I went completely overboard on a recent design. The task? Illustrating the theme of of “Highways and Byways”.
My solution was to research and depict at least one roadside attraction or monument for each state in the contiguous USA.
And that slowly ballooned into a giant task.
I was off and running with my research and I’ll be honest, I now want to hop in a car and go visit each one of these places!
It all culminated in the Feel-Good Field Guide to Roadside America. The design turned out so epic that I’ve posted some detail pictures here, especially because I was proud of myself for getting the essence of both Elvis and Abe LIncoln in one drawing session.
Barring the parameters inherent with a repeat, the design is laid out geographically (give or take) from left to right (west coast to east coast), starting around where the compass is. Working our way slowly cross-country, here are just a few fascinating sights not to be missed:
- Space Needle, Seattle, WA
- Trees of Mystery Paul Bunyan, Klamath, CA
- Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
- Hollywood sign, Hollywood, CA
- Mount Hood Railroad, Hood River, OR
- Red Rock, Sedona, AZ
- Wigman Motel, Holbrook, AZ
- Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX
- Giant Killer Bee, Hidalgo, TX
- Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign, Las Vegas, NV
- Hoover Damn, Boulder City, NV
- Dog Bark Park Inn, Cottonwood, ID
- Talking Penguin Statue, Cut Bank, MT
- Giant Head of Abraham Lincoln, Laramie, WY
- Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO
- Petroglyph National Monument, Albuquerque, NM
- Frontier Village and World’s Largest Bison, Jamestown, ND
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, SD
- Chimney Rock, Bayard, NE
- Castle Rock, Smoky HIlls, KS
- Robbers Cave State Park, Wilburton, OK
- World’s Largest Totem Pole, Foyil, OK
- Giant Mailbox, Newellton, LA
- World’s Largest Ball of Twine, Darwin, MN (disputed by KS!)
- Amana Colonies, Amana, IA
- Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO
- Watermelon Water Tower, Hope, AR
- Statue of Elvis, Memphis, TN
- Mammy’s Cupboard, Natchez, MS
- Dells of Wisconsin River, Wisconsin Dells, WI
- Giant Lady’s Leg Sundial, Roselawn, IN
- George Rogers Clark Memorial, Vincennes, IN
- Belle of Louisville Steamboat, Louisville, KY
- Big Chair, Annistion, AL
- The Big Duck, Flanders, NY
- Statue of Liberty, NYC, NY
- Love Sculpture, NYC, NY
- Cape May Lighthouse, Cape May, NJ
- Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, PA
- World’s Largest Picnic Basket, Newark, OH
- The White House, DC
- Washington Memorial, DC
- Green Bank Telescope, Green Bank, WV
- Natural Bridge, Rockbridge, VA
- Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue, Plains, GA
- World’s Largest Chest of Drawers, High Point, NC
- The Big Coffee Pot, Winston-Salem, NC
- Peachoid Water Tower, Gaffney, SC
- Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL
- Tiki Gardens, Indian Rocks Beach, FL (okay, it no longer exists, but I couldn’t resist.)
- Stellafane, Breezy Hill, VT
- West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, Lubec, ME
In my epic quest to hunt down the most intriguing sites, I completely forgot to represent a couple of states (and to you, I’m sorry and I swear I’ll add you in after I’ve caught up on sleep). Also, somehow I managed to have two entries for a few states. I couldn’t resist.
I’m a total sucker for crazy oversized buildings that look like whatever (current favorites are that giant picnic basket and the Big Duck), so I could research and draw those til the cows some home. You know, the World’s Most Famous Super Giant Oversized Cows, that is!
I’m sorry to Lucy the Elephant (Margate, NJ) that, although I’ve been to see you in person TWICE, I completely forgot to include you. Gah!
Some adjustments are needed to add sites, but this is a pretty good overview of the fun things you can find across America.
So get in a car, fuel up (sure, the car too) and get sightseeing, folks!