Afton, Wyoming is a classic small town of the Rocky Mountain west. It was one of the destinations along the LOTOJA route which we visited while driving support for Tate this year. We stopped for gas and a hot dog at Rulon's Burger Barn and had no idea were were on hallowed ground as far as the people of Afton were concerned. The proprietor was none other than Rulon Gardner, Olympic Gold Medalist in Greco-Roman Wrestling (Sydney, Australia - 2000).
Rulon became a national hero when he beat Aleksandr Karelin of Russia in the gold medal match. Karelin completely dominated the sport: he had been undefeated in 13 years of international competition, and hadn't given up a single point in the 6 years of competition leading up to his match with Gardner in the finals. Nobody gave this Mormon farm-boy from Wyoming the slightest chance. They were practically passing out the gold medal to Karelin before the match began. Fortunately Rulon didn't worry about what the pundits were saying. Booyah!
I've got to be honest in saying the hot dog was only marginal. Now days you don't see this style of urinal as often. It's a pity. Is there a porcelain shortage that nobody told me about?
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A Big Reid iPhone shot of the picture on the wall:
Karelin vs. Gardner
I sill remember the match |
For years I have watched my Dads passion go from a fun hobby to a straight up obsession, he cant hardly go to a restroom without snapping a few photos. While on our last family vacation in Paris he even did a google search of unique bathrooms before we left, because he didn't want to miss any. My family (Dad) has scoured the world looking for the most interesting bathroom. We have great pictures from Turkey, Thailand, Costa Rica, and Peru and all are unique in their own way. However, last weekend I came across one of the best bathrooms I've ever seen in my entire life and it was practically in my backyard: Pikes Place Seattle, Washington. As you may already know Pikes Place is famous for its seafood, and for being the birth place of Starbucks coffee. However, their bathroom is unlike anything I have ever seen before. To the untrained eye it looks like every other public restroom until further examination. The tiles on the bathroom floor are in the shape of the male and female chromosomes! XY for the men and XX for the women. As I stood infront of this bathroom, I realized how strange of a fascination this really was. I made Allison take several pictures of me even though she was dying from embarrassment. It was at that moment that I realize that I am my fathers Son! His love of public Loo's has worn off on me and I no longer feel shame or embarrassment for posing in front of a unusual WC! I hope you can appreciate this as much as we Litchfield's do! And remember that taking a camera into the bathroom is always a good idea because you never know what you will find. 
