The Big Banana

This post, unfortunately, is a long time coming. I do apologize for its lateness, but not its greatness.

Couchsurfing is an online network for travelers needing or wanting a place to stay. Honestly, it is a lot like online dating. People contact you, you read their profile and contact them back and forth, and you decide whether they can stay with you. I've done a lot of couchsurfing, especially when I was traveling by myself, and I love it! You get a local perspective of where ever you are - things to see and do, things to skip, stuff that would never make it into a guidebook. Plus you get to meet interesting people. I have not hosted much since most folks do not yearn for the slow country life, but while in Louisa I hosted about a dozen travelers. I was just commenting to Aaron that no one had made a couch request since I had moved to Culpeper and the next day we got a request. And what a request!

The Big Banana Car was coming to Culpeper! And we couldn't even properly host him because we don't really have protective parking in the hood to safely park a 32-foot car shaped like a banana. It would not fit in the space behind the house where Aaron and I both park and parking on the street is probably not a good idea with an awesome car like that. I was a little disappointed, but offered to find somewhere to park the car, even the police station! In the end, Steve and Liz found another host in Culpeper with better accommodations (not the hood) for the Big Banana Car.

But! They offered to meet us for drinks at the Smokehouse and take me out for a ride. It was so exciting. 

I sat in the backseat, the highest one up, and I had the biggest smile and laughed almost the entire time... why? Watch the other people! Culpeper was astonished. Everyone who sees the Big Banana Car coming down the road can hardly believe what they are seeing. People are staring in amazement, smiling, laughing, pointing, trying to whip out their phones, taking pictures, waving, and calling out. As a Big Banana Car passenger, I smiled and waved back (and laughed loudly). I imagine some minor fender benders have been caused by the Big Banana Car, but I hope not.

 

Rolling hills of Culpeper

Yes there is a Big Banana Car Cap

The Big Banana Car is street-legal, properly inspected, and underneath that yellow fiberglass exterior is a Ford F-150 and a steel frame. I cannot imagine the work and collaboration that went into getting the whole truck put together, rewired, reconfigured into a banana shape. The top of the stem even folds down to accommodate some of the low bridges in Steve's Pennsylvania hometown.

Aaron & Steve discussing venting the engine

Steve has done promo work for Bananagrams, met the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile (which Greg, Sandra, Bunny & I found in Houston), helped non-profits raise money, been in parades and car shows, and otherwise just driven his awesome Big Banana Car around. 

The purpose of his trip to Culpeper was to get to the Arts Car Parade in Houston, where the Big Banana Car took first place! Steve has big plans to take it on a world-wide trip, raising awareness for deep-vein thrombosis along the way, and I hope that he is able to do that. In the meantime, I hope he enjoys driving around the US bringing smiles to all he meets.

Bye Bye Banana!

You can "like" the Big Banana Car on Facebook.

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