Because we're at the cabin again this morning (with no Internet), and driving back to metro Detroit this afternoon, I prepared this post ahead of time rounding up some odds and ends from our trip that I haven't yet been able to blog. It will post automatically and I'll be back again live tomorrow, when I once again have Internet access.
First, a gigantic metal flag near the entrance to a car wash in Onaway. You gotta appreciate a car wash called "Larry's Git 'Er Clean."
This dog sticker caught my eye in the Target parking lot near Dave's parents' house. I think we need an Olga version! (Or we would, if we had a car.)
This is a metal plate on the walk-in cooler at his sister's restaurant. I thought it had a pretty cool retro look, but I'm not sure how old it is. It could have been made last year for all I know.
There were some interesting old signs in Sault Ste. Marie...
...including this one, which was a bit of a mystery. The "Edmund Fitzgerald" we all know, but the other two freighters in this mural I wasn't familiar with. Turns out they're legendary large ships from the Great Lakes, but as far as I can tell they didn't meet any sort of tragic end. I guess the theme here is simply "big."
But when it comes to innovative signage, nothing beats Wienerlicious, in Mackinaw City! Yes, that's a big ol' 3-D hot dog on the roof.
retro signs are so cool, and the giant weenie! I hope you drive around Detroit through scruffy neighborhoods and take loads of photos of what the apocalypse may bring to other cities.
ReplyDeleteI am constantly baffled at why so many Americans think they need to fly or erect flags everywhere. Are we so apt to forget what country we're in? I suppose it's supposed to indicate pride.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather see a giant 3-D hot dog but I guess that both is even better.
Aaaaand now I crave a hot dog with the works.
ReplyDeleteI love the dog sticker. You could put an Olga sticker on your house window or on your camera case or backpack!
Bad A$$ Post Brother Reed
ReplyDeleteCheers
I was all for Git 'er Clean until you dropped the Wienerlicious on us!
ReplyDeleteThose are some old school signs. I feel like I've been dropped back into the '60s.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the Wienerlicious place. I wonder if I could get an authentic Chicago dog there. I bet I could.
ReplyDeleteIsn't there a song about the Edmund Fitzgerald?
Yep. Gordon Lightfoot. There is also a shipwreck museum up there somewhere. That song was played in a never-ending loop when I was there.
DeleteYou are clever to post for us even when you don't have internet access! Always prepared, Steve! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat giant weenie made me cackle - hahaha! Although it doesn't look AT ALL appetizing so I'm not sure the advertising works.
ReplyDeleteI believe that that massive hot dog was intended for Lemuel Gulliver in "Gulliver's Travels". You can see some of the Lilliputians moving about below.
ReplyDeleteSteve, here's a little info on the two other ships.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Paul_R._Tregurtha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edward_L._Ryerson
Ore carriers on the Great Lakes.
I bet you can see that wiener from space! It must be quite an overhead sight when the fields are snowbound.
ReplyDeleteLove the giant hot dog! It makes me think of the Oscar Meyer "weinermobile"!
ReplyDeleteI love the happy dog sticker. Retro signs are always interesting to look at.
ReplyDeleteThe collection of signs are wonderful. And, oh, Wienerlicious!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos that reflect some of the different aspects of Americana.
ReplyDeleteA friend was a young Coast Guardsman who was sent out to help find the the Edmund Fitzgerald when it was lost in a storm on Lake Superior in 1975. Sad story.
And yes, Sharon, Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song (and still sings it) called "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Strangely enough, I saw him sing it at Royal Albert Hall back in 2016.
Linda Sue: I've taken pictures in Detroit before but I'm not sure I'll make it into the city proper on this trip.
ReplyDeleteMs Moon: I don't get the flag thing either. And they were EVERYWHERE in rural Michigan.
Jenny-O: That's true! If I saw one that really looked like Olga I'd make it work somehow.
Padre: Thanks! :)
Bob: Wienerlicious definitely wins the prize.
Margaret: Aren't they great?
Sharon: Yes, as other commenters said, it's by Gordon Lightfoot. I practically know it by heart, so it was interesting to be on the Edmund Fitzgerald's home turf!
Ellen D: I'm glad it worked, though I'm not sure why I set it to post so late. Hmmmm...
Bug: OK, but your idea of appetizing can sometimes be a little...different. :)
YP: Yeah, the place was lousy with Lilliputians.
Jim: Thanks for the links! I did realize they were all Great Lakes freighters. I was just glad to see that the Tregurtha and the Ryerson didn't sink. (And thank goodness, because it would be hard to write a song called "The Wreck of the Paul R. Tregurtha.")
Boud: OK, you prompted me to see what it looks like on Google satellite view. And yes, you can see it:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Mackinaw+City,+MI+49701/@45.7811685,-84.73209,72m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x4d358b3940a9ad83:0xeac771ab20cc7a7a!8m2!3d45.7774987!4d-84.7271465?hl=en
Kelly: Yes, very similar to the Wienermobile!
Debby: Oh, I didn't see the shipwreck museum. Unless that's it in the photo! (We only spent a few minutes in town so I could get some pics of the signs, which I saw from the tour boat.)
River: I agree. I am a sucker for an old sign.
Mitchell: How could anyone resist a place called Wienerlicious?! They sold t-shirts and I was sorely tempted.
Mary: It IS a sad story. I didn't realize until recently that the Edmund Fitzgerald sank not long before the song came out. I always thought it was about a shipping disaster from ages before that.
Every time I go by Weinerlicious, we're in the car and I can't shoot it well. Great sign! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteOkay, bun, hot dog, mustard, ketchup, onions but what's the green stuff?
ReplyDeleteWell yes, you are accurate. Ha!
ReplyDeleteWe planned for an evening of dining in Canada but were denied entry and so had to lick our wounds and return to our motel in Sault Ste Marie, (the Adoba Inn) right next to the Lockview Diner you pictured above and where we eventually had our belated supper. It was delicious! Hopefully I will get caught up this week and get that whole story written about in more detail.
ReplyDelete