An Internet Troll Who Sparks Joy

and the elf stone that stopped an Iceland hotel

New Jersey got a visit from an Internet Troll, and this one is welcome, for a change. Big Rusty, as his creator named him, lives at an abandoned pottery factory in Hainesport, and he’ll leave you alone if you don’t feed him or climb on him. (I always say don’t feed the trolls, but no one listens to me.)

Rusty is the creation of Thomas Dambo, an artist from Copenhagen who recycles scrap, trash, and the refuse from abandoned buildings into uplifting works of art. He’s made twenty-five of them at last count, and if you follow him on Instagram he’s rapidly making more. You can find the nearest one to you on his Troll Map.

I think Big Rusty looks like a Jersey boy version of The Iron Giant, one of my favorite animated films. He looks hungry, so maybe that’s why there’s a sign telling you not to feed him. The location is slated for redevelopment into a park of some sort, but is currently a haven for graffiti art, a stone’s throw from a diner, like many of the best things in New Jersey.

I have to give Dambo credit for combining trash cleanup with art. And I’m glad he chose south Jersey for his latest troll. It suits the area. And maybe it will help goad the town into making this a place where artists can work, like Riker Hill Art Park in Roseland, which repurposed a former Nike missile base!¹

I learned about Big Rusty in the Philly Inquirer, which has become my favorite paper. They even shared one of my photos in their Outdoorsy newsletter:

Thank you, Paola, for making me aware of the Preserve!

(If you’re in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or nearby, you should subscribe to the newsletter to learn cool places to visit, and the paper is excellent for news. I’ve been reading the print edition every day.)

I wanted to finish up my Icelandic adventures, but one of my visits was to the Recycled House, which is owned by the director of a movie called When the Raven Flies. And I just found the movie, so I feel like I ought to watch it before I share a bunch of pictures of his unique home turned tourist attraction. That, and I didn’t want to sit on Big Rusty for too long. It’s one of those places that will likely be barred or ruined once it gets too popular, and I met eight people when I visited on a rainy Sunday. If you try to visit, be safe—it’s an abandoned ruin, not a playground—and be respectful of the art, and the neighbors. And don’t do anything stupid that ruins it for everybody.

But while I’m on trolls and Iceland…

Do Icelanders believe in trolls? I’m not making fun. If so, they aren’t alone. I’m Irish², and I know that some people won’t work on building projects that will disturb lands that have a tree or stones or circle associated with the good folk. And in Iceland, such a stone halted construction of a hotel.

The hotel’s construction interfered with this rock and attempts to move it were … unsuccessful. Once it was learned that the rock was believed to be the home of elves, they let it stand, and moved the hotel location to avoid having to move it. There’s a more famous one that was moved to accommodate a highway rather than be blasted to bits, and I wish I’d visited. Say what you will, but if these beliefs make Icelanders build around ancient natural formations and incorporate them into their cities and roads, that’s fine with me. I’d rather see a beautiful old rock than a billboard.

I showed my respect by visiting their residence in bad weather. I walked miles in the rain to visit the above Elf Stone. (It was on the way to the World War II ruins.) The Álfasteinn in question is just one of several in the area, and when I return, I will visit the others. Maybe I’ll remember to bring flowers, which are considered a polite offering.

Here’s a short video of Big Rusty:

Thank you to Kate Gallagher for sending a letter to me, care of the P.O. Box at the bottom of this email! It was written on wildflower-infused paper, which I dutifully planted in the front yard next to the butterfly bush:

And Kate will be getting a reply in the mail. If you ever feel like sending a postcard, a letter, or a manifesto to me at the address below, I will always respond if you include a return address.³

Upcoming Sunday posts include the Mütter Museum, the Recycled House, and a visit to an island in the Delaware river that was once home to a refinery—now being turned into a wildlife preserve—with Hannah, the WanderFinder !

1. There are several silos and Nike missile installations I have yet to visit in south NJ. You’ll be the first to know when I do.

2. I have dual citizenship through my grandfather. As a child, I was told he swam over, and I still visualize it that way.

3. Sometimes I will accidentally toss your envelope into the recycling and have to fish it out with a trash grabber. These things happen.