Tag: Roadside Stuff

Road Tripping: The Coffee Pot – Bedford, Pa

Road Tripping: The Coffee Pot – Bedford, Pa

There was a time when visiting the Bedford Coffee Pot was one of those things that just nagged and nagged me. Way over on the western half of Pennsylvania, it seemed lightyears away. In truth it is a mere 330 miles that for whatever reason may as well have been a million. Maybe it can be chalked up to some type of mental roadblock or… maybe sometimes the wishing for something is just as satisfying as the getting. Daydreams are perfect where life isn’t.

Then on winter Tuesday in 2009 I found myself at the coffee pot. Just like that. You wake up one day and finally just do whatever it is you want.

breadbox at the coffee pot

Then on a trip to Cleveland in December 2013 with my mom and daughter, we once again stopped at the Coffee Pot. Doing something once can make it a lot easier to do again. The roadblocks aren’t there anymore.

bedford coffee pot

In July of 2015, I stopped by the Coffee Pot yet again. This time on my motorcycle. You know, just to check on things.

fuzzygalore at bedford coffee pot

Nothing much had changed since the last time I visited. Considering the life that these roadside giants can endure, that was a good thing.

 

Road Tripping: Pit Stop at the PEZ Visitors Center – Orange, CT

Road Tripping: Pit Stop at the PEZ Visitors Center – Orange, CT

Just across the Long Island Sound from where I live is the PEZ Visitors Center. Yes, PEZ as in the candy with the cool dispensers.

When I pulled in to the parking lot I was surprised to find a line of about 20 people waiting for the visitors center to open. Perhaps I was naive to the popularity of PEZ!

There is a $5 admission charge to enter the floor. But, you will receive $2 bucks back if you buy something in the gift shop. Frankly, buying something is hard to resist. I bought a pin for my hat, a My Melody dispenser (a throwback to my childhood) and some postcards.

Check out that John Quincy Adams, below. Pretty sure my life won’t be complete until I have one of those.

pez visitors center game card

With your admission, you are also given a game card. The object is to solve a word puzzle by finding hidden Presidential PEZ dispensers in the displays. Finishing the puzzle earns you a spin on a wheel to win a dispenser. I got a raccoon. Or maybe a wolf. I’m still not sure.

fuzzygalore pez dispensers

Though the production floor was closed for a few weeks when I stopped in, you could still peer inside the inner workings of the PEZ heart. But, the dispenser displays were most interesting to me. They really bring on feelings of nostalgia.

fuzzygalore occ pez motorcycle

Did you know that OCC built a PEZ Motorcycle?!

PEZ Visitors Center Photos

-removed-

Visiting The Queen of the Roadside – Nitro Girl

Visiting The Queen of the Roadside – Nitro Girl

For all of the cliche popular images of the scary, hardened bikers – I feel like I must exist on the opposite end of the spectrum. When I’m out and about on my bike strangers approach and talk to me all the time. So much for a tough image.

I don’t think that I have an exceptionally friendly face or anything. Besides, most of the time people seem to want to talk to me when I still have my helmet on. No one talks to me when I drive my car anywhere. Is it the same for you?

nitro girl uniroyal gal

Just last week while traveling through New Jersey, I stopped off to snap a picture of Nitro Girl. She’s the coolest Uniroyal Gal around. She stands outside of Werbany Tire Town  in the town of Blackwood.

nitro gal new jersey uniroyal gal

I parked my bike, took out my camera and snapped a few photos. One of the customers who was having his car worked on walked over to me and said “If you like her, they have bobbleheads inside.”

Jackpot! Thanks, helpful stranger guy!

nitro girl bobblehead

Ten bucks later I was jamming my very own NG into my sidebag. Admittedly, I was probably more excited than is healthy. 🙂

Interesting – The website lists the bobbleheads at $25. The fella in the shop charged me $10. Did I get a deal because I looked like a hobo or have they been marked down? Who marks down Nitro Girl?!

Sights from the Road: License Plate House – Hinsdale, NH

Sights from the Road: License Plate House – Hinsdale, NH

Set back from the road in Hinsdale, New Hampshire is a fabulous house that is covered in license plates.

license plate house new hampshire

When I say covered… I mean covered. Isn’t it wonderful?

hinsdale new hampshire license plate house

The house is no longer lived in, but another one was built right next to it. That is where the family now resides.

When I walked down the driveway, the lady of the house came to the screen door before I even made it to the front stoop. I said a quick hello and asked if it would be alright if I took some photos and looked around.

license pate house new hampshire

She was very friendly and said to absolutely look around. While we exchanged small talk, she went on to tell me that people actually steal some of the plates off of the building. That struck me as sad. I just don’t understand people who do things like that.

license plate house new hampshire

Even though the behavior of some must be disheartening, I’m glad that she still welcomes strangers to come by and look at this sweet curiosity. It must have been a labor of love.

I leave you with my favorite plate on the whole house and my wish for you~
bee happy license plate new hampshire