Good News, Bad News, Muffler Man News

Good News. My RV repair guys are going to be able to fix the broken window by just replacing the glass and not the whole window.

Bad News. It will still be pretty expensive and it won't be done until Monday so I will miss the Circle The Wagons trip I had scheduled to start today.

More Bad News. I made a a reservation for my camping spot at Ridgway State Park just to be on the safe side. When I'm traveling alone I rarely make a reservation because there is an $8 reservation fee. This reservation fee applies to each reservation whether it is one day or two weeks. In many instances, the camping fee is $13 and the $8 reservation fee amounts to a 70% surcharge..... Obscene. And if you think that's bad, there is also a cancellation fee if you decide, or in my case, just can't make it. By the time it was all said and done I was charged an additional $26 because I couldn't make it.....So, the charge for three nights camping (including reservation fee) was $62. The outside contractor, Reserve America, that handles all the reservations for the Colorado State Parks will keep 50% of the entire cost ($36) AND they will be able to charge someone else for the campsite as well. Something is really wrong with this. The outside contractor is really gouging citizens who supposedly own the parks by virtue of the taxes they already pay. Our wonderful state government seems not to care how its citizens are treated.....as long as the state gets its cut. I'm not sure who I can complain to that might make a difference but someone in the Colorado State Government is going to hear from me.

Last night I went to Bud's Bar in Sedalia to meet up with the rest of The Circle to wish them a good trip and to dine on a great cheeseburger. While talking about the trip, Too Tall - Two Timing mentioned that he had spotted a Muffler Man not far from Rock Mountain National Park! Long time readers will remember that I am a connoisseur of Muffler Men. Just look at the left margin of this blog under Labels/Muffler Man and you'll see that I have 8 different posts dedicated to Muffler Men. They are just another bit of weirdness and kitsch that I enjoy.

Anyhow, seeing as how my camping trip had been sunk, I decided that this morning I would go look for the cowboy Muffler Man and maybe take a short day trip in the mountains on the way back. As you can see by the picture at the top of the post I did exactly that.

This is a true Muffler Man. An original. You can tell by the position of the hands...right up, left down. It is not in the best of condition however. The left side of the brim of the cowboy hat is missing. This Muffler Man sits in the yard of a private residence not too far from Lyons, Colorado and it's one of the few of these giants that are "residential" in nature. Most of them are found in front of businesses or in amusement parks. Seeing a "new to me" Muffler Man was just what I needed to get me out of the funk caused by the cancellation of my trip, and there was more to come.

After finding the Muffler Man, I decided to head into the mountains and specifically to the little town of Nederland. Nederland is a quirky little town of about 1400 population just west of the Leftist Nation of Boulder. It's most famous for it's Frozen Dead Guy Days that is celebrated every March.

Whoda thunk that in addition to all of this quirkiness, I'd also find a piece of real history? As I was entering this little town I couldn't help but notice a huge old steam shovel sitting on the side of the road. I can remember seeing a few of these still operating when I was a little boy but they are now pretty well extinct.

To make things even more exciting (doesn't take a lot to keep me excited), this was no ordinary steam shovel. This was the only remaining steam shovel to have helped excavate the Panama Canal! Wow. And to think it now has a place of honor in Nederland, Colorado. And the 1400 residents have not only this to be proud of but Frozen Dead Guy Days as well. Let me tell you God has really done right by Nederland.

All of this excitement just made me ravenous so I stopped at the local brew pub for a bite of lunch. Yes, even with only 1400 souls, Nederland has it's own brew pub....Frozen Dead Guy Days, the last Panama Canal steam shovel and a brew pub....makes you want to go there doesn't it?

Anyway, the food was good but the view from the deck was even better and right next to the brew pub, another bit of kitsch. Vintage travel trailers for rent. Man, I've hit a home run for the day! As the old saying goes, "When one door closes, another opens." My camping trip was a bust but today's trip was fantastic. I decided to quit while I was way ahead and head for home.












A pleasant ride with temps in the upper 60's....couldn't be better.

Thanks for visiting.

Hot Dog, I'm Home!

Business road trip is over. I've gotta tell you, without my GPS I would have been toast more than once. Technology is amazing and it's also amazing how quickly you become used to...no, dependent upon some of these new gadgets.

I left Chicagoland yesterday, late afternoon on another packed 777. It was an oversold flight so loading took longer than usual and after they had filled every seat it was discovered that someone in business class had a "broken" seat. The captain came on the intercom and advised that we would have to delay departure until they could either..(1) get someone to say the seat was airworthy. (2) fix it if they couldn't get someone to give it a pass. (3) empty the seat...which meant the guy that paid more to sit in business class would have to leave the aircraft since all the other seats had already been filled.

Put yourself in the seat....ha! that's a play on words...of the guy in the business class seat that was thinking that he was going to have a nice flight home to Denver on a Friday evening and then was faced with being "Bumped", thrown off the flight because his seat was broken!

The good ending was that they fixed the seat and we took off...an hour late but as the saying goes, "Better late than never."

Business-wise the trip was a success. I bombed on my first attempt to find a Muffler Man, but I did manage to get a glimpse of the Joliet "Jackhammer" Muffler Man. Not only did I have to contend with cold windy weather but downtown Joliet made me a bit nervous. The ballpark was closed, the neighborhood was...a "hood", I walked fast, took pictures fast and exited as quickly as possible.

The picture at the top of the post was one of the few signs that I happened upon during the week. I was really hoping for more classic signs but for whatever reason I didn't seem to find the groove this week for sniffing out signs.

This coming week is Thanksgiving week and it's been decided that the first annual Turkey Trot Trip will be to Taos, NM. Unfortunately, The Bride will not be with us so I'll be batching it. I am enchanted with the NM area so I'm really looking forward to this trip. I would have a lot more fun if The Bride were along too, but she's got some serious stuff to attend to in North Carolina. I'll be with her in spirit.......

Thanks for visiting.

It's A Plan - The Trip To Moab

Short and sweet, here's the plan starting on Tuesday, week, for the trip to Moab.

Day #1

Leave as early as I can get The Bride up, dressed, coiffed, makeup-ed and otherwise travel ready.

Leave Denver metro area with "Bivouac" in tow and drive to Rifle, CO.

Turn north to Rifle Falls State Park and pitch camp.

CHILL OUT!













Day #2


Awake to the sounds of birds chirping and the gurgling of a mountain stream.

Eat a leisurely breakfast, commune with nature, listen to the James Taylor song "Secret O Life" ("The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time").

Hook up "Bivouac", proceed north through Rangely and view Indian petroglyphs in Pintado Canyon.

Continue north and west through Dinosaur, CO to campground on west side of Dinosaur National Monument.

CHILL OUT!















Day #3



Wake to the sounds of birds chirping and the gentle wind blowing through the Cottonwood trees.

Eat a leisurely breakfast, take deep breaths of country air, sing out loud the James Taylor song "Secret O Life".

Listen but don't hear cars, kids screaming, planes and other city sounds.

Tell myself, I'm a luck guy.


Hook up "Bivouac" and proceed to Vernal, Utah stopping to see "Big John" the Muffler Man and "Dinah" the pink dinosaur of Roadside America fame.

Continue south through Duchsene and Green River to campground in Moab!

Partake of fellowship with other Moab on the Rocks participants and....

CHILL OUT!

Thanks for visiting and stay tuned..... This is just the plan to get there. Much more to be done there!

Cheesebugha, Cheesebugha, Cheesebugha

A bit of Colorado kitsch before the weekend starts....There are many claims regarding the beginnings of one of America's favorite and most celebrated foods, the cheeseburger. I guess no one knows what the exact truth is but at least Denver has documented part of the truth that is not in dispute.

California, Kentucky and Colorado all claim to be the birthplace of the cheeseburger. This birth occurred sometime between 1924 and 1935. The one thing that is not debatable is the registration of the trademark "cheeseburger" by Louis E. Ballast of Denver in 1935. Louis and his Humpty Dumpty Barrel Drive In are long gone but the stone monument in the picture above marks the spot, now a bank parking lot, where this piece of American culinary history took place.

The "circle" is at full strength this weekend and we're headed to Leadville, Colorado for an off-beat weekend. Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States with an altitude of 10,152 feet above sea level. This small historic mining town is truly a Rocky Mountain High!

Famous names associated with the history of Leadville include The "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, Carneigie, Guggenheim, Susan B. Anthony, Oscar Wilde, Horace and "Baby Doe" Tabor, Doc Holliday, J.C. Penny, and many others.

Unfortunately the weather looks like it's not going to go easy on us. Current forecast is for rain and snow showers with a high temperature of 41.

The good news is that when we return I promise I'll have a good story for you. Now don't get your hopes up for another chapter of Muffler Man because I've already checked and he has no relatives in the Leadville area.

Thanks for visiting.

Is It Genetic? Is It Contagious?

I'm referring to Muffler Man-itis. This interest or obsession with 25 ft. tall fiber glass humanoids is certainly not your run of the mill, everyday, common, humdrum, workaday, commonplace, conventional interest. You really have to be looking for something to be interested in to develop an interest in Muffler Man.

So, the question is...is this a genetic condition? Are my offspring doomed by the genetic double helix to spend their life searching for the Holy Grail of the undiscovered Muffler Man? Should I just include gas money in my will for the time that they will drive 300 miles to investigate the rumor that a strange giant mannequin might be a heretofore unknown variant of Muffler Man?

Or, is this a much lesser affliction? A contagion? Nothing can be done for a genetic condition but something that is developed as a result of contagion is not necessarily fatal or even permanent. People have recovered completely from leprosy....but a lot don't. Not everyone dies from small pox.....but a lot do.

Is it genetic? Is it contagious?

Email from my daughter who lives in California entitled, "Dad, this one's for you!"

We were about a mile outside a small town called Guerneville when I saw it in the
middle of a trailer park.  When I told Jonathan to stop the car so I could take
a picture he looked at me like I was nuts.   But I knew if you were here you'd
want a photo of it so here you go...

Thanks for visiting.

Can You Guess??

Yes, on Saturday night the full "circle" decided that we would like to revisit our youth and go bowling. Most of us have not participated in this sport in ?? years and all of us were definitely in the beginner category. That being said, it must be noted for the record, that everyone had a score of at least 50 and The Bride was the grand champion, beating out "Two Timing, Too Tall" Jeff by over 10 pins and her score was over 100! Other than the scores you really couldn't tell we were beginners because we all had flawless style and you can see in the photo to the right!

We all had lots of fun...and inexpensive fun at that. We chose a very small bowling alley in a not so "sophisticated" neighborhood. There were only 10 lanes in the entire place. It was $2.50 per person per game so the six of us (count the feet in the picture at the top) had a very cheap time. Dinner later at a small restaurant near by was excellent and also a very good value. A great evening and a friendship "fix" for all.

Sunday morning "Guitar" John and I conducted a Muffler Man hunt. We left bright and early and headed north of the metropolitan area to Greeley Colorado. This is the location of one of only two original Muffler Men known to exist in all of Colorado. When we arrived in Greeley we weren't able to find him at first. A really rotten feeling came over us both.....it was like traveling all the way to the Louvre and not being able to see the Mona Lisa!

Go with me on this one people. Muffler Man is important stuff with some people, and who's to say that it's not art? Right? Beauty/art is in the eye of the beholder. Look at Muffler Man's smile in the picture at the right. Look at that enigmatic expression. I tell you, Mona's got nothing on him! If Leonardo DaVinci had fiberglass, who knows what he might have done? Mona might have been the mother of Muffler Man.

Anyway, as you can see by the picture below, we did find him. He's a great specimen and in great shape. Note that I am standing under Greeley Muffler Man giving the Muffler Man salute!

During the trip we also got some great photos of classic neon signs and a couple of old travel trailers, but I don't want to overload you with "alternative" interests today so I'll save those for another post.


No travel again for me this week so further adventures with Muffler Man will have to wait.


Thanks for visiting!

Mr. Bendo I Presume?

Business once again took me to Chicagoland and wedged into the business aspects, I had a goal of seeking out more Muffler Men. When I arrived at the airport on Thursday morning I didn't think things boded well because of the foggy weather but the plane actually left...and arrived on time!

I had a list of 3 Muffler Men that I was going to try to find but ended up only having time to get to one. This one is referred to as "Mr. Bendo" because of the bent piece of metal in his hands. It's actually a muffler pipe and Mr. Bendo lives atop an auto repair shop so this particular Muffler Man is not only an original but has not been re-purposed. A true original! Mr. Bendo is located not too far out of downtown Chicago on west Grand Ave. If you're ever in the area stop by and say "hi" to Mr. Bendo.

The work part of my trip was short but successful and I flew back to Colorado on Friday afternoon. Friday evening the circle of friends attended a concert to hear Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, John Haitt and Joe Ely. It was a different type of concert in that there was no back up band, and the entertainers all played acoustic guitars. They sat side by side and took turns each singing a song they wrote. It was an enjoyable evening.

The evening also provided "Too Tall" Jeff with an add-on to his nickname. For some reason "Too Tall" wore two watches on his left hand...he said he couldn't decide which to wear so he wore both. Instantly he was renamed "Two Timing, Too Tall" Jeff. I suspect the whole thing was an inside joke between he and Karen, but the moniker remains...in perpetuity!

Sunday morning I was up early and on the trail of western history. Maybe not your average mainstream history but history none the less.....Keep reading this blog and you will learn interesting things.....not necessarily things you can use elsewhere, but interesting.

My first bit of western history was to visit the grave of John L. Dyer in Castle Rock, Colorado. John Dyer was an early Colorado pioneer. He is also called "Father" John Dyer and "The Snowshoe Itinerant". He was a preacher and to support himself in the mid 1860's he delivered mail between gold camps high in the Colorado Rockies. At the time Norwegian skis were called "snowshoes", and he used these to deliver the mail in winter over 14,000' mountains. I guess you could say he was one of the first professional skiers in Colorado. His likeness is portrayed in a stained glass window in the Colorado State Capitol and he was inducted into to Colorado Ski Hall of Fame.

His son, Elias is buried in the same cemetery. Elias was a judge in the Leadville, CO area and became embroiled in a feud that started over water rights and escalated out of control. Judge Dyer was shot to death in his own courtroom. He knew he was in danger and the day before he was shot he managed to slip a letter out to his father, John, which in part read:

"Dear Father, I don't know that the sun will ever rise and set for me again, but I trust in God and His mercy. At eight o'clock I sit in court. The mob have me under guard. There is no cowardice in me Father."...."I die, if die I must, for law, order and principle; and too I stand alone."

The killers were never brought to justice and John Dyer brought his son's body back to Castle Rock and buried him in the family plot.

My final bit of western history for the week is, I admit, on the weird side but you should expect that from me by now. Before returning home, I drove to the Littleton, CO cemetery to visit the grave of Alfred Packer the famous cannibal of the west. Alfred and a group of five other would be gold miners tried to navigate the mountains in the dead of winter in 1874. Alfred was the only one to make it out of the mountains alive and folks thought he looked a little too "well fed" for the ordeal he described. Read about this famous western history episode here.

Alfred's grave is covered with a slab of concrete to prevent curiosity seekers from getting out of hand. I'm not sure what's going on here but if you look at the picture of his headstone you will see that people have put pennies on the top of it?? There was also a guitar pick next to the headstone? My stock of weird knowledge cannot explain this. If any of you have a clue about this....leave a comment.

This might come under the heading of "poor taste" but one of the restaurants at the University of Colorado in Boulder is named the Alferd Packer Grill...check out the menu!

No travel coming up this week so I'm afraid I won't be able to do any more Muffler Man hunts, but fear not, I'm always on alert for weird in any form and who knows, maybe some more homegrown weird will be featured next?

Muffler Man & Other Chicagoland Kitsch

This week business took me to Chicagoland and during my trip I was able to investigate some local "weirdness". If you have been following this blog you'll know that recently I have been on the trail of unusual roadside Americana that I refer to as either "weirdness" or kitsch.

One of the most famous roadside Americana/weirdness/kitsch is a creature called Muffler Man. Muffler Men are giant twenty foot tall fiberglass humanoids that were produced in the 1960's and early 1970's for use as outdoor advertising props. They were used to promote muffler shops, gas stations, restaurants and tire shops and various other businesses. To the left you see the basic Muffler Man...with a beard. If you look closely you will notice that the left hand points down. You can't see in this picture but the right hand points up. This is the classic means of identifying an original Muffler Man.

Variations on this basic model include a Paul Bunyon, a space man, a "half wit" with an Alfred E. Neuman head and other characters.

There are people that spend enormous amounts of time searching for and documenting Muffler Men. I learned about these things on roadsideamerica.com several months ago and have been anxious to see one ever since.

Chicagoland has one of the largest concentrations of Muffler Men in the country so I made sure that I had time during my business to seek out at least one of these pieces of Americana. I was in luck and got to see not only one but two genuine Muffler Men and a giant fiberglass Indian that was produced by the same company that made Muffler Man.

The image to the right shows not only a Muffler Man with an axe but a giant cow too! Hmmm, wonder what this Muffler Man has on his mind? The cow seems to be wondering too.

This Muffler Man is at an amusement park north of Chicago. If you look closely at the picture you can see snow on the ground so you can imagine this was not the best time to try and get photos. When I got to the amusement park it was closed...DUH...but I was able to locate a maintenance employee and asked if I could go in and take a picture. Surprisingly, she said yes and added that "lots" of people stop by just to see him. She also said that representatives from Master Card and Nike had been there recently to take promotional pictures with "Muffler Man".....so maybe I'm not as strange as you thought!

Anyway, I consider this trip a success and know that there are at least4-5 more of these things in Chicagoland that will be on my "to do" list for future trips.