Just getting going on the Kentucky stuff — about another 7 days of posts to go.

“Big Mo,” the Mosasaur statue at Big Mike’s Gift Shop in Cave City, got a bright repaint last year:

The Cardinal Motel in Bowling Green was leveled by a tornado in 2021 but the statue survived. It didn’t even tip over! The owner considered it a sign and rebuilt the motel from scratch:

This “fluffy tail” (my type name) rooster statue has been installed at the Rooster Run General Store since it opened in Coxs Creek in 1967. The bib type are very rare:

This Sirloin Stockade type bull (signboard and halter) has been at a Lotto store in Franklin since at least 2008. The statues used at Sirloin Stockade didn’t have horns this may have been a later modification:

This “Fuzzy Bull” (my type name) with horns and no signboard on its sides has been at the Leachman car dealership in Bowling Green since 2006. I don’t know where “Cadillac Jack” (a naming contest earlier this year) was before that:

Big Red is the mascot for Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. This sculpture is from 2014:

This giant cauldron of burgoo (a type of stew) is installed at Moon Lite BBQ in Owensboro. It was hit by a car a few years ago but, thankfully, it was restored (and moved behind the restaurant away from traffic):

This space capsule is installed in Franklin. It was created by welding students at the local high school (along with a giant butter knife and fork):

This former windmill in Griderville was used as a Standard Oil gas station office with a small restaurant building next door. The blades of the windmill have been gone since around 2013. Strangely, they were on the left of the windmill here but more recent photos, they were on that pole on the right:

This building in Bowling Green was built in the 1860s as the Potter Opera House:

It got this makeover in 1964 for the Bowling Green Bank & Trust – the height of modernity then and well-received:

But tastes change. Now that the City owns the building, it plans to return the facade to its original look. It’s a little scruffy now but since it’s right on the main square, I’m sure most of the town considers it an eyesore. I sure don’t! Replacing those black granite tiles and maybe powerblasting the concrete would be enough to get the building looking sharp again (and far cheaper than replicating the original facade) but concrete midcentury is not fashionable with many folks these days:

The former Century Christian Church in Owensboro from 1963:

An interior shot at the St. James Catholic Church in Elizabethtown:

The original sign at the original Wonder Whip location in Owensboro with much nicer, neon food:

Updated at some point to its current look. The burger and cone would look so much better painted, even badly, than these graphics:

The second location in Owensboro opened in 2025 with a new retro-style building and sign:

Smith Drug in Hodgenville opened around 1919 and is still operating! This sign is probably from the 1950s:

Lastly, the much less photographed sign at the Wigwam Village in Cave City. It was the second-built location in the chain with tee-pee shaped motel rooms:

More Kentucky coming up soon!

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Let’s start with a giant sheaf of wheat in Hopkinsville:

I shot this statue at the Dempewolf Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership in Henderson in 2010:

By 2012, it had been replaced with this more human-like statue shown below. Then, in 2018, the dealership changed names and moved this statue back behind the building and a fence. I was able to get this shot on this trip through the chain link:

This chicken statue is at Mr. D’s restaurant in Henderson:

There are now six of these Big Twig tree creature sculptures in Lake Malone State Park in Dunmor:

The Everly Brothers and John Prine in Central City:

This tiny Ferrell’s Hamburgers restaurant opened in 1936 in Hopkinsville. Unfortunately, this great neon sign got clipped by a truck in 2023 (my photo 2010)…:

… and it was replaced with this one which has LED tubing and plastic letters:

This former gas station in Henderson now houses Rick’s Una Pizza. It has some similar features with Pure Oil cottage stations but I don’t think it was built as one:

This is Rhea Stadium in Russellville. This Art Deco entrance is flanked with the heads of six sports stars from the time:

The long-closed Capitol Theatre in Princeton has really fallen on hard times. At least the vitrolite facade is still there:

The Wonder Whip in Owensboro opened in 1955. There was a slightly different sign then:

and now:

This former Gulf station in Marion now houses Sugar Shop Donuts:

I believe this cleaners in Hopkinsville is still open. The sign is now missing the plastic shirt panel and one of the clock faces. My photo from 2010:

and now:

This neon diamond is on top of the otherwise-boring Turley Jewelers sign in Evansville, IN:

The Hungry Bear Pancake & Bar-B-Q House in Murray closed in 2022 but this sign remains. The restaurant opened in 1970 so this sign is probably from then:

This sign is at the now-closed PitStop Liquors with a pink elephant statue in Hopkinsville:

The owner of Victor’s Sandwiches in Murray passed away in 2024 and this business has been closed since then:

I’ll be back again soon with much more Kentucky.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

This post covers the day spent in the northwest corner of Tennessee en route to Kentucky.

At the Tennessee/Kentucky border in Hazel, KY — representative frontiersmen from both states (Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett) and their hunting dogs:

A snowball-throwing polar bear serving as a mailbox holder in Jackson, TN. More about these statues at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/critters/bearspolar2.html#Nash

This dog sculpture is in front of a vet’s office in Paris, TN:

A giant crab above the entrance of Red Hook Cajun Seafood in Jackson, TN:

This streamline former hospital/clinic is in Covington, TN:

The former Dr Pepper bottling plant in Jackson, TN…:

… and its 10-2-4 clock:

The former Greyhound bus station in Jackson, TN:

The Jackson-Madison County Library in Jackson, TN:

A former Sinclair gas station in Huntingdon, TN:

This theatre is in Huntingdon, TN:

This theatre is in McKenzie, TN:

Too cutesy for my website but I shot anyway — in Union City:

The Magic Wheels Skate Center is in Jackson, TN:

This sign is in Jackson, TN:

The billboard sign on the former Coca-Cola bottling plant in Covington, TN:

Although a modern chain, this is one of the few neon signs left — in Jackson, TN:

The next post will be the beginning of many from Kentucky. There will be plenty more Tennessee posts after that.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

If you are paying close attention to these posts and wondering what happened to Day 5… Well, there was a little “incident” during this trip where my camera card fell out of the slot of my laptop (hadn’t pushed it in yet). Before I noticed, my new young dog, Pivot, had chomped some nice dents into it. I sent the card off the next day to a data recovery place but they were unable to recover the photos. The process cost me $2600. I hadn’t read the fine print in the email about “no guarantee” so it was sort of a scam but anyhow… expensive lesson learned. I lost a very productive, full day of shooting in Dallas in the sun and blazing heat wave (my big van’s AC sucks despite full freon). Fortunately, I always back up my cards to my laptop each night so it was just that one day that went bye-bye. I’ll be back in Dallas for a painful 14-hour repeat of what was lost in a couple of years. Although I have been to Dallas many times, there’s always things I find out about between trips or things shot at wrong time of day that need reshooting.

Let’s start out in Dallas then with this cattle drive sculpture group right downtown:

This bull is in Royce City, TX:

This frog in Hot Springs, AR had been installed in front of a closed restaurant for many years. I drove by and was sad to see him gone this time. But about 20 mins. later I was very happy to see that he had at new home just to the north at Dame Fortune’s Cottage Court. He originally emitted a stream of water from his mouth into a little pond so I guess they’ve dispensed with that feature. But it looks like they are fixing him up:

Fouke, AR is proud of their local legend and holds an annual festival. This guy is on the facade of this convenience store which sells souvenirs:

This sculpture of the Grand Master H.U. Lee is installed in front of the ATA martial arts headquarters in Little Rock, AR:

This Taco Bell statue is at Driven Towing & Recovery in Hot Springs, AR along with many other statues. This statue did not have a sombrero when the owner bought it. Mark Cline was able to create one:

Also at Driven Towing is this guy which would have originally held flags or signs in his hands. His arms were motorized to move up and down:

This giant rooftop milk carton is in Batesville, AR at a food products distribution company:

This Art Deco courthouse is in Hope, AR:

This Art Deco Masonic Temple is in Benton, AR:

This midcentury modern Farmers Electric building in Newport, AR…

… The business also has a Willie Wiredhand sign. More about Willie (and Reddy Kilowatt) at my website here: https://www.roadarch.com/sca/reddy.html

This midcentury Arkansas Department of Health building is in Little Rock, AR:

The Temple Israel in Jonesboro, AR is from 1960:

The former Pulaski Federal Savings & Loan in North Little Rock, AR…”

… still has coins embedded in the doors:

This crusty sign is in Texarkana, TX:

This Arby’s hat sign is in Benton, AR:

This sign is in Little Rock:

This one is in Hot Springs:

Another sign in Hot Springs — the tree and streetlight make shooting this one difficult:

And lastly — this Elks sign is in North Little Rock:

With the next post, I’ll be moving on to the focus of this trip: Tennessee and Kentucky.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

The Evans Vacuum location in River Oaks used to have two giant vacuums in the parking lot. They were about 10 feet tall. That store and the vacuums are gone now. Here’s a photo I took of one of them back in 2006:

But there are still three locations that have them hanging inside the stores. Here’s a photo I took on this trip at the Fort Worth location:

This restored Texaco is in Fort Worth:

The midcentury former Lone Star Gas Company in Abilene:

The former Dr Pepper bottling plant in Fort Worth – restored in 2024 with the 10-2-4 clock face:

This former First National Bank in Mineral Wells — now the Palo Pinto County Annex:

Farrington Field in Fort Worth:

The Dixie Pig in Abilene was established in 1931. This sign is probably 1960s or 1970s:

The restaurant moved to this building in 1941:

and the rounded part of the building is still there:

A very rare “Go Gulf” sign in Clyde. The Gulf letters have been missing since at least 2008. These letters and arrows are way, WAY up on poles so I assume this sign is at its original location next to I-20.

The sign (and missing station) would have looked like the vintage image below. I guess some of these signs were installed on the roof while others were on their own poles:

The long-abandoned restaurant/motel complex and this sign in Ranger were restored in 2025.

The Lone Star Chicken Inn building now houses Gulf Burgers — more info and signs at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/signs/tx11.html#Ranger

One of the two former/repurposed Montgomery Ward signs in Fort Worth:

This shopping center sign is in Fort Worth:

This florist is in Abilene:

This sign in Fort Worth was restored in 2022:

This Superior Outdoor Display clock sign in Fort Worth is missing the panel on the other side. Buy, hey, one panel is better than none! I believe the OPEN bulb part of the sign was also produced by Superior. More about these signs at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/sca/clocks.html#City

This sign in Weatherford was restored in 2023:

The D&W Underground event space in Abilene is chock full of vintage signs including the Federal Electric bulb signs and this opal glass Buick sign. I did what I could shooting through the windows but I’ve GOT to get back there sometime with an appointment to get inside. More info and photos at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/signs/tx.html#Coke

Also at the D&W — this Reddy Kilowatt sign. More about these signs at my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/sca/reddy.html

Lastly, this modern, animated neon and bulb sign in front of the Hotel Drover in Fort Worth was created by Evan Voyles/Neon Jungle:

Some more Texas photos coming in the next post – and then moving on to Arkansas.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

I believe this bull statue has been at this Lubbock, TX location since at least the 1970s when there was a Sirloin Stockade there:

This fiberglass Billy the Kid statue was installed in Glencoe, NM when the place was still Fox Cave (now Weed World):

These giant hands in Glencoe, NM which had been created by Mark Cline were painted with blood when the place became Weed World:

The sign at the Cactus Theatre in Lubbock, TX has been reworked a bit — more neon, channel letters, and a background with prickly pear cactus:

This gas station in Roswell, NM has been reworked with the local alien theme:

This former bank in Lubbock, TX now houses a tattoo studio:

A nice terrazzo entrance at the Wallace Theatre in Levelland, TX:

This drive-in theatre in Lubbock, TX was built in 2003:

The incredible midcentury modern Federal Building in Roswell, NM:

A detail from the Art Deco Lea County Courthouse in Lovington, NM:

This sign is from the former Koko Palace in Lubbock, TX:

This scaffold sign is in Ruidoso, NM:

The Valley Auto Glass sign in Roswell, NM would look great repainted:

The photos below are of signs on display at Cook’s Garage in Lubbock, TX. If you haven’t been, just add this place to your must-see bucket list. There are hundreds of sign inside and outside of the restaurant/concert venue/car show place. I posted about 100 photos to my website yesterday from this place here:
https://www.roadarch.com/signs/txlubbock2.html

Originally Oklahoma City:

Originally Wichita Falls, TX:

Originally Centralia, IL:

Originally Winona, MN:

Originally Sweetwater, TX:

I’ll be back soon with more Texas stuff.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

These initial states will go by really quick in these blog posts since the focus of this trip is on Kentucky and Tennessee. I usually have a few dozen planned stops with new stuff and reshoots to break up the monotony of the long interstate slogs on these trips.

Let’s start with this polka dot elephant in Las Cruces, NM at the Elephant Ranch bar:

This Santa statue in Hatch, NM might have come from the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers, FL which was auctioned off just before this statue turned up here:

A couple of mid-century modern churches: the First United Methodist Church in Deming, NM:

and the First Baptist Church in Alamogordo, NM:

The Big Tex BBQ in Willcox, AZ is located inside a former Pullman dining car:

Dot’s Diner is a Valentine diner located at the Shady Dell in Bisbee, AZ:

This pole sign stands next to the diner. I don’t know where it came from or if it originally read “DINER”:

This sign at the Elephant Ranch in Las Cruces, NM appears to be modern:

This bulb arrow is installed at Sparky’s Trading Post in Hatch, NM. These were produced by Superior Electrical Advertising in Long Beach, CA:

Some window signs at the same place:

This sign is now inside Sparky’s restaurant in Hatch, NM. It was originally installed in Springer, NM:

I’ll be back soon with more photos from New Mexico and moving on to Texas.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

I’m back from my five-week summer trip. As I add each day’s photos to my website (roadarch.com), I’ll be chiming in with posts here — often, with photos not “worthy” of the website. I’m also posting some other photos to Flickr (see link bottom of this post). During the trip, I posted about a dozen photos each night that were taken that day to Instagram (link also bottom of this post). So, if you want a sampling/overview of what I shot during the trip, you might want to take a peek there. Keep in mind that I have over 4,000 photos to add to my site so the things I post here and to Flickr & Instragram are just a drop in the bucket.

Let’s start with this cute little playground in Encanto Park in Phoenix that I found by accident (rare) when I was running the dogs first thing in the morning. A sampling of the frogs and hatching turtles — very cute and realistic:

The giant wine bottle in Tucson was repainted since the last time I was there:

A gila monster reading a book in front of the Little Free Library in Tucson:

This cowboy in Tucson at Cummings Plumbing Heating and Cooling now holds a giant plumber’s wrench:

Giant aviator sunglasses inside the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix:

This former bakery in Tucson now houses a cannabis shop:

Much better weather in Phoenix, so here’s a Deco detail shot from the Title & Trust Building:

This former gas station in Tucson is getting pretty cluttered at this point but its general original shape is still there:

The City Hall building in Tucson:

This modern neon sign in Phoenix is pretty nice — at Flower Child, a shopping center florist:

This sign in Phoenix must have advertised for a camper dealership or some such originally — now a used car dealership. Note my van, Gator, photobombing on the left. That’s often how I park using curb dips when there’s no way otherwise not to hog up a lane. I just about never park or turn off the engine all day since my stops are usually under 30 seconds:

The timing was all wrong to revisit the Ignite Sign Art Museum in Tucson on this trip — but I did grab a few photos from outside. Next time, I’m sure they will have recovered from the fire and there will be even more to see anyway:

This sign in Tucson was repainted and the neon restored since my last visit. The weather was sucky in Tucson on this trip and the tree needs some trimming but anyway:

A nice little neon extension arrow on the top of this one in Tucson that must have been sequentially lit originally:

Much, much more to come — be back soon.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

One more test run to make sure the van and everything else is ready for the five-week summer trip. On the last day of the trip, the shifter on my steering column went: flopped around like a wet noodle instead of engaging in Drive or any gears. So, off to a Firestone in downtown Sacramento for $424 in repairs and then we headed home. A few days ago, I had my mechanic do the annual look-see full inspection to prevent delays & breakdowns during our trip. This is usually fairly uneventful but this time he found brakes, bearings, leaking water pump, etc. for $3400. So, I’m broke before the trip even begins but here we go anyway! And I can only imagine what the gas is gonna cost this year. I usually rack up about $3,000 for that on these trips but I imagine it will be more like $4,000 or worse this time. Donations are always welcome!!

You can follow along for nightly postings of a few photos taken each day at Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roadarch_com/ After this post, you won’t be hearing anything from me at this blog until I get home and start working on each daily batch of photos. The focus this year is on Kentucky & Tennessee but there are lots of stops planned for other states on the way to and from.

Now then — here is a sampling of the photos from my Bay Area/Central California trip last weekend.

This Buddha sculpture faces Highway 101 traffic in Redwood City:

This “Friendship Bench” sculpture is in Calistoga at the Clos Pegase Winery:

This theatre is in Monterey:

The Ice Cream Bar in San Francisco:

The McHenry Library at UC Santa Cruz (in Santa Cruz):

The PG&E Substation in San Francisco:

A smaller, replica welcome arch in downtown Orland:

This sign in Larkspur surely had painted details on those panels originally:

These signs at Dawn Ranch in Guerneville were installed around 2017. They appear to be retro, modern signs:

The Grove Motel in Willows:

A close-up of the Rio Theatre sign in Monte Rio:

And lastly — I was able to shoot this restored Greyhound Bus sign in Redding in the sun this time:

Come tag along virtually at Instagram on my summer roadtrip! The rubber hits the road on May 28.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram

Now that I’ve got all of last year’s photos up at the website and all the pages combed for broken links/maps checked (all those recent “news” posts here)… it was good to get away for three days of driving and shooting.

The Lady of the Lake statue in Echo Park (Los Angeles):

This cow statue is in Oceanside. I only know of one other like this on public display (in Iowa):

This bird statue is known as “Pinky” and is installed way up on a pillar at a construction site in Eagle Rock:

The world’s largest (42′ long) surfboard in Huntington Beach:

The Shore Bar in Santa Monica:

The former Callahan’s Restaurant in Santa Monica:

These streamline moderne apartments are on S. Crescent Heights Blvd. in Los Angeles:

The W.D. Longyear Building in Beverly Hills:

The Marriott Hotel near LAX in Los Angeles:

The “Flying Diaper” house in Running Springs:

The Seventh Day Adventist Church in Long Beach:

A former Tastee-Freez in Pomona:

“Neighbors” by John Cerney in Palm Springs:

This sign is in Rialto:

This one is in downtown Los Angeles — most likely opal glass letters on top originally:

This twin YMCA signs are also in downtown Los Angeles:

This recently restored sign is in Burbank:

This one is in Pomona:

The restoration of this sign in South El Monte is nearly done:

This sign in San Bernardino has new panels and bulbs:

This sign in Ontario was restored just a few weeks ago:

Let me introduce this new member of our family: Pivot. She’s about 9 mos. old and joined my pack a couple of mos. ago.

I had to put down Gremlin in December due to health issues. But she had a good long life: 19 years. Here’s the current roadtrip crew which you’ll be seeing more of very soon — L to R: Griz, Orbie, Dilly & Piv:

Just seven weeks from now, we’ll be heading out on this summer’s big adventure focusing on Kentucky and Tennessee with other states on the way there and back. I’ll have one more roadtrip (and post) to Central California/Bay Area. I always take these two local trips to test the van, my camera, laptop, etc. to make sure we are good to go.

Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs

website | blog | Flickr | Instagram