Well, if I’m going to spend all this time talking about roadside attractions, I would be remiss if I didn’t include the legendary Muffler Men—guardians of gas stations, presidents of photo ops. If you’ve ever taken a road trip, you’ve probably seen at least one of these guys along the way. These behemoths started appearing… More
Category: Animal-Vegetable-Mineral
Kings of the roadMuffler Men, various points around United States
Whole-kernel cornicesThe Corn Palace, Mitchell, SD
Posted 10 years ago
Now, there are roadside attractions, and there are roadside attractions. Much as I love a good giant fiberglass animal, the Corn Palace belongs in the elite upper crust of roadside gems. For one thing, the hand-pieced corn mosaic on the façade changes every year. That is a labor of love, people. For another, the folks… More
You know the drillThe Golden Driller, Tulsa, OK
Posted 10 years ago
Well, I suppose if you’re going to have roadside attractions, you might as well devote some of them to the road trip idea itself. And if you’re going to do that … well, I guess it follows that somewhere there’d be a monument to petroleum, nectar of the road trip gods. And at 76 feet… More
Moose missiveSault Ste. Marie, MI; Sault St. Marie, ON; Moose Jaw, SK
Posted 10 years ago
Big BessieWorld's Largest Holstein Cow, New Salem, ND
Posted 10 years ago
You might remember Salem Sue—she was the first sketch I ever posted on this blog. I have a deep fondness for just about any roadside attraction, but I might just love Sue best of all. It’s not just that she’s freakishly realistic (just out of frame of this sketch: the big scary veins on her… More
LandsharkOcean Shores, WA
Posted 10 years ago
Normally this would be the part where I tell you all about the souvenir shop with the giant shark’s head I found on the Washington coast—but I think I’ll just let the pictures do their job. Instead, I wanted to let you know that Sharky here has joined 29 more of his roadside brethren on… More
The TurningNear Castle Rock, WA
Posted 10 years ago
There’s been a crispness in the air here all week—the first sign that my favorite season is well on its way. Autumn in the Northwest isn’t quite the spectacular show of reds and golds that you might find in New England or, say, Wisconsin, but I love it for its own qualities. Instead of huge… More
Animal, Vegetable, PolymerGreen Gables Heritage Place, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Posted 10 years ago
Continuing on the whole fake farm theme, the ones that make me giggle the most are those that don’t try very hard in the ambience department. When my friend Elizabeth and I went to PEI together, our whole trip was centered around our childhood (and adult!) love of Anne of Green Gables. But even we… More
Faux farmVashon Island, WA
Posted 10 years ago
You know I have a real thing for farms—as evidenced by all the sketches that have cropped up here (no pun intended) so far. But I also have a fascination with fake farms—you know, the odd sort of agricultural replica that you sometimes see at museums, tourist traps, or—as in the case above—private property. I… More
Corn-fedMinnesota State Fair
Posted 10 years ago
Here’s what you do: you go to the Minnesota State Fair with at least four or five people in your party. Then everybody chooses one or two things to eat and shares with the group—that way, you get a small sample of a lot of different things. (Added bonus of sharing small bites: not suffering… More