Washington author Tom Robbins earned the cult-like worship of literate hippies and other social rebels back in the '70s & '80s. His first book, Another Roadside Attraction, was the story of a quirky-but-lovable commune of Northwest ragamuffins who operated a roadside Flea Circus in Mount Vernon, in western Washington's scenic Skaggit Valley. Few motorists were lured in by the promise of performing fleas, so a plan was set afoot to add the (Stop Press! Newly found!) Body of Jesus to their menu of remarkable attractions.... Right. A good, rollicking read.
And when Road Tripping on today's highways and byways in rural Washington? There are still plenty of Roadside Attractions to capture the interest of passing motorists. More often than not, these Roadside Attractions are not meant to be odd or provocative. But to the many urban-oriented, over-educated motorists, like me, whizzing past in their uber-cool European travel boxes, the Ordinary of eastern Washington can be appreciated as Authenticity of the Most Extra-Ordinary kind. Some photos...
This huge complex of old, metal-sided ag/industrial buildings along the Spokane River seemed to me to be the eastern Washington equivalent of a medieval castle compound in Tuscany...
As impressive as these Creston grain silos may be...
...the most impressive thing to be found in Creston is the neon sign for Billy Burgers. Yes, I stopped. And no, the burger is nowhere near as impressive as the sign. Wish I'd've been able to see it at night!
(the sign, not the burger...)
The Boorman Greenacres windmill/water pump isn't the charming historical remnant of pioneer days. It's nearly new. It's how this inland farmer gets his water from the underground aquifer.
The grain-farming town of Davenport has been around for 140+ years. The local economy hasn't changed much in that time...
... although one thing in Davenport that has changed, apparently, is the operation of Stockland, a livestock auction site with a vast, seemingly abandoned grid of out-back corrals. Presumably livestock are now transported by 18-wheelers to distant mega-sized auction sites.
Who would believe that a small town merchant could make a living from a retail shop that primarily sells... letter jackets? Well, at least it was located just a couple of blocks from the high school.
Not so difficult to believe is the existence of this enterprise alongside the Interstate in Liberty, Washington. They fix RV rooftops. At first glance, you wonder, "How in the world...?" But then you realize: "If I have a leaky RV rooftop, where can I get it fixed?" Well, it's no big deal for someone with an RV to simply schedule the repair for the next time they happen to be driving along I-90 in eastern Washington. A specialist service for the mobile, real-world economy of the 21st Century. The proprietor is probably doing very well.
Certainly the STRANGEST Roadside Attraction I spotted on this trip was the Chinese Gardens restaurant about 10 miles west of the Washington/Idaho state line. Bizarre. Not the restaurant itself, mind you. Chinese restaurants can be found anywhere. Not even their promise of cocktails & dancing. (Imagine...) But what was truly bizarre was the single vehicle parked in front. A snow-white hearse. Oh, my. It's a dark-humor cartoon just begging for the endless possibilities for irreverent captions: "Tried the cocktails. Tried the dancing. Nope. Still dead."
Or...
"Customer said chow mein didn't agree with him. We've called a car."
Tom Robbins would be smiling...
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