Hectic and hot (90s) today.  But Sparkle is running fantastic and the A/C is keeping us icebox cool.   A full day of sun!!  The dogs got some romps in Lake Erie — and managed to find some dead fish.  Luckily, only Grem actually rolled on the fish — and she spent enough time in the water afterwards that the smell is mostly gone.

I got through my Ohio list which puts me slightly ahead of schedule.  Which I’m gonna need I think since I just glanced at the Illinois packet.  Even without Chicago proper in this batch, it’s probably at least two days worth of stuff.  Just a few stops in Indiana tomorrow and I’ll get to work.  Landed late here in South Bend and it’s already 1am after dealing with emails and such.  Glad I got a decent night’s sleep last night.

 

Let’s start with this Malley’s Chocolates sign in North Olmsted — looks like it was a “spinner”:

 

And on to Cleveland — this sign’s been recently restored — here’s a shot from 2009:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10707024@N04/3612190884/

Now lots of protective plastic to protect the neon:

 

The Steve’s Lunch sign could use some re-habbing — though the neon still seems to be working:

 

So much to love here.  Pink is an unusual color choice for an auto-related business, no?

 

Stunning:

 

I finally got to shoot the Whippy’s sign.   Apparently, the artist’s intent was for the boy to point at the ice cream — but it sure looks like he’s flipping off potential customers:

 

A beautiful ghost sign in Oberlin.  I have no idea what motel it advertised for originally:

 

Also in Oberlin — here’s a vintage view of this one when it was still on the pole and had more text:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellmutt/4679221470/

and it looks like it was the Bee-Vin before that:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/bonanzleimages/afu/images/5529/9961/beevinmotel.jpg

 

On to Sandusky — this trio is located at the Best Budget Inn:

 

Also Sandusky:

 

In Toledo — I always passed on shooting this one because I thought it was probably modern.  But now I’m not so sure — and the sign has grown on me.  It’s triangulated (with three panels) so it’s visible from just everywhere:

 

And lastly, let’s pay tribute to Swan Cleaners in Port Clinton — and just as importantly — the business that kept the signs and facade (yup, that’s peachy vitrolite):

 

2 am — not bad!   I’ll meet up with you tomorrow in Illinois.  Night….

And so begins the summer trip.  37 days ahead.  The focus will be Colorado and Wyoming.  But before we get there — there will be about a week of other states.  A couple of days in Indiana & Illinois, a couple in Iowa, a couple in Nebraska, etc.   The rough sketch of the route is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/7546126074/

Before we get to today’s photos — a few notes for the newbies on the bus:
Each night on these trips, I post about a dozen photos to Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/) and then about a dozen other photos here at this blog.  These photos are clickable — clicking on them with your cursor will open them to a larger size.  For more info about how I plan these trips, manage traveling with four dogs, all that — see the special blog pages — links over there in the right column.  Also, info about the website in general at the “About” page:  http://www.agilitynut.com/about.html

OK — since I left you on the last trip, I’ve been trying to squeeze in overtime at work and planning for this trip.  I also managed to get about a week’s worth of photos (four more weeks to go) from that spring trip up at the site — you can always follow my progress & see where/when I’m heading next at this page:
http://www.agilitynut.com/whatsnew.html

 

Alright then — enough links & information — I’m working on two hours sleep so it’s time to get to the photos.

The trip began as they always do — immediately after work.  Since I work nights, that means I leave home at 3am.  Drive til about 5am and find a quite place to park for a couple of hours then get back on the road.  With jumbo coffee.  Construction on the Brooklyn Bridge meant I had to detour through the Lower East Side of Manhattan to get to the FDR.  I grabbed a few shots on the way:

 

 

Some “sanity stops” off the interstate for a bit in Pennsylvania.  This is from Benton.  The angle was not my doing — the sign is really leaning like that:

 

On the roof of the Creekside Family Restaurant in Orangeville, PA.    There is a little ice cream stand round back:

 

 

How about some storefronts in Williamsport, PA.  Sadly, this camera shop (established 1935) is closed now:

 

 

 

Franco’s (probably not the original name) next door — still open.  Unfortunately, the hanging sign was apparently updated — pretty hideously:

 

 

Really neat stationers — still open (established 1899).  The place has a great interior that wouldn’t shoot well through the glass (too early for them to be open):

 

 

And on to Ohio.  This one from Lansing — the used car lot still open.  However, the neon cars on this sign seems to be stuck on Car #1.  The cars are protected behind plastic.  This sign has probably been reworked numerous times — still crazy fun like it is:

 

 

A couple of signs from Dillonvale:

 

 

And lastly for the night — the Neil Armstrong Memorial Park centerpiece in Warren, OH.  I was actually quite into the whole Apollo space program as a kid.  Glued to the TV set for the moon landings and walkies.  So, seeing this mini replica of the lunar lander was kind of a thrill for me:

 

 

The dogs were in their usual fine start-of-trip form today.  Deliriously happy and barking like mad.  It takes about 3 days for them to settle into a groove, start napping, and stop thinking that every time I put the van in park that they’re getting out for some big party.  Although the forecast was for “mostly sunny” — the sun didn’t come out at all until 4:30pm.  I don’t know why I even bother to look at the weather predictions at this point.  Although there were lots of grey crappy photos, it was quiet a pleasant relief (70s?) from the heat wave we’ve been having back in NYC for weeks (90s).

Alright — I hope this post was somewhat coherent.  It’s midnight and I’m toast.  Ambitiously hoping to finish up Ohio tomorrow. Stay tuned….

dj & the dogs

I took a day off from work (and myself – working hard on the website) to give Sparkle a little test drive before the upcoming biggie trip.  She’s had a little mechanical work done (wheel bearing, axle seal, etc.) and I wanted to make sure the A/C is blowing cold.  All seems to be in good order.  Got some good weather for the day and was able to bang through a little list of places.  Most of it reshoots of stuff that I shot long, long ago in crappy weather.  I’m guilty of neglecting stuff in my own backyard for far too long.  Hoping to make up for some of that with some little weekend trips in the fall.

Anyhow.  No photos of the dogs on this little daytrip.  But they got plenty of action.  Nik got to do a little lure coursing early in the day (that’s chasing a plastic bag attached to a wire that runs around a huge field).  He LOVES it.  And since there’s no guarantee that he’ll still be able to see next year, I wanted to get him over there at least once this year.  There were also a couple lakes for the dogs to do some chilling and retrieving.  It was at least 98 degrees.  A pounding heat that really saps you.  When I got home, I went straight to bed.  Not normal for me.

On with the photos.  I indulged in a pistachio ice at the Strollo’s Lighthouse in Long Branch.  Creamy, yummy and painfully cold:

 

On to Asbury Park.  I was very happy to see the Asbury Lanes sign had been repaired.  The plastic pin portion had been blown out in a windstorm in 2010.  And definitely new since the last time I was there — this UFO.  I also don’t remember the pin picket fence:

 

I don’t know where the UFO came from or anything about it.  It’s built on a wood frame and it looks like the plastic bubble on top could be lit:

 

From Belmar:  the St. Rose High School.  A little midcentury number with ribbon windows on the side and Mondrian-ish windows in front.  The front windows are textured clear glass (like headlight material) set in front of plastic paneling.  Maybe they are or were backlit?

 

Busy B’s Launderette in Belmar — it doesn’t get more adorable than this!  The bee is holding a laundry basket:

 

From Lakewood Township — the Ocean Lanes.  I cropped & spared you the modern message board below.  This bowling alley opened in 1959.  This is probably the original sign with some updating.  Probably new letters and painting — and maybe replacement panels.  But I’d guess at least faithful to the original.

 

These little Hess gas stations are getting to be rare now so I shoot them whenever I find them.  This one is in Brick.  Soon all these mini convenience stores will be replaced with bigger ones to keep up with the competition.  I’m guilty myself of patronizing those humungo WaWas.

 

On to Trenton.  Some Streamline flavor here — but probably built in the 1950s.   “Parking in Rear” might have been a clock originally:

 

The last couple shots for this post — still in Trenton.  Hamilton Jewelers with the Neon Bar in the background:

 

The blade sign on the right looks like it was a “spinner”:

 

So, it’s all systems go for the summer trip.  Mark yer calendars for July 21 when the dogs and I will be heading west again — this time focusing on Colorado & Wyoming.  Lots of other states both going out & coming home, too.  I hope you’ll share the adventures with us.  There will be the usual nightly postings here and over at Flickr  I’ll be posting the route map to Flickr next week.

I also posted some other photos from this daytrip over at Flickr just now:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

Have a great 4th of July!  

dj & the dogs

 

I got some gorgeous sun and clouds for the last day of the trip.  The morning was spent boogie-ing around Cincinnati for some reshoots and things I hadn’t known about on previous trips.  Then, it was off to the American Sign Museum for the second event:  the “Sneak Preview” fundraiser for the museum.  For those of you that couldn’t make it, the ASM will be officially opening on June 23 with regularly staffed hours.  Don’t balk at the $15 admissions charge — it’s far cheaper than an amusement park and so, SO more exciting.  This place is fan-tas-tic and deserves your support.  I guarantee you will learn so much about signs and their history from your tour guide.  And you will have a blast.  Go!
http://www.signmuseum.org/visit.asp

After the museum, I hit the highway.  I drove til around midnight then pulled into a truck stop interstate plaza and slept for about five hours.  Back on the road and got home around noon.  Which is great since it gives me most of the day to repair my life.  Much better than my Monday morning arrivals where I have to drag myself into work that very night.  Before moving on to the final photos, here are the numbers for those of you that like that sort of thing.

Trip stats:

Days on the road:  39

Miles driven:  15,712 (Sparkle now has 318,606 miles on her)

Cost of gas:  ~$3710 (I never keep track of motels or food)

Maintenance and repairs while on the road:
~ $1200:  five oil changes, four new tires & an alignment (two more were free)
~ $5500:  the accident & later replacing brake fluid reservoir & master cylinder which we damaged in accident
~ $1100:  A/C work
~ $700 purge valve & spark plug wires
Total $8,500
Plus ~$275 for cash advances for Silver City & Tucson repairs (no credit cards)

Tickets:  None!!  Except for the red light ticket from the accident from the heartless & diligent Silver City cops for $92.   And a parking ticket in St. Louis for $35

Number of photos taken:  6,011
553 photos appeared at this blog.  Another 492 photos were uploaded to the Flickr agilitynut account.
And more than 5,000 of the photos will appear at the website eventually.  I will barely make a dent before the next trip.  But you will be able to follow my project at the “What’s New” page:
http://agilitynut.com/whatsnew.html

If you haven’t been following along at the Flickr account, you’ve missed out on a LOT of this trip:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

or this trip has its own set, if that’s your preferred viewing method:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/sets/72157629790394937/

 

“Value” of this trip:  Priceless!   While I spent a lot of time in the shop and had some grey days, I’d say 90% of the time was awesome.  The dogs would say it was 99% awesome (the other 1% being when they got stickers stuck in their paws in the desert).  Besides all the amazing buildings, signs and statues, I have many doggie moments that will stay with me always.  Seeing them happy makes me ecstatic.

One little event that I didn’t tell you about which I shall remember forever.  In Gila Bend, at dusk, I was letting the dogs have one last run for the day.  A big open area of sand and some desert version of shrubs.  Grem, who’s been very good all trip, went missing.  I was calling and calling and starting to panic.  Fearing she’d be eaten by a coyote or some other animal if out there overnight.  I noticed lots of holes in the ground and the thought of rattlesnakes crossed my mind.  I put the other kids in the van and started calling her name more crazily.  Freaking.  I knew there was the possibility that she was off digging somewhere for some underground rodent-like animal.  In the past, she would never leave such a challenge.  But after about 10 minutes, here she came a-running, from the direction I wasn’t looking.  All panting and covered with dirt and the biggest grin I’ve ever seen on a dog.  Who knows.  I just gave her about a half a pound of cheese for coming back.

 

*********************

On with the photos —

 

Some really nice stained glass:

 

A “sign” that it’s time to go home?

 

A sign with everything:  corrugated plastic, plastic letters, a neon and bulb arrow:

 

A lot of fun details:

And the restaurant has yellow porcelain enamel roof tiles — plus a chicken topped weather vane.  I wonder how many restaurants claim to have the “world’s best fried chicken”?

 

Back to Terry’s Turf Club for some daytime shooting.  I don’t know of any Jerry’s Restaurant signs that are left on display (except this one).  I believe they all used to be part of a much larger sign:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/424727513/

 

Inside Terry’s, there are two or three of these (functioning!) Bevador coolers:
http://www.vintagevending.com/jewett-bevador-cooler

 

Off to the museum.  They had changed the letters on the message board of the sign at the entrance to the parking lot for the event:

 

Another sign in the parking lot:

 

Inside — another shot of a “Main Street” storefront:

 

A detail shot of a textured glass backlit letter:

 

While at the museum, I had the pleasure of meeting Jamie Jensen, the author of Road Trip USA (now in its 6th edition).  He was truly a lot of fun.  If you don’t have his book, you might want to grab a copy.  It is DENSE with all kinds of subjects, photos, details — a must-have for all you roadside lovers:
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Trip-USA-Cross-Country-Adventures/dp/1598809253/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338768636&sr=1-1

 

And then… home.   The approach to NYC via the Lincoln Tunnel from NJ — a rarity without traffic.  I always associate this approach with the smell of gasoline.  My first trip to NYC in 1980 with a girlfriend and we had stopped in NJ to get gas.  I started to fill up and the pump handle came off in my hand.  Gas exploded out of the hose everywhere and I was drenched.  The guy ran out of the office all cursing at me.  I didn’t know you couldn’t pump your own in NJ.  So I guess that pump was out of order without a sign.  I didn’t get to shower for a couple hours and luckily no one around me lit any matches.

 

I try to avoid the Lincoln Tunnel since it has more traffic on the West Side Highway to Brooklyn — and a longer view of the Hudson River.  But I got in the wrong lane and, oh well.  This is just before Nik and Grem started screaming at the top of their lungs and embarrassing the hell out of me.  I thought you might like the taxis in the mirror:

 

Meanwhile, Fix knew from the aroma that we were home.  “Thank God!” she would’ve said.  She likes these trips okay — but I think she’d prefer to stay home where there’s more interaction with people, grass, and no hail.  And you sleep in the same bed every night.  And meanwhile, Grip slept in my lap through our entire arrival, even with the barking.  She was exhausted.

 

While stuck in West Side traffic, I got a view of the progress that’s been made on the new World Trade Center.  I can’t believe how long it’s taken — but lately the progress has been quick.

 

And then out for a quick stroll around our neighborhood.  When we left, this fountain on the circle next to our building was still off and people were wearing winter coats.  I had forgotten that it would be summer when we got home.   Funny, how that happened.

*********************

When’s the Next One?

The dogs and I will be hitting the road again in a mere six and half weeks.  The focus of this trip will be Colorado and Wyoming.  There will be some Utah and probably Montana in there.  As well as other states en route.  This will be another five-weeker.  37 days, starting on July 21 if you want to mark your calendars.  After that trip, I’ll be buckling down, working on adding about 10,000 photos to the website — while working at my “real job” probably six and seven days a week to pay for these trips.  If you still want to donate to the Sparkle Repair Fund (not too late) or just make a general donation to my efforts — that’s always greatly appreciated.  There’s a “Feed Sparkle” button on the upper right of my webpages — which takes you here:
http://www.agilitynut.com/donation.html
Or you can just go to PayPal and send whatever amount you want to the agilitynut@hotmail.com account.

I hope you enjoyed tagging along on this trip and are inspired to get to some of these places or others before they disappear.  See ’em and shoot ’em while you can folks!  It may seem from my blog, Flickr stream, and website that there’s a lot of stuff out there.  But that’s only because I plan my stops and route like a maniac so I can shoot the most stuff possible.  Some of the stuff is usually gone just a year later — sometimes, even before I get home.

See you here again in a few weeks!

My shooting plans for the day were squashed by miserable weather.  Rain and grey clouds all day long.  I had to stop myself from trying.  Instead, I took advantage of the time to stock up on sleep for the journey home tomorrow.  Then, in the afternoon, I went to the unofficial Sneak Preview for select invitees.  I think most of the folks were sign industry people and benefactors.

On the way there, I couldn’t resist grabbing a shot of this one.  The grey sky background shows you how dreary the day was:

 

The museum is, of course, incredible in every way.  Yes, tons of big and small neon signs of every variety.  The lower “Do Not Touch” and “Welcome” signs are composed of freestanding neon letters that are activated (lit) when placed on the little message board slat.  I’m not enough of a neon techie to understand how this is possible:

 

Signs and letters of all types:

 

Neon signs in their original packing / shipping crates:

 

And older, non-neon stuff like this:

 

And this sign which I don’t remember noticing before (easy to miss stuff no matter how many times you go).  I adore it.  Backlit opal glass but unlike any I’ve seen before.  Each letter is mounted behind its own metal piece.

 

Not into people shots — but I thought I should give you a sense of the event.  There were great snacks!  The sandwiches all had meat so I had to pass.  But the asparagus was to die for.  And there were other veggies and bready things to munch on.  Some mini cupcakes…. and an open bar.  I actually had a BEER!

 

And here’s really the star of the show:   Tod Swormstedt.  None of this would be possible without his devotion to signs and putting together this miraculous and comprehensive collection and well-designed space:

 

One of the most touching and unique projects that went into the museum’s new space, was the gathering of sign painters from around the U.S. and Canada.  They created vintage-looking storefront signs for the museum’s Main Street area:
http://signmuseum.blogspot.com/2012/03/main-street-reunion-is-in-full-swing.html

There was a short video shown with interviews and the signs being painted.  And the painters in attendance were called to the front of the room.  Behind them, well there’s Tod of course, but there’s also a hand-painted Mail Pouch Tobacco sign.  It was deinstalled from an old barn, slat-by-slat, and installed here:

 

I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow roadside-lover at the event.  Denny Gibson keeps a website for his roadtrips — you might enjoy a gander at that:
http://www.dennygibson.com/

 

Tomorrow is supposed to be sensationally sunny.  I will be zipping around town with my list trying to make up for today’s lack of outdoor photos.  Then there’s event #2 at the American Sign Museum.  This one is a fundraiser — $25 a pop — for the general public from 1-5 pm.  After that, it’s all interstate for me.  So, you won’t get tomorrow’s final blog post until I’m safely home.  I should be home Sunday night or worst case Monday morning.  Work on Monday night.  So I’ll be sending you photos & writing to you next most likely on Tuesday morning.  Heading to bed now — at a shockingly early 11 pm.

 

It feels good to finally be safely landed in one place for a few days.  I intend to squeeze in some sleep now and then in prep for the final stretch between here and home (671 miles; 11 hours).  I could not find the brain reserve to write this post last night.  So I’m posting this morning at 7am.  It’s absolutely pouring out — so it looks like I won’t be shooting much today.   Forecast is better for tomorrow.  This afternoon in the American Sign Museum event for VIPs (hey, I’m invited — guess my website’s countless hours of documentation counts for something!).  Then tomorrow afternoon is the special general public event.  Then I’m outta here — 5 pm-ish.

Let’s catch up.  Some interstate in the morning and then stopped to get tires in Louisville, KY.   We had to wait awhile so we took a stroll around in the heat to grab some few photos.  These buildings were facade-only with construction going on.  This painted sign was an oldie that was revealed during the renovation.  Someone said online that the owner (a Mellow Mushroom is “coming soon”) would be keeping it.  I don’t know if that means it will be displayed inside or what:

 

Another sign from our walk:

 

Back driving again.  Those new tires feel great!  I sprung for all four — the two were badly worn and the other two were so-so.  With all the mechanical work of this trip — mostly from the Accident and ineptitude of mechanics — I think we’re in good shape for this summer’s trip.  All new tires & master cylinder & radiator, A/C working nicely, etc.

The rest of today’s photos are from Cincinnati.  The holes on this sign match the lettering so I suspect this was the original name — just removing of neon and repainting:

 

A nice terra-cotta sign with beautiful typeface:

 

Clouds moving in — curse that pole:

 

I’ve been to the Aglamesis Brothers shop before — but don’t think I’ve shot it.  The ice cream parlor / candy shop has been around since 1908.  It’s just incredible — a national treasure:
http://www.aglamesis.com/

A vintage photo on the wall from 1922 shows that nothing much has changed:

 

Even though I finished off the peach pie in the morning — I had to show a little support.  This is the coffee ice cream with some walnuts on top.  I was envious of the sundaes I saw people eating around me — but this small cup was enough for today:

 

Dark clouds moved in — so I took the dogs off to the Otto Armleder Dog Park.  Big fenced areas and the dogs are really loving being on grass again.  Traction for running, no stickers:
http://www.doggoes.com/parks/ohio/cincinnati/otto-armleder-dog-park

 

And nearby was Terry’s Turf Club.  Although I have been to Cincinnati several times, I hadn’t heard about the place until Greg Rhomberg in St. Louis (you might remember seeing photos of his collections here at this blog) told me about it.  The owner has a huge sign collection and the restaurant is packed outside and inside with them:

 

I’ll be back there today when / if the rain ever stops to do some better shooting.   Back to bed for now.

 

I was able to get some photos in Missouri and still get us lined up decently for Cincinnati tomorrow.  I drove about 400 miles from Lawrence, KS to Mt. Vernon, IL today, not including driving around Kansas City and Columbia.   I’ve driven just under 15,000 miles so far on this trip.  And Sparkle’s rear tires are looking pretty worn.  I will probably kill a few hours tomorrow morning taking care of that.

It’s nice to see green trees again and naturally occurring green grass.  I found some slow moving rivers for the dogs to cool off in.  Nik lost two toys yesterday in the Arkansas River.  Due to his impending blindness, he can’t tell little blippy water movement from his toys.  Although I can direct him left/right, back/come, he still gets mightily confused.  I hope he’ll still be safe to swim for this summer at least.  He loves it so much — it’s heartbreaking.  But I don’t want to risk him in big lakes and such when I can’t swim to dive in and save him if he gets to far away and can’t hear me.  Meanwhile, Grippie, although completely blind, has nearly perfected jumping in and out of the van on her own.  I help her a little just to keep her straight — but she’s pretty proud of herself.

On with the photos — from Kansas City:

 

I don’t know what this building was originally.  I see on-line references to 3200 Troost as the Jewel Box Lounge, the Southside Bus Station, and the Skaggs drug store:

 

Obviously an updated sign — with the neon still on during the day:

 

I knew when I spotted this one that it just had to be a Standard Oil gas station — although ever so slightly different — smaller building and the peaked detail above the door not as tall:
http://agilitynut.com/gas/redcrown.html

The woman manning the store showed me a vintage photo inside of what it looked like when it was built in 1930/1931.  Kinda blurry — but there are Standard Oil letters over on the left — and there’s a red crown (instead of a torch) over the doorway that’s covered up now:

 

One of the highlights of my day — maybe even the whole trip — was seeing this former Ramada Inn sign reassembled again.  Mostly reassembled — he still doesn’t have his bugling arm with the Ramada Inn banner on yet — but it’s coming soon.  And I believe the neon will be restored, too.  I’m not great with estimating distance — but I’d say this sign is at least 20 feet tall.  I never got to see it when it was on display — but I witnessed it laying in a pile in the parking lot for years.  More and more neon being broken by vandals.  Until one day, it just disappeared.  Eventually, I figured out who had it — a private collector in Owensville, MO.  He also has the White Castle which was in Orient, OH.  Anyhow, for more photos and info about this sign, see towards the bottom of this page:
http://www.agilitynut.com/signs/il5.html

Although the owner was down in West Virginia, he gave me directions and let me go see this sign in his “yard”.  If you can call it that.  He’s got a ferris wheel, a Pullman train car that supposedly belonged to Rudolph Valentino — and loads of other stuff that he’s got in storage while he builds a “barn” to display it all in.  Not a museum — just for friends, family, and Boy Scouts.

 

Okay folks.  Check this one off my list.  This place in Rolla has won awards and is pretty famous.  I may have even had a slice here before, years ago:

 

I figured I’d better get two slices so I could sample both the fruit AND the cream pies.  This is the peach pie just before removal of my “half slice” (which is huge):

 

And a half slice of the Tahitian Cream pie (pineapple, banana and coconut).  They graciously put it on a real plate for me so I could shoot it before it wound up in the ugly styrofoam container:

I had about half of the half-slice of the Tahitian.  I had not eaten since 10 am in preparation for this event.  I was so full from it that even at 1 am now, I’m not the least bit hungry.  The sugar may have given me an extra kick since I’ve won this round with the interstate tonight and am getting this post out before bed.

On to today’s final stop — Bob’s Gasoline Alley in Cuba.   This was today’s second “mystery date” where I had to make arrangements with a real live person.  It’s another private collection but this one can be visited by anyone who makes an appointment.  Very visible from I-44 with the signs and exotic animals (emus, donkeys, turkeys and such).   There might be better articles out there about the place — but here’s this quick grab:
http://top-of-the-arch.blogspot.com/2010/11/bobs-gasoline-alley-one-mans-treasure.html

Yes, lots of gas station signs and pumps outside:

 

But then, there are two (or was it three?), two-story buildings brimming with stuff.  All kinds of collections.  Cookie jars, toys, clocks, on and on.  Themometers:

 

A nice old Pepsi machine:

 

Signs — mostly the tin type — though some neon:

 

And I think I liked this section best of all.   Pedal cars and John Deere tractor toys:

 

On to Cincinnati tomorrow.  I’ve got lots to shoot — and then of course the American Sign Museum “thing”.  Are you coming?
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e5uk1y5qab1ec327&llr=p6acczdab

 

 

The interstate got the best of me last night.  I managed to get through more than 500 miles and close enough to the Missouri border to allow myself a nap.  That I never got up from.  Perched here in Lawrence, KS.   I should be able to get through Missouri — with hopefully a few stops that involve humans which had to be postponed from earlier in this trip.  Then, I have to interstate it through Illinois and Indiana.  So, again, you might have to wait til the following morning for the blog post.  I’m realizing now that what I usually do on these big interstate treks is tough it all out at once — and then write you from home.  But this trip was designed to make that stretch less painful since I’ll only have one not-so-bad interstate mess home after Cincy.  But right now, this highway stuff is just awful.  Starbucks ain’t working for me now.

Anyhow, on with the photos since the sun is nearly up.  I finished tidying up the little corner of Colorado yesterday.  Not a tremendous amount of stops but it will save me some time this summer when I take on Colorado more seriously.  It’ll mean a bit more Utah and/or Montana can be included.

From Fowler — the local paper still in production:

 

A mid-century modern dome in Rocky Ford — aka the Melon Dome:

The Rocky Ford High School teams are known as the Mighty Meloneers — not exactly a terrifying mascot but they do their best to make it work:

 

Also from Rocky Ford — this motel sign photo marred by the shadow from a pole:

 

These two are from La Junta:

 

Also La Junta.  I love mileage signs like this.  Especially since I’ve had mileage on my brain for the past couple days.  Constantly calculating to figure out how to get to Cincy on time — but not miss stops on the way if I can make them:

 

A couple from Springfield:

 

Now a BBQ place:

 

From Cheyenne Wells.  I have no idea what this deco / streamline building was used for:

 

And, lastly, from Burlington.  The tree on one side, the sun on the other.  Had to go with this funky angle:

 

Time to hit the road.  I’ll try to get the next post to ya tonight — but if the interstate beats me up again, don’t panic if it’s not uploaded til the morning.

 

 

OK — I’m back — still cranking away here.  Starbucks rocks!  And I’ve got like 30 photos for you for this post which might be a record for me.  So let’s not waste too much time talking.  So I scooted into Colorado around 9 or 10 am and began shooting like a fiend.  I’m fired up trying to get as much done as possible and still arrive in Cincinnati on time.  Most people would probably just leisurely do this interstate thing with a few overnights, or arrive early enough and lounge by the pool, watch HBO in the hotel room, etc.  Not me.  Nuh uh.

Let’s start with some signs from Walsenburg:

On to Pueblo:

I spied a lake in Pueblo — and it was hot — and the dogs hadn’t been swimming in a while.  So off we traipsed down to the shore.  Everybody in — woo hoo!   Then I noticed — lots of white on the shore — must be a salt lake?  And then I noticed lots of — uh oh — dead fish.  So my goal was to keep everybody IN the water swimming and eating the floaties that I was throwing in.

Nik is easy — he just wants to retrieve his ball about 16 million times.

But while Grem was busy swimming for her treats, Fixie seemed to prefer chomping on the dead fish on shore.  Much as I would try to stop her.  Now, I don’t know how much of a health issue this is, but somebody’s been farting a lot tonight.  And it’s not me — even with all those burritos I’ve been eating.  I have my suspicions:

 

Lots more from Pueblo.  I suppose this is a clam shell edge on top?

Same place — with a Schlitz sign that I haven’t seen before:

 

The long sign is porcelain enamel & neon:

This little mascot guy is apparently wood.  I didn’t notice til I started cropping & tweaking tonight that the doorway canopy might be shaped like a flying carpet — with little fringey things hanging down.

 

Another sign mascot in town:

 

OK, more Pueblo signs:

 

BPOE = Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks:

Same building — I hope you can make out that there are colored lightbulbs on the building and in the elk’s antlers (remember, you can click for a larger photo):

 

Nick’s Dairy Creme was previously Nick’s Dairy Queen.  The sign must have been more cone-y originally:

But I forgive them for that.  After all, it was HOT.  90 something maybe?  And I refused to turn on the A/C since it was Memorial Day and the beginning of summer — and we SHOULD be hot to appreciate the holiday of it all.  Anyhow, so this is a sundae.  There was a better name — but anyway, it’s like a small banana split — but just the one flavor (vanilla soft serve) and vertical presentation.  Lots of syrup choice — I went with black raspberry.  It.  Was.  Unreal.

 

More Pueblo signs?  The USA Motel:

 

Probably messed with some — or a lot — but still better that a plastic box replacement:

 

A nicely repurposed gas station always makes me feel happy:

 

A fairly crude but still charming sign.  I saw another more modern location later in the day with the same design — but of course, cleaner looking:

 

Moving on to Cañon City for the remainder of this post.  I wasn’t sure if this was a real or a “fantasy” (fake) place with an arty sign.  But from poking at Google, evidently it really was a bar.  Or maybe the bar burned down and this place is a simulation with the painted windows and all?

 

Time to to a bit of housekeeping.  I thought you might like a peek at this blanket that someone ordered/bought for me years ago that I keep in the van.  It was based on a photo of my previous pack:
http://www.agilitynut.com/p/bench.jpg

That’s Fix & Grip on the left in the photo (and Fix & Grip in real life sniffing the blanket, for scale).   Beebs and Spud on the right in the photo both passed away a number of years ago:

 

Some signs:

 

Wrong time of day for this one.  What I really like about this one is the way the metal on the canopy is shaped to fit around the letters:

 

Last one for the night.  A neat little mid-century building:

A close-up of the screen part:

 

Alright then — hopefully, that should satisfy those of you that were disappointed last night.  And it will also hold you over I hope in case tomorrow’s pickings are slim or I pass out again from exhaustion.  Tomorrow’s plan is to finish up this little chunk of Southwest Colorado — and then pedal to the metal (still no speeding tickets yet!) through Kansas to the Missouri border.  Not looking forward to that part.  Just did the math — six and a half hours from Burlington, CO to Kansas City, MO.  Ugh.

It’s only 10pm — the night is young!  An extra large Starbucks coffee in hand — far stronger I think than gas station coffee and a thousand times better.  Good thing — because I’m attempting to do TWO blogs and TWO batches for Flickr tonight (yes, if you joined the party late or you have forgotten — the photos that I post to the blog each night on the road are just the “junky” photos & subjects.   Here’s the Flickr link for the prettier ones, posted also each night — and only while I’m on the road (my silly rule):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

I thought I really didn’t shoot much yesterday.  But I think I was just depressed that the “real” trip (NM & AZ) had come to an end and I had to stop shooting around noon and start the long journey towards home.   And then the interstate nearly killed me.  No amount of coffee could get me to Colorado.  I pulled into a McDonald’s and passed out for about 6 hours.  Then up again for another day.  Sheesh.

So, for those of you that were bummed about not getting photos last night (a bit spoiled, aren’t you?), here goes.

Picking up where we left off at the last post — in Williams:  This giant kachina sign is at the Canyon Gas Trading Post & Restaurant:

 

From Ash Fork — no way to shoot this one without shooting into the sun — major tree challenge on the other side:

 

A wondrous sign in Seligman — marred by the Betty Boop crap on the bottom.  If I lived nearby, I think I’d have to sneak over there in the middle of the night with some blue paint:

 

Also in Seligman, from the ultra famous Route 66 landmark, Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-in.  I think this bellhop’s arm has been broken since forever.  I can’t find any photos of it when it was still intact:

One more from the Snow Cap:

 

From Peach Springs:

 

From Valentine:

 

The remainder of the photos below are from Kingman.  This one is at the Time Out Tavern and I suspect that it’s relatively new.  It looks like all those metal bits would interfere with the night-time presentation — but maybe I’m wrong:

 

A nicely preserved Astro Motel (although the name has changed):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23563103@N05/2255079649/

 

Next to a former Denny’s (the now closed “Silver Spoon”) — I’ve poked around everywhere and can’t find the name of this place:

 

This one was originally the King’s Arms Restaurant.  It’s been the ABC Buffet for a long time:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintageroadtrip/6313662952/

 

The Route 66 Motel sign looking a little shabby.  I fear that corrugated plastic (what I call “corduroy plastic”) will be replaced with plain plastic panels soon.  Do they even still make the corrugated stuff?

 

Neon signs weather better — even after multiple repaintings:

 

Last one for this post — a former Terrible Herbst gas station sign:

 

OK — I’m off to work on today’s batch now.  Give me a couple hours.