The Gemini Giant Muffler Man of Wilmington, Illinois

The Gemini Giant stands sentinel on Route 66 in the town of Wilmington, Illinois. For as long as I can remember being aware of muffler men, he has captured my imagination as being special. Is it the handsome green space suit? The helmet? Maybe his name? I can’t say for sure.

fuzzygalore at the gemini giant muffler man

What I do know is that he is my favorite muffler man. That’s just the way it is. To some people these fiberglass giants all look the same. They think, what’s the big deal? They don’t do anything. They just stand around being the same as every other muffler man who stands around looking the same.

But, those people would be wrong.

The town of Wilmington is 900 miles from my house. In the scale of this big, wide world it’s not that far. Hell, people ride further than that in a 24 hour period. But, the truth is – sometimes it seemed like I would never be able to get there. I mean, it’s easy to hop on a plane, fly to California and do some sightseeing around San Francisco or LA. A trip like that seems to have a much more concrete purpose, a more definitive destination. You don’t question that you would be able to fill your time there with a million things. When would I ever have a reason to find myself in Wilmington, Illinois?

But, you know what? The only places you can’t get to are the ones you decide you can’t get to. When you decide there isn’t reason enough to go, there isn’t reason enough. But, when you decide you can and there is? Well, then…

In October of 2015, I finally made my way to Wilmington.

fuzzygalore at the gemini giant muffler man

It might sound silly but when I approached the spot where he stands I actually got a flutter of excitement. Especially when my GPS stopped marking his distance in miles and started marking it in feet. I may have said “Ohmygahhhhd” out loud. Maybe.

fuzzygalore at the gemini giant muffler man

When I pulled into the lot and parked, I stumbled around for a few minutes just gawking.

I’d made it!

To a parking lot of a closed down restaurant!

In Illinois!

😀

Reconciling what you’re seeing with what you’d imagined is a curious feeling. Arriving at knowing versus wondering is almost a physical sensation.

Though I was dazzled by his gorgeous green suit, that I did something that I set out to do was as important than seeing the thing itself. Maybe more important.

fuzzygalore at the gemini giant muffler man

I just now realized that the Gemini Giant is secretly smiling underneath his helmet. I know someone else like that.

Thankfully, I don’t have a football jammed up in mine, though.

fuzzygalore at the gemini giant

Just wanting to is reason enough to do things.

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

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4 Responses

  1. Dan Diego says:

    Very cool. I always like seeing these big roadside attractions.

    In San Diego, we had a big tire guy at a local store for years. I always thought it was modeled after my old man…the resemblance was uncanny. Plus, they were both larger than life.

    BTW: You two make a good looking couple!

    Nice post.

  2. Chris says:

    That one is way cool!!!

  3. Bob says:

    There’s never a bad reason to get on a motorbike and ride 900 miles to see something. In a car? No way! I may have to go see muffler man myself!

  4. Scott says:

    I haven’t been following long but I look forward to each new post. The combination of great pics and expressing honest personal thoughts makes it an interesting blog. I think following blogs like yours will help me become a better writer in my own blog.

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