December 27, 2008 Fortsat fra sidste side ~ Continued from last page Dansk tekst til venstre English text on the right Dagens baghave: Backyard of the Day: Center of the World, Felicity, Imperial County, California Felicity, The Center of the World, and the Museum of History in Granite are located on Center of the World Drive off Sidewinder Road in eastern Imperial County, California   På Aprils anmodning kørte vi ind omkring Felicity, før vi vendte næsen hjemefter igen. Felicity er Verdens Midtpunkt, hvilket de jo sagtens kan komme og påstå, og er hjem til Museet for Historie i Granit. On a request from the Spud we drove in around Felicity, before we headed back home. Felicity is the Center of the World - because they say so... so there! - and is home to the Museum of History in Granite.       Pensioneret bankør Jacques-Andre Istel og hans kone Felicia Lee købte et stykke af Sonora-ørkenen i 1980erne. De diskuterede, hvordan de skulle tiltrække mennesker nok til at grundlægge en by, og Felicia foreslog, at de kunne sige, det var verdens midtpunkt. Felicia indså, at det var en påstand, som ingen autoritet havde, og sagde, "hvis bare det stod i en bog, så ville folk vide, det var rigtigt." Som sagt så gjort. Jacques-Andre Istel satte sig ned og skrev en børnebog, "Coe den Gode Drage ved Verdens Midtpunkt," der identificerer Felicity som verdens navle, fik bogen på tryk, og sendte den til Imperial Amtsråd. I et amt, som sandt at sige er hårdt betrængt af mangel på turistattraktioner, var bogen det eneste bevis, amtsrådet behøvede for at lade sig overtale til at lave en lov, der gjorde Verdens Midtpunkt officielt. Felicity er opkaldt efter Felicia Lee, og Jacques-Andre Istel er borgmester, indvalgt med to stemmer mod nul. Retired investment banker Jacques-Andre Istel and his wife Felicia Lee bought a piece of the Sonoran desert in the 1980s. They discussed how they might attract enough people to establish a town, and Felicia suggested they might say it was the center of the world. Felicia realized that this was a claim backed by no authority at all, and said, "if only it was written in a book, then people would know it was true." And so Jacques-Andre Istel promptly sat down and wrote a children's book, "Coe the Good Dragon at the Center of the World," which identifies Felicity as such, had the book printed, and sent it to the Imperial County Board of Supervisors. In a county which is frankly hard up for tourist attractions, the book was the only proof the board needed to be convinced to pass a law, making The Center of the World official. Felicity is named after Felicia Lee, and Jacques-Andre Istel is the town's mayor, elected with two votes to zero.

Der står en pyramide ovenpå Verdens Midtpunkt. Vi blev gennet derind, og blev en ad gangen opfordret til at stå ovenpå verdens midtpunkt, hvor vi til Aprils store fryd fik besked på at lave et ønske, før Felicia Lee gav os vores officielle certificater, der skal forevigtgøre den højtidelige begivenhed. A pyramid stands at the Center of the World. We were herded in there, and were one at a time told to stand on top of the Center of the World, where we, to April's delight, were compelled to make a wish, before Felicia Lee gave us each an official certificate, comemmorating the event.   Verdens Officielle Midtpunkt ~ Official Center of the World

Felicitys kirke skulle naturligvis bygges på kirkebakken. Siden der ingen bakker er i ørkenen, blev der bragt 150.000 tons jord ind, så de kunne lave en. Felicity's church naturally had to be built in the highest spot. Since there are no spots higher than the rest of the spots in the desert, 150,000 tons of dirt was brought in.     Soluret har Guds finger som viser ~ The sun dial has the finger of God pointing to the time     Af mere eller mindre uforklarlige grunde står der et stykke af Eiffeltårnets gamle trappe her. More or less inexplicably, there's a section of the old Eiffel Tower staircase standing here.

Museet for Historie i Granit er en række lange granitvægge, som er beregnet til at holde i mindst 4000 år, hvorpå det er meningen, at verdenshistorien skal indgraveres i hovedtræk. Granit museet forventes at strække sig langt ud i ørkenen, efterhånden som det udvides. The Museum of History in Granite consists of long rows of granite walls, constructed to last at least 4000 years, which are meant for inscription of an overview of world history. The museum in granite is expected to stretch far into the surrounding desert, as it is continuously expanded.

Day Camping/Boondocking Information Felicity is a good spot for day camping. We did not ask to spend the night, but were told that visitors are welcome after hours. There is also an RV park directly across the freeway from here, and lots of BML land immediately to the west at the Algodones Sand Dunes. Facilities: Luncheonette Museum Gift shop   More California Travel Information Here A BIT EARLIER TOMORROW