The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 23

INSIDE General News -g i-11 1 i i ft THE FBESNO BEE 4f $e6tfie 0 uta By LOU MIO Newtxxise News Service ver wonder what happened to Sit John baseball shoes or Adolf Hiller's typewriter? Stop wondering They Ye safely preserved in museums for those adventurous souls who wander off the beaten tourist trails for a peek at some of oddball attractions Historical markers blah The US Mint yech Twitty City Land of Kong Now talking some serious sightseeing "When we were kids our parents would take us on long road trips but they let us V- n- Mu And our dads would say no go see this historical marker Barth 29 and Smith 27 obviously survived childhoods of deprived tourism then even With Mike Wilkins 26 and Douglfirby 28 they wrote America" (Simon and Schuster Inc $995) a breezy humorous book of sights and sites across the country It could prompt you to gas up and hit the road or cancel tne vacation all a matter of taste look in this book for a tour of the Smithsonian Institution But if you want to know about Ralph the diving pig he performs at Aquarena Springs in San Marcos Texas which also features the Only Submarine Theater The audience is submerged Aquarena is one of the Seven Wonders a list of dubious distinction that includes: South of the Border an ersatz Mexican motel and tourist complex in Dillon SG with 300 rooms Sombrero Tower (a glass elevator takes you to the observation deck in the brim) and a shop where you can choose ami kinds of back-scratchers and 22 types mugs Wall Drug a mall in Wall SD that handles 1 million tourists a year and features Sam the (coin-operated) piano-playing gorilla a 6-foot stuffed rabbit on wheels a giant fiberglass jackalope and more than 50 Minuteman missile silos in the surrounding countryside making it the best-defended tourist attraction in the world Twitty City a complex in Hendersonville Tenn built by singer Conway Twitty and dedicated to himself He really lives there touring Twitty fans might even catch a glimpse of Conway getting his morning paper or cutting the grass "But make fun of Twitty City while there" Smith warned dead The four authors traveled more than 30000 miles last year to gather material "We actually went to 95 percent of the Barth said "The only place we avoided was North Dakota not worth it North Dakota has the geographical center of North America in Rugby and a mine fire been burning 40 years" That should blow the book's sales in Bismarck The authors cite former first lady Lady Bird Johnson as one reason their book is needed Sim pushed for a Highway Beautification Act See Oddball Page 3 Beano BaaDoug Hanaen Inn-viting inn at Pacific Grove Charming Gosby House provides comfort on Monterey Bay Area km directory Page 2 By EDDIE LOPEZ Bee travel writer Peninsula in 1853 He began building his rambling inn in 1887 The inn dates back to the days (1880-1916) when Pacific Grove was the western headquarters for the Chautauqua Movement Members of foe Methodist Church founded a tent camping groundhealfo resort that later gave way to Victorian cottages in an area between Lighthouse Avenue and the ocean On any given evening of foe year one can encounter a lively mixture of convivial guests in foe fireplace-warmed main parlor at Gosby House nibbling on crunchy hors (Toeuvres and sipping glasses of chilled diablis room temperature sherry and hot tea And yes this is a bed and breakfast inn that does breakfast impressively A side table in the antique-filled dining room is piled high with such delectables as sliced fresh fruits cereals scrambled eggs bacon sausages hotcakes and homemade muffins plus juices teas and coffee Because of its early religious identity at onetime lived up to the expression tn the sidewalks at There were city ordinances in effect among them bans drinking (the town was dry until 1969) gamblii playing the zither or tenpins waltzing wearing bathing suits without double crotches or selling popcorn And while Carmelites affectionately referred to their nearby cozy community as Carmel-by-the-Sea there were others who mockingly called this area Grove-by-God" Gosby in his early career as innkeeper rented his rooms mainly to persons attending summer Methodist See Gosby Page 2 ACIFIC GROVE are crisp red apples in a woven basket on the mantle above a gaslit fireplace Candies with raspberry centers are nestled on the pillow of a turned down bed beside a cuddly brown teddy bear and a freshly cut red rose A card foe color of peaches with blue lettering reads simply so to bed" If the treatment sounds special rest assured it is not just part of the routine way that Gosby House Inn makes its guests comfortable commendable how casually foe Gosby House staff makes roadweary travelers feel completely welcome Gosby House succeeds in its commitment to combine the elegant service that is generally found in small hotels with foe ambiance that is expected of European country inns And what a setting Gosby House is only a short stroll from where foe Pacific Ocean meets Monterey Bay Geographically Pacific Grove covers 2 V4 square miles of natural wooded land with four miles of beaches The area was once the home of the Costanoan IndiansThere are dune trails tide pools and great spots for picnics at foe beach Gosby House is a Victorian mansion that is included Fresno pttFdtiia loptr in foe National Register of Historic Places It was built 1 in stages by JF Gosby a cobbler who emigrated from Nova Scotia to the northern tip of the Monterey Present owners have restored the Gosby House exterior to Its Victorian glory.