What's New

Don't miss out on the video for my third day on the road researching Weird Oklahoma, playing now.

The second video in the series for my first research trip to Oklahoma is now up and running!

Watch it now.

Did you know Thorazine is ideal to calm senile agitation? Were you aware that a thorough Lysol douche can ensure happy married love? I bet you didn't know that the wrong coffee can lead to child abuse or that flies, the most dangerous insects known, can lead to infant death.

Now, before you laugh at how gullible 20th-century consumers were, don't forget Smilin' Bob and the miracle, girth-increasing properties of male-enhancement herbs.

Still, ads of the past are amusing. And often very, very disturbing. Read More »

God, I love buttons. Buttons, switches, knobs and flashy lights. They don't even have to do anything. Just depress, click, turn and flash. I'm actually a bit of a philistine when it comes to all these new touch-screens and LCD displays. Well OK, I love those too, but there is something intrinsically satisfying about flicking a nice, aluminum toggle and hearing a metallic snap that tapping a bit of plastic can never bring.

As such, I've recently decided to start looking out for examples of such technology — gadgets from an era when clicking and flicking were just the way things got done. I don't care much what purpose said gadgets originally served, as long as they have manual interfaces and look cool. Read More »

Why should Mom and Dad have all the fun in their portable road-trip digs, when Muttley can enjoy the RV life in a tin can of his own?

Created by Straight Line Designs, this fiberglass and aluminum puppy camper is one of the cutest little dog houses I've ever seen. It's got a wonderful Airstream-like design, features water and food dishes on the trailer hitch and, from what I've gathered, includes a customized license plate.

The limited-edition camper will reportedly run you $2,500. That's $17,500 in dog dollars, which is still cheaper than a real Airstream.

For roadside fanatics who'll be in the Los Angeles area anytime in the next six months, the Petersen Automotive Museum is having a special exhibit on the early history of road trips.

Titled "From Autocamps to Airstreams: The Early Road to Vacationland," the display recounts the birth of American auto travel, complete with a selection of vintage vehicles and campers that helped give rise to the earliest of roadside attractions.

Starting with the "Tin Can Tourists" of the early 1900s, who braved rough roads in luggage-laden Model T's, the exhibit follows the evolution of autocampers through the boxy days of customized "house cars" and into the more streamlined era of diminutive teardrops and majestic camping trailers. Read More »

A few weeks ago, I announced my new obsession with creating Googie-inspired art pieces and the completion of #001, a slightly weathered, 3 1/2-foot metal arrow, complete with chasing lights, the likes of which you might still find pointing the way to a run-down, roadside motel.

Well, the arrow made it into the hands of Minnesota resident and appreciator of midcentury design Karl Madcharo, whose exact words upon receiving said pointing device were, "It looks sweet," after which he promised to send photos once he chose an appropriate place to hang it. Read More »

Fans of Weird Texas, Weird Arizona and many of the other Weird books are probably already familiar with the work of Troy Paiva, photographer and roadside adventurer. As a contributor to the series, Troy has added a unique flavor to many stories with his incomparable night photography.

Shooting by the light of the moon, Troy visits decrepit aircraft, forgotten ghost towns and fading motels throughout the Southwest and creates stunning images with little more than a tripod, a flash and a stack of colored gels, transforming the old and decaying into scenes both unearthly and beautiful. Read More »

Gizmodo has revealed that Mio's KITT-themed GPS unit will be out in August at a price of $270.

They've also posted a video demonstrating the unit. One of the best features? You don't have to settle for being called Michael; it includes a list of 300 preprogrammed names to choose from.

Here at the Roadside Resort, we recognize Matt Harding as one of the world's travel kings, a title he has reinforced with his newly released video.

Harding, if you don't know who he is, became an Internet sensation in 2005 with his first viral video showing him dancing a goofy jig in 20 worldwide locations, including such places as Vietnam, Russia, Mongolia and Kenya, where he frightened a giraffe. Read More »