TRAVEL AWAITS: 11 Unique Roadside Attractions Along American Highways

This article was originally published in Travel Awaits on March 12, 2023

Roadside America calls them “attractions and oddities.” To me, they are welcome distractions from the humdrum of the roads we travel. I am not talking about those that we include in our bucket lists; I mean those that we don’t seek. They just pop up unannounced. Sometimes we enjoy them from the comfort of our vehicle. Other times, we just need to get out and walk a bit. For a few others, we see a sign and follow for a short distance.  

Every summer when we visit family and friends in their homes (and to escape the Phoenix heat), they have made our trips much richer. Here are the 11 we remember best. I have written about seven others elsewhere in Travel Awaits.

1.    1. Lucy the Elephant.

The first one we came across is dubbed the oldest roadside attraction in America; we saw her early in our RVing days. Built in 1881, Lucy the Elephant stands six stories high on the road alongside the beach in Josephine Harron Park in Margate, New Jersey near Atlantic City. Originally called the Elephant Bazaar, she later became a tavern. Now she’s a National Historical Landmark.She inspired us to watch out for more.

Pro-Tip:  Be sure to take the guided tour to explore her interior.

2.   2.    World's Largest Praying Hands

We also took day trips from Pittsburg to Branson, Missouri, passing through Joplin. Just outside of the town, we came across the Praying Hands Memorial. It’s 32 ft tall and built on top of a 40 ft man-made hill. Created by a local artist in 1972, the words “Hands in prayer. World in peace.” are written on a concrete slab base.

Pro-Tip: On a previous trip, we also saw the 60-ft. world’s largest praying hands at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

3. The Ampersand Sculpture

Stopping at a convenience store, part of the chain called Kum & Go, on Joplin’s Rangeline Road, we found the Ampersand Sculpture, not that big (8x7 ft), but quite colorful. The company’s core values are on one side; the other side contains things about Joplin’s history: mining, Route 66, Bonnie and Clyde, and the many symbols of Joplin’s “strength and hope.”

Pro-Tip: Joplin is known for its citizen-led rebuilding after the devastation from the  May 2011 tornado.

5.  4. Cadillac Ranch (see headline photo)

After Oklahoma, we passed through Amarillo, Texas where we discovered what road travelers have been raving about since 1974: a Cadillac Ranch with ten Cadillacs buried nose-down in a field at the same angle as the Pyramids of Giza. It’s free and you can find it on the south access road of I-40 east of the Arnot Road exit and is open 24/7. 

Pro-Tip: Bring a small canister of paint so you can follow the custom and leave your own mark.

7.    5. The Arco Number Hill

Along US 20, on our way out of Boise, Idaho where my husband’s son lives on the way to Calgary, Alberta where my daughter lives, you will be surprised to find a hill dotted with white numbers. Since 1920, the town’s high school graduating class paints its year of graduation on Number Hill, We should have also explored Arco, Idaho, dubbed the Atomic City!

Pro-Tip: Start looking as soon as you leave the Craters of the Moon National Monument.

8.    6. The Charcoal Ovens in Nevada

Once we took an alternate route going home to Arizona from Boise through Las Vegas. On US 93, at the small mining town of Ward in Ely, Nevada (population, 4,202), a sign pointed to “Charcoal Ovens.” We followed the signs on a six-mile, well-maintained dirt road to six beehive-shaped, large ovens (30 ft high, 27 ft in diameter with walls 2 ft thick at the base). Built in 1876, each one held about 35 cords of wood, each 4 ft high, 4 ft wide, and 8 ft long, producing 1,750 bushels of charcoal for two silver smelters in town. It is now the Ward Chocolate Ovens State Historic Park.

Pro-Tip. From the dirt road, it is just 100 yards to walk to the ovens.

9.    7. The Wild Horses Monument

From Boise to Seattle, Washington (where my daughter used to live), as you go north on I-90, you will be able to spot the Wild Horses Monument. It’s a spectacular sculpture of 15 life-size galloping wild horses on a cliff overlooking the Columbia Gorge, just after Highway 243 becomes I-90.  As you pass the sign to the town of Vantage on the left, keep looking up to see the Dave Govedare masterpiece.

Pro-Tip: You can view it up close by taking a 0.2-mile hike up the hill.

8,  Forever Marilyn

On the road to my sister’s former in Lancaster, California, we were surprised to find that the famous Marilyn Monroe statue had been transferred to Palm Springs from Chicago, Illinois where we had first seen her. We found out then that the 26-foot statue was moved to a new location every year (from Palm Springs it went to New Jersey, Australia, and Connecticut).

Pro-Tip: In 2021, Forever Marilyn returned to Palm Springs as a permanent fixture on Museum Way, just east of the Palm Springs Art Museum.

1 9. Painted Pipes

When my sister moved to Alaska, we took a road trip north to Fairbanks and came across a colorful building air vent on a downtown street corner. A store owner we asked told us there were 13 of them (out of 23 in the city). Our afternoon turned into a treasure hunt. They were part of the Fairbanks’ “Paint the Pipes” project and serve as fresh air intakes for a utilidor (utility corridor) that runs under the streets.

Pro-Tip: Now there are only 12 because the one called “Marilyn in Bunny Boots” has become just a pink pipe.

1 10.  World’s Largest Tire

One of my daughters lives in Canada. Once on a drive back down, we found the World’s Largest Tire, a Uniroyal weighing 12 tons and standing 80 feet tall on I-94 between Highways 39 and 2 in Detroit, Michigan. It first served as a Ferris wheel in the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, then transferred to its current location at Allen Park in 1966. 

Pro-Tip. It is on I-94 near the Metro Detroit Airport.

1 11.  Tovrea Castle 

I have to tell you about Phoenix’s best roadside attraction. No one who drives on Arizona State Route 202 will miss it. Tovrea Castle is a four-story, 5,000 sq. ft. architectural masterpiece that looks like a wedding cake. It holds 100+ years of Arizona history and is Arizona’s only castle.

Pro-Tip: There is a long wait to explore this gem. I have joined ticket lotteries but have not managed to win one yet.   

There you have it! To all the roadside attractions we have loved before and to all the ones we will someday have the pleasure of seeing: Thank you for enhancing the roads we travel.

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6 Cities in 7 Weeks, on the Way Home from Melbourne to Phoenix

rainbow trees in the Ayala Triangle

My three months in Melbourne have been covered in about ten posts, my few days in New Zealand in two, and my five-day tour of KL, Vientiane, Bangkok, and Brunei in another two. In this article, let me take you on a sweep of six cities that I visited over the seven weeks between leaving Melbourne and Auckland and finally being home in Phoenix, USA.                                                                                                                                   
Manila, Philippines

The thing that drew me to Manila, other than to visit my BFF Jingjing, was to sell my Makati condo. My daughter April had migrated to Australia so I no longer have a daughter who can take care of my properties there. I accomplished that mission the day I left for Guangzhou. Before I left, I still got to enjoy the condo’s “comforts”, especially since my BFF Ann brought me pillows, linens, and towels for me to use. It is sad that I didn't get to visit many places.

Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay, Philippines

Except for these four. Ayala Triangle. I had looked for rainbow trees all over the world after I saw a picture in a glossy mag and I was pleasantly surprised to find them right at the heart of Makati, the financial district where I used to work! Sonya's Garden in cool Tagaytay, the city on the ridge of a volcano crater in the middle of whose lake sits the world's smallest.volcano. It was just under an hour from Metro Manila. Enderun Colleges, the upscale culinary and hotel management school in the newest urban center, Bonifacio Global City where Lydia, another BFF, is Chairman of its Technology Management Department. International School Manila where I was given a tour before I gave an informal talk to the current Filipino scholars there (I was part of the very first batch, 50 years ago.

Enderun Colleges in Metro Manila, Philippines

Which brings me to the real reason “it’s more fun in the Philippines!”  Metro Manila is the world’s most densely populated city with about 12 M people. If we include surrounding towns, the number swells to 21 M. I had a total of 35 meet-ups while I was there, an average of one a day! You see the Filipino, like his half ancestor Spaniard, is a warm, clannish, and social animal. People just think of all reasons to meet, have coffee, discover a new restaurant, check out a new shop, watch the latest movie, or go out of town. I miss all the people and all the fun!!

International School of Manila in the Philippines

Guangzhou, China

The cheapest flight I found for the Phoenix-Melbourne-Manila-Phoenix trip featured long layovers, including in Guangzhou, population 15 M, a Chinese city I had not seen. The layover on the way home was long, made longer by the fact that there is no Facebook in China! I had already booked the flight when I found out that the city proper is two hours from the airport. I dropped the idea of touring the city and suffered silently on the way to Melbourne.

Guangzhou, China

But, on the way back, when I was going through the transit officer, she asked if I wanted to see Guangzhou. Of course, I said, in utmost joy! She said if I can find the specific immigration section, I will be able to get a free 23-hour visa. Of course, I did! There they directed me to another place, where, if I could find it, I could get free transportation and free lodging. Of course, I found both and off I went to the Oubon International Hotel on a free shuttle van ride!

It was a frustrating side trip. Nobody spoke English, except for the Hotel Manager who finally had to be called. As a result, I frittered my hours away. Afraid I would only get lost and not make my flight, I gave up the notion of going to the heart of Guangzhou. I settled on just walking around the stores of the small mall around the hotel and inspecting the hotel’s unusual amenities like the Mahjong room. Then it was time for the free authentic Chinese dinner. It was good and it was free! 

 Santa Monica, California

LA/Santa Monica, California

I used the long layover in Los Angeles, a large spread-out city of about 19 million, to visit my First Apo (first grandkid), Krishna. She had just transferred to a new flat in Santa Monica, just 20minutes from the airport. It was in a neat 1920s landmark building just two blocks from the Bombshell Salon where she works as a hairstylist. The next day, walking to her Salon, I got fascinated with the trees that lined Main Street. Krishna treated me to a haircut so I treated her to Jinya Ramen across the street. Then I took an Uber to the airport.

Albuquerque, New Mexico and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Two days after I landed in Phoenix but it didn't feel like going home. Bill and I put our brand new Hyundai Elantra to good use. We embarked on a road trip to go to his 55^th HS Reunion in Pittsburg, Kansas. On the way there and back, our two stops were Albuquerque, New Mexico and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. While Phoenix has a population of 6 M, Albuquerque and Oklahoma City are both just over 600,000. It was quite a shift from the three chaotic megacities I had just been through.

Musical Road, Sky City, and Enchanted Mesa, Albuquerque, New Mexico

We stayed longer in Albuquerque to do a bit of sightseeing. On the way to Kansas, we visited the Sky City in Acoma, standing atop a 350-foot-high sandstone mesa which had been inhabited since AD 1150. The views out across the plains are unforgettable, especially toward Enchanted Mesa which is just under half the size of Uluru in Australia's Outback. On the way back, we drove on the Musical Road, on Old Historic Route 66. One of five musical roads in the world. This one plays America the Beautiful if you drive at 45mph! Two years ago, we had visited the one in Lancaster, California which plays the William Tell Overture. 

the Will Rogers statue that is inside the travel center built over the Will Rogers Turnpike

We didn't have much time in Oklahoma City. From Phoenix, we were hurrying to get to Pittsburg. On the way back to Phoenix, we even took the Oklahoma turnpike which reduces the time by an hour. This brought us back to the travel mega plaza built over and across the Will Rogers Turnpike which we visited six years ago. A statue of Will Rogers, the famous Oklahoma son who was a stage and motion picture actor, vaudeville performer, American cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist, and social commentator.  

Pittsburg, Kansas

From megacities of 21, 15, and 19 M to those that don’t even reach 1 M, we finally found ourselves in Pittsburg, Kansas whose population is just over 20,000. This is the town where Bill was born and grew up. You can visit the whole town in a day and you will surely bump into someone you know while going around. And we felt right at home at his sister Rosemary and brother-in-law Jack’s home.

Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas

Sadly, Bill was not able to attend most of his Reunion. The day after the Welcome Dinner at Jim’s Steak House for early arrivals, Bill played golf with some of the men. That was when his Phoenix cardiologist called me and said: “Check him into a hospital right away!” The online heart monitor he had to wear after he reported passing out in Auckland, had been recording stoppages and irregularities in his heartbeat. At first, Bill was hesitant to have this procedure done in such a small town. But he had no choice. As it turned out, Pittsburg’s Via Christi Hospital did the job well.

These five cities in a span of 7 weeks were very disparate destinations, not just in terms of population, layout, and facilities. If I had stayed in each of them as much as I stayed in Manila, I would have also found the disparity in culture and the way people lived. Undoubtedly, I would also have discovered the unique beauty of each one. But now we need some rest from traveling!.

. 

OLA: Exploring from our 'Dock' in Pittsburg, Kansas

Christ of the Ozarks, largest statue of Christ in the US and the 4th in the world

In the last post I wrote about one disadvantage of the RV cruising lifestyle. But, there is still that one big advantage: to address the lure of the places we hear and read about, to actually see them with our own eyes, and then to write about them from our own perspective. In the past 2 ½ months, not only were we able to visit with family and cultivate new friendships and celebrate but we were also able to make wonderful day trips from our base, the warmth of the Docks’ home.

the tree of hope in Joplin, rows of white trailers at the back

First, Missouri. Joplin (please see our first visit there by simply clicking  http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/07/coming-home-to-kansas-part-2.html), the city that was almost totally devastated by an EF5 tornado in May 22, 2011, the third to strike the city in 40 years, was our first stop. She still has the scars of that disaster. Long rows of white trailers provided by FEMA are still around for  those who are still homeless. Trees that lost their foliage but refused to fall were painted in living colors. One building, a former hospital, was totally wrecked and the next day we found out in the news that it had finally been imploded. 

a great view of Truman's Presidential Library

The other city is Independence, Missouri, part of the Kansas City SMSA, where Truman was born and lived. His presidential library and museum also houses his gravesite, resplendent with bright yellow flowers!!! Nearby, his home is now a National Historic Site and at the city plaza a statue of the man stands proudly. He made one of the most difficult decisions a US president had to make: drop the atomic bomb! 

a view of his burial site at the back of the presidential library

Kansas City Public Library

Second, Kansas. Whenever we visited Pittsburg, we always made it a point to go to Kansas City (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/07/coming-home-to-kansas-part-2.html ) but I didn’t know that one of the best designed buildings in the world was there! The Kansas City Public Library is designed like a shelf of books (I understand they selected thirty two of the best loved books of all time) for its façade. Books like The Republic by Plato, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, etc. are memorialized as a giant book on this giant shelf. Even the stairs leading to the entrance doors were designed like books stacked on top of one another. What a most appropriate design for a library! But the trees that were planted many years ago are now practically hiding this gem. The City should really do something!

  

the very first Walmart: 5-10 Walton's in Bentonville, Atkansas

Third, Arkansas. We took the RV to Jay, Oklahoma, just two hours from the Docks for a week; it is one of those in our network of resorts. From there we explored parts of Arkansas that we had missed on our first visit there (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/07/stopping-by-little-rock-arkansas-then.html). Bentonville, Arkansas is the site of the Walmart Visitors Center and the giant retailer’s headquarters. The very first 5-10 discount store Sam Walton started stood there as it did in 1962. Even his old pick-up is displayed with a famous quote from him: ‘I just don’t believe in a big showy lifestyle. Why do I drive a pickup truck? What am I supposed to haul my dogs around in, a Rolls Royce? ’. 

his modest pickup truck

Sam walton's office, still the way it looked the day he died

The office which he occupied remains untouched from the day he died. It is an office that looks neat because Sam liked nothing more than management by wandering, being close to his ‘family’.  And now his idea is a business legend, operating 8,500 stores in 15 countries. It‘s the world's third largest public corporation, the biggest private employer with over two million employees, and the largest retailer with 2011 sales at $300 B.

inside the Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

An hour from Bentonvile is Eureka Springs and that is where the Christ of the Ozarks stands atop the Magnetic Mountain, hands outstretched to minister to all, the fourth  largest statue of Christ in the world (behind Poland, Bolivia, and Brazil in that order) at 67 feet (and the largest in the US). It is on the grounds of the Passion Play Park that runs from April to October. I imagine that the park becomes very much alive during Easter and Christmas. Not far from this Christ is the Thorntown Chapel, with the structural woodwork designed like the crown of thorns. It was truly spiritual to be there. And just a few miles away is the Celestial Wind Chime, the largest tuned wind chime in the world hanging from a tree at 36 feet. Bill had fun swinging the pipes to create holy sounds.

Bill playing with the largest windchime in the world, at 36 feet, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

the Clinton Museum in Fayetteville, Arkansas

But the big surprise of our Arkansas day trip was Fayetteville. There the very first home, and where they were married, Bill and Hilary Clinton owned while they were professors at the University of Arkansas. Though small at 1,800 ft., the home is absolutely beautiful in its stonework, just the right size for a small family, and well taken care of. The twist is that a colorful razorback is in front of their house, the mascot of the University of Arkansas, one of several pig projects in a fund-raising PIGshibition for the Ozark Literacy Council. Bill Clinton’s boyhood home is in Hope, Arkansas and his Presidential Library is in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Har-Ber Village, legacy of Harvey and Bernie Jones
 in Grove, Oklahoma

Fourth, Oklahoma. The campground where we stayed in Jay, Oklahoma is called the Pine Island RV Resort because the RV sites, including ours, overlooked the Otay Lakes with the Pine Island on it. Every morning and every night we look out to this peaceful scene of calm and cool waters providing comfort to those who temporarily make it home, like us. Then at nearby Grove, Oklahoma just ten minutes away there is a beautiful park dedicated by the couple Harvey and Bernice Jones for the enjoyment of the public. What a legacy they have left behind!

The End of the Trail at the National Cowboys Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museu
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The Female Cougar

We had been to Tulsa before (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/07/coming-home-to-kansas-part-2.html ). But this time we wanted to experience Oklahoma City, the center of 43 Indian tribes in the state, only three hours from Jay. The National Cowboys Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum features wonderful statues but ones we most liked were the ones entitled 'The End of the Trail' and 'The Mountain Cat'.. 

The Oklahoma City Bombing National Memorial

There we saw the grand memorial built for the victims of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building on April 19, 1995 that killed 168 people, including 19 children, and affected 324 buildings in 16 blocks. The two pillars at each end are marked 9:01 and 9:03 AM because the bomb actually exploded at 9:02. The water that stands between the two is shallow but shimmering and the rows of empty chairs alongside make for a moving cemetery. A nearby church that was almost destroyed erected a statue of a crying priest. It was the largest terrorist attack before 9/11.

the cemetery of empty chairs

the crying priest

These are some of the reasons we decided to do the fulltime RV cruising lifestyle. We had such a long bucket list that we felt we had to go at the pace we did. Living a dream is more passionate than mere living. But now we have to be more pragmatic, visit more of friends and family, and as you will read in the next post, take care of ourselves better as we advance in years.

     

       

   

Coming Home to Kansas, Part 1

Bill was born in Kansas but left the state right after college.  His only sister, Rosemary, and brother-in-law, Jack, still live in Pittsburg (without the h). M’A ‘turn, our 37-foot motorhome, fit perfectly in their long driveway and Jack let out a long 50-amp outlet from his garage for us to hook on to.  For two nice weeks we were happy neighbors, sharing meals, reminiscing childhood tales, and revisiting many favorite places. After all, this is the first time they have been able to spend this much time together since Bill left town.  It is good that both have finally retired.

We alternated preparing meals.  I made beef salpicado, chicken arroz caldo, beef mechado, Hainanese chicken, and pancit bihon, Filipino meals with either Chinese or Spanish influence and Bill contributed his specialty, wine-infused Italian sausage spaghetti, and grilled some burgers.  Rosemary made old-fashioned beef stew, chicken noodle soup, breaded pork steaks, and deli sandwiches, great all-American meals.  As expected several nights became renewed left-over nights.

Breakfasts were also superb: biscuits and sausage gravy, Belgian waffles, banana pancakes, Spanish omelet, egg cups and bacon, blueberry oatmeal, hot browns, scrambled eggs with cheese and spam, blueberry pancakes, and SOS (please don’t ask me for the meaning)..  It was a pity I had not seen a Filipino/Asian store for a long time in our trips or I would have prepared tocilog, red eggs or tinapa.  For dessert we only allowed ourselves my favorite bread pudding and Rosemary’s strawberry shortcake.  One night, however, Jack introduced us to the Tropical Sno-man and his 400 flavors! 

On the Fourth of July Jack grilled orange roughy fillets and Rosemary made hashbrown casserole, green salad, and sweet corn for sides.  Then Bill and I visited his frat brod Ron and his wife Susan to watch the city-sponsored fireworks from the deck overlooking the swimming pool outside his 5,000 square feet home at Deer’s Run.  Three days later, Jack and Rosemary celebrated their 20^th wedding anniversary so  we took them out to dinner at Chili’s. 

Jack is a RC planes flying enthusiast and had more than 30 planes stored in his home. Their home is a good-sized rambler sitting on an acre of the great Kansas plains with shade trees, flowering plants and green grass all around. Suzy, a golden brown itty-bitty Yorkshire terrier, keeps them great company, along with tree frogs that frequent their windows and red, yellow, and blue birds that flock to their bird-feeders. Red and pink dinner-plate hibiscus and a weeping mulberry tree adorn their entryway.

Pittsburg was a busy mining town in the old days.  Big Brutus, the second largest steam shovel in the world, is sitting idle but proud on the banks of its mine pits.  And to cater to hungry miners, two chicken restaurants were founded by two miners’ wives.  Sitting next to each other on their original locations, they are still competing fiercely to this day, giving Pittsburg fame for the best fried chicken in the country.  Chicken Mary's and Chicken Annie's were recently featured in a duel at the Travel channel.

The last time we were in town Bill showed me the houses he lived in, the schools where he studied, the places he loved, and the people he missed.  The picture on the left is of the 'Galloping Horse', a gift from the Chinese friends of Pittsburg State University. Story goes that the horse lived between 25-100 AD.

This time around, since we had more time, Rosemary and Jack showed us the sights around the adjoining towns and cities:  Tulsa, Oklahoma, two hours away, Joplin, Missouri, forty-five minutes away, and Kansas City, two hours away. On the way to Colorado, we will pass through Salina. So this part will cover Tulsa and Part 2, Joplin, Kansas City and Salina.

It was raining when we went to Tulsa. On the way there, we could not find the sign that says ‘First Cow Town in Kansas’ in Baxter Springs.  Soon after, however, the largest MacDonald store in the world rose above the Will Rogers Turnpike (I-44). It covers almost 30,000 square feet of space that includes a wonderful gift shop.  Vehicles with all sorts of plates, Indiana, Maine, Washington, etc., are parked and a statue of Will Rogers stands in front of each doorway on either side of the highway.

And then we were inspired by the giant prayerful hands that stretched out to Heaven at the grounds of the Oral Roberts University.  Later on, we had a great time at the Will Rogers National Museum in nearby Claremont, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa.  There I learned about the life of the well-loved man who was the voice of America from 1879-1926.  He starred in 71 films, was always invited to grace an important national event, and died only too soon in an unfortunate plane crash.

On the way home, we again tried to look for the ‘cow town’ sign in Baxter Springs but, alas, we were disappointed…again. But we saw the cattle grazing on the vast plains of Kansas...the black Angus, the white Charolais, and even the buffalo or bison.  And the rolls of hay seem to gracefully hug every corner of the lovely fields.

Next Stops: Joplin, Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri, and Salina, Kansas