![\"5](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/510.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMost of us are happy with keeping a nicely groomed backyard with the occasional flower planting and lawn manicuring. But nothing compares with these 5 crazy things people built in their backyard. You can call it excessive zeal or just a lot of free time, but they went ahead and had their fun. On their own. Come to think about it, why wouldn’t someone want to build a miniature Paris in their backyard? Think of all the mini croissants and boulangeries. Why stop there? Let’s all build castles in our yards. And roller coasters for a pinch of excitement. Flower beds are so main stream and boring, they’re just not worth it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You didn’t think I was kidding, did you? Gerard Brion is not laughing. He is the brains and patient steady hands behind the miniature Paris he built in his backyard. Over the course of fifteen years, Brion kept working hard on his capital of love, using concrete blocks, baby food jars and other junk. The miniature city also has streets, cars, rivers and, most amazingly, it’s connected to electricity so it lights up at night. Dare we ask about plumbing? Brion’s backyard is now the attraction of over 15,000 tourists each year who go in\u00a0South of France to admire the miniature Paris.<\/p>\n
![\"5](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/411.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
If you thought the miniature Paris took way too long to build, Jim Bishop’s backyard castle took over four decades of work. He did all the work by himself, starting at fifteen when he dropped out of high school. He bought two acres of land in Colorado and built a castle that has 250 foot towers and domes. Wondering how he did it? Bishop didn’t use any heavy machinery, each and every stone was laid by hand. The castle\u00a0is still an on going project, with Bishop seemingly not very eager to fully complete it.<\/p>\n
![\"5](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/312.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Who needs to go to Disneyland when they have a roller coaster in their backyard? The answer is\u00a0John Ivers. When he was finally got tired of waiting in line to have some fun, he thought why not build his own roller coaster? With welding experience and a lot of scrap metal available, he built the attraction\u00a0which he named Blue Flash. He now opened his backyard to anyone who wants to go for a spin for free. If you pluck up the courage to try it out, you’ll ride in a modified car seat in what you’ll believe will be the last ride of your life.<\/p>\n
![\"5](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/111.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
When he was asked to refurbish a bunch of old sheds in his backyard, Jimmy Helms had a better idea: building an old time western town. He even chose a name for it: New Dubina. It took him fourteen years to build it and now it has a store, a saloon, a school and even a small church. With almost twenty two buildings in his back yard, the Western town wouldn’t have been complete without a gallows. Helms actually did such a good job with his DIY project, that a TV network filmed a few episodes for a Western there.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What happens when you move in\u00a0California’s Mojave Desert and tell your teenage son he can build anything he wants in your backyard? He chooses to build a BMX park.\u00a0Gordy Toth proceeded to clear his backyard of trees and begun digging ramps. Fast forward six years later, when his biking park was ready\u00a0for him and his friends to have some fun. With 13 surgeries and many broken bones, we’re sure Toth and his dad had a blast.<\/p>\n
Image sources 1<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 3<\/a>, 4<\/a>, 5<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most of us are happy with keeping a nicely groomed backyard with the occasional flower planting and lawn manicuring. But nothing compares with these 5 crazy things people built in their backyard. You can call it excessive zeal or just a lot of free time, but they went ahead and had their fun. On their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":27641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7739,7741,7740],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/411.jpg","yoast_head":"\n