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Who doesn’t love a good strange story? They can be quite entertaining, always including an element of unexpected surprise. It’s easy to create fictional stories like this, ones to tell when you’re gathered together around a campfire or killing time on a road trip.

But, as the old saying goes, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

Every now and then, I like to check the Oddities section of the Associated Press’ website. You never know what head-scratching odd headline you’ll stumble across there.

So here are a few odd-but-true stories from the month of July that caught my eye:

If you happen to go to Boston and look for a subway train to catch, you might find the train looking back at you.

Recently, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was approached by a small group of “transit enthusiasts” who had an idea to make commuting just a little more fun. They proposed adding a pair of plastic “googly eyes” to the front of several subway trains. Spotting the trains with eyes could be like a real-life game of “Where’s Waldo?”

The MBTA agreed, though they decided to use decals instead of the plastic googly eyes to ensure that they don’t accidentally come loose from the trains. There are five trains in the system with eyes now. Spotting one just might put a smile on someone’s face. You never know!

Halfway across the world in South Africa, a Cape Town restaurant decided to have a bit of fun with their food. More specifically, they put together a 10-foot long sandwich weighing 145 pounds.

It was a supersized version of a “Gatsby sandwich” which is a popular kind of local sandwich which includes French fries and meat and is meant to be shared. The restaurant owners came up with the idea to follow up on something they’d done back in 2019: make a 273-pound burger.

This extra-large Gatsby sandwich took four hours to create, and it included more than six pounds of tomatoes, 44 pounds of various meats, 22 pounds of French fries, as well as a layer of calamari and onion rings and more. Despite its size, it doesn’t beat the world record for biggest sandwich (which is apparently held by a 5,440-pound sandwich in 2005 at a restaurant in Michigan).

But the lack of a world record didn’t make the sandwich any less tasty. The regulars at the restaurant were excited about sharing the sandwich together, and they invited plenty of friends, and then the giant sandwich was nothing more than a fun memory.

Over in the UK, King Charles III recently took the time to visit a little island in the English Channel and bestow a royal title on a goat.

Or rather, an entire breed of goats.

There is a rare kind of Guernsey goat known for its golden-colored fur and good milk. During the king’s visit, he declared the breed’s new title as a “Royal Golden Guernsey Goat.”

It must be nice to be royalty and have the time to go around bestowing titles on things whenever you visit somewhere. People who raise the royal golden goats hope that this will raise awareness to the breed’s rarity.

And I guess it worked because here I am writing about it now!

Speaking of rare animals, an orange lobster was saved from its fate on the dinner table by employees at a Red Lobster restaurant in Colorado. Most lobsters are dark colored, but genetic mutations can make a rare few orange, blue, or yellow.

Because of the lobster’s rarity, the restaurant employees decided to find an aquarium for the ocean creature instead of serving it up with butter. The Downtown Aquarium in Denver accepted the orange lobster, and will add it to their North Atlantic species exhibit after a 30-day quarantine.

Not only did the restaurant employees save the lobster, but they also gave it the name “Crush.” Its orange color reminded them of the Denver Broncos, and Crush was the name of their successful defense in the 1970s and 1980s. So it’s fitting, perhaps, that the aquarium placed a Denver Broncos helmet in Crush’s quarantine tank to climb on and play around with.

Maybe this is a good omen for the football team’s upcoming season?

And lastly: you certainly wouldn’t expect a bear to break into your car, and you definitely wouldn’t expect that bear to get locked inside it too.

But that’s what recently happened to a bear and its cub in Connecticut. The vehicle owner stepped outside that morning to find the two black bears trapped inside the car. The horn was blowing and the radio blasting as they tried to claw their way back out.

State environmental conversation police were called to the scene, and they opened the car door, allowing the bears to escape back into the woods safe and sound, leaving only questions and a ruined car interior behind.

Photos of the inside showed a dashboard with claw marks, buttons torn out of place, fragments of the ceiling scattered around, and pieces of the seats in tatters. Officials speculate that the bears were able to get inside by opening the car door, but they’re not sure how the door closed behind them.

Black bear appearances have been a growing problem in Connecticut in recent years. Last year, for example, a bear entered a bakery and enjoyed 60 cupcakes before leaving. The animals are often seeking food when they wander into areas with humans.

It’s not unusual to see black bears on occasion here in our part of North Carolina too. It’s best to stay well away from bears whenever possible because they can be dangerous.

But on a lighter note, this story is also a good reminder to always keep your car doors locked and never let a bear operate a car without a license.

Holly Taylor is a Staff Writer for Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact her at holly.taylor@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7206.