What's New

Night photographer Troy Paiva, who has contributed his work to both Weird Texas and Weird Arizona, e-mailed me recently to let me know he's made a major update to his website Lost America.

"I've just launched the largest update to the Read More »

This has not been a good week for roadside oddities. First, Ohio's Touchdown Jesus was razed by God himself, and now the City of Austin, Texas, has forced the closure and dismantling of the long-standing Cathedral of Junk.

The immense, interactive, multilevel sculpture comprising countless found items — crutches, mailboxes, bicycles, bottles, typewriters, you name it — has stood for 21 years as one of Austin's most loved folk-art sculptures and a definitive example of the attitude that gave rise to the city's motto "Keep Austin Weird." Read More »

I've just been informed by a fellow detourist and fan of Weird Texas that the Cathedral of Junk, Austin's towering backyard monument consisting of old bicycles, typewriters, crutches and tons of other metal detritus, has come under fire from the city government!

Despite its being a part of the Austin landscape for the last 20 years, the city, in response to a recent complaint, gave the Cathedral's creator, Vince Hannemann, notice that he must either bring his creation up to local code or they will destroy his property. Read More »

Weird Arizona fans should be well familiar with the decaying "meat rocket" that sat for years off Highway 69 in Prescott, Arizona. Purchased years ago by local Steve LaVigne, the 1950s-era rocket that once advertised Luer Quality Meats in parades across the country had been waiting patiently among a collection of vintage trucks and buses, its future up in the air.

On a return trip to Prescott for a recent book signing, I tried to get in touch with Steve to cash in on a promise to get a look inside the Luer Rocket and to find out if he had any new plans for the Space Age missile. Problem was, the contact information I had for him was out of date and I was unable to reach him.

However, by an amazing coincidence, Steve happened to be shopping at the Costco that was hosting the signing on the very day I was there, and spotted the image of the rocket on page 237 as another patron was flipping through the book. Once we each realized who the other was, we began to chat enthusiastically about the rocket, and that's when I learned the bittersweet news: the Luer Rocket was gone! Read More »

While on a short book-signing tour for Weird Arizona, I stopped by the Twin Arrows Trading Post to see what, if anything, was left of the arrows. To my surprise, they had been completely restored!

A big thanks to all the Phoenix residents who stopped by to chat with me and grab a personalized copy of Weird Arizona on Saturday. I had a great time meeting everyone and hearing about your adventures.

Now, for those of you waiting to hear about the Prescott and Tucson dates, I've finally gotten confirmation. They are as follows:

Prescott Saturday, January 23 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Costco at 3911 Highway 69

Tucson Sunday, January 24 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Costco at 6255 E. Grant Road

By the way, I'm told that if you don't have a Costco member's card, you can ask for a day pass.

On my most a recent, and final, research trip to the Sooner State for my upcoming book, Weird Oklahoma, I traveled to the panhandle to visit the especially welcoming city of Hooker.

I'm always pleased to run across a town with a name that infects me with prurient giggles, but the fact that Hooker has embraced my sophomoric humor pleases me even more. They've turned fourth-grade humor into a booming tourist industry, hawking souvenirs covered in double entendres.

As a preview to Weird Oklahoma, I've posted my story of Hooker, Oklahoma, along with a collection of photos I took while I was there. Enjoy!

There are few words that could adequately describe the awesomeness of what I consider one of the most beautiful toys I've ever seen.

An unnamed reader of Motoblog, an Italian Web site geared toward motorcycle enthusiasts, sent in pictures of a Vespa rocking horse he built for his nephew, Diego. Mind you, it isn't a refashioned scooter built from scrap Vespa parts, but a work of art built to scale and handcrafted from fiberglass and metal.

Diego, don't you ever, ever sell that thing. Except to me.

Residents of Russia's capital city were astonished last Wednesday when they witnessed a startlingly strange formation hovering high in the sky. Looking something like an enormous interstellar portal, the bright-white circle reminded many of Moscow's citizens of a scene from the movie Independence Day.

Video of the phenomenon, available below, has since hit the Internet and has millions bandying explanations, which naturally cover such topics as aliens, UFOs and the impending 2012 apocalypse. Read More »

I've admittedly been neglecting the Roadside Resort for several weeks now, as I'm attempting to tie up Weird Oklahoma, but I had to at least post about the news that Austin, Texas's beloved homeless cross-dresser, Leslie Cochran, has recently been hospitalized.

Cochran was discovered on Oct. 3 by a taxi driver, who found him lying unconscious on a sidewalk downtown. He appeared to have suffered a serious head injury and was reportedly found to be in a semi-vegetative state after he was transported to University Medical Center Brackenridge. Rumors state that he had been seen acting erratically and may have suffered a stroke, but this has not been confirmed. Read More »