photo op

By Banjodog at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2353678

Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park

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100 Smelter Road
Anaconda, MT 59711
fwp.mt.gov/anaconda-smoke-stack

Don’t let the “state park” moniker fool you, as this spot really is just a quick road trip stop. It makes for a good break if you are tooling along Interstate 90 in Southern Montana. Just take exit 208, then follow Highway 1 for about seven miles. You can’t miss it — just look for the small parking area right before abandoned guard shack.

There’s accessible parking in the parking lot, with level access over to the exhibits. The first installation is a metal sculpture of a miner, a smelter worker and a railroad worker, and it represents the labor that built the local copper industry. From there, a level sidewalk leads up to a viewing area where you can get a good look at the remaining smoke stack. The smoke stack is 585 feet tall — about 30 feet taller than the Washington Monument. It’s one of the tallest freestanding brick structures in the world, and it serves as a reminder of the copper smelter industry that once dominated the local economy. Today the smokestack is all that remains of that era, and that industry.

There are no facilities in the parking lot — which pretty much comprises the whole state park — but there’s a rest area near the Interstate 90 exit. The smoke stack makes a nice detour if you are getting off to use the rest area; and it’s a good vantage point to get some smoke stack photos. And it’s free.

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Terlingua, Texas

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Population 138
Located five miles west of Study Butte, near the west entrance to Big Bend National Park, Terlingua’s big claim to fame is that it’s the “Birthplace to all Chili Cookoffs”. Technically it’s a ghost town, except for four days in the fall when visitors stream in for the cookoff. That said it’s best to stop in during the non-chili days to have a look at the historic Terlingua Cemetery (www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2228459/terlingua-cemetery). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the cemetery dates back to 1902; and although it’s fairly level there are some narrow spots and patches of uneven ground between the gravesites. Even if you can’t get past the first set of plots, it’s still worth a stop, as the entrance pillars have niches filled with everything from candies and bottle caps, to photos, shells and even an odd personal item or two. Add in the graves, which are adorned with an assortment of candles, fetishes and charms, and you have an excellent photo op.

Terlingua, Texas

Terlingua Cemetery

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Highway 170
Terlingua, Texas

The sleepy little town of Terlingua is located about five miles west of Study Butte, off of Highway 170 in southern Texas. And the unique Terlingua Cemetery, which borders the west edge of town, is definitely worth a stop on the way to Big Bend National Park.

From Highway 170 head north on Terlingua Ghost Town Road, drive past the BBQ joint on the right and look for the cemetery up on the left. If you hit Ivey Road, turn around as you’ve gone too far. There’s a large level dirt parking area near the cemetery entrance, with room enough to park an adapted van. The cemetery – which was founded in 1902 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places – is fairly level, although there are narrow spots and some bumpy pathways between the plots. That said, it’s worth a stop, even if you can’t maneuver past the first row of graves, as the gravesites are adorned with candles, fetishes, charms and other unique offerings.

The entrance pillars also have niches filled with everything from coins and candy, to bottle caps, rocks, shells, photos and even the odd personal item – like a make-up brush – here and there. An excellent spot for photographers, this site gets more interesting in October, as the Day of the Dead approaches, and all sorts of new objects begin to appear. As an added bonus, there’s also a good view of the town ruins from the cemetery parking area.

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Paisano Pete

Paisano Pete

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East Dickinson Boulevard & North Main Street
Fort Stockton, Texas

Although he’s no longer the-record-holding “largest roadrunner”, Paisano Pete is still dearly loved by the locals in this gateway town to Texas Hill Country. Built in 1979, old Pete measures in at an impressive 22 feet long and 11 feet tall. He’s located on the corner of Main Street and Dickinson, and unlike many other large statues, he’s kept up by the locals. The even dress him up for Christmas. There’s no official parking area, but there’s a large level dirt lot next to Pete that serves the purpose. And if you’d like to get a closer look at the bird, there’s curb-cut access up to the nice mini-park that surrounds him.

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Giant Junk Stag

Giant Junk Stag

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4203 Loring Park Converse, Texas If you need a break from the monotonous drive along Interstate 10 near San Antonio, then take a short detour to check out this interesting — and massive — art installation. Just take exit 585 and head north on FM 1516 for about a half-mile. Make a right on Hays Park Road — the Giant Junk Stag sculpture is just down the road. This larger-than-life stag is perched on a mound of dirt in the first round-about through the upscale subdivision. There’s parking in a level paved lot near the playground, which is the perfect vantage point to view the piece. Crafted by Mexico City artist, Florentino Narcis, this community centerpiece is comprised of junk, including engine parts, rusted fenders, license plates and even a bicycle seat or two. Check it out and see how many scrap parts you can spot. And if you’d like to get a closer look at the sculpture, there’s curb-cut-access to a short sidewalk from the parking area. There aren’t any public facilities at this stop, but this interesting sculpture is definitely worth a short look on the way through the Lone Star state.
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Haines Shoe

Haines Shoe

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197 Shoe House Road
York, PA
www.hainesshoehouse.com

Built in 1949, this three-bedroom home looks like a giant work boot — a Haines work boot to be more specific. It was built in 1948 by Mahlon Haines to promote his shoe store chain. The 1500-quare foot stucco and wood frame house, which measures 48 feet long, 25 feet high and 17 feet wide, cost $26,000 to construct. Originally used as a vacation spot for newlyweds, it’s also been a public rental space and even an ice cream shop. Today it’s a vacation rental, but you can still drive by and snap a photo or two of this unusual domicile from the street. There’s room to pull off the road and take a gander at the Haines Shoe, but only guests are permitted to go any closer. Unfortunately the home is not wheelchair-accessible, but it’s worth a quick stop on any Pennsylvania road trip.

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Enchanted Highway

Enchanted Highway

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Gladstone-Regent Highway
Dickinson, SD

If you happen to be road tripping through North Dakota, a short detour on the Enchanted Highway is definitely a must-do. The brainchild of local resident Gary Greff, these larger-than-life sculptures dot the highway between Gladstone and Regent. Just take exit 72 off Interstate 94 and enjoy the ride. You can stop and picnic at most of the installations, or just pop in for a quick photo op. Either way, it’s definitely worth a short detour while motoring through the Peace Garden State.

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NM-Roswell-Mural

Welcome to Roswell Art

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Roswell, New Mexico If a trip to the unofficial UFO capital of the world is on your travel itinerary, then be sure and stop at the creative Welcome to Roswell art piece just outside town. You’ll find the masterpiece on the east side of Highway 285, about six miles south of the city. Unveiled in 2013, the John Cerney piece is best described as giant cut-out art. Cerney’s Rockwell-like highway murals are designed to blend into the existing landscape and catch passing motorists off guard. And the Roswell installation does just that. There’s no official parking lot for the mural, but there’s a wide level dirt area where you can stop and have a good look at the piece. And if you’d like a photo op with it — and who wouldn’t — there’s also a level dirt path over to the mural. The mural itself depicts an alien spacecraft with a few green beings in front of it, who are being offered a pie by a local woman. The aliens seems put-off by the culinary creation, and one of them appears to be holding ET of movie fame in his arms. Back on the ship, the navigator is reading a map with Roswell prominently marked, which also includes a “photo” of two figures that eerily resemble The X-Files Scully and Mulder. And over on the other side, a rancher is receiving roadside assistance for his broken down California truck from yet another alien. There’s a lot going on in the mural, so take some time and look for the “little things”. And again, it blends into the landscape, so keep an eye out for it as you approach town.
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Green Aliens

Green Aliens

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19 Carlsbad Cavern Highway
Whites City, New Mexico

Although they seem a bit out of place, these Green Aliens sit in front of the Whites City Information Center, just off Highway 7 on the way to Carlsbad Caverns. There’s no interpretive plaque at the site; however locals say that the they are a tribute to the old Million Dollar Museum which formerly occupied the space, and had an “alien baby” on display. Today the aliens offer a good photo op on the way to New Mexico’s only national park. Accessible parking is located in front of the post office, with level access over to the aliens next door. It’s a fun stop, especially if you have kids in tow.

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World’s Largest Purple Spoon

World’s Largest Purple Spoon

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1012 Highway 49
East Glacier Park, MT
thespiralspoon.com

If you’re heading up to the Two Medicine area of Glacier National Park, be sure and stop in at East Glacier Park Village to see the World’s Largest Purple Spoon. Located next to the Spiral Spoon (www.thespiralspoon.com) on MT 49, this local landmark is affectionately known as Big Martha. Crafted by Charlie and Jo Wagner, the 25-foot high utensil, which is made of plywood and Styrofoam, was unveiled on May 20, 2005.

There’s level parking in a dirt area next to the spoon, and a level path over to the Spiral Spoon. The shop itself has two small steps up into it, and if you can manage those, it’s definitely worth a look inside. This quaint shop offers a good selection of spoons and other implements carved by local artists. And in the back room, there’s an interesting display of vintage spoons on the ceiling, and a prop spoon that was used on the television show Bonanza in a case on the back wall.

All in all it’s a fun stop, if only for the photo op. It may or may not be the world’s largest purple spoon (hence the “maybe” etched on the plaque) but it’s definitely the largest one in this tiny village.

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