While in Pennsylvania, Mike and Shaun stumbled across a fantastic amalgamation of the United State's love of hunting and over the top commerce at Cabela's. You might know it as the weird outdoors and hunting catalog belonging to your friend's oddly manly fathers. Growing up I use to thumb through it only for the various jerky they once sold (the last time I picked one up off a coffee table, I found no jerky, only jerky making technology to my dissappointment).
But the catalog has nothing on the real life shopping experience. Shaun's photos filled me with envy and I have to get myself to one, even though, as Mike and Shaun experienced, I might just be the odd man out in a huge warehouse filled with camouflage, non ironic facial hair, the love of guns, and the fear of God.
The huge shop houses a cafe, an aquarium, cuckoo clocks, antler furniture, a gun library, and a fly shop. But the real specialness comes from the most obvious feature. Within the walls stands a huge, man made mountain covered in rams and elk and more. But don't think this is the only stunning, taxidermy tableau. It looks like Cai Guo Qiang meets the Museum of Natural History, meets Patagonia in there. In one corner a wolf makes a stand against oxen, in another zebras and hippos drink from a stream. It's crazy.
But what do you think?