You know, whether you like the comfort of
getting from A to B in your own car, you’re an avid cyclist, or you prefer public transit,
the fact is that most people depend on some sort of vehicle to get around. But what happens when these human-made objects
are left abandoned? Well, that’s when nature starts claiming
what was once ours… ______
For example, have you ever heard of the tree that ate a bicycle? (Sheesh, sounds like one of those trees from
Harry Potter!) Anyway, there’s actually a touching story
behind the famous “bike tree” on Vashon Island, Washington. A young man supposedly left his bike chained
to a tree in the woods before heading off to fight in a war. Over the next hundred years or so, the tree
grew, engulfing the bike and lifting it right off the ground. But there’s another, less heartfelt version
of this bicycle’s backstory that seems to be a little closer to the truth. It was simply abandoned in the 1950s by a
boy named Don Puz, who stated that he’d left it because he was “too big” to ride
the small bike. American cartoonist Berkeley Breathed even
wrote a book that was inspired by the strange sight. (Some say he even left it there himself when
he was a kid growing up on Vashon Island!) Whatever the true story behind this odd sight
is, it’s still a spectacular example of nature conquering over a human-made object
left in its way. ______
People don’t always get to choose to abandon their modes of transportation. Sometimes the circumstances are beyond their
control, like in the powerful waters of the ocean! It’s known for claiming countless seafaring
vessels. You’d think that most shipwrecks would be
underwater, but believe it or not, there are some abandoned ships whose journey was cut
short right on land! One of those is New Zealand’s SS Maheno,
which met its early demise due to a cyclone. The ship was headed to Japan in the 1930s,
but Mother Nature had other plans. It ended up on a beach on Fraser Island in
Australia, where its ruins can still be seen to this day. ______
Another spectacular view of a decaying ship can also be found in Australia, and that’s
the SS Ayrfield. This one, however, isn’t a shipwreck. It was simply abandoned after being contaminated
with toxic waste. People may have been scared off, but nature
definitely wasn’t. Not only has the rusty ship been completely
overtaken by greenery, it’s actually home to a full-on forest of beautiful mangrove
trees. I think I’m gonna have to add this one to
my bucket list! What about you? ______
Toxic waste isn’t the only reason people “abandon ship” and leave their precious
metals for nature to claim. Sometimes we simply have no more use for what
was once considered irreplaceable transport. One of the most spectacular finds is that
of a mountain of old cars discovered in a cave in Wales. (No, not the animal, the region in the UK!) This car graveyard is made up of around 100
abandoned cars in varying degrees of decay left here in the 1970s. It was discovered by urban explorers making
their way through an old slate mine that was closed in the ‘60s. One theory of how these vehicles ended up
in such an unlikely place is that they accidentally drove off the road and simply crashed. But for now, the truth behind this mind-boggling
car cemetery remains a mystery. ______
In Uyuni, Bolivia there’s another graveyard of abandoned vehicles that are succumbing
to the harsh forces of nature, only this time, it’s an entire fleet of trains! They’d been imported from Great Britain
as part of the Bolivian government’s plan to turn Uyuni into a hopping transport center. Unfortunately for these choo-choos, the plans
were changed before the project even really took off, so they were just left to decay. Today, you’ll only find the rusty, graffiti-covered
skeletons of what were once probably some pretty pricey vehicles! ______
Another vehicle that’s no stranger to graveyards is the airplane. Just take a look at this aircraft graveyard
in Benin City, Nigeria. Here, you can see how the harsh elements are
conquering the fleet of planes once flown by Okada Air. The airline was established in 1983 but ended
up closing just 14 years later. Apparently, there are so many of these graveyards
in Nigeria that this country has actually become known for it. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria
has now started ordering the owners of these discontinued airlines to remove or destroy
the abandoned airplanes. Yes, it’s plain to see that the planes are
a problem! ______
Speaking of airplanes, (and I was) Southern Bali is home to a mysteriously abandoned Boeing
737. It’s sitting in a field next to what appears
to be an old limestone quarry. The strange thing is that no one seems to
know how it ended up here. Wouldn’t someone missing an entire Boeing
737 speak up and reclaim their property? What’s even weirder is that the plane isn’t
even hidden – it’s right next to a busy highway and the popular Pandawa Beach. Yet none of the locals noticed this giant
aircraft finding its way to this odd location. The plane hasn’t really been taken over
by nature yet, but that’s probably just because it hasn’t been there long enough. So, if you’re missing a jet, maybe this
is it? ______
From the skies back to the seas, let’s talk about submarines, shall we? They’re an incredible invention, really,
allowing us to explore the ocean depths. But when the first submarines were made and
tested, people weren’t yet aware of the effects of the bends. No, not the Radiohead album – the decompression
sickness that any deep-sea diver has probably been warned about many times. The crew of this 1860s mini-sub had to abandon
it off the coast of one of Panama’s Pearl Islands after they all got sick from resurfacing
too quickly. With no one on board to bring it back, it
just sank to a watery grave. It was only discovered again in 2000 after
having been underwater for well over a hundred years! At least in this case, people are trying to
find a way to safely move what’s left of this piece of history, hopefully to a museum
where it belongs! ______
Hey, how would you like to be stuck in traffic for over 70 years? (I don’t know about you, but sounds like
my typical Tuesday!) Ok, so this isn’t a real traffic jam (and
I might be exaggerating my commute a bit), but it sure looks like one! This is one of the biggest car cemeteries
in the world, and it’s located in Châtillon, Belgium. Why and how all these old cars ended up abandoned
here is still unclear. Some say American soldiers left the cars hidden
in the forest after World War II since they couldn’t ship them back to the US. Locals say it was simply a car dump for unwanted
vehicles after the war. There were reportedly about 500 retro cars
in 4 graveyards, but all have been cleared out due to environmental issues. But before they were removed, nature had made
it clear that these cars wouldn’t stand in the way of the growing forest. ______
And if you had any doubts that nature can’t be stopped, then how about these Russian tanks
that’ve been almost entirely swallowed up by the surrounding greenery? You can find these abandoned vehicles on Shikotan
Island, a tiny territory Russia and Japan have been playing tug-of-war over since the
1940s. It’s currently part of Russia, and I guess
these rusting Soviet tanks serve as a reminder of that. And believe it or not, they were left there
on purpose! Hmm, seems like such a waste. Speaking of tanks…
______ You’ll find an abandoned US tank on Puerto
Rico’s Flamenco Beach. So what on Earth is it doing there? Well, the beach was once used for US Army
training exercises years ago. More specifically, soldiers would have target
practice with the tanks! As you can imagine, the noise and violence
didn’t please the locals too much. So, after years of voicing their concerns,
they were finally rid of the soldiers-in-training. But the Army forgot just one thing when they
were packing up: this tank sitting right on the beach! But that’s okay. The locals decided to decorate and brighten
up this eyesore, turning it into a pretty popular tourist attraction. Hey, when life gives you a tank, you uh, just
say “well, Tanks a lot”! Hey, It’s not just soldiers who can be highly
decorated! Which of these abandoned vehicles would you
like to see in-person? Let me know down in the comments! Don’t forget to give this video a “like,”
share it with your friends, and click “subscribe” to always stay on the Bright Side of life!
