April 9 Weekly Open Thread: "Roadside Attractions, Part III"
Well, I just got back from California, and all I got was a picture of two cars with trees growing through them. Actually, I got a few more great pics, like a mint condition 1967 Cougar and a new MINI Coupe. But this '64 Cadillac Fleetwood and '59 Edsel Ranger got my attention the most.
I saw them in Hopland, CA, right beside the 101, at the Solar Living Center/Institute. There are three more similar topiary-impaled cars there, but we didn't stop. So I did the best I could to get this image as we passed by them at about 45 miles per hour. Luckily I was not driving.
We did munch at a unique diner in Hopland that serves hamburgers made out of all sorts of hooved animals. They even had a large moose head mounted on the wall, which brought back memories of 1981's "Arthur:"
Arthur (slightly drunk): "You must have hated this moose."
Burt Johnson (sternly): "Why don't you forget the moose... for a moment!"
Arthur (looks at moose): "Right."
Somehow a mooseburger just doesn't appeal to me.
So what's your latest (or best) Griswaldian experience at a roadside attraction, restaurant, or other place? Was it a collection of cars stuck in the ground nose first? Or was it non-vehicle-related, such as the World's Largest Ball Of Twine? Either way, we all would like to hear.
And of course, this is also the place for anything else car-related that won't get all of us in trouble. You know... politics, money, religion, mother in laws (or is that mothers-in-law...?).
--That Car Guy (Chuck)
Michael E. Shea on April 09, 2012 at 04:25 AM
We can buff that right out, ya' know...
Anthony Cagle on April 09, 2012 at 02:49 PM
Seen just this afternoon, in the wild: A really nice TR7: http://acagle.net/CarLust/TR7.JPG
That Car Guy (Chuck) on April 09, 2012 at 03:02 PM
Anthony, that blue might not work on many other cars, but it looks good there.
Anthony Cagle on April 09, 2012 at 03:50 PM
Nice old pickup behind it, too. Couple blocks over is a really neat early '60s Mercury, maybe a Breezeway, that I really need to photograph.
Vince M on April 09, 2012 at 07:41 PM
In 1976, I was riding west out of Amarillo with my two brothers, and I spotted the then-new (and pretty much unknown) Cadillac Ranch as we sped past it. I hollered "Hey, Cadillac Ranch!" but I expect they thought I was spouting random nonsense words.
A couple of years ago my niece stopped there, and got me a couple of chunks of accreted paint from one of the cars - I count at least two dozen paint job layers.
Gene on April 11, 2012 at 01:54 PM
Dude, if you have a photo of a mint condition '67 Cougar, don't TELL me about it w/o SHOWING it. Frustrating your readers is not a good way to build blog loyalty.