Note: This story appeared in the March-April 2015 issue of the Gypsy Journal.
Who hasn’t dreamed of living in a rustic log cabin perched on the shore of a clear, cold mountain lake at one time or another? It sounds almost as much fun as living in an RV, doesn’t it?
While touring St. Augustine, Florida, we found what may be the ultimate log house at Ripley’s Believe It or Not. And this wasn’t any run of the mill log cabin, it was a house made from one log. That’s right, just one log!
According to the story, a fellow named Len Moore got caught in a nasty storm while exploring a forest in northern California and took refuge in a massive burned out redwood tree. As he waited out the deluge, he came up with the idea of creating a home out of the log.
Working with a mallet and chisel, it took him four months to clean out the interior and over a year to finish the project. The result is a four-room hand carved house that includes a kitchen, dining room, sitting room, and bedroom. Its curved roof and center aisle reminded us of our old MCI bus conversion, though I believe we had more room in the old bus. Anyone who favors the Tiny House movement would love this place!
According to Ripley’s, the log the cabin was carved from was the fourth cut from a 1,900 year old redwood tree that stood over 247 feet high and was 14 feet in diameter. The log used for the cabin was cut from the tree in 1938 and measures 33 feet long and eight feet high. The log contained more than 11,000 feet of lumber, enough to build a five bedroom house. Time has taken a toll on the structure and today iron straps hold it securely together and a sky blue tarp covers the top to prevent leaks.
While it only takes a couple of minutes to tour the Log House, it’s worth the stop, and it’s free. But while you’re there, take the time and spend the few bucks to tour the entire Ripley’s Believe It or Not, just across the parking lot. It’s full of wonderful and delightful oddities. Ripley’s and the Log House are located at 19 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call (904) 824-1606.
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Thought For The Day – Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century. – Mark Twain
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Nick Russell
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