Rare Visions & Roadside Revelations

In Loveland, OH, the guys marvel at the enchanting Château LaRoche, a Norman-style castle built by one visionary man and his "Knights of the Golden Trail" over the course of 30 years. In Wapokeneta, OH, they stop by Jim Bowsher's yard for a look at the Temple of Tolerance, a giant rock sculpture he erected without the use of a single power tool.

In Ohio, the guys stop at the Warther Carvings Museum in Dover, which houses Ernest Warther's intricate carvings of the history of the steam engine, Lincoln's funeral train and other historical subjects. Moving on to Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh area, they encounter homemade instrument maker Karl Mullen, painter Kathleen Ferri and the ultimate "tiny town" of Shartlesville.

Visits with Pennsylvania artist Mr. Imagination (Bethlehem), who survived a shooting and emerged from his near-death experience with a desire to make art from found objects, and Isaiah Zagar (Philadelphia), whose quest to "tile the world" can be seen at work in some incredible mosaics in and on buildings along South Street.

The guys visit an "illuminated garden" at Luna Parc, a fantasy world in the woods created by Ricky Boscarino in Montague, NJ. Heading into New York, they stumble upon a yard full of heads carved by Ted Ludwiczak of Haverstraw, who retired from his job as a contact lens maker and started carving at 67. Back across the state line, they discover the intricate thread artwork created by Troy's Ray Mate.

Randy, Mike and Don cross a rare floating bridge in Brookfield, VT — though not without some Trepidation — to get to Gayleen Aiken in Barre, VT. She's a painter, musician, puppeteer and all-around force of nature, now in her early 70s, who says she made her first art at age 3. At St. Johnsbury's Fairbanks Museum in Vermont, they a collection of patriotic and whimsical woven pieces.

The guys linger a bit — possibly a bit too long — in the Loony Lagoon in Bath, ME, where Phillip Day, a retired shipbuilder, has some pretty wacky yard art. In Pigeon Cove, MA, they visit Ellis Stenman's environmentally aware Paper House, which includes desks, radios and clocks all made from newspapers.