And We Walked!

On Sunday, November 13, 2016, a group of adventurers set out on a walk via the train tracks in southern Heterocera. The walk was a lot of fun and was without incident, except for a few of us falling off or through the tracks in Lutra. (Who does one report holes in the tracks to anyway? The moles? The SLRR group?) Ziki and I had not told anyone where we were headed, and the group seemed surprised and delighted to end up at the D-Lab train station in Poecila.

But by far the most delightful surprise was the fact that D-Lab owner Dazai Voom had created a group gift especially for us! I had told him we'd be walking along the SLRR tracks, so for the gift he designed a steam train engine-shaped pipe, with smoke coming out of the chimney (see picture at left). A huge thank you to Dazai for his creativity and generosity! The pipe is still available in the group gift area of the main shop and sky garden. You simply need to join the D-Lab group to pick up your very own pipe! D-Lab, about which I wrote here, is a delightful place, and well worth a visit in any case.

If you'd like to join us for further adventures, please visit our home, Cael Ystafell, and click the group joiner near the blue sign (see below). We will post notices about future walks there, and group chat is a good way to stay connected while walking! We'd love to have a really large group join us next time, and who knows what mischief we might get into and what new adventures we might find! 

Until then, keep exploring, and keep walking!

Prim Mining at ANWR

On the great day of Primsmas (which is to say, yesterday, when the Lab announced a 1.5x increase in Mainland land impact/prim allowance), I did celebrate by visiting the Temple of the Prim, about which I blogged here. But then it occurred to me that I'd never written about the prim rig in ANWR, that magnificent mining apparatus in the center of the ANWR channel, pictured below.

According to the Second Life Wikia, "ANWR is one of the sims added on March 22, 2005 as part of Heterocera. Along with Cyclops, Suduffco and Sandra, it forms the narrow strip of ocean that connects the main continent and the northern continent. The name is a reference to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." The ANWR channel is a transcontinental waterway, allowing boat travel between Sansara and Heterocera, and there is a lot of traffic through there. In addition to watching the passing boats, one can stand on the rig itself and catch a Yavapod in the form of a hot air balloon, hop on a very modern-looking SLGI train, or even ride a tugboat to Calleta.

But the best part about ANWR is the rig itself. Go below the main platform and you'll find the actual drill, pictured above, pulling up prims from the depths of the Linden ocean. And below the rig, along the ocean floor, a prim pipeline runs the entire length from Sansara to Heterocera. One can only imagine the increased production effort the recent prim increase will demand!

So take a visit to the ANWR rig and see for yourself. Marvel at the seemingly limitless supply of prims being mined for YOUR pleasure! Hop on one of the previously-mentioned tours and explore the nearby continents. Or, near the helicopter landing on the upper level of the rig, you can pick up two free sailboats for future travels through the channel. And above all, enjoy the prims!

"And I Would Walk 500 Miles..."

A question: would any of you lovely readers be interested in taking periodic group walks across the Mainland? Ziki and are planning to organize just such a walk in November, and we hope to have YOU join us! Plan on fun and silliness as we explore the vast expanses of the Second Life Mainland together! 

The first walk will be held on Sunday, November 13 from 2-2:30 PM SLT.

We will start on Rte. 5 in front of Cael Ystafell, our home on Heterocera, and walk along the tracks of the Second Life Railroad, ending at a super sekrit location for fun and merriment!



When I was a little girl, my grandmother often took me for walks on the nearby railroad tracks. We'd walk, chat, stop to pick blueberries and have picnics. I have several sets of railroad tracks near my home in first life, and I still enjoy those kinds of walks. So, while there are many Mainland roads we could explore in the future, I decided to take advantage of the tracks near our house, and start there! If you'd like to walk with us, please contact me inworld or by email at kinnaird.fiachra@gmail.com...or just show up! We'll have a group joiner for any future adventures set up at the starting point.

We'd love to have LOTS of people joining in on the fun - imagine a whole gaggle of avatars walking the SLRR rails! To get you in the mood, here's a clip from one of my favorite cheesy 80's movies, "Benny and Joon," set to The Proclaimers "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". We hope to see you in November!

Lutra City Mysteries

My friend Celeste (celestedarkstar) saw my blog post about Cael Ystafell and mentioned that she has an art gallery just a few sims away, in a sim that offers adventure games. And so, I wandered up Route 5 in Heterocera to Lutra City.  According to owner Ilithios Liebknecht, "I designed Lutra City to bring full-featured adventure games into Second Life, something that to my knowledge has not been fully done before. There were a very small handful of games that came close, some very well made, but even those lacked things you would expect from a full-featured adventure game like variety of interaction and a progressive story. I always thought SL was very well suited to adventure games and am surprised more people haven't tried to make them. As far as I know my games are the only really full-featured point and click adventure games in Second Life."

Interestingly, due to some twists and turns of the tracks, Lutra City is located between Route 5 and the Second Life Railroad (SLRR), just like Cael Ystafell. There is a rail station, pictured below, where adventurers can enter the city. Located on a steep hill, the city is divided into upper and lower sections, and as you can tell from the picture, some of the structures are actual buildings, and some are just 2-D facades, as if you were visiting the set of an old movie.

According to the notecard you will receive upon arrival, "to get started, go to the detective agency (pictured below) and choose a game on the cases board. There is a free tutorial game called The New Detective available that will teach you how to play and show you what to expect from the games. The full games are much longer and more complex than the tutorial game of course!" In addition, near the city park outside of the detective agency you'll find a sign (first picture, above left) that gives you a Catch a Crook HUD. You'll need to wander around the city wearing the HUD, and there are prizes if you are the first to catch the crook. Also near the city park is a bus station. According to Celeste, "the bus stops are items that you click on and they take you to other places that have the signs displayed. You don't have a choice; it's random. They take you to other places to explore - sometimes it is a store, other times a park, and here it is a city full of adventure."

Celeste has a small art gallery in Lutra City, pictured below, called Darkstar Studios. She remarked, "I chose to locate my gallery here based on the adventure aspect. I can walk out of my gallery and have choices as to what I want to do. Plus the rent is very reasonable," she laughed. "Lutra City is a place for adventure, whether it is riding the rails, driving down the adjacent highway, catching a bus to a random location, taking a portal to other adventure games, catching crooks, solving the mysteries at the Detective Agency, or just exploring the cityy. You'll always find something to do here." 

Cael Ystafell

Earlier this summer, Ziki and I decided to purchase a large parcel of Mainland on the Atoll, and we named it Cael Ystafell (pronounced "cal EES-ta-fell"). To landscape the parcel, we enlisted the help of Isa Messioptra, skilled designer, landscaper, and owner of the fabulous Crestwick Island. We couldn't be more thrilled with her work. Creating the illusion of privacy on a Mainland parcel takes a lot of skill, and Isa managed the challenge with grace and style, right down to the view from every window in the house. For the curious, Cael Ystafell is Welsh for "get a room!" Ziki and I have been heckled in first life during visits to cities all up and down the East Coast of the US, so we thought it appropriate. ;)

When you arrive at the landing point, you'll be instructed to drop your draw distance to 50m. The parcel is located on the southeastern coast of Heterocera, and is nestled between Route 5, the Second Life railroad (SLRR), and the Coastal Waterway. Yavascript pod tour H3 - the Heterocera Atoll Coast tour - passes the entrance to Cael Ystafell, pictured below, which is off of Route 5. To the left of the photo you can see where the SLRR runs along the Western edge of the parcel. We can launch boats from our beach, from which we can sail along the Coastal Waterway. It's a great spot, and I'm very thankful to Ziki for finding it.

I'm really happy with how the parcel turned out, and we held a small Open House on August 13th to celebrate. The parcel media plays Radio Dismuke, so the party-goers danced to early jazz music and explored our home. One of the things I heard over and over during the party was, "I can't believe this is Mainland!" Haveit Neox commented, "In the notecard, it says this is mainland? It looks amazing! I love the way you've furnished the house. And the views from the windows! The window in the nook with the driftwood chandelier... what an gorgeous view onto the woods. This is really a treat to see. I'm so happy you both have this really special home. Mainland... who would have guessed!"

Please feel free to visit Cael Ystafell and wander around. You are welcome to enter and explore the house; we just ask that you be respectful and holler a hello if we are home. :) Explore the woods near the train tracks and the beach below the cliffs. Catch a passing pod and go on a tour of the Heterocera coast, or hop a train and see what interesting spots you can find along the SLRR tracks. I love how connected the parcel is to so many ways to explore the land. It was our hope that this place would show people the beauty that is possible on the Mainland, and encourage more people to discover that for themselves!

Space - A Planetarium

Being, as we are, in the midst of the annual Perseid meteor showers in first life, the night sky is more fascinating than usual to me right now. So I was delighted to discover that only one sim away from the site I blogged most recently, The Unknown Theme Park, is a place called "Space - A Planetarium," owned by Hazelee Haller. Located alongside the Second Life Railroad (SLRR) tracks in Euclida, it is one of the most creative uses of a 512 sqm parcel I've ever seen. 

What's the significance of a 512, you might ask? Those of you who are premium members will know that one perk of membership is either ownership of a Linden home, or, for those of us who own Mainland, the option of being granted a 512 sqm bonus before land use fees are applied. Either option comes with an allowance of 117 prims, although if you chose to own a Linden home, the house that comes with your home does not count against the prim allowance. Used as a stand-alone parcel on the Mainland, 512 sqm is really rather tiny, although you can find homes that size on the marketplace, and the advent of mesh has made the 117 prim allowance quite workable. However, most people who don't take the Linden home option either roll the bonus into their land fees, or put up a skybox or building platform above ground level. 

The ringed globe, pictured above, is one such skybox, but it is much more creative than a simple building platform. When you arrive at the planetarium on ground level (making sure not to get hit by a passing SLRR train on your way in) look around at the tiny but elegant build and admire the sculptures there. (I'm especially fond of "Life Cycles", by Elie Giulia.) Then, follow the footsteps and teleport to the globe high above. Inside the globe, you'll find what Hazelee calls a "stylized view of our galaxy", pictured below.

Level One includes a static display of planets and their moons, and touching each object will open a link to a web page with more information. Level Two shows the planetary orbital of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars around the sun. Following the footsteps through the skybox wall at the base of the ramp between the levels will lead you to the ring outside. This ring can be walked, though the spinning motion might make you a bit dizzy, and I did fall off when trying to re-enter the globe. 

Hazelee commented, "I have had the Planetarium since 2007. I put it up for sale a couple of years ago, with the stipulation that it remain as is. Finding no buyers who would promise me that, I took it off the market and am glad no one took me up on the offer!" All in all, this is a fun find, and one of many hidden gems along the SLRR route in Heterocera. If you enjoyed your visit, there is a tip jar located within the sky globe.

The Unknown Theme Park

According to the current owner, Miyi (Miyi Nishi), the exact beginning of The Unknown Theme Park is not documented, and its founder, Ade Franklin, left Second Life a while back. What is known is that the theme park started with a club, The Unknown Club, which has been at the same location since November 26, 2005. Located along Route 1 in the sims of Moneta and Rivula in the north of Heterocera, the theme park comprises 37000 sqm packed with more than 50 colorful and exciting rides and activities. Miyi remarked that when visiting, "ear plugs and high-class lag protection suits are recommended."

Miyi recalled meeting Ade for the first time, commenting, "we always had a lot of fun at his always-changing park. When my SL family fell apart, Ade took us kids into his family. Imagine a dream come true: living in the middle of an always-open theme park as a kid, where all the rides are free! From that day on all the rides had to be 'Miyi approved'. If me could operate them, they were good for the customers. Me became Theme Park Guide." As the years went on, and Ade spent less and less time in SL, Miyi took on more responsibility for the park, buying the parcels of park land which were not already group-owned, and replacing broken rides. "With a last visit of Ade," she said, "and the big help of a neighbor resident, plus Linden support, the park could be transfered and saved. Now me runs it until Ade comes back. It is so much fun to work at and on the park!"

Additionally, after many years of inactivity, The Unknown Club (pictured below) now is active again with regular events, the next ones being "30 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" on August 10th and "Lynyrd Skynyrd & ZZ Top" on August 24. There is a group joiner in the club and several others throughout the theme park for those wishing to keep informed of such happenings. 

The Unknown Theme Park is in the middle of a year-long 10th Anniversary celebration - quite an accomplishment in our ever-changing world! Stop on by to enjoy the sights and sounds of a classic theme park, and try out the many rides, which include a tour train, underground bumper cars, a maze, a bouncy castle (pictured below), several roller coasters, and a giant ferris wheel. Play some classic arcade games in the mini arcade or play chess on a giant chess board. The land extends down to the inner waters of the Atoll, so visitors can also enjoy fishing or inner tubing. A balloon tour near the club provides some history of the park as you ride. Remarks Miyi, "All rides are free, with a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. ;) The Unknown Theme Park is here for fun and for you to have fun. And it is here to stay. :)"

Mainland Really Does Matter, or Why Kinn Has Not Been Blogging

I've not done a lot of blogging this month - first, because I was on vacation in Ireland, and second, because Ziki and I decided we should put our money where my mouth is, and we purchased a very large parcel of Mainland on the Atoll. The photo below, left, shows the parcel at the time of purchase, and right, after the very fabulous Isa Messioptra did a fair amount of landscaping for us. 

The parcel is not quite ready for visitors, mainly because we are still working on decorating the interior of the house and adding details to the land. Below, Ziki can be seen working on the interior decorating in her own, unique way. ;) It has been an awful lot of fun exploring what is in our inventories to find what might work here.

Below, you can see a glimpse of what this place will look like once it is finished. The trio of wooden elephants was a housewarming gift from Cica Ghost, and the only item, besides the house, that we told Isa she had to incorporate into the landscaping. The more time I spend here, the more I love it, and it is already starting to feel like home. Stay tuned for a more complete post once the parcel itself is more complete. We are excited about the opportunity to show everyone that a beautiful and welcoming home is possible on Mainland!

"Hallelujah, I'm A Bum"

On the Western shore of the inner delta of Heterocera is a unique and whimsical place called Lollygagger Lane. Created and administered by Firery Broome, Raskolnikow Roffo, and paramparamm Papp, the Lane is a jumble of different things that work well together: a Hobo Safe Camp, the home of the Hot Stilt Bitches of Burning Life, and a newcomer friendly slum hangout with a lively arts and music scene. I asked Raskolnikow what gave them the idea to start the community, and he replied, "We had a friend with land and we were just playing around. Before we knew it, we had rezzed a couch to be lazy on. The rest is all just stuff that ended up here over time. We always make plans to clean and sweep the street, but we never actually do, so it stays dirty and sandy here."

But I know you are wondering, as I was, what exactly is a Lollygagger? Rask passed me the Lollygagger Manifesto, which states, "According to the dictionary, a lollygagger is a lazy person, one who lollygags; a slacker, ne'er-do-well. We prefer to see ourselves as those who take their time to smell the daisies. And the best way to enjoy life is to smell them together. The word lollygagger was meant to label people, but we wear the name in pride. As we lost our haste, we now see what this world really looks like. And how it might be better. Like a flower growing from the concrete, the Lollygaggers want to show you and everybody in the Metaverse the aspects of humanity that we tend to forget about in the rush of our daily lives."

In the photo above, you can see me wearing a Hot Stilt Bitch costume on the shores of Lollygagger Lane. The Hot Stilt Bitches of Burning Life group was formed by Kilara Balnarring in 2009 for Burn2, the Second Life version of Burning Man. According to Kilara, the group’s goal, besides having lots of fun, is to support the Second Life art scene by spontaneously appearing at events. In addition, the Lane in general is certainly a place that supports the arts in Second Life. Currently, they are hosting a large-scale art show which also happens to include the work of my partner, Ziki Questi (pictured below). Stop by and see the art, which is spread out over several locations, and make sure to grab the free gift from Ziki while you are there. The show ends on July 23rd, so hurry!

In addition to the regular art exhibits, Lollygagger Lane has shops, small shacks for rent, and one large annual music event. "Every year we organise an event called Slumrock," remarked Rask, "and we give all Slumrock tips to a good cause. We have donated to A Liter of Light and to homeless shelters, and more! We also have a camp at Relay for Life called 'Walking Tall For a Cure'. Getting together and working together for a good cause is one of the coolest things in Second Life, we believe. To keep informed it is handy to become a member of the Lollygagger group, since we indeed use notices to inform and invite everyone."

From the Lollygagger Manifesto, an invitation: "Do you want to meet interesting people and hang out in a honest place where you are respected and the people are friendly? Want to build, and learn from other builders? Want to organise an event, a party, and you can't find a location or a stream? Want to sell your creations at Lollyggager Lane? Do you want something but you don't know what exactly? If you do, you must be a lollygagger!" Rask commented with a grin, "Sometimes there are also members of Hobo Junction at the Lane, since we Lollygaggers kind of are hobos too." In that spirit, enjoy this Utah Philips version of  "Hallelujah, I'm A Bum." In Utah's inimitable style, he takes the sarcastic tone of the original hobo song and makes it his own, interspersing stories between the verses about the joys of "going on the bum." A perfect soundtrack for bumming around Lollygagger Lane!

"You Don't Have To Pick Up Your Toys, Okay?"

The D-lab railway station (pictured below) is a whimsical stop on the Second Life Railroad. Located in Poecila on the eastern edge of the Atoll (Heterocera), this storybook station is a charming place to hop off the train and look around. Wander along the stream, sit on a cow or a sheep, or take a ride on one of two UFOs that hover over the parcel. Then, head back to the station, look to the West, cross the tracks and the street, and head up the hill. Near the giant giraffe and panda you'll find a rocket which will port you to the sky garden high above.

Owned by Dazai Voom, D-Lab is one of the most creative spaces on the grid, and the toy store in the sky garden is the main attraction. Located on a floating platform powered by giant gears, the store is filled to the brim, inside and out, with interactive toy displays. Above the toys, one can find garden items for sale, and surrounding the shop are tree-lined village streets and shops with animal proprietors, including a bakery, a bookstore, an egg shop, a jam shop, and an animal theater. Outer platforms include a large pool area where you can test out some water toys, a pose shop (Andika, with whom D-Lab collaborates on toy poses), and even a dairy where you can milk your own cows.

Visiting D-Lab always brings up strong memories of my childhood. Not that there are stores this amazing in first life, but the former John Wanamaker's in Philadelphia was pretty cool in its time.  A kid-sized Monorail (pictured above, left) carried children above the 8th floor toy department at the John Wanamaker's department store from 1946 to 1984. Every November, on Black Friday, my grandmother would take me there, and I'd ride that monorail, peeking down at the toys, and feeling special because I was someplace where adults couldn't fit. We'd eat lunch in the Crystal Tea Room, then watch the light show (pictured above, right) in the cavernous atrium of the store before heading off to Gimbel's to see Santa.  

One of the things I love best about Second Life is that it seems to rekindle a sense of joy in play that a lot of us lose as we grow older and burdened by a myriad of responsibilities. I often joke that the folder labeled "toys" is the largest folder in my inventory, and that may well be true. Places like D-Lab (and Intrigue and Off The Wall) actively encourage joyful play, and I'm so thankful for that. First life can be stressful enough. May Second Life always be someplace where we can stand on our friends' heads, fly through the air in giant sneakers, have soapbox derby races, and run with abandon through wheat fields. And with autoreturn, you don't even have to pick up your toys in here. ;)

While you ponder that, enjoy this Shel Silverstein poem, read by the man himself, and take some time to go visit D-Lab!

The Moth Temple of Iris

At the center of the Inner Delta of Heterocera sits the impressive Moth Temple of Iris. The first telehub on that continent (and still an incredibly busy place today!) the Temple (pictured below) is a delicate but towering wooden structure designed by Xenon Linden. Almost all of the sims in Heterocera are named after species of moths; the continent itself is named for the sub-species of insect by which moths are categorized. You can find these lovely little creatures all over the Moth Temple, including fluttering around the lamps that line the boardwalk surrounding it at dusk.

The area surrounding the temple is owned by Prokofy Neva's Second Life Public Land Preserve, and is a resident-designed infohub modeled on a fishing village, created by builder Jessica Ornitz. The boardwalks of the infohub are lined by charming huts, which, according to Prokofy, contain "freebies, dollarbies, things to explore, meditation, games, etc. There is also a little tutorial about how to start a business in SL. I try to have my sims being sort of 'second tier' tutorials after the basic newbie stuff that they have on Caledon." Wandering around, visitors can find a great deal of information which will be especially helpful to new residents: hints on reducing lag, tips on how to stop animations, even some very cool random LM generators to help you find new places to explore. There is a set of free moth wings hanging from a lamppost (the ones which were used in Osprey Therian's memorial), and if you look for the red moth lanterns hanging from the lampposts near the wings, they are also free.

Build is on in part of the infohub, so I capitalized on the moth theme and rezzed one of my very favorite vehicles, the Lepidoptera, pictured above and below.This fabulous flying machine, modeled after a James Gurney illustration and created by resident bunnys Fride, is free on the marketplace here. It can handle a pilot and 11 passengers, and is incredibly easy to fly. A wonderful way to take in the sights around the Moth Temple...and on the Moth Continent of Heterocera!

Starlight on the Rails

The sim Calleta, on the southern edge of Heterocera, is home to the Second Life Railroad's (SLRR) Union Station (see photo above) and the Hobo Railroad Infohub. This busy and welcoming sim contains a multitude of railroad crossings (naturally), a Wild West-styled town full of freebies, and a great number of whimsical billboards. You can get the Elvis-themed billboard pictured below for free from the Wheedle Gallery. A tall, stone pillar greets you at the landing point to Union Station, upon which are carved four Good Neighbor Commandments for Second Life Mainland, including "Thou shalt not block roads nor sea lanes with thy objects, nor shall ye set ban lines, for they are the suck".

According to Marianne McCann, "Calleta was one of the telehubs that cropped up on the Atoll. One of two, I believe, and the only one on that continent that was built by Residents." For those of you (like I was!) who are unaware of the history of telehubs, back before 2005 it cost linden dollars to teleport. However, because the grid at that time was still small, people could fly from one end of the grid to another. As the grid expanded, Linden Lab introduced telehubs - designated Linden builds which created a network where residents could port to the telehub closest to where they wanted to go, then walk, fly or take other transport to get the rest of the way. Naturally, transportation networks grew up around those telehubs. In Calleta, in addition to the SLRR, you can find a pod station with four different routes, leading both to Sansara and further into Heterocera. Right off the shore is a tiny island called the "Hobo Hilton", and here travelers can rest, rez bumper boats or large, floating rubber duckies, or grab a free lighthouse from the nearby dock.

Marianne continued her story about telehubs by saying, "So, the time during the expansion of the telehubs was also before there was an LDPW. What the Lab used to do back then is have contests for builds, or have an interested group 'manage' the hub's build. In Calleta's case, a group of folks fancied themselves hobos and set up a hub along the tracks. Coming into that group of hobos, as well as a number of other builders, was Arcadia Asylum. She built (and built and built) content in Caletta." You can still find Arcadia's freebies throughout the sim.

Over at the Hobo camp, travelers are welcome to sit by the fire, sharing tales of the road along with a bottle of whiskey. Largely designed by resident Orhalla Zander, the camp offers a place for homeless residents of the grid to live, learn, and share content. Hobo culture in Second Life seems strongly reminiscent of American hobo colleges in the early 1900's. Far from the highly-satired image of the hobo during the Great Depression, hobos have been an integral part of American culture since the Civil War. In a fascinating and extensive article from Collector's Weekly called "Don't Call Them Bums: The Unsung History of America's Hard-Working Hoboes, author Lisa Hix comments, "hoboes helped build the very railroads they traveled on, as well as the sewer systems, water lines, roads, bridges, and homes that have filled up the West." They formed a migratory workers union, held annual conventions which are still going on today, and created a Hobo Code of Ethics in 1887, the first law of which is “Decide your own life. Don’t let another person run or rule you.” Membership cards for the International Itinerant Migratory Workers Union contained an oath which began, "I, (name), solemnly swear to do all in my power to aid and assist all those willing to help themselves."

As stated in various Second Life Hobo Network groups, "We are a community working together to build the kind of virtual village we want to live in. Hobos are independent and creative people who need little and share a lot." The groups, including the one at Calleta, provide places to rez and build, and bestow help and advice on SL newcomers...helping all those willing to help themselves.


In addition to the Hobo infohub at Calleta, there is also a Hobo Haven (far right photo, above) at the Virtual Railway Consortium (VRC) in Tuliptree. At the VRC Headquarters, you can find a long wall full of history about railroads in SL, and real-time maps depicting the location of trains and pods throughout the grid (center photo, above). You can also find free open source railroad trains, scripts, builds, and landmark collections. Residents interested in more information about the Second Life Railroad can find it here.

Even those with no interest in the SLRR will enjoy visiting Calleta. Pick up a few freebies, play on the bumper boats, and rest your weary bones by the hobo campfire while listening to songs about riding the rails. You'll be glad you did.

"Looking back along the road I've traveled 
The miles can tell a million tales
Each year is like some rolling freight train
And cold as starlight on the rails"
Rosalie Sorrels: Starlight on the Rails (Utah Phillips)

Hanging by a thread in Heterocera

With an extensive system of roads and railways, Heterocera (also known as the Atoll Continent) is a delight to explore. The second continent after Sansara, Heterocera is easily recognizable on a map, shaped as it is like a giant double horseshoe. Three mountain ranges ringing inner and outer lagoons dominate the landscape. Today we will wander to the sim Spini, where one can spot, precariously perched on a hillside, a fascinating little parcel called Fieger's Piece.

Porting to the parcel, I found that owner Fieger Difference was there, remodeling the main building, the Damocles Diner. Looking up, you will spot a train dangling high above the diner, swinging threateningly overhead. "Do you know the myth of Damocles?" asked Fieger. "The train hanging down over the diner is a big hint." In that myth, there is a sword hanging over Damocles' head at dinner, fastened only by a single horsehair. Thankfully, the train seems securely anchored in place.

"Well," remarked Fieger, "I haven't quite got the hang of Railroad track-side service (as you probably noticed), but eventually there will be seating on all levels, and all are welcome to explore." At the top of the parcel, where the tracks split, visitors can take an open-car elevator mid-way down and stop to explore a small sitting pool or a cluttered engineer's office before walking down the hill to the diner. While seated outside, one can view the Moleford Municipal Water Station, Spini Reservoir, directly to the north - a whimsical build by Garden Mole. Fieger reassures potential visitors that it is perfectly safe to dine at Damocles. "I've had this diner over a year," he stated, "and yes, the train and the anchor have held up the whole time."

The diner is set on a terraced hill that leads down to the lagoon, between the Second Life Railroad (above the parcel, obviously), and Route 1 (below). Observant visitors who look at the parcel from the map view will notice that above the railroad tracks is another line running in parallel to Route 1 and the SLRR...but it is more than just a road. Set at the terminus of Route 6 (the High Mountain Road/public bridleway), an impressive recreation of the Great Wall of China runs south through 14 sims, and explorers can travel its length either on top or through a tunnel inside. The first time I went traveled the Wall was actually on a motorcycle, but walking is also enjoyable as there are fantastic views from the top.

The northern entrance to the Great Wall is not far at all from the Damocles Diner. Starting at the Athetis rez zone (photo above), travellers can decide whether they want to explore the Wall to the south, or venture north along the beautifully rustic Route 6 (photo below), one of the most scenic roads on all of the Mainland. Choices, choices. As the scarecrow said, "Pardon me, but this way is a very nice way. It's pleasant down that way, too. Of course, some people do go both ways." Either choice offers a great ramble though many sims. Whichever you decide, enjoy the trip, and make sure you stop at the diner for something to eat!