I've admittedly been neglecting the Roadside Resort for several weeks now, as I'm attempting to tie up Weird Oklahoma, but I had to at least post about the news that Austin, Texas's beloved homeless cross-dresser, Leslie Cochran, has recently been hospitalized.

Cochran was discovered on Oct. 3 by a taxi driver, who found him lying unconscious on a sidewalk downtown. He appeared to have suffered a serious head injury and was reportedly found to be in a semi-vegetative state after he was transported to University Medical Center Brackenridge. Rumors state that he had been seen acting erratically and may have suffered a stroke, but this has not been confirmed.

Cochran, who is known simply as Leslie to Austinites, is a local celebrity and folk hero, famous for wearing thongs, high heels and other women's wear as he wanders the streets of Texas's capital city. He's been outspoken about the plight of the homeless and the treatment by police officers of those in his situation. In 2000, he garnered even more attention when he ran for mayor, a feat he repeated in 2001 and again in 2003, receiving as much as 7.75% of the vote. ... Continued

Eating while driving. I do it. We all do it. When you're trying to beat the sunset to the world's largest scale model of the Hubble Telescope and you haven't eaten anything since that half-frozen muffin from Super 8's continental breakfast, it's unavoidable.

And we've come to learn that some foods work better than others. Milkshakes, mini hamburgers, Pringles: nice and convenient. Enchiladas: not so much. Though, really, it should be pretty obvious which foods work and which ones don't. Nevertheless, Insurance.com has felt it necessary to publish their list of the top 10 foods to avoid while driving.

At number 6: ribs. Really? Someone needs to be reminded not to eat ribs behind the wheel? At the other end of the spectrum: soda. If there's one ingestible that should always be OK, it's soda. Insurance.com's reason to put it on the no-no list? "Fizz in the nose."

How would you improve the list?

1. Coffee. Even with a travel lid, hot coffee can find its way out of the opening when you hit a bump.

I just had to share this handcrafted Airstream-shaped coffin currently on sale at Ebay.

Such fantasy coffins, which have become an increasingly popular tradition in the Republic of Ghana over the last 50 years, are created by only a small number of skilled craftsmen. The custom-built caskets are highly desired not only as functioning sarcophagi in and around Ghana, but also as collector's items around the world.

Some of the more unusual creations include coffins shaped like giant crabs, fish, chickens, Mercedes Benzes, outboard motors and shallots, but for me, this scaled-down 26-foot 1956 Airstream Overland takes the cake.

Incidentally, you can read more about such coffins, a collection of which are on display at Houston's National Museum of Funeral History, in Weird Texas.

Any serious detourist knows it's crucial to take frequent breaks when covering long distances. Even if it's just 5 minutes to stretch your legs and grab a sack of peanut M&Ms from a caged snack machine, a pit stop helps avoid fatigue and possible accidents on the road.

Unfortunately, recent reports indicate that several states are shutting down many of their highway rest areas. According to The Wall Street Journal, departments of transportation are beginning to see their rest stops as obsolete and have begun barricading exits.

Louisiana has closed 24 of its 34 rest areas since 2000, four of them last year. Maine, Vermont and Colorado have recently announced plans to shutter more rest areas because of cash constraints. Rhode Island, Tennessee, Arizona and others are thinking of doing likewise.