There's a place near Mt. Lassen, CA, called "Bumpass Hell." It's a volcanic depression, full of boiling pools and sulfurous odors.

Bumpass Hell
It is named after Kendall Vanhook Bumpass, a cowboy and early settler who worked in the Lassen Peak area in the 1860s. Bumpass discovered the geothermal feature and was named on a mining claim for the area.

-Wikipedia

Also Lizard Lick. NC has a bunch of weird names, but I’m too lazy to look them up right now lol.

And I used to love Micanopy in FL when I lived there.

According to NC historian William S. Powell, the town got its name from a "passing observer who saw many lizards sunning and licking themselves on a rail fence."
County: Wake County
Area code(s): 919
Time zone: UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
Lizard Lick, North Carolina - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Lizard_Lick,_North_Carolina

That’s hilarious.

Now I’m going to have to go visit. That’s a fair piece a ways from me, but Big Lick must be close because they’ve got a rodeo or some such coming up soon lol; I’ve seen the signs.

I love small town historical museums, and try to stop and visit them if I have time. Typically, the person in the museum is so glad to see anyone at all come in that they'll entertain for for as long as you'll stay and listen with stories about the place. They're an unexpected fun way to kill some time in a town you're in for some reason.

I've been in many of them, and always enjoy whoever the person is who waits so patiently for someone to come in.

There’s a little museum there that I’ve never visited, despite the fact it’s close to the library I do visit regularly. Actually, everything in Marshville is close to everything else lol, maybe five traffic lights, if that.

All I know about the place is that it’s where the Color Purple was filmed, and it’s a cute small town.

I guarantee there will be someone there who will entertain you with stories about the town. It's great fun, if you like listening to stories.

named Lick of some kind:

Early settlers observed deer trails that all went to the same destination. When they investigated, they found that deer licked the ground. It turned out there were several salt licks in the area, but this was the big one and was referred to as "Big Lick". ... The town, officially named Big Lick, was built on land from Jesse and Elizabeth Morton.
County: Stanly
State: North Carolina
Area code(s): 704
Big Lick, North Carolina - Wikipedia

Certainly plenty of deer round these parts.

I’ve never been there either. I once lived in Meat Camp, NC though. Years ago. I still go camping there. I DO know the origin of that name at least!

It’s near Elk Knob, too.

I've always supposed someone stepped in an Elk Mound there.

I do love place names. I've been looking them up for years, whenever I encounter one that puzzles me.

Valentine card to have postmarked from there to send to your valentine.

You’d have to send it in another envelope with the other already addressed to the valentine, then they would postmark it and send it on.

I used to do that back in my romantic college days lol, just remembered that. I’m sure they still do it.

The origin of the name Toad Suck is disputed. Some believe that it received the name when idle rivermen would congregate at the local tavern where they would "suck on the bottle 'til they swell up like toads", while others believe it is a corruption of a French phrase meaning "a narrow channel in the river."
State: Arkansas
County: Perry
Toad Suck, Arkansas - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Toad_Suck,_Arkansas

Wikipedia is a rich source of answers about place name origins. Google will grab them with a search that looks like this:

Toad Suck, AR Name Origin

You can plug in almost any place name and get your answer. I have way too much time on my hands, or I wouldn't know that.

from Hog Snot.

But you had better not laugh in front of locals.

Are micka yuppies and I'm just a Micanopy.

I wonder how far it is from Bumpass to Fancy Gap?

The Florida town names I like are Two Egg and Oneco (pronounced on-ee-co).

Unless it's something more obvious.

Bumpass, VA. Don't laugh -- it's pronounced BUMP-us. This village in Louisa County was named for its first postmaster, John T. Bumpass. The family name was Americanized from the French Bonpass.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1993/01/10/whats-in-a-name/0c665ef2-15c5-40a8-b6c4-7fad9ee498c6/

And there you have it.

I love odd place names.

on Google. There's always some historian in a town who knows that stuff. Wikipedia has a lot of that information, too.

I’ll have to take your advice and scroll around a bit.

Great pub in the Keys I used to visit called the No Name Pub, and yep, it’s on No Name Key.

Since there is already a High Point in NC, this story makes sense:

Climax, North Carolina - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Climax,_North_Carolina
The community was named for being located at a high point along the Atlantic & Yadkin Railway.
County?: ?Guilford?, ?Randolph State?: ?North Carolina
ZIP code?: ?27233 Elevation?: ?802 ft (244 m)

And, indeed, a climax is a high point of a kind, in another sense.

Pretty sure they’re both in Guilford.

And yes, lmao!

She and I both worked for Compute! Magazine, although I did my work from California. We met a few years later in Las Vegas, but have been back to Greensboro a few times, so I'm familiar with Guilford County. I have a Nephew who lives in NC, as well, but we rarely get out there any more.

Not sure if it still is, but there’s a nice college there.

from the Compute! days. Lots of history around that area, too.

NC is full of history.

Bump-ass or Bum-pass??

That includes going off with a 34-year-old man, who should know better to start with. At 14, you are a ward of your parents.

No.such.thing. at that age.

Victim blaming.

Good on ya' for pointing out the ludicrously obvious. Makes you wonder, doesn't it.

finger wagging.

Good on you for saying that.

She's 14. She can't consent.

Would they wonder the same about a 14 year-old white boy taken by a 34 year-old man? No. They would not.

it's relevant information for anyone who might see them, and certainly to the police who are searching for them. Their behavior will be very different if he used violence or threats to force her, than it will be if she wants to be with him.

You spot her in a car at a gas station where he is filling the tank.

You call the police.

He goes in to pay for the gas. You decide you'll get in line at the counter and stall the cashier.

Should you pass by the car and tell her "I'm going to try to stall him, the police are coming"?

Or should you not alert her to your attempted intervention?

Think quick. The circumstances make a huge difference to any first responder or citizen who might spot them.