Rip Van Winkle, New York, USA
Photo (c) 2008 Andrew Alden, licensed to About.com (fair use policy)
Rip van Winkle is a classic American legend from the colonial days made famous by Washington Irving. Rip was accustomed to go hunting in the Catskill Mountains, where one day he fell under the spell of supernatural beings and fell asleep for 20 years. When he wandered back to town, the world had changed and Rip van Winkle was scarcely remembered. The world has sped up since those days—you might be forgotten in a month—but Rip's sleeping profile remains in the Catskills, as seen here across the Hudson River.
