Day 2: Some UT, AZ, NM & CO

Let’s get right to it. This teepee in Kanab, UT was built for a gift shop. I can’t find info about the original name or year it was built but it was there by 1987 when John Margolies took this photo:

There is still a gift shop there. My photo from 2014:

Around 2021, it was transformed into this:

It’s is meant to resemble Thor’s Hammer in nearby Bryce Canyon National Park:

The Dairy Drive Inn in Bluff, UT appears to be closed but these two signs remain. I’m guessing they are both from the 1960s:

The boy is a representation of the Eat-it-All boy which was used for the company’s ice cream cones (and, I believe, other products later):

There was even an Eat-it-All girl and there were even stuffed dolls, ashtrays, etc. made by the company:

I believe the cones are still being produced by Keebler:

This paddle wheeler in Page, AZ was a functioning tourist ship that operated in Lake Powell from 1979-2009. It was then moved into town and converted into a pizza place. It became the teriyaki restaurant in 2020:

There are four of these covered wagon “cabins” at the Lake Powell Campground in Page. They were produced by the Conestoga Wagon Co. For more info about them and other locations where you can see or rent them, see my website here:

https://www.roadarch.com/mim/vehicles2.html

The “other” sign (see my Flickr stream for the more commonly photographed sign: https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/) at the Cork ‘n Bottle liquor store in Cortez, CO. I believe the panel on top would have advertised for Coca-Cola originally but I could be wrong. I have never seen one of this design with 7-Up:

I’m just a little crazy about these 7-2-11 Food Store signs and drove a few hours out of my way just to shoot this one in Kayenta, AZ. From the looks of the boarded-up building, I might have gotten there just in time. Although I don’t think development is encroaching on Kayenta any time soon:

I’ve shot this one in Farmington, NM before on a sunnier day but they white background on this trip is kinda nice. There’s another one of these in Gallup, NM with the same design and an additional, vintage plastic sign on the roof:

I stumbled into this one in Farmington on Auburn Ave. that I didn’t know about and is not listed anywhere at Google. There’s another one of these in Farmington on Schofield Ln. Most of these old signs have been replaced with crappy plastic panels. If you know of any others, I’d love to hear from you:

The Kigalia Drive-in in Blanding, UT operated from 1955-1964. The screen was dozed but the sign remained in place. My photo from 2012:

A kind soul took mercy on it and had it restored (sans neon) and moved to his ranch in Blanding where you can see it from the road:

While we’re on the subject of drive-in signs, there’s this one in Naturita, CO. The Uranium Drive-in operated from 1954 until the mid-1980s. In 2012, the sign was restored (sans neon) and moved to this spot on the main road in town:

This Elks Lodge sign in Durango, CO looks like it might be from the 1950s. The letters are not evenly spaced so I suspect it was either restored at some point (paint looks fresh) or possibly adapted from other text:

Let’s end with the End O’Day Motel sign from Durango. I love the little flag on top and even the cute vandalism happy face. This would be a beauty if someone could raise the funds for a restoration.: