I’ve long gotten a kick out of interesting signs, be they cute and funny or ridiculous. Last summer, when we were traveling through much of the western USA in our RV, I made more of an effort to capture such signs. Finally, after also poring over many of my older photos, I’ve put together some. This is Round 1.
Beginning with the first photo, top left corner, you’ll see that the second sign indicates (squint!), westbound on Utah State Highway 143, which is just south of Panquitch. You’ve probably made a fair approximation of the situation here. Behind us, U.S. 89 had shot straight through most of the town but then took a left turn at what is in these parts a busy intersection. Understandably, a lot of drivers must have missed that turn and soon found themselves on a lonely road toward the middle of nowhere. Hence the sign. All photos by Steve Martaindale
The photo to the right is pretty self-explanatory. It came from an RV park on Lake Eufaula near Checotah, Okla.
The third photo, running across the page, tells a story without telling the story. Visiting friends in Angel Fire, N.M., I accompanied him to the church he pastors when he was running errands on a weekday. I snapped the photo at the back of the nave, in an area designed for someone to control sound, lights, etc. “Do not turn anything on unless you know what you are doing!” sends a pretty clear message that someone in the past has done just that.
“There’s a reason they call it the Badlands,” is my caption for the photo of the bird sitting on the sign. From that perch, it should be able to see a rattlesnake coming.
Speaking of warnings, the next sign tells you, “Head this way in case of a tsunami.” This was on the outskirts of Ao Nang, Thailand, and it along with other Indian Ocean nations take the warning seriously. The Dec. 26, 2004, Sumatra–Andaman earthquake triggered a tsunami with waves up to 100 feet high, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries. Approximately 8,000 people died In Thailand.
Lightening the mood a bit is advice I’ve heard from a number of friends through the years. Yeah, you know I’m talking about you.
The bottom left photo is from a non-commercial tourist site known as Sand Caves, located a short distance north of Kanab, Utah. There is a short trail from parking to the caves (which require a challenging climb to reach). You’ll notice on the left side of the photo a traditional trail marker, modified with succinct advice on whether one should follow the offshoot trail.
In Belle Fourche, S.D., there’s the Geographic Center of the Nation Monument. We’ve never been there, but we did travel several miles down a rough dirt road, held up for a while by a small cattle drive, to see the true center of the nation. The cairn you see in the bottom right photo still is not quite the center. Squint inside the yellow circle and you should make out a white spot, which is the U.S. flag flying over the exact geographic center of the 50 states. Now you know.
There are more in my signs collection and I’m certain to do this again. And it doesn’t have to be just me. If you’re willing to share your own cute/clever/flabbergasting sign photo, I’d love to have it. If you don’t have my email or Facebook, leave me a comment (link at the very bottom of this article) and I’ll send you one. I do ask that you send me only a photo that you took and not something neat you found online. I will also give you credit when I share it.
Now, y’all be careful driving out there; don’t get too distracted looking for cool signs.
Steve Martaindale 