Imagine a world where dinosaurs roamed Vermont, but instead of scales and teeth, they were made of… scrap wood?
Welcome to Post Mills, home of the Vermontasaurus!
Picture this: you’re driving along a quiet country road, surrounded by rolling hills and pastoral scenes, when suddenly – BAM! – a massive wooden dinosaur looms into view.
No, you haven’t stumbled onto the set of a low-budget Jurassic Park remake.
You’ve just encountered the Vermontasaurus, the quirkiest dino this side of the Mesozoic Era.
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
“A wooden dinosaur? In Vermont? Has maple syrup finally gone to their heads?”
But trust me, this is no syrup-induced hallucination.
This is real, and it’s spectacular.
The Vermontasaurus stands proudly (well, as proudly as a jumble of wooden scraps can stand) at the Post Mills Airport in Post Mills, Vermont.
It’s the brainchild of Brian Boland, a local artist and hot air balloon pilot with a penchant for the peculiar.
Boland didn’t wake up one day and decide, “You know what this airport needs? A giant wooden dinosaur.”
No, the Vermontasaurus was born out of necessity – the necessity to clean up a pile of scrap wood, that is.
A few years ago, Boland found himself with a mountain of wooden debris from a collapsed shed.
Now, most people would have called a dumpster and been done with it.
But Boland?
He saw potential.
He saw… a dinosaur.
Because why not, right?
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.
When life gives you a pile of scrap wood, you obviously make a 122-foot-long, 25-foot-tall wooden dinosaur.
It’s just common sense, people.
The construction of the Vermontasaurus was a community affair.
Locals pitched in, hammering, nailing, and probably questioning their life choices as they helped bring this wooden behemoth to life.
It was like an old-fashioned barn raising, if the barn was shaped like a prehistoric creature and served absolutely no practical purpose whatsoever.
But that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it?
In a world obsessed with efficiency and practicality, the Vermontasaurus stands (or rather, leans) as a testament to whimsy and creativity.
It’s a middle finger to the mundane, a wooden warrior against the tyranny of the ordinary.
As you approach this magnificent beast, you’ll notice its… unique anatomy.
The Vermontasaurus isn’t going to win any awards for scientific accuracy.
Its body is a hodgepodge of planks, boards, and shingles, haphazardly arranged in a vaguely dinosaur-like shape.
The head… well, let’s just say it’s open to interpretation.
Is it a T-Rex?
A Brontosaurus?
A particularly angular turkey?
The beauty is in the eye of the beholder, my friends.
And let’s talk about those spikes along its back.
They’re not so much spikes as they are random pieces of wood sticking up at odd angles.
It’s less “fearsome predator” and more “I tried to build a fence blindfolded.”
But that’s what makes it charming.
It’s the dinosaur equivalent of a bad hair day, and we’re here for it.
Now, you might be wondering, “Is this thing safe?”
Well, that’s been a topic of hot debate in Post Mills.
Shortly after its creation, local officials raised concerns about the Vermontasaurus’s structural integrity.
They feared it might collapse and injure someone, which, let’s be honest, would be a pretty embarrassing way to go.
But fear not, intrepid visitors!
The Vermontasaurus has weathered storms, both literal and bureaucratic.
It’s been reinforced, inspected, and given the all-clear.
It’s probably sturdier than half the buildings in my neighborhood.
And let’s face it, if it’s survived Vermont winters, it can survive anything.
Those icy blasts would send most Florida retirees packing, but the Vermontasaurus?
It just stands there, unfazed, like a wooden warrior against the elements.
One of the best things about the Vermontasaurus is its ever-changing nature.
Unlike its prehistoric counterparts, this dinosaur is constantly evolving.
Weather, wear and tear, and occasional repairs mean that the Vermontasaurus you see today might look slightly different from the one you’ll see next year.
It’s like a living art installation, if living art installations were made of dead trees and held together by sheer force of will.
But the Vermontasaurus isn’t just a static sculpture to be admired from afar.
Oh no, this is an interactive experience, my friends.
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Visitors are encouraged to walk around and even through the structure.
It’s like being in the belly of the beast, if the beast were made of two-by-fours and had excellent ventilation.
As you wander through the wooden ribcage, take a moment to appreciate the craftsmanship.
Or lack thereof.
Marvel at how something so haphazard can still be standing.
It’s a testament to either brilliant engineering or dumb luck.
Possibly both.
And don’t forget to look up!
The gaps between the planks offer a unique view of the Vermont sky.
It’s like cloud-watching but with the added excitement of wondering if that creaking sound you just heard was the wind or impending collapse.
Excitement!
Adventure!
Splinters!
Now, I know what some of you are thinking.
“But what’s the point? Why would I drive all the way to Post Mills to see a bunch of wood nailed together in the shape of a dinosaur?”
And to that, I say: why not?
In a world of cookie-cutter tourist attractions and Instagram-perfect photo ops, isn’t there something refreshing about a attraction that’s so unapologetically weird?
The Vermontasaurus isn’t trying to be anything it’s not.
It’s not pretending to be educational or historically significant.
It’s just there, in all its wooden glory, daring you to smile, to wonder, to embrace the absurd.
And let’s be honest, isn’t that what travel is all about?
Sure, seeing the world’s great wonders is nice.
The Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall, the Grand Canyon – they’re all impressive.
But will any of them make you laugh out loud and say, “What were they thinking?”
The Vermontasaurus will.
It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best experiences are the ones you never saw coming.
The ones that make you shake your head in disbelief and grin like an idiot.
The ones that make for great stories when you get home.
Because let’s face it, “I saw the Mona Lisa” is nowhere near as interesting as “I stood inside a giant wooden dinosaur in Vermont.”
But the Vermontasaurus isn’t just a quirky roadside attraction.
It’s become a symbol of Post Mills, a point of pride for the community.
It’s brought visitors to this small town who might otherwise have just passed through.
It’s created memories, sparked conversations, and probably caused more than a few double-takes from passing drivers.
In a way, the Vermontasaurus is a perfect representation of Vermont itself.
It’s unique, a bit rough around the edges, and utterly charming in its own special way.
It’s the kind of thing that could only exist in a place where individuality is celebrated and creativity knows no bounds.
It’s Vermont in wooden dinosaur form.
If that’s not worth a road trip, I don’t know what is.
And here’s the best part: visiting the Vermontasaurus is absolutely free.
That’s right, you can experience all the wooden dinosaur goodness your heart desires without spending a dime.
In today’s world of overpriced tourist traps, that’s rarer than a real dinosaur sighting.
So pack a picnic, bring your sense of humor, and make a day of it.
Take silly photos.
Pretend you’re being chased by a very slow, very wooden predator.
Have a serious discussion about whether the Vermontasaurus would win in a fight against Godzilla.
The Vermontasaurus is more than just a roadside attraction.
It’s a conversation starter, a memory maker, a testament to the power of imagination and the beauty of embracing the absurd.
It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best things in life are the ones that make absolutely no sense.
So the next time you’re in Vermont, take a detour to Post Mills.
Seek out the Vermontasaurus.
Stand in its wooden shadow and marvel at its improbable existence.
And as you do, remember the immortal words often attributed to Walt Disney: “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Even if what you’re dreaming is a giant wooden dinosaur in the middle of Vermont.
Especially if what you’re dreaming is a giant wooden dinosaur in the middle of Vermont.
Because in a world that often takes itself too seriously, we need more Vermontasauruses.
We need more whimsy, more creativity, more willingness to look at a pile of scrap wood and say, “You know what? I bet I could make a dinosaur out of that.”
So here’s to the Vermontasaurus, long may it stand (or lean, or whatever it’s doing).
Here’s to the dreamers, the creators, the people who aren’t afraid to be a little weird.
And here’s to Vermont, for being the kind of place where a wooden dinosaur can become a beloved landmark.
May we all find our inner Vermontasaurus, whatever shape it may take.
Just maybe don’t build it in your backyard without checking with your neighbors first.
Not everyone appreciates impromptu dinosaur construction.
Trust me on this one.
Don’t forget to use this map to find your way to this wooden wonder!
Where: 104 Robinson Hill Rd, Post Mills, VT 0505
In the end, life’s too short not to see a giant wooden dinosaur.
So what are you waiting for?
Your Vermontasaurus adventure awaits!