Let me crank out just one more blog post while the sun is still dozing below the horizon.  I got three hours sleep — that’s enough!!  I started this day (it’s really now the morning of Day 8) in Ogden, UT.  This rooftop sign is at the Wonder Bread (Hostess) factory.  It looks like the cherry pie piece at the top used to revolve:

 

Still in Utah — from Brigham City.  This covered wagon sign topper is at the J&D Family Restaurant:

 

Also Brigham City — the Galaxie Motel.  An interesting sign pole solution that perforates the roof and comes down into the building’s attached flower bed.  Weary travelers always need arrows at night just to find the office.  A freestanding building in front of the rooms is never enough:

 

A rusty beer mug from Garland, UT:

 

This painted advert for Sweet’s is also in Garland:

From Logan:

This nifty skeleton sign in the window is also at Superior Cleaners:

Another one from Logan:

 

It’s time for a diversion from sugary sweet sign overload.  One of the highlights of the day was our trip to Garden City, UT.  It was a long drive through the mountains — very pretty — and then you arrive at this vista overlooking Bear Lake.  Blue water color that outrivals all other blues.  That’s Grem’s ear on the left.  She was enjoying the view and water smell as we got closer.  Water equals romping good times to my dogs:

And I did not disappoint them.  Here’s the fun little boardwalk that leads to the beach.  The drop to the marshy belowness is about a foot and a half.  The dogs enjoying snootering around down there, sometimes munching on god-knows-what:

After the boardwalk — a path to the water:

The water was wide and shallow — or at least just at the part that we went too.  And no dead fish at this place thank god:

Nik says splashing around after balls is just as much fun as swimming after them:

Fixie prefers the ankle deep depth — she’s not into strenuousness at her age (14+):

Griz believes that all lakes and oceans should be less than 12 inches deep.  He’s a weenie about swimming (and lots of other things):

Tandem ball retrieving:

 

The silly (but important to me!) reason that I went to Garden City.  Yes, I’m very much into giant things as much as signs.  This is a giant shake cup.  And although every snack bar in town brags about “Famous Raspberry Shakes”, I gave my money to these guys with the sign.  It was very good — seeds and all — and got my back over those mountains what seemed like faster than the way there:

 

From Smithfield — lots of shaved ice stands all through Utah — but I’ve never seen one like this:

 

This gigantic boot sign is also in Smithfield:

 

It’s attached to this building.  A nice paint job (and sun!) makes an otherwise pretty mundane building magnificent.  Makes me want to buy some “implements.”

 

Crossing over the border — we are now in Idaho for Part 2 of the trip.  Way ahead of schedule thanks to good weather and Sparkle’s sturdiness (375,000 miles on her).   This multi-layered midcentury accented grocery store is in Soda Springs:

 

This sign topper is at the Stockman’s Bar in Soda Springs.  I’ve never seen one of those cylinder lights by itself and outlined with neon before.  It might have flashed — I don’t know:

 

Two more signs from Soda Springs — the Brigham Young Motel:

and this wagon wheel on top of the otherwise plastic Trail Motel sign:

 

From Lava Hot Springs:

 

Moving on to Pocatello for the rest of this blog post.  This former Rexall drug store sign has been carefully repurposed for this antiques store with affixed wooden panels screwed in around the border.  The orange and navy porcelain panels are safely protected underneath.  I have loads of examples of these signs at my website here:
http://www.agilitynut.com/signs/rex.html

Inside this former drug store is this also well-preserved soda fountain:

 

This Chinese food restaurant was most recently a Mexican place but it’s now vacant.  Long live the sign!

 

A whimsical roller skating sign.  Love her Marlo Thomas “That Girl” flip and stripie pants:

 

The cement pouring from the truck is a 3-D sculptural add-on.  Yeah!  Old holes for the neon:

 

Two more shots before I get back on the road.  There was not as much lit neon as I’d hoped for in Pocatello.   But I know they’re working on it (the Relight the Night project).  Neon and plastic is a good combination.  It’s time us neon snobs started giving it the credit it deserves:

 

A pretty little bar sign in the Old Town historic district:

 

I’m off to gather more photos.  I may even finish up Idaho today.  Not too worry.  I “packed heavy” and brought lists for Nevada (Elko, Reno) and California (Lake Tahoe and onwards towards Sacramento).  But wait — what happened to the sun?  Looks like clouds to me.  I might just start working on more Flickr & blog photos for a bit.  I’m only 2 posts behind “reality” right now.

More later tonight,

dj & the dogs