2024 Interesting Stuff Along the Way (I SAW) Photo Gallery by Jerry Pillarelli at pbase.com

2024 Interesting Stuff Along the Way (I SAW)

Images of things I SAW (Interesting Stuff Along the Way) in 2024.

After earlier presenting you with the 2024 Interesting People Along the Way (IPAW) gallery, I am once again focused on the true task at hand; sending you on a year-end journey through the fascinating, revealing and odd images from my 2024 cross country trip.

This year was different from all the rest in that for the first time I was on a business mission of sorts. I was still visiting interesting and scenic places, but the real goal was to broadcast the publication of my new book, Spectacular In A Losing Effort (available on Amazon at https://a.co/d/8udxENm ). It was a new, exciting and rewarding experience, and I thank everyone that participated.

Besides characterizing this years’ trip as a book tour which allowed me to visit friends and family across the US, the one word I would use to describe 2024 would be HOT! No matter where I was, from Texas (of course) to the southern shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin and Michigan and even in the Mile High city of Denver, everywhere I went it was hotter than normal this summer. Even the cows and their handlers at the Minnesota State Fair had to deal with the heat. There wasn’t much one could do, so I simply shifted my focus by indulging in state fair delicacies like cheese curds, deep-fried chocolate chip cookie dough and deep-fried Oreos. It was particularly sweltering in Las Vegas, so to take my mind off of the heat, I surrounded myself with showgirls; we all deal with stress in different ways…so don’t judge me!

One item from this year that I would portray as an accomplishment would be that I finally was able to more thoroughly explore Wisconsin, Michigan and, in particular, the Upper Peninsula (UP). I had been to the states in the past, but never to the UP. This area boasts the only three national seashores in the National Park System and they are all spectacular. Having lived my childhood in the Chicago area, I was surprised to see both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior had clear aqua and blue waters that rivaled the waters I had seen in the Caribbean!

Without further ado, here is the customary and standard, much-anticipated end of year gallery of images I simply don’t know what else to do with…the things I SAW in 2024…the end of an era and new beginnings edition!

Colorado at Arizona basketball in McKale Center, Tucson	With the Lute Olson statue outside the Arizona Hall of Champions, Tucson	The Wigwam Motel on Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona	Wigwams and old cars at the Wigwam Motel on Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona	Dinosaurs on the main street in Holbrook, Arizona
A small oil derrick near Meteor Crater in central Arizona	The Twin Arrows (now only one arrow) roadside attraction on Route 66 in central Arizona	Holbrook, Arizona city welcome pullout featuring a cowboy riding petrified wood	Sheep crossing the road on the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona	Sign for Navajo Service Route 6 in Northeastern Arizona
Traffic in a snowstorm on I-17 south of Flagstaff, Arizona	First copy of my book, Spectacular In A Losing Effort	Landscape lighting design on the ground at the Hilltop RV Park in Ft. Stockton, Texas	Nighttime flag image at the Hilltop RV Park in Ft. Stockton, Texas	I-10 west as viewed from the Hilltop RV Park in Ft. Stockton, Texas
Large metal chickens at the Hilltop RV Park in Ft. Stockton, Texas	RV with Subaru attached parked for the night at the Hilltop RV Park in Ft. Stockton, Texas	The old Hye, Texas post office along US 290	Vinyard along the Texas Wine Trail, US 290 in Texas	Wind vane at the President Lyndon B. Johnson Historical Park private airport, central Texas
Fire truck at the Lupe Tortilla Restaurant in Houston, Texas	Dalmatian statue on the fire truck at the Lupe Tortilla Restaurant in Houston, Texas	Copper bull at the Lupe Tortilla Restaurant in Houston, Texas	RV with windshield book banner at the Downtown Riverside RV Park in Little Rock, Arkansas	Roadside mural in Little Rock, Arkansas
Large Indian mural overlooking a parking lot in Hot Springs, Arkansas	Tin statue standing outside a restaurant in Hot Springs, Arkansas	Abandoned Kantor Motor Company showroom in Sumner, Mississippi	Farm equipment taking up a lot of space on a Mississippi road	Trees growing in and around a river running through Sumner, Mississippi
Old mural on a brick building in Tutwiler, Mississippi	Mural in a parking lot in Birmingham, Alabama	First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, Alabama	Grammy awarded to President Jimmy Carter for his spoken word album (2018) in Plains, Georgia	Monarch butterfly and vine sculpture in Plains, Georgia
Old Gulf Oil Service Station and Rexall Drug store in Plains, Georgia	The Toccoa River running next to the Toccoa / Blue Ridge KOA RV Resort in Toccoa, Georgia	Boat captain run aground outside a house in central Kentucky	Graffiti on the bridge over the Kentucky River near Camp Nelson National Monument	Bridge over Lake Cumberland near Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument in Kentucky
Statue at a mill along a creek in Cumberland Gap, Kentucky	Water wheel at a mill along a creek in Cumberland Gap, Kentucky	KFC Museum, Birthplace of the original recipe, in Corbin, Kentucky	Birthplace of the Kentucky Fried Chicken, in Corbin, Kentucky	What exactly are we selling here? ...in Corbin, Kentucky
View of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio from I-71 north	Monday Night Football mural on the side of a building in downtown Canton, Ohio	NFL statue in front of the federal building in downtown Canton, Ohio	Buildings on a wharf in Leland, Michigan	University of Arizona Wildcats pennant on the ceiling at the Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor, Michigan
Tower of Lost Soles outside the Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor, Michigan	RV and Subaru parked under the I-75 southern entrance to the Mackinac Bridge and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan	Munising Front Range Lighthouse, Upper Peninsula Michigan	Big Foot on the streets of Munising, Michigan	Does Santa have a gambling problem? At the Christmas Casino in Christmas, Michigan
Muldoons Pasties bakery in Munising, Michigan	A Muldoons Pasty, minus a bite, in Munising, Michigan	Marquette Harbor Lighthouse (1866) on Lake Superior in Marquette Michigan	The Presque Isle Ore Dock (1911), still in operation, in Marquette, Michigan	National Park Service Ranger Boat in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, near Bayfield, Wisconsin
Campaign signs along the road in northern Wisconsin	Old lamp from the Michigan Island Light Station in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, in Bayfield, Wisconsin	Madeline Island Ferry in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, near Bayfield, Wisconsin	US Army and NOAA vessel in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, in Bayfield, Wisconsin	Catamaran touring vessel in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, in Bayfield, Wisconsin
Owner needs to sell fast, oops, too late…near, St. Croix Falls Wisconsin	People for as far as the eye can see, at the Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul	Cattle in their stalls at the Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul	Cattle tenders sleeping in their stalls at the Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul	Goat getting prepped for show at the Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul
With my deep-fried chocolate chip cookie dough “lunch” at the Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul	With Minnesota US Senator Amy Klobuchar at the Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul	Filling a bucket full of Sweet Martha’s Cookies (an after “lunch” snack) at the Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul	Colorful sunset over Shafer, Minnesota	Beautiful sunset over Chatham, Illinois
Sign for Motorheads Bar & Grill along Route 66 in Chatham, Illinois	Motorheads Bar & Grill along Route 66 in Chatham, Illinois	Tombstone of ‘The Korndog King’ in Springfield, Illinois	Halloween house (57 days before Halloween) in Springfield, Illinois	Mural on a bar wall along Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois
BBQ restaurant mural along Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois	Pink elephant with glasses drinking a martini in Springfield, Illinois	Michauds Lighthouse on Lake Springfield outside Springfield, Illinois	Gears and parts statue at a Mellow Mushroom in Paducah, Kentucky	Mural on a building in Metropolis, Illinois
Super Big Boy on a pedestal in Metropolis, Illinois	Children in the back of an Amish wagon on a rural road in Missouri	Large cookout man standing along Route 66 in Springfield Missouri	A Hubble Telescope statue, dedicated to local Edwin Hubble, along Route 66 in Marshfield Missouri	Welcome to Marshfield Missouri mural
Mural dedicated to the town’s history along Route 66 in Marshfield Missouri	Sign for old style Steak ‘N Shake (1962) along Route 66 in Springfield Missouri	Old style Steak ‘N Shake (1962) along Route 66 in Springfield Missouri	Rail Haven Motel, where Elvis stayed in 1956, along Route 66 in Springfield Missouri	The Great Mural Wall of Topeka, Kansas
Cowboys round up a stray calf along the side of the road in the middle of Kansas	Memorial to the Oklahoma State basketball team members killed in a plane crash in 2001 in Byers, Colorado	Trees turning in the Rockies as seen from I-70 west	I-70 passes through the Water Pocket Fold north of Capitol Reef National Park in Utah	The Arizona Charlies Casino on the Boulder Highway in Las Vegas, Nevada
Shirt for sale at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada	…And sometimes ‘good choices make even better stories’, in Las Vegas, Nevada	A Sphere fan in Las Vegas, Nevada	A Rolls Royce at the fee entrance station to Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada	Dramatic winding, undulating road through Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
Sunset over my RV and Subaru in the Verde Ranch RV Resort in Camp Verde, Arizona	Praying mantis makes its last stand before a roadrunner in the Verde Ranch RV Resort in Camp Verde, Arizona…	…Roadrunner secures its meal in the Verde Ranch RV Resort in Camp Verde, Arizona	Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas visible from my RV at home in Tucson, Arizona	Late afternoon sun through the clouds paints the sky over southern Arizona
Sunset lights up the skies over southern Arizona	Sunset, October 17	My Subaru (top) in the middle of a ‘Hot Rod’ show (I didn’t win any awards) in Tucson, Arizona	Brilliant sunset over Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona	After 55 years of ownership, we bid a fond farewell to our land west of Tucson

comment |

Guest		30-Dec-2024 14:42
Another great year Jerry

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