# Goldfield, AZ



## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

Goldfield, Arizona ... dead, but still in tact ...










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Many came and went, even building churches and holy shrines ...










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... but time won out ... 











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... until there was nothing left but the wind, the sand, the tumbleweed ...


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The final year of our beloved Beetle, the 2019, sold 17,200 units in the US, up 2,800 units from the year before. All told, the 2012-2019 run of Beetles sold 530,000 units. Last year, the (_vile Toyota_) RAV4 sold 448,000 units. Yup, 448K, in one year.

Even in the VW space, the Golf sold 69,000 units in 2017 - over 4 times that of the Beetle (15.1K units). The Tiquan, sold 26K. (Ominously, the Golf sold 37.3K last year).

I came here from a Nissan Juke! tuning experience. In its last year, 2016, there were 19.5K units sold (with the Beetle coming in at 15.6). Granted, the Juke! did have a 4 year run in the early part of the decade of sales at or above the 36K level, but still ... the activity about tuning that car was and remains significant. But ...










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So if you ever wonder why the traffic is slow here, and the wind and the sand sometimes make it feel like a ghost town ... perhaps this is why.

Stick around though, I hear there's still some good whiskey to be found at the ol Saloon.​


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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... the end ... the beginning ... 


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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*... not many trains run through here anymore ... 
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Post-War Beetle Ghost Town ...​

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{ ... classy wheels, no? } ......................
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## Dan00Hawk (Jun 22, 2013)

Nice photos! I really want to do a roadtrip with my wife and daughter out west sometime in the next few years. Although part of me thinks just flying there and renting a car might be best in order to avoid all the dead road time through the "flyover states".


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

Dan00Hawk said:


> Nice photos! I really want to do a roadtrip with my wife and daughter out west sometime in the next few years. Although part of me thinks just flying there and renting a car might be best in order to avoid all the dead road time through the "flyover states".



Fly to Denver, ride at a dude ranch for 4 days. Rent an Explorer, drive south to Arizona, east through the panhandle, then north home. Such beautiful country ... 










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... few things are as truly surreal in life as *White Sands New Mexico*.

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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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*... ran out of gas, had to walk ... *
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_... Bodie, California._
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Sometimes, it's just hard to keep going ... 



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Moçâmedes Desert, Namibia ............. 
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## Bobdhd (Jul 11, 2013)

Fabulous pics !


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

Bobdhd said:


> Fabulous pics !




thank you
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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*... another Beatle ... hiding in the desert ... 
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

Out we go once more ... 

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...bravely into the vast *desert* expanse.......... .... ........ ......... ..... 
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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*It is not uncommon ... ...... ...... ............. ........... ........ .................
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... ....... ..... ... for the abandonment of this place to happen in groups at a time.*
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... the abandoned (contamination) zone of Wittenoom, Australia.... .... ...
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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You may have loved it for a time, but then your interest wanes ...
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... the abandoned town of Namie, Japan .......... .......... .............. ...... ..
{ north of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant } ............ .........​.
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## lacr2000 (May 13, 2009)

Very nice pics! Great eye!


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

lacr2000 said:


> Very nice pics! Great eye!​




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... ... ... Thanks.

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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

*{*
Excluding those items that are business driven posts generated by sponsors, now going past *42 hours* with this still being the last post submitted to this board ... 

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... the ghosts don't even come here.



​*}
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Over time, even the hotrod'ers walk away ... 
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... the ghost town of Silverton .......... .......... ........
{ New South Wales, Australia } ............ .........​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Perhaps if this cool guy mozzied through here, traffic would increase ... 
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... Paul Newman ... .......... .......... ........
... ... with his legendary Indy VW (V8) Beetle ... .......... .......... ........
... ... on the set of _Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid_ ... .......... .......... ........

{ Grafton, Utah } ............ .........​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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More evidence of abandoned VW ownership ... 
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... _the Libyan desert_ .......... .......... ........
{ North of Mizdah } ............ .........​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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*Other times, the desolation's cold brings a chill, slowing the going ... *



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The Mojave Desert, Utah ............. 
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## ThatBlueBeetle (May 13, 2018)

Baja Bob!! I recognize that car from TFLCar (go onto YouTube and look up "TFL Baja Bob" and you should be able to find it).


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

ThatBlueBeetle said:


> Baja Bob!! I recognize that car from TFLCar (go onto YouTube and look up "TFL Baja Bob" and you should be able to find it).



Pssst ...

... I was going for the desert snow.xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx

​But cool that you know that: you have officially established your bones as a _car guy_.
Thanks for responding.​


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Even the established Order can fade away ... 

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... abandoned Stassi administration building .......... ..... XXXXXXXX ..... ........
{ (Ost) Berlin, Deutschland } ...... XXX ...... .........​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Hastily stored and long forgotten ... 

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... remote tractor house ..... XXXXXXXX ..... ...
... the short summer southwest of Millport .....xxx ..... XXXXXXXX ..... 
{ Potter County, Pennsylvania } ...... XXX .. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx .... .........​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

NewBeatle said:


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> *It is not uncommon ... ...... ...... ............. ........... ........ .................
> ...




... page two!xxxxx xxxx 
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Perhaps my favorite so far ...​


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

_
... but don't miss post #25 ...
_

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## ThatBlueBeetle (May 13, 2018)

... ok, post 25 is the kind of thing that I want to find one day. I'd love to get an old air cooled gem one day...

Also, that's a great pic.


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

ThatBlueBeetle said:


> ... ok, post 25 is the kind of thing that I want to find one day. I'd love to get an old air cooled gem one day...
> 
> Also, that's a great pic.



Glad you liked the picture.
All the _green_ hay pollen and moss building on a *red* Beetle is classic.

I keep checking the rust level on some of my other pictures, but as yet, there have been no significant changes.

Thanks for responding.

P.S., _every few months I look for a '73 camper ... and dream._​


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Even nature's beauty can't prevent abandonment ... 

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Lagoon Beach ..... XXXX XXXXXX XXXX ..... ...
{ _Milnerton, South Africa_ } ...... XXX .. xxxx XXXXX xxxx .... ​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Sometimes, everything simply gets washed away ... 

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_The Last House_ ..... XXXX XXXXXX XXXX ..... ...
{ Holland Island } ...... XXX .. xxxx XXXXX xxxx .... 
{ Chesapeake Bay } ...... XXX .. xxxx XXXXX xxxx .... 
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[HR][/HR]

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[HR][/HR]
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Germans were again the last ones out ... 

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Jefferson City, Wyoming ..... X XXX XXX ..... ...
_... abandoned *U-238* mining town_ ...... XXX .. x XX XX X xxx .... ​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Sometimes, you just get blown away ... 
xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx ... and never come back ...

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Tianjin Blast Zone ..... X XXX XXX ..... ...
_... devastation of 800 tons of Ammonium Nitrate; Binhai, Tianjin, China_ ...... XXX .. x XX XX X xxx .... ​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Sometimes, you catch yourself wondering ... 
xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx ... if there just isn't something missing ...

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wreck of the SS America ..... X XXX XXX ..... ...
... 1939 ocean liner cut in two by a storm in 1994 ...xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx 
_( over 50 year lifespan )_xxxxxx xxxxxxxx xx xxxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx
Canary Islands, northwest Africa ...... XXxxx xx X .. x Xxxx xxX XX X xxx .... ​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Like some old Peenemünde rocket engineer, who ventures north to look at abandoned and dilapidated launch ruins, 
xxxxx xxsome continue coming here, driving out into the emptiness ... 


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_an unknown non-North American desert_ ..... X XXX XXX ..... ...​.
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## ribbit (Jun 4, 2012)

I love this thread, My new wife and I drove our new 1964 beetle across US to LA in 1965. It was a great trip ,reminds me of Jerome AZ in that day. Old copper mining town when the Copper ran out looks like Goldfield.. I'm now the proud owner of the Last of VW converts 2019. The circle has closed. Maybe we should take that trip again. Maybe not LOL


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

ribbit said:


> *I love this thread* ...
> 
> My new wife and I drove our new 1964 beetle across US to LA in 1965. It was a great trip ,reminds me of Jerome AZ in that day. Old copper mining town when the Copper ran out looks like Goldfield.. I'm now the proud owner of the Last of VW converts 2019. The circle has closed. Maybe we should take that trip again. Maybe not LOL




_Thanks.
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(
You and your wife should definitely take a small trip _somewhere_. Buy a little cooler. There weren't convenience stores everywhere "back then". Fall is the best time for convertibles, congratulations on having one of the last ones.
​)​


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Even the wards of Dionysus wonder where we went ... 

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... going north to the Capulin Volcano ... ..... X XXX X ..... ...
_northeast New Mexico._ ...... XXX .. x X XX XX XX X XX XX X xxx .... ​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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At one time, this was all there was ... 

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_... abandoned industrial zone ... _ ...... XXX .. x XX XX X xxx .... 
North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ..... X XXXX XX XXxx X XXX XXX ..... ...​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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... cobblestones ...
... the haphazard who cares? cabling of the rotting telephone pole ...
... and actual boarded up windows ...
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

​​.​​​*Much like increased activity here ...*​​*... there are some things which ...*​*... regardless of the effort ... *​*... can not be accomplished.*​
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_... the great (and GOAT) *Wilt Chamberlain* ... _ ..XXX .. x XX XX ....
... still a Philadelphian, 1966.  ..... X XXXX XX XXxx X XXX XX ​
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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... jeez, louise ...
How can you not celebrate the great _*Wilt Chamberlain*_?

{ or him trying to get into a Beetle? }

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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

​​.​​​*At some point, one must recognize that Beetle abandonment is a worldwide phenomenon ... *​​​.​.​​











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... an oxymoronic political center ...  ..... X X X ..... ...
_Addis Ababa, Ethiopia._ ...... XXX .. x X XX XX XX X X xxx ....​
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

​​.​​​*Abandonment, internationally, often turns its back on simple joy ... *​​​​









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_... the Chernobyl zone of alienation ... _ ... XXX 
Pripyat, Ukraine. ..... X X​
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

... no Peter Gabriel fans?
( _"bumper cars ... bumping" _)​


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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*Sometimes ...  nature itself just gets in the way of making contact ... *​
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... snowed in ...  ... X XXX X ..... ...
... Kew Gardens ... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

_... Richmond; London, England._ XXX .. XXX XX X xxx ....​.
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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*Wastelands* ... ... have their own attractions ...​.












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... _*The Polygon*_ ...  . XXX X ..... ...

... abandoned site of nuclear tests ... XXXXXXXXX 
... and nuclear atrocities ... XXXXXXXXXX 


_... Kazakhstan, the former Soviet Union._ XXXX XX X xxx ....
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

_{ image can expand to much larger size }_
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## Mr Gee (Jan 30, 2006)

NewBeatle said:


> _{ image can expand to much larger size }_
> ​West Australia


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

To *Mr Gee*:Leave it to the Aussies to make decorative use of _abandonment_.
Thanks for the post.​​


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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.​*In fact ...  there's been significant air traffic this week, *
*with an odd mix ...*​*... leading and replying ...*​
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... an escorted life ...
(_* Abraham Lincoln *_)
... Carrier Strike Group Nine ...

_... The Pacific Fleet_


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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Nothing about a uniquely eclectic group?
_... kinda fitting ... _
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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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*SECRET*​* 
Weekly review has determined a recent uptick in traffic and overall activity.
Analysis I can find no cause beyond the 3rd standard deviation.

We will continue to monitor the situation ...*





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... looking West across _*The Gaza Strip*_.​


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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.​Our crack researchers dedicate their lives to spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of abandonment, hoping to one day discover its root cause ...











º§º​
( ... our researchers note the upgraded tires ... )
due east of Isla Blanca
Mexico​


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## NewBeatle (Dec 5, 2019)

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*Though rare ... *..._abandonment can invoke something sacred ...
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... _*Tall Grass Prairie*_
Oklahoma​


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