Whew!  It is SO good to be home in the fog and cool breezes.  17 days of 100+ degree days in the Southwest was not pleasant BUT I got loads of photos so it was definitely worth the pain.  Several days were spent driving 12 hrs. plus without A/C so the dogs and I really got to feel what the desert is all about.  I had plenty of water to douse the dogs and my head and we got though it alive.  Ice cream was a near daily staple.

Day 2 got off to a slow start since the first half of it was spent at the Pep Boys in Yuma getting the A/C fixed — or so I thought.  It only lasted 4 days.   A lot of boring highway miles on Day 3 before we arrived in the Phoenix area.  Let’s start with some photos from there.

I don’t know what business this pawn shop sign advertised for originally:

Google Street View from 2007 gives a clue — the dollar sign panels look like they were originally “H”s:

I believe this was a liquor store originally.  There are apparently identical buildings in the California desert (e.g., Needles, Yucca Valley).  So, it might have been a chain:

The last time I visited the Christown Lanes in 2012, the building was greyish & white:

By 2015, the building had flashier red paint.  The paitn was getting a touch up when I was here on this trip:

I doubt the rock wall was three-tone like this originally:

This gigantic sign visible from I-17 was a Goodyear sign originally:

This vintage photo is from this website:
http://www.historyadventuring.com/2015/07/the-importance-of-goodyear-to-history.html

There are very few of these Travelodge signs left so I’ve started shooting them even when they’ve been hideously adapted.  I don’t believe there are any that still advertise for Travelodge:

This postcard shows there original look:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/roadsidepictures/4661477278/

I don’t know the original business for this one but I like the shapes.  I assume the disk on top revolved:

Much to admire here at this mid-century modern building in Mesa.  The screen, the columns with ballies, the brick planters, the raised letters….

Also in Mesa.  Gotta be 1970s, right?  Yes, this is a big one.  The top panel still revolves:

In Chandler.  Originally a Chrysler sign.  That’s the “Flookerang” (Forward Look) logo in neon on top:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_Look

 

A former KFC bucket sign in Chandler was adapted last year for a Bosa Donuts.  This would have had the more modern bucket Colonel graphic originally.  I believe the vintage buckets were a tad narrower.

One more from Chandler.  Maybe this was always the Wingfoot Mini-Mart.  Much to love — the spear, the ballie, the shish-kebab panels below:

So much more to come…

Don’t forget that I do these blog/Flickr posts in separate, simultaneous batches.  Other nicer-looking signs, buildings & other stuff over here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

dj & the dogs