself the world's biggest MASH fan. Together with his best friend since childhood, Brandon Crisp, he built the compound in just 1,000 square feet of lawn.

In fact, it's the second such replica the pair have erected. A much younger Dilday and Crisp, together with a few other friends, built a scale version of the Swamp back in 1983, which they used to re-enact a home-movie version of MASH's final episode. Twenty years later, they decided to build another version in Dilday's backyard, only much more accurate. ... Continued

Writing three installments for the Weird series of books has led me to dozens of unique and outrageous homes. Few, however, have made me utter as many excited expletives as the reconstruction of the entire MASH set in one man's backyard.

Known so far only as Kraw27, this ambitious visionary has even recreated the Swamp (Hawkeye's tent, if you're not familiar) in unbelievable detail, right down to the homemade still. According to his post at the HGTV website, it makes a great place to host poker night.

What's more, Kraw27 has also built a pretty awesome Indiana Jones-themed TV room.

I'm currently working on getting more information about the mysterious Kraw27. If anyone out there knows anything, please send me a note. With any luck, I'll be able to pay him a personal visit in the near future. ... Continued

The same people behind the Bluegrass State's Creation Museum have recently announced another attraction that's sure to draw not only the faithful, but also those like myself who adore over-the-top roadside spectacles. This time, it's a full-size, fully stocked, $150-million Noah's Ark.

Called the Ark Encounter, the new Bible-themed park will also include a "Walled City" featuring shops and restaurants depicting "the lifestyle of the people of Noah’s day," a replica Tower of Babel, a movie theater sporting apparently physics-defying "5-D special effects" and, of course, a petting zoo.

Plus — and this might just be the best part — as confirmed during a press conference, the Ark will be carrying dinosaurs.

As long as planners can sell enough pegs, planks and beams in time, the park will open in 2014.

It's the little things in life that I enjoy.

Even if I have to drive twice around a Target parking lot to experience them.

In 1981, President John F. Kennedy's alleged killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, was briefly exhumed for medical testing and reburied in a brand new coffin. The previous coffin, in which the infamous shooter's corpse lay for nearly 20 years, was saved and is now being put on the auction block.

The casket, a simple pine box, is being sold by the funeral home that handled Oswald's reinterment. They've apparently been in possession of the water-damaged enclosure since the accused assassin was dug up to settle a conspiracy theory that claimed a look-alike Russian agent was buried in Oswald's place.

Nate D. Sanders Auctions, the auction house in charge of the sale, reportedly expects to fetch $100,000 for the item.

Heading off to destinations yet unexplored with more friends crammed into the car than can comfortably fit can make for quite the memorable road trip. Yet, "the more, the merrier" can often turn into a tension-filled disaster if you don't make the right plans.

Lindsey from Always the Planner has compiled a list of tips for just such an occasion, offering advice on how best to avoid arguments and make the most of the trip for everyone. Among them is one I always advise for any group of 5 or more:

"Schedule times for the group to break apart during the trip. When putting together your group itinerary, make sure that you leave chunks of time for the group to easily break apart. This allows everyone in the group to do some of the things that they want to do but the rest of the group doesn't. It also breaks up any in-group tension by giving everyone a break from one another if they want it."

Do you have any tips for traveling in groups?

On the very last stop on the very last day of my very last research trip for Weird Arizona, I met one of the state's most prolific, and friendliest, folk artists. His name was Jerry Hall, and his "World of Imagination," a collection of unusual, scrap-metal sculptures that took up the entirety of his front yard, had become a regional sensation.

I had been unable to contact Jerry before my arrival, but by sheer luck, he arrived at home moments before I finished taking photos and hit the road back to Texas. As a result, I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of hours chatting with Jerry, learning about what made him tick, and even getting a personal tour of the wall art inside his house.

Jerry welcomed me like a friend into his home, which is why I was sad to learn that he had recently succumbed to cancer. He passed away on Oct. 19 at the age of 65.

To my regret, my story on Jerry Hall's World of Imagination was cut from the final version of Weird Arizona due to space concerns. But the story, presented with photos of Jerry's creatures, can be read in its entirety here at the Roadside Resort. ... Continued

For every strange, public attraction built around someone's personal obsession, there are untold numbers of people who've each built their very own world of wonder behind closed doors. Take, for instance, the Beer Can Man of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who personally amassed thousands upon thousands of vintage beer cans, witnessed by public eyes only briefly after his death.

Graphic artist Sean Tubridy snapped a few shots as they were hauling the collection out of the building where he works. Most, he said, were from the late '70s or older. Many were still unopened.

"So the deal is these belonged to a guy known as 'The Beer Can Man,'" Tubridy wrote. "He had a place in our building and collected these along with bar signs and all sorts of other stuff. He died a while back and it's all gone now and these are being hauled away. They can't be recycled for the deposit because they are tin and steel. Still, a few nice finds in there."

In the end, workers removed twelve trailer-size dumpsters full of cans. ... Continued

In case you aren't already aware, the derby theme this week over at Shirt.Woot is "Road Trip!" And, personally, I think the design pool could use some fresh blood, so I'm calling all Roadside Resort readers to head on over and submit your own ideas. You could win $1000!

If you don't know what Shirt.Woot is or how it works, be sure to read their FAQ. And if you happen to win because I pointed you in their direction, I'm just letting you know a complimentary T-shirt sent my way (size medium) will not go unworn.

Good luck!

Night photographer Troy Paiva, who has contributed his work to both Weird Texas and Weird Arizona, e-mailed me recently to let me know he's made a major update to his website Lost America.

"I've just launched the largest update to the lostamerica.com website since I first put the work online in 1999," he says. "Literally, hundreds of new images. Even if you follow my daily postings on Flickr and Facebook, there will be well over 100 new images you haven't seen before."

If you aren't familiar with Troy's work, which depicts the forgotten, decaying side of America by the light of the moon, stars and specially adapted strobes, I highly recommend you head over to Lost America now and take a long look around.