8. The “McBarge”
While we associate McDonald’s with buildings on the land,
there have been attempts to take the brand out on the water.
One such version of the fast food giant on the seas is the Friendship 500, a vessel also
nicknamed McBarge. Not that customers took a voyage out onto the ocean or anything. No,
this 187 ft (57 m) long barge was kitted out as part of Vancouver’s Expo world fair back in 1986.
Visitors would step aboard the floating restaurant,
which was designed by the architecture company Robert Allan Ltd, to get a glimpse of what the
future of society might look like. Oh, and eat a few burgers along the way! There was
great potential in the McBarge but, for one reason or another, it just didn’t work out.
McDonald’s may have lost interest because several years later the barge was still at the False Creek
location. The Creek’s owner reportedly had to order the company to do something about
it. From the Expo site, it went to a fjord called Burrard Inlet in British Columbia.
There it sat gathering dust for nearly a quarter of a century!
Today it’s moored on the Fraser River at Maple Ridge, also in British Columbia.
McDonald’s doesn't own it anymore, so what are they going to do with this oddity of the
fast food industry? There have been a few potential uses talked about over the years.
It would have probably made a pretty decent homeless shelter if the owner
hadn’t turned the idea down. The McBarge was earmarked for a museum at one point.
Sadly, public interest in preserving the McBarge doesn’t seem to be in evidence.
Some reports state that the barge is now going to be turned into a…
wait for it… restaurant! What are the chances, right? Though this time,
it looks like the menu will feature seafood rather than patties and fries.
7. Aircraft Graveyards
These varying locations, across states such as Arizona, California and New Mexico,
have an awesome and cinematic feel. Just look at all these planes gathering dust. And
because they’re out in desert conditions, gathering dust is an understatement. The
Davis-Monthan Air Base in Arizona, home to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group,
or AMARG, is part of a network of so-called graveyards that house thousands of planes.
These vehicles are from both commercial and military sectors. Here you’ll see
Boeing airliners, as well as Lockheed T-33 Shooting Stars and other pieces of
aviation history. More often than not, the planes are used for their parts,
but many are actually parked here in anticipation of being flown again in the future.
Why park a plane out in the middle of the desert? The answer lies in the super dry conditions.
The possibility of rust is kept to a minimum, so the word “graveyard” - or in some cases
“boneyard” - is a little inaccurate. That said, these places are regarded as somewhere
that aircraft go to die. They certainly look abandoned and somewhat lonely out there, huh?
The good thing is that they play a role in recycling much-needed parts
and keeping the industry going that way. They may never take to the skies again,
but they provide an interesting talking point for aviation fans.
No wonder they’ve been used as locations for movies, including Waterworld.
Yes, at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California,
areas can be filled with water and splashed around in by film crews. Bet you never thought the movie
where Kevin Costner is surrounded by water was actually shot out in the desert, right?
6. The Knight Rider Truck
Speaking of onscreen action, we thought we’d mention the old series Knight Rider.
And specifically, an abandoned vehicle that was featured alongside David Hasselhoff and his
famous talking Trans-Am car KITT. The Trans-Am is well looked after to our knowledge, however
that can’t be said about the FLAG mobile unit. This GMC General articulated lorry
was the rolling headquarters for the Foundation for Law And Government. Many was the time when
KITT would drive into the trailer round back for a pep talk with the show’s crime fighting team.
Unfortunately the lorry was left in Idaho for 15 years,
where it may well have rusted into oblivion. There’s a happy ending though,
with some dedicated Knight Rider fans riding to the rescue. In 2021 it was
reported that they’d traced the FLAG unit to its remote location using modern technology.
These guys, who are called Knight Rider Historians, really went the extra mile to trace
the vehicle through its computerized data, though apparently this took some doing. Remember the show
was made back in the 1980s after all, before the modern technology we enjoy today existed!
All in all, it took years to get to the lorry and that’s without the trailer.
The next phase of the operation is to find that so the pair can be reunited.
For more information about the Knight Rider Historians and what they get up to,
check out their website!
5. Salton Sea Trailer Dumpsite
The iconic Knight Rider trailer may be missing, but there’s one place you can definitely find
a bunch of old trailers if you’re interested- and that’s the Salton Sea area of the Colorado Desert,
in Southern California. Back in the first half of the 20th century,
it was considered quite the place to be. What you’ll find now, however,
if you head to this once sparkling desert oasis, is a vast number of abandoned trailers.
1905 saw the Colorado River meet the Salton Sink, creating a wet environment there where
none had existed before. It wasn’t intentional - this happened due to the introduction of
man-made irrigation canals combined with rain that ultimately altered the landscape.
Soon, a parched part of the state was a go-to location! Who’d have thought the arid,
dusty place would go on to play host for businesses such as marinas and trailer parks?
Of course, things didn’t last and when people left to find better prospects elsewhere,
they left their trailers behind. These range from the completely dilapidated
to the artistically decorated. And if you’re brave enough to venture inside you can discover
a fascinating, if somewhat icky, look at how people used to enjoy themselves back then.
Would you venture into the desert to explore these abandoned motor homes? Let us know in the
comments below - and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more abandoned places content!
4. Ferrari Find and More
It’s really surprising how some incredible vehicles are abandoned,
not to mention the eye opening reasons why this happens. Take this case,
which was reported back in 2018. A house in North Carolina was going to be reduced to rubble,
but underneath was a hidden treasure and every car collector’s dream.
An underground storage unit was accessed by Tom Cotter of Barn Find Hunter. This wasn’t a barn,
but who cares when you manage to track down not just 1, but 4 classic vehicles
that haven’t been driven for almost 3 decades! Inside the unit were a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB,
a Shelby Cobra, a Morgan and a Triumph. What’s the story here? Well,
it sounds like this quartet of gas guzzlers was a proper labour of love for the owner.
He liked to take good care of his vehicles, so how come they wound up abandoned down there?
Turns out his mechanic sadly passed away. In what’s arguably the best tribute ever
paid to a mechanic, the owner then decided that no-one else should touch the cars!
The tragic event happened in 1991 and they were in limbo ever since.
The brakes had seized on the Ferrari, Morgan and Triumph but the Shelby was still drivable.
Amazingly the cars were in great condition, though they hadn’t been entirely left alone
over the years. A bit more than exhaust fumes were released when those engines got fired up.
What are we talking about? Mouse droppings. Oh yeah.
It wasn’t only the chassis that was squeaking that day. It’s also reported
that crickets were hopping about the place. So, this find was a treat for
fans of abandoned automobiles but not so much for those who hate creepy crawlies.
3. Ekranoplan
This impressive piece of Russian military history had a sad end when it was abandoned on the coast
in the Caspian Sea. The Ekranoplan looked like a formidable conflict vehicle back in the days of
the Cold War. Today, it’s an unfulfilled project that is reportedly sinking below the surface.
So what does “Ekranoplan” mean? It translates as “Wings in Ground effect”. Sounds like a weird
name for a plane but it actually sums up what the vehicle does. You see it looks like a plane
and it does fly, but very close to the water. In that sense it’s a sort of boat, only instead
of floating on water, it floats on a powerful air cushion. The vehicle had a top speed of 373 mph.
Why do this? For starters, the Ekranoplan has a very low profile,
making it a nightmare to detect for enemy radar. And not being able to see this thing coming
is fatal. The craft was capable of deploying Sunburn missiles, which have a 64 mile range.
The Ekranoplan was also capable of packing nukes, so we’re thinking it’s probably for
the best that ultimately the Soviets didn’t get it off the ground. Or rather, the water.
How did it end up stranded in the Caspian Sea? It’s actually quite a sad story. Apparently the
Ekranoplan was being towed to a museum when it came loose and got stuck in shallow waters. The
abandoned plane, or boat, or whatever you want to call it, is reportedly being visited and
photographed. But it’s not what people had in mind when they wanted it put on display!
2. Abandoned Super Cars of Dubai
Picture the scene. Dubai airport, a top class sports car pulls up on the tarmac-
let’s say a Ferrari. The owner gets out and heads for a private jet. They get aboard,
the plane takes off and just like that, they’re gone. But wait a minute?
What are they going to do about their car? They’re coming back for it, right? Hello…?
In actuality, there’s a good chance they won’t. Did you know there are lots of abandoned cool cars
over in Dubai? As well as Ferraris, there are BMWs, not to mention a Bugatti Veyron
worth an eye-popping $1.6 million according to reports. Is this just a rich person’s game,
ditching perfectly good, not to mention obscenely expensive, vehicles and skipping town?
Well, yes and no. The people believed to be doing this kind of thing are rich. Or rather,
they were wealthy enough when they landed in Dubai. Times change of course,
and as any good accountant will tell you, the economy can go down as well as up.
The thinking is that visitors from outside the Middle East fell foul of an economic
dip and figured it was best to not spare the horses. Sorry, luxury sports cars.
Couldn’t they simply tell authorities that they’re in financial trouble
and work out a payment plan or declare themselves bankrupt?
Never an easy decision but certainly not an easy one here it seems. You don’t just get in
hot water for not paying your debts in Dubai. You are branded a criminal and face jail time.
Not that everyone is doing it for those reasons apparently.
Some reports note that people may just be getting bored of their rides
and leaving them for someone else to take care of. We can handle that for sure. If you’re
willing to make the trip out to Dubai, perhaps a trip to the airport for salvage is in order!
1. Ice Craft Carrier
Our last story is in many ways the most extraordinary. When you think of something
that floats on the water, what construction material comes to mind? Wood? Fibreglass?
Concrete? Concrete may sound like a crazy thing to make something that floats out of,
but you’d be surprised. And there’s an even more incredible substance you can build,
say, an aircraft carrier out of… water itself.
Come again? Well, not water when it’s in liquid form exactly. We’re talking about ice!
Who came up with this eye-popping idea? Russia? The US? Nope… Canada! Makes sense we guess, it’s
cold enough over there. This happened back during World War II. Nothing was off limits when it came
to defeating the forces of Hitler it seems. Even something like this. Based in the land of bacon
and maple syrup, the idea was actually pushed by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Dubbed Project Habakkuk, the basic concept was to craft an aircraft landing strip from ice.
Well, not quite ice. Pykrete was the stuff used for the purpose, made up of ice, but also sawdust.
Invented by Geoffrey Pyke, this stuff apparently wouldn’t sink or - more crucially - melt.
1943 saw the idea take shape, in the form of a 1,000 ton (1 mill kg) prototype realized in
1:50 scale. The carrier was made on Patricia Lake in Alberta.
How would it move? Via a giant rudder and no less than 26 motors. Sadly for Churchill and
company the result proved too expensive to create and you know what they did next? You guessed it…
abandonment! What’s left is apparently still at the bottom of the lake in 2021.
Thanks for watching! Are there any crazy abandoned vehicles you think we left out?
Let us know in the comments. Be sure to subscribe, and see you soon.