I once again have led my long-suffering husband to new treasures along the highways and byways of this great country. I never tell the poor man where we are going, I navigate us to the address, telling him to be on the lookout for anything “unusual.” Mister Rain is not a frequent curser, but his initial reaction when he lays his eyes on the Fine Sight is often an expletive. It is always followed, though, by a laugh.
Half Moon Bay, California
Cameron’s Pub
The last thing you would expect to find along the California coast is a London double-decker bus and red phone booth. Yet that is precisely what awaits you at the British-themed Cameron’s Pub.
In addition to the British flare, there is a giant pumpkin in the parking lot. The 5-ton orange gourd is the World’s Largest Sculpted Pumpkin, created by Peter Hazel. Half Moon Bay has an annual Pumpkin Festival, so maybe that explains The Great Pumpkin in the midst of the English iconography. Maybe. All bets are off when it comes to roadside attractions.
Pacific Grove, California
Tree Carved Octopus Attacking Ship
When their beautiful tree died, Matthew and Jessica Denecour commissioned artist Griffon Ramsey to create one of her chainsaw carvings. The complex piece portrays an octopus crushing an ocean liner with its tentacles. Upon its completion in September 2017, it was her largest sculpture to date.
Sandy The Gray Whale
A life-sized sculpture of a gray whale, Sandy resides along the walkway outside the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History.
Completed in 1974 by artist Larry Foster, a team assembled her in a rented warehouse in Oakland. Sandy had not been commissioned by Pacific Grove’s Museum of Natural History, in fact, when Foster started the project in 1971, he had no idea where she would end up.
Sandy was exhibited elsewhere before she was transported to Pacific Grove in eight sections in 1981. She did not arrive in Pacific Grove as a permanent resident, she had been rented by the Museum of Natural History to coincide with the winter gray whale migration. The museum hoped to raise $24,000 to purchase the 8,000-pound whale, an eight-month campaign secured more than $31,000.
It is often mistakenly thought that Sandy depicts a (dead) beached whale, due to the fact that her eyes are closed. This was not Foster’s intent. Sandy is Foster’s way of honoring the gray whale’s migration. He had a lifelong passion for whales, his great-grandfather actually arrived in California aboard a whaling ship.
Lucy’s on Lighthouse Hot Dog
Ice cream after dinner is a vacation tradition for my husband and me. Stepping into Lucy’s on Lighthouse, we were greeted by a 6′ tall hot dog. Wearing sneakers. Condimenting itself. It was a surprise, to say the least, until I discovered that Lucy’s is known for its award-winning hot dogs. Those, however, you condiment yourself!
Santa Barbara, California
Moreton Bay Fig Tree
Over 120 years old, Santa Barbara’s Moreton Bay Fig Tree is believed to be the largest of its kind in the United States. Either 75 or 80 tall, depending who you talk to, the canopy (branch spread) is over 175 feet wide. The trunk is massive, with a diameter of about 12.5 feet.
In 1876, an Australian seaman visiting Santa Barbara gave an Australian Moreton Bay fig tree seedling to a local girl who planted it on State Street. After the girl moved away a year later, her friend transplanted the tree at the corner of Montecito and Chapala streets.
The tree was officially designated as a historic landmark in 1970 and the property was deeded to the City of Santa Barbara in 1976. The tree has since been placed on the California Register of Big Trees.
Los Angeles, California
Kindles Donuts
When you are visually impaired but are still able to make out a giant donut on the roof of a building, you know the donut is pretty darn large.
I was familiar with Randy’s Donuts in Los Angeles, but not Kindle’s. I have since learned that Kindle’s Donuts was the first location of the Big Donut Drive-In chain, which was founded in LA in 1950. When the chain grew, Randy’s Donuts was part of the expansion.
In 1977, a baker named Gary Kindle bought the shop I saw, renaming it Kindle’s Donuts. Although ownership has changed several times, the name stayed the same. It is one of five remaining locations from the original chain that featured a giant rooftop donut. Kindle’s huge pastry, by the way, is the same one that was installed over 60 years ago.
Rest assured, friends, I will continue running down the road trying to loosen our loads.
For other published Roadside Attractions, click below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
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