Gribblenation

"...turn left at the Big Chicken." Landmarks, before the era of GPS navigation, physical places, man-made or not, were often used in directions to help get from one place to another. "...one mile South of the Big Chicken." On US 41 in Marietta, Georgia - a 56-foot tall red-and-white chicken - complete with a moving beak and rolling eyes - dominates the suburban commercial strip.  You can see it from nearby Interstate 75 - it's simply known as The BIG Chicken. The story of The Big Chicken dates back to 1963. Stanly "Tubby" Davis wanted a unique way to promote his Johnny Reb's Chick-Chuck-'N'-Shake.  The restaurant served fried chicken, hamburgers, and milkshakes.  It also was a drive-in offering curbside service. Davis commissioned a local Georgia Tech student, Hubert Puckett, to design the roadside attraction.  Puckett would later be involved in renovations to the structure after it sustained significant storm damage in 1993. Close-up of th...

When you come to a fork in the road, take it ---Yogi Berra The fork in the road - where road trip adventures sometimes begin...or end. A decision point, a local landmark, and in Simpson County, Kentucky - a 21-foot piece of art. Designed, built, and installed by welding students at Franklin-Simpson High School in 2018 - the literal "fork in the road" stands at the intersection of Uhls and Bunch Road outside of Franklin in South Central Kentucky.   The piece of art instantly became a hit - attracting visitors from Kentucky, nearby Tennessee, and all over the country. Simpson County Bicentennial Commemorative Coins that feature the Fork in the Road. The Fork in the Road is celebrated throughout Simpson County.  During the county's bicentennial in 2019, commemorative coins featured the fork.  When I was visiting here in May 2022, I was fortunate to receive two of the Simpson County Bicentennial Coins from a passerby. Three years later - the students at Franklin-Simpso...

Buc-ee's, the Texas-sized gas station and convenience store that started in Texas, has been expanding its territory.  New locations have sprung up in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.  Construction is underway, or plans are in place for even larger stations in Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Colorado . For nearly four decades, Buc-ee's was a Texas-only novelty.  The first location opened in Lake Jackson, Texas in 1982, and another four stores opened over the next decade.  In 2000, Buc-ee's began its Texas-sized growth by adding over 20 new stores - mainly around Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Austin/San Antonio areas.   Each store was built larger - with more gas pumps, amenities, and offerings.  The store became well-known for its clean bathrooms, fresh-cut brisket sandwiches, and wall of beef jerky.  Texans and visitors from all around would take road trips to visit new stores or get their Buc-ee's fix.   Buc-ee's ha...

The famous Jack Rabbit Trading Post and billboard - Adam Prince, April 2010. HERE IT IS!!! On the western outskirts of Joseph City in Navajo County on the north bank of the Little Colorado River is an old US Route 66 stop known as the Jack Rabbit Trading Post .  Finding the Jack Rabbit Trading Post is obvious - given there is a giant billboard denoting the site. If you have never stopped at Jack Rabbit, what "it is" is a large statue of a jack rabbit out front of Jack Rabbit Trade Post. The Jack Rabbit statue - Tom Fearer, 2011 In operation since 1949, the Jack Rabbit Trading Post is the creation of Jim Taylor.  Taylor had a small statue of a black rabbit that tourists enjoyed taking photos of.  With a catch yellow and black billboard and a 'tourist attraction', Taylor set up shop in a former AT & SF Railroad Building.  Jack Rabbit Trading Post - Tom Fearer, 2011. The Jack Rabbit statue on site today is a fiberglass construction and has been replaced numer...