Hank the Ankylosaurus on Route 66, Vega, Texas
After a long day of riding I pulled in to the little town of Vega, Texas. It was a sleepy place with a steady blowing wind and not a whole lot going on within...
Category: Roadside Americana
The Big Banana Split – Latrobe, Pennsylvania
If your town is going to be famous for being “the home of” something, I suppose the banana split is a pretty good something. Even on a cold winters day, this giant, sweet treat...
The Giant Spider of St. George, Utah
Now, I know that spiders aren’t everyone’s favorite critter, but you have to admit that this 17-foot metal beast is pretty awesome. There are lights lining it’s eight spindly legs. Utah license plates cover...
Sometimes Your Day Ends with Unexpected Dinosaurs – Clayton, New Mexico
While standing in a gas station, I picked the town of Clayton as a place to stop for the night while looking at my phone. My town choice criteria mostly centered around: what was...
Route 66: Leaning Water Tower – Groom, Texas
It wasn’t until I pulled up to the leaning water tower in Groom, Texas that I really understood that the lean is really pronounced from certain angles. Depending on how you approach it, your...
Giganticus Headicus – Route 66 Arizona
There were many times when road tripping through the southwest that I tried to find the balance between knowing too much and knowing too little about a place I’d be passing through. On one...
World’s SECOND Largest Watermelon Slice – Green River, Utah
There is something that just strikes me funny about being labeled as the world’s second largest watermelon slice. That’s the fate of this big guy that sits behind the John Wesley Powell River History...
CBS News: Fans of Muffler Men to the Rescue – Video
In August of 2023, CBS News ran a segment called “Fans of Muffler Men to the Rescue.” It follows Joel Baker of American Giants and his fantastic work of tracking down histories of muffler...
Giant Ice Cream Cone – Port Jervis, New York
Since I don’t really actively participate in social media anymore, it feels pretty good to allow myself to just share simple snapshots like I used to on say, Instagram, here on the ole blog....
The Deerfield, NJ Carpet Viking – Muffler Man
If I’m not mistaken, the carpet vikings get called muffler men but since they don’t share the same mold they’re really like siblings or maybe cousins. For what it’s worth I still refer to...
Giant Old Gas Pump, Route 6 – Sylvania, Pennsylvania
If you are traveling along Route 6 in Pennsylvania, you will encounter a giant gas pump in the town of Sylvania. Obviously it isn’t a working pump and serves more as an eye-catcher. If...
Remember the Red Rose Diner on Route 6 – Towanda, Pennsylvania
Back in 2016, I made a stop on Route 6 in Towanda, Pennsylvania to enjoy lunch at the counter of the Red Rose Diner. As I was leaving, the owner took my picture as...
Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco Ghost Sign – Sayre, Pennsylvania
This Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco ghost sign on the side of the Angry Burrito in Sayre, Pennsylvania is hanging on for dear life. Though it is quite faded it’s still a beautiful sight. Don’t...
The Old Meshoppen Firehouse – Route 6, Pennsylvania
When you don’t live in or routinely travel through a place you aren’t able to witness the incremental changes that occur there day in and day out. As a casual traveler who may only...
All Skate at Papa Wheely’s Roller Rink
“Mom, can we get a giant roller skate?”“No, we have a giant roller skate at home.” Giant roller skate at home… In the realm of giant roadside roller skates, the rooftop roller that crowns...
The Double Futuro House of Carlisle, Ohio
While visiting Ohio in the fall of ’22, I stopped to see the double Futuro UFO House in the town of Carlisle. To the best of my knowledge, which isn’t much, this is the...
Bigfoot’s Bodacious Sittin’ Muscle Revealed
Well? Now you know. Bigfoot has some junk in the trunk. He got them Applebottom jeans, the boots with the furrrrrr… To be honest, I’m not sure why wondering about the goings on of...
The American Sign Museum – Cincinnati, Ohio
Over the last 5 or 6 years there have been several occasions when I’d been traveling and thought, “oh, well, while I’m in the neighborhood I’ll just swing by,” in reference to the American...
The Coffee Pot: A Lincoln Highway Treasure – Bedford, Pennsylvania
The Coffee Pot or sometimes referred to as the Koontz Coffee Pot after it’s 1927 builder, is roadside American royalty. Calling Bedford, Pennsylvania home, the Lincoln Highway giant is a whimsical treasure. It handily...
Muffler Man: Big Chip from the Inside Scoop – Coopersburg, Pennsylvania
Looking for some place to road trip to? Why not pick a place that combines two magical options – ice cream and a muffler man? Say hello to Chip, the ice cream scoop wielding...
