i've never been there myself, so anything i think i know about the place is secondhand. but i grew up nearby (before they moved and before they had a tv show) and heard unsettling stories from people with personal experiences, including volunteers. i know they used to get raided by game wardens and eventually were forced to relocate because of health hazards. and then there was this: https://www.motherjones.com/media/2016/03/animal-planet-yankee-jungle-reality-canceled/

that surprises me, it used to have the reputation i'm learning york's has now

i was bumming around new england in the 90s and found myself in need of a place to go. i had met members at some phish concerts where they were known for recruiting pretty heavily among the lost or disillusioned heads. "don't get on the bus" was good advice. they would offer people food and try to get them to leave with them. they handed out neat little magazines about the 3 eternal destinies of man and asking questions like why aren't i satisfied by drugs and rock music? they were kind of fascinating to me, and it was my only exposure at that age to any kind of communal living situation. at one point i called them up on the phone and spoke at length about how they lived and what they believed, and was warmly invited to come check it out for myself. so it was both opportunistic and anthropological, but i was much more of a seeker than a believer, and when the novelty wore off, i was ready for something different.

yeah, they were nice enough to let me live/work there for a time when i was a teen, but when i decided i'd had enough and wanted to leave the tone changed

there's a cult you can join there

all 2? i get it, reading is hard

not everyone can access tiktok

This should give the windshield a nice patina

but lacks the same atmosphere of hope and inspiration

I've lived in rural Maine long enough to know this vehicle has a fair chance of having been operated by a full grown adult