My summer trip is underway.   I made a vow to myself to get more sleep and save the blogging for home.  However, yesterday, it was a full day of dense clouds in Portland so I was in a holding pattern.  Then, the check engine light came on.  Apparently, Sparkle needs a new catalytic converter.  Getting a new one is tricky since California emissions has stricter policies about these parts than other states.  But a California approved part should be arriving first thing this morning.  I might as well use my time to bang out a post or two since, gratefully, this little muffler shop has wifi.  The forecast is for sun today so I should be back at it for another full day of shooting today.

The trip commenced with a 7 hour jaunt after work up to Northern California.  Here is a sampling of some of the “lesser” subjects.  A sampling of the good stuff goes to Flickr while I’m traveling each night.  The bulk of my photos wait until I get home and can gradually add it all to my website.

Let’s start with this repurposed Safeway in Red Bluff — now the local library:

And another recycled building in Redding — a Fotomat now housing the Greek Shack.  The liquor store sign is for the building behind it:

This roofop sign is in Redding:

More signs from Redding.  This one is at the Country Bowl.  I love the little floating objects in the holes:

From the neon tubing holes scattered over this panel, it appears that this sign probably advertised for another business previously.  I like the slanted text and painted shadows around the characters:

This massive sign has angled panels:

These two signs are in Dunsmuir.  It was known as the Whistle Stop Cafe when I was here in 2008.  Now, it’s Yaks on the 5:

The Piemont Restaurant in Mount Shasta is closed but the sign remains.  Note the neat arrow on the top left which points at the restaurant itself:

The Townhouse Motel is in Weed.  Apparently, the sign was painted red originally.  This vintage photo from the 1950s confirms it:
http://www.lileks.com/motels/CA/8.html

Here are a handful of photos from Yreka.  This “happy bear” sign is at Weldon’s Tire Service.   This is a much smaller and rarer example of these signs.  For examples and info about them, see about halfway down my page here:
http://www.roadarch.com/signs/ca14.html

This funky sign is older than you might think.  Although it has been repainted probably dozens of times, the panels are ripple tin — probably pre-1950s.  The tubing holes do match the text for “Log Cabin”.  But that barrel may have been at the top or bottom of the sign — or come from another sign.  This overlapping of panels seems very odd:

Still in Yreka — this old-fashioned store is still open:

Nice painted wood-grain:

A very unusual stained glass Masonic sign:

The “D” and “G” must have been broken and replaced at some point:

Moving on to Oregon — this one is in Ashland.  Just a few years go, this sign was green and had neon:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixability/540017333/

Another one from Ashland:

Also in Ashland:

This one is in Medford.  The name comes from the nearby Siskiyou Mountains:

Another one in Medford:

From Jacksonville.  I can’t find any vintage photos that show what was in that middle section:

Back to Medford.  Very abused sign panel — BB gun damage or what?

Moving on to Grants Pass:

I think this is a modern sign.  There was a different sign at this former Richfield gas station in Grants Pass just a few years ago:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/forest_lookouts_of_oregon/5819823963/

Last one for this post — this one is in Roseburg.  It used to revolve but now just blows in the wind a bit:

9am and we’re still waiting for that part here at the shop.  I’ll start prep-ing some photos for Day 2 & maybe I can get another post out today.  For now, you might want to see the stuff I’ve posted at Flickr for the past few days:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/
dj & the dogs
eager to get going, Portland