I got back a week ago from this marathon trip and I have started working on the approximately 5,000 photos which will all go up at the website (roadarch.com) eventually. I will be posting a few photos here from each day’s shooting as I do so. I am also posting a sampling of photos over at Flickr (different photos from those shown here at the blog):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/
The focus of this trip was on Missouri and Illinois. I got all of Missouri done and all of Illinois except the Chicago area before the clock ran out (had to get back to work, my real job, that barely pays for these trips). It was a very productive trip and my van ran perfectly despite the abuse. There were only a few crappy weather days. But it was unreal hot. We begin the photos on my journey to the Midwest in the California desert and Arizona where it was over 100 degrees. I usually stop off on these trips in Cabazon, CA right off I-10 for a break and to see what the latest dinosaur paint jobs are:
The La Victoria Grocery in Blythe, CA and its pigeon friends for scale:
Surely this one in Harcuvar, AZ had neon and probably different text earlier in its life:
Also in Harcuvar (some sources/postcards say Salome though) – the former Amber Hills Motel:
This one is in Salome, AZ. Once upon a time – and note the Salome sign on the right:
and there was a cafe as well:
But I diverge… check out this old billboard in Salome which no longer exists:
The Sunset Motel sign is in Wenden, AZ:
The Saguaro Motel is in Aguila, AZ:
There’s nothing on the site yet but rocks behind The Post (former post office) but this will be the site of the Neon Garden in Mesa, AZ. This photo is of the illustration on the billboard announcing what’s to come. These signs (Watson’s Flowers, Dairy Queen, Bill Johnson’s Big Apple, and Ford) were all local and have been in the Mesa Preservation Foundation’s storage:
This sign is in Prescott, AZ:
Let’s move on to some non-signs. These two sculptures in Phoenix pay tribute to Navajo Code Talkers who served in the Marines in World War II and their language stumped the Japanese and helped win the war.
This version is more subtle symbolizing the peace that resulted from the Navajo soldiers service:
Not much progress since the 2022 announcement that the former City Center Motel project in Phoenix would become part of the EV Hotel. In fact, no signs of the development or fencing so far:
This is the plan with the giant hotel dwarfing the former motel from 1959:
This “Triangle Building” (aka Kimsey Building) in Scottsdale was built in 1962.
It was endangered but, fortunately, this building is being saved, too. The project will have a hotel, apartments, and commercial space. The building in this illustration to the left of the Triangle Building is just a dirt lot at the moment and the building that was there before did not have a folded plate canopy:
One more midcentury modern building for you. The Holy Cross Lutheran Church is also in Scottsdale:
When in Phoenix, I often stop off at Don Parks’ place to see what new statues he may have managed to cram into his two properties directly across the street from each other. I haven’t bumped into the guy yet but I understand that he has tons of other stuff in the back, behind fences, and in the houses. I wonder how the neighbors feel about this.
I’m a huge John Cerney fan and shoot his realistic, giant painted signs whenever I can. He lives in Salinas, CA so there are lots of them in central and other cities in California. But there are also commissioned painting signs in Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Florida, and elsewhere. This one is 18-feet-tall and is located in Queen Creek, AZ at Schnepf Farm. There is another one inside the farm property of a girl holding a pumpkin.
If you’re interested in seeing more of his stuff, I have a section for them here: https://www.roadarch.com/signs/cerney.html
One more sign before we go. This one is in Prescott, AZ:
We’ll be moving on to New Mexico and eastward in the next post (day #2). Stay tuned!
Happy trails,
dj & the dogs
RoadArch.com companion 