Small Town America

In May 16, 2018 we set out on this journey to see America in an unhurried pace.  The “big trip”

All Souls
Bellville, OH

starts when Jay begins riding his bike from Seattle to Savannah.  We are, however, still in the prequel to that adventure.  After attending a weekend Universalist Convocation in Bellville, OH we started our drive to the west coast on Monday, May 21.   We have been in no hurry, but we feel like we have covered a lot of ground. In four days we exited Ohio, crossed Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. We are now on the western side of South Dakota on the edge of the Badlands National Park.  We have logged about 1,200 over those four days.

Albert the Bull

As we travel we have made a point to see local roadside attractions.  Such attractions, we have learned, have been intentionally created to attract travellers to small towns where hopefully some out-of-town dollars will be spent. This search for American kitsch such as Albert the Bull, the World’s Largest Ball of Popcorn, the Pink Elephant with a Martini Glass or the World's Largest Ball of Paint has allowed up to develop a personal view, albeit limited, of small town America.

The small towns we have visited aren’t in any way similar to our hometown of Roswell, GA.  Large grain silos are as frequent as railroad tracks on the edge of town.  Besides visiting roadside attractions our primary interaction in these small towns is food shopping.  We have generally found food selections and fresh produce are limited and prices are higher than at home.  There is a trade off of no traffic and no traffic lights. 

We feel a bit like aliens out here.  Add the sheer extreme expanse of Iowa and South Dakota and you could easily conclude we are “strangers in a strange land.”

UniRoyal Gal, Helen
and Nando

We remain in observation mode.  However, we can conclude that America is truly a beautiful and diverse nation.  So far, so good.

UniRoyal Gal

We will post from time to time our experiences with roadside kitsch such as the Uniroyal gal in Peoria, IL. 

In the 1960’s the Uniroyal tire company commissioned the construction of 17-foot shapely Uniroyal statue to stand in front of tire shops.  During the swimsuit season, they are clad in a revealing red bikini.  Other times, as was our experience, they wear a modest skirt and blouse.  Either way, one can’t help but notice that these gals have great legs!