Greetings family and friends! This week's "Ralph Family Photo Album" is about our enjoyment of "Roadside Distractions"
(photo and text files attached). Image #1: Jimmy and Billy at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk with dad (circa 1950).
Image #2: Chris, Mike, Sandy, Bill, Lindy and Shawn visit Tijuana in 1982. Have a pleasant weekend and stay safe!
Roadside Distractions
My love for hokey roadside attractions probably began with trips to Northern California’s Redwood Country with our folks to visit uncle Bart who lived near the “Avenue of the Giants”. ‘Road trip “must do’s ” included driving our car through a redwood tree, visiting the one-log houses and gift shops, wondering about natures gravitational tricks and riding the train at Confusion Hill and spending part of a day exploring venerable Trees of Mystery. Trips to Lake Tahoe usually required a stop at The Nut Tree and later in life we would do weekend day tripping to Santa Cruz’s classic Boardwalk and Mystery Spot or to Scotts Valley to see the plaster dinosaurs at Lost World, and wonder about abandoned Holy City. The trips were even better if a miniature train ride was involved! The Mystery Shacks at Knott’s Berry Farm, Calico, and Ponderosa Ranch were always high on the list of family destinations. We have even taken vacation trips to specifically seek out the remnants of classic roadside attractions along route 66 in Arizona, Garden of God’s country in Colorado, and to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Drawn by the enticing billboards and the lure to leave a few bucks at Reptile Gardens, Flintstones Bedrock City, Chief Crazy Horse and other roadside attractions is undeniable. The ultimate destination of a family trip to New York City was a visit to Coney Island and it’s aging attractions, side shows, remnants of Dreamland and Steeplechase Park and a savor a Nathan’s hot dog.
Casa de Fruita (Casa de Restaurant, Casa de RV Park, Casa de Burrito, Casa de Carousel, Casa de Choo Choo...you get it) near Gilroy is still an anticipated stop on our trips to Southern California as is Bravo Land on I-5 for taste of Central Valley hokum. Did you know that there’s a convenience store on the outskirts of Stockton that has a crashed flying saucer sticking from it’s roof and the interior has been taken over by dozens of little green men? Or that you can still visit The Big Foot Museum or visit the Circus Trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Oversize adverting icon’s are a fascination and require a photo stop...and I still miss downtown Hayward’s Giant Muffler Man.
-Bill 6/21/20
