Everywhere I go I see old neon. These signs remind me of the my youthful days in the 1960s and 70s when we traveled. Alas, for many, the only signs they see are the same unoriginal fast food, gas station and motel chain signs all over the place. But, in the by gone days there were few McDonald’s and Motel 6 spots. Instead, there were the little cozy motels with the old metal chairs in the front and the unique neon signs. There were the local burger joints with their big shiny signs. And there were the drive in movie theaters and the downtown theatres with their unique names. Here is a trip down memory lane with neon I have captured along the less beaten paths and just a few comments, when appropriate.
OLD MOTELS
Chinook Hotel – Chinook, Montana
Of all of the unique neon signs, perhaps the hotel and motel signs are the most fun and bring back the fondest memories. My first ever motel stay was in some non-descript motel in Amarillo, Texas in 1968. At the time I was only 12. It was exciting to sleep in a motel bed, see the paper covered drinking glasses, taste the strange tasting water, sit on the metal rockers on the front porch. We watched the news and stock reports on the local television and ate pancakes at a local cafe before heading to our new home in Richardson, Texas (we were moving from Albuquerque, so yes, we were on Route 66 back then).
Motel Galata on US Hwy 2 – The Hi-Line – in Galata, MontanaThunderbird Inn in Savannah, GeorgiaEl Kapp Motel in Raton, NMCovered Wagon Motel in Lusk, WyomingKool Breeze Motel in Irving, TexasCave Land Motel – Cave City, KentuckyLog Cabin Motel – Ashton, IdahoDude Motel – West Yellowstone, MontanaD-K Motel – Arco, IdahoWagon Wheel Motel – Kadoka, South Dakota4 Winds Motel – Jackson Hole, WyomingArena Motel in Shelby, Montana The sign is all that remainsGeneric Motel Sign – Shelby, MontanaOld Stanley Cour-Tel Sign (from Missouri) now at Ra66it Ranch in Staunton, IllinoisLays Motor Lodge sign in Kingdom City, Missouri. Motel building is dilapidated, but the sign remainsMotel in Havre, MontanaPalace Hotel – Eureka Springs, ArkansasAntler Motel – Kemmerer, WyomingTexan Motel – Raton, New Mexico
And to round off the trip, how about one of the more famed ones….
After a nice evening a a comfy motel, what is better than starting the day off with a great breakfast at a diner, a pancake house or a local cafe. The servings are always big, the mom and pop service is better than any fast food joint. Of course, while on the road you can also stop for lunch and even a big dinner, in some cases even more than you can manage if you are willing to take the chance (think Amarillo, Texas!!)
There are lots of places that you can get dinner…many of the old neon places are a combo bar/grill or bar/restaurant. And many have unique signs. Personally, I don’t drink alcohol, but I have certainly enjoyed a few good meals at some of these kinds of places.
Manhattan Bar – Leadville, ColoradoMint Bar and Lounge – Chinook, MontanaAcoma Restaurant and Lounge – Butte, MontanaAtomic City Bar – Atomic City, Idaho – no longer in business, but the sign is a classic!Elk Bar and Good Food – Chinook, MontanaSteaks – what more needs to be said? – near Turkey Ridge, South DakotaRiscky’s Steakhouse – Fort Worth, TexasLariat Saloon – Buena Vista, Colorado
And let’s not forget two of the most iconic vintage neon places for travelers….
Maybe you prefer something a bit more ethnic in the evening….
Joe Mama’s Italian – Time for Fine Eats – Pittsburgh, PennsylaniaEl Fenix Restaurant – Best Tex-Mex in Texas – downtown Dallas, TexasHung Far Low – Famous Chop Suey and Famous name – Portland, Oregon
Or perhaps just a late night Philly Cheese Steak? How about two choices and they are just across the street from each other in the triangle….(I actually tried one at each place on the same evening – add the whiz!)
Perhaps you have had a long day on the road and need a break from motel room TV. A visit to an old drive in theater with some popcorn and thus fuzzy little speakers hanging in your window will do ya.
Too cold outside? Then there are some classic old movie theaters around that show some cool movies or maybe even will have a live band playing in them. Many of the old theaters are multi-purpose nowadays, but their old neon signs still draw you in and bring back the memories of 1960s childhood.
Following are a few classic looks with neon I have seen over the years as I travel the back roads of America.
Pelo’s Sundries – LeClaire, Iowa (Home of the American Pickers!)
Sure, I meant it when I included “Sundry” in this section. That term seems old fashioned now, but the old five-and-dime shops had “sundry” items. There were also the old drug stores that sold magazines, had fountains in the shop and they sold “sundries.”
I also include the “various” in here since there are a few odds and ends neon signs that I want to include in this section.
The famous Pike Place Public Market sign in Seattle, WashingtonPilgrim Cleaners in Houston, Texas. They also do shoe repairsArco City Hall – Arco, Idaho – First City in the world to be lit by Atomic PowerBoring Rexall Drugs – Warsaw, MissouriThe Old Drugs Store – Cumberland Gap, Tennessee
Now, wasn’t that just a yummy adventure through the past?
Gold Butte in Northern Montana as seen from Frontier Bar near Shelby, Montana
Mar. 27, 2013: After almost two weeks in Rexburg working with my new employer DSN America, it was time to return back to Kentucky and home sweet home. They had flown Julianne out to Idaho, so I was blessed to have my very best friend and sweetheart with me for the long drive home, with a brief stopover in Shelby, Montana to see our daughter and their kids. It was an easy first day.
Rexburg, ID to Shelby, MT
We left Rexburg in the afternoon and eventually zipped up I-15. We crossed over Monida Pass, which serve as the border between Idaho and Montana. The mountains were still snow covered and beautiful, especially as we came close to the Montana border.
Garfield Mtn (R) and Lima Peaks just south of Lima, Montana
Lima, Montana is just a small dot on the map and there is not much there. But, it is really a quite unique place. There are barely 200 people living in the town at the base of the mountains. Many of the buildings are really old. In some respects, the town almost looks like it is a period movie set rather than a real town. The Red River runs nearby the small town. Lima was originally called Allerdice until a train station for the Utah and Northern was built there. It was changed to Spring Hill at that time. It was eventually changed to Lima by Henry Thompson, who named it for his former home in Lima, Wisconsin.
Downtown Lima, Montana
We drove around the small town, much of which was dirt roads. There is a woodworker that makes whirly-gigs, a couple of interesting buildings and a unique kitschy store front.
Down Moose Alley to the hand made wood toys placeWood Shop was closed when we got thereWhirly-gigsPeat Bar and Hotel in Lima, Montana – Home of the Cook Your Own SteakPeat Hotel – Lima, MontanaPeat Bar & Steak House
We also found the Lima Historical Society building, originally built in 1880. It was originally called the Bailey Building, having been built and resided in by E.A. Bailey and sons, as a Mercantile. It really did evoke an Old West feel to the place.
Lima Historical Society Building – Lima SkyscraperLima Historical Society
Perhaps the most interesting place we saw in town was the Wild West Weed Patch, at least that is what I think it is called based on the writing on the Saw Blade sign. The shop was not open, but there were a number of unique things there. Still, I am certainly not sure what it is called. The closest thing I have ever seen to this kind of hodge podge is Hillybilly Hotdogs in Lesage, West Virginia. (See my Trip Journal of my West Virginia Trip with photos)
The Wild West Weed Patch?? – shades of West Virginia’s Hillbilly HotdogsWild West Weed Patch Sign – Lima, MontanaSteak and Burgers – Lima, MontanaIce Cream Cones – Lima, MontanaLots of StuffFJ’s Skull?
After our little diversion in Lima we continued north on I-15 until we got to Red Rock Ranch Rd., south of Dillon. On my trip down to Rexburg I had passed a ranch with hundreds of buffalo and I wanted a closer look on the way back to Shelby. So, the night before the trip there I did some research and discovered it was one of Ted Turner’s Buffalo Ranches. Called Red Rock Ranch, it could kind of be reached by taking Exit 29, north of Dell, Montana. We went under the freeway and then turned right and almost immediately the road was a dirt road. We followed it north, but alas, no buffalo to be seen. So, after almost getting all the way to Clark Canyon Reservoir, we turned around. Shortly down the road off to my left (the car window was open), I heard some birds squawking. At first I thought they were geese, but they sounded different. Then, all of a sudden I saw these two HUGE birds zip on past. I whipped out the camera and took a bunch of shots hoping that one would reveal the secret. Here are a couple of the shots of what I realized were Red-Crested Sandhill Cranes. I had never seen these in the wild so it was a real treat.
Sandhill Cranes near Red Rock Ranch in MontanaSandhill Cranes near Red Rock Ranch in Montana
Such beautiful birds!!
Well, we did finally get to see the buffalo, but not until we were continuing north on I-15. I was determined to get some photos, so we stopped and I took these from my car on the side of the interstate.
Ted Turner’s Buffaloes on Red Rock RanchMore of the BuffaloesBuffaloes at Red Rock Ranch Rd. in Southern Montana
Thank goodness for telephoto lenses!!
We continued north and made a brief stop in Dillon. I wanted to just kind of drive through the town and get a glimpse of it. I had seen in my research that it had a very nice courthouse.
Big Moose Statue in Dillon, Montana
I saw this moose, to add to my collection, but the lighting was not too good. It was across the street from the post office.
Mural in Dillon, MontanaBeaverhead County CourthouseHotel Metlen in Dillon, Montana
The courthouse was one of the nice ones such as the ones can be seen in Texas and other places. But, it was not the only unique building. The Hotel Metlen was also a nice building. It was built in 1897 and is now apparently up for sale, based on the link above.
We then continued north on I-15 towards Butte and made a brief stop for fuel
Welcome to Butte
After Butte we zipped up the interstate through Helena and and then a brief stop in Great Falls to get a birthday present before heading to Shelby. Saw a nice George Washington statue at the Mall in Great Falls. Similar to the statues I saw in Jackson, Wyoming done by Gary Lee Price, but I am not sure if it his work.
George Washington at mall in Great FallsCuddling with GW
Finally, we made our way to Shelby to visit the grandchildren. We spent three nights in Shelby and during that time did a number of things. These will be noted in the next post.
March 25, 2013: After a fabulous couple of days in Shelby, MT with my daughter, her husband and all the kids, it was back on the road for the last leg of the trip to Rexburg. This was basically a straight shot down I-15 thru Great Falls, Helena and Butte. Unfortunately, the day started off pretty snowy and yucky.
Gas Station in Shelby, MTInterstate 15 heading South towards Great Falls
By the time I had hit the Great Falls area, the weather was basically clearing up and so it was more or less smooth sailing to Helena. I was provided an excellent view of Tower Rock State Park.
South on I-15 towards Tower Rock State Park
Tower Rock State Park is a 400-foot high igneous rock formation that lies along a stretch of the Missouri River north of Helena. The river has formed a deep gorge into the rock. Tower Rock was noted in the Lewis and Clark Journals. Meriwether Lewis wrote in his journal on July 16, 1805: ‘At this place there is a large rock of 400 feet high wich stands immediately in the gap which the Missouri makes on it’s passage from the mountains… This rock I called the tower. It may be ascended with some difficulty nearly to its summit and from it there is a most pleasing view of the country we are now about to leave. From it I saw that evening immense herds of buffaloe in the plains below.’
Tower Rock State ParkMissouri River in Tower Rock State ParkFishing on the MissouriHardy Bridge in Tower Rock State Park
I took Exit 244 for Hardy Creek on got on to Old US Highway 91 and followed it along the Missouri River. This took me into the canyon area. I then crossed over the Hardy Bridge and continued along the river. Apparently, the silver steel bridge was the scene of the shootout between federal agents and rum-runners in the 1987 movie The Untouchables.
Along the Missouri River in the park – probably still how it may have looked for Lewis and Clark. This photo was taken with the iPhone Panorama function, thus the little shift on the left
Back on the freeway I moved a little further up the road to the Dearborn Rest Area in the Adel Mountains, a large stretch of volcanic remnants. The volcanic remnants run about 40 miles in length and 20 miles wide, and the area of Tower Rock State Park is part of this old volcanic flow.
Adel Volcanic Mountains as seen from Dearborn Rest Area north of Helena
From the rest area I continued south to Exit 234 which brought me into Craig, MT. From what I could tell, Craig is all about fishing on the Missouri River and the other tributary creeks. This section of the Missouri is apparently one of the premier trout fishing areas in the country. As for the small town, it was named for local pioneer Warren Craig. In 1886 Craig built a log house, with a stone fireplace. Many times he had to defend his homestead from the Indians. The house is located half mile from the Great Northern depot, but I was not able to get over it due to time constraints. In 1890 his son, John Craig settled in the area and Mrs. John Craig later served as postmaster.
Old Row Boat in Craig, MTCraig Train StopSign for Bridge over Missouri at Craig – Forrest H. Anderson Memorial Bridge
Ironically, my hope was a convenience store, but all that I could find were fishing related shops like the one below.
Headhunter Flies & Guides – Craig, MTGeese hang around the Missouri River in Craig
From Craig I got back on I-15 to continue south towards Helena. I took exit 209 to see the “Gates of the Mountains.” Named by Meriwether Lewis on July 19, 1805 because of the 1200 foot tall towering limestone cliffs that seemed to block their way. He wrote, “this evening we entered much the most remarkable clifts that we have yet seen. these clifts rise from the waters edge on either side perpendicularly to the hight of 1200 feet. … the river appears to have forced its way through this immense body of solid rock for the distance of 5-3/4 Miles … I called it the gates of the rocky mountains.” Since that time the area has become a National Wilderness area by an act of Congress in 1964.
Gates of the Mountains Info Sign at Turnoff
At this visitor turnoff there are not only the signs, but there is a metal sculpture of a man and a dog that greeted me. Behind them was a spectacular view of the area.
Man and Dog at Gates of the Mountains view point
I am not sure (and have done a lot of looking!!) to see who made this sculpture. There is no information that I am aware of. Another view of it shows the Gates of the Mountains in the background.
Man and Dog with Gates of the Mountains
I did drive a bit down the road to get closer, but it is quite a drive down there. The lake is Upper Holter Lake.
Gates of the Mountains near Helena, MT
After this amazing scene (which the photo does no justice to), I continued south towards Helena.
I-15 South towards Helena
I decided to go through Helena and then through Montana City and then on to Butte. I decided to stop at the Butte Berkeley Pit overlook for my next stop.
Berkeley Pit – Butte, MT
The Berkeley Pit is a former open pit copper mine in Butte. It is one mile long by half a mile wide with an approximate depth of 1,780 feet. The mine was opened in 1955 and operated by Anaconda Copper and later by the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), until its closure in 1982.
Berkeley Pit as seen from Downtown Butte
The viewpoint offers a couple of great sights. First there is a spectacular view of the Anaconda Mountain range (also known as the Pintlars) east of Butte, which has a number of 10,000 foot tall peaks. And, also from the overview point, to the west, you can see the 90 foot tall “Our Lady of the Rockies” statue 3500 feet above the view point (actual elevation is 8510 feet) .
Anaconda Range – east of Butte (tallest peaks include West Goat Peak, Mt. Evans, Mt. Haggin, Warren Peak and East Goat Peak – all over 10,000 feet tall)
The “Our Lady of the Rockies” statue was placed on the East Ridge on the Continental Divide overlooking Butte. It is apparently the second tallest statue in the United States after the Statue of Liberty (see list of tallest statues on Wikipedia). The statue was built by volunteers using donated materials to honor women everywhere, especially mothers. The design for the statue was engineered by Laurien Eugene Riehl. He was a retired engineer for the Anaconda Company who donated his engineering skills to the project, specifically the statue would need to handle the intense winds at the top of the peak. A full photo of this huge beautiful statue is available here.
Our Lady of the Rockies statue as seen from the Butte OverlookOur Lady of the Rockies info sign at Butte Overlook
From the overlook I took a drive into Butte for fuel and a drive through town. Here are a few sights of Butte:
Butte, Montana Welcome signMural on side of a buildingOld Building Advertisement, Butte, MTAcoma Restaurant SignLincoln Hotel AdvertisementColorful and Unique Architecture
After the nice drive around Butte, it was back on I-15 heading south. I was humored when I approached Exit 111 south of Butte. The sign said Feely. So, I took the exit just to get the sign… Now I know how to get to Feely. I just need to find Touchy next!!
Feely, Montana sign
Not much further down the road was yet another interesting sign:
Divide Wisdom, MT
What I am wondering is if I need to really divide wisdom? Can’t I keep the complete wisdom? Actually, I would have liked to have made it to Wisdom. I have been to Wisdom, KY. I need more Wisdom!!
I-15 South of Divide/Wisdom, MTUnion Pacific Bridge over the Big Hole River near Glen, MT
I continued south towards Idaho. Though I was not able to get any photos, I passed by a HUGE Buffalo Ranch near Dillon. I must have seen 200-300 head from the freeway. Continuing south I passed the huge Clark Canyon Reservoir, with water frozen.
Clark Canyon Reservoir in Southern Montana
South on I-15 near Lima, MT
From Lima I soon entered into Idaho. I ventured south into Spencer, Idaho, which is the home of the Opal Mountain Mine and is known as the Opal Capital of America.
Spencer, Idaho sign
Opals were apparently discovered in the Spencer area in 1948 and there is one big mine in operation. there are a number of shops. As it was a snowy Sunday, nothing was opened, but it was a unique little drive right off of the freeway.
High Country Opal – Spencer, ID
Spencer Opal Mines
Cabin in the Snow – near Spencer, ID
From Spencer I continued south and finally got to Exit 143 and headed east towards Rexburg, where I will be for the next couple of weeks.
East to Rexburg – notice the big white LDS Temple in the middle of town and Tetons in the distance
Finally…hotel sweet hotel. I am at the beautiful AmericInn Hotel. My room even has a jacuzzi in it!!
AmericInn Rexburg JacuzziTime for Bed – AmericInn, Rexburg
