A drive down the highway is filled with familiar sights and sounds. To
many of us, a drive to some of our most common destinations would not
be the same without an old familiar sight of a statue or advertisement
icon off the side of the road. For the rest of us, we only notice these
after they're gone, as in the case of the Long Beach lumberjack that left
us after many years of service.
Giant Artichoke Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
If a statue or advertising icon will catch the eye of the wayward traveler,
how about running into a roadside giant as you pass on down the road?
One great example of this type of eye-catcher is the huge Thermostat at Baker, CA. Right off of the I15 on your way to or from Las Vegas, Baker
is an excellent stopping point for a quick meal, gas up, Knott's cookie
munch, and look see at what the current temperature is. Well, here at Roadside
Peek'sRoadside Giants, check out
some you may encounter.
Golf Man Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Once upon a time, one could travel through town and see a fiberglass
behemoth advertising his or her wares. Nowadays, just a small part of
the American landscape remains dotted with Roadside
Men. Some are of the "muffler" sort and others are simply
wood carved statues. Nevertheless, a chance meeting with one of these
fiberglass or wooden statues will take you back to the days when businesses
clamored for customers by using signage that caught the eye. A good example
of a fiberglass giant is the Golf Man next to the 405 Freeway in Carson. There are more of this icons at Roadside Peek'sRoadside Men.
Elsinore Family Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Let's not forget the unique and sometimes amazing Roadside Art that
also litters the landscape. Many times made out of odd n' ends including
mufflers, tailpipes, cans, and barrels, Roadside
Art has to be seen to be believed. Check them out here at the Roadside
Art section of Roadside Peek.
Doggie Diner Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
See Roadside Characters for a comprehensive
gallery. A trip down Roadside Peek will also bring about chance encounters
with roadside animal icons such as the Cabazon Dinosaurs off of Highway
10 near Palm Springs. And how about signage such as the Fox Photo in Pico
Rivera, now closed. Or the Gardena Bear, Toys R Us Giraffe, and even the
venerable Felix the Cat character at Felix Chevrolet. More can be seen here at Roadside Peek'sRoadside Characters.
Granny's Little Big Man Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Roadside Statues are the little brother
or sister of the Roadside Men. Check out some of them here at Roadside
Peek'sRoadside Statues.
Shasta Beverage Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
How about familiar "can't miss" Signage
Icons all too familiar on travels and vacations? The huge behemoths
of neon or block lettering that caught your eye each time you traveled
by? Another quite noticeable roadside icon is the Shasta Beverage office
in Santa Fe Springs and it's quite large Shasta can sign. See the signage icons from around the country here at Roadside Peek'sSignage Icons.
Happy Tower Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Travel the highway and some of the images you'll remember from the whirlwind tour are water towers depicting the names of the towns they're located in or other interesting info. See many at at Roadside Peek'sRoadside Water Towers.
UFO Museum Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here's the UFO Museum in Roswell, NM. Supposedly, sometime in early July, 1947 something otherworldly happened here. Whether a UFO crashed here or an extraordinary hoax, Roswell's claim to fame began this fateful day in 1947. See this roadside attraction and others at Roadside Peek'sRoadside Attractions.