 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
| Road Pantry on Peterson Avenue. A masterpiece of color and design. | First of many views of my motel in Sun Prairie, McGovern's. | I could've stayed at a "nicer" motel, the Amerihost or something, which had a pool, but it was $35 more per night and had no charm. | McGovern's has been there forever, the rooms and beds are comfortable, and sweet old ladies run the front desk. |
 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
| They even give you a razor or toothbrush if you forget yours (in my case, a razor). They have two great signs, this is the secondary one. | No Parking signage in Madison. | Dinner in Madison then back to McGovern's for some nighttime photos of their signs. | This was a longer exposure and more representative of how neon looks at night. |
 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
 Fri, Jun 18, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Sign in front of the Supper Club-type portion of the motel. | They even sent me a thank-you card for staying there, what sweet people. | The phone in my room; not terribly interesting now but will be a relic in years to come. | Decided to go to the Wisconsin Dells, on the back roads. I stopped in most towns to check things out. This is a barber shop in Sauk City. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| A (defunct) tavern in Sauk City, WI. | More signage from the same tavern. | Saw a few ads for this kind of Sun-Drop soda, must've been a local favorite at one time. | More Sun-Drop signage. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Steakhouse and Lounge on the river, downtown Sauk City. | View of downtown Sauk City looking west. | Sign for Uncle Ozzie, an entertainer who was coming to town. I'd recommend a visit to <a href="http://www.uncleozzie.com">his website</a>. Very nice stuff. | Shot down by the river, bowling alley in the distance. Sauk City. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Looking towards main street from river, Sauk City. | I was delighted to find a 5 and 10 store, the kind of gem that used to keep small towns stocked with EVERYTHING, pre-Walmart. They had some nice jeans from the 80s on the shelf, at 80s prices, but mostly odd sizes. This was a poster in the fitting room. | Self-portrait in fitting room mirror. | Antique Tap, downtown Sauk City, WI. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Soap Opera Laundromat, Sauk City. | Back on Hwy 60, headed for Baraboo. You Be the Judge of these shitty prefab homes. | Masterpiece of signage, Kwik-Wash Coin Laundry, I think this was in Baraboo. 24 hours! | Ringling Theater, downtown Baraboo. Very nice-looking place, too bad the town is so wrapped around Ringling Brothers' shameful history and legacy of animal abuse. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Motor Court on the way out of Baraboo. | At last I have arrived in the Dells, though I drove all the way through before I took any photos; this was the point at which I doubled-back for a second look. Didn't want to stay at the first place that looked good, there were far too many. | Another view of Shady Nook Motel's signage, Wis. Dells. | God knows what this place is, tourist BS. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Pet The Deer! | Ahh, the Star Motel. This gem on a hilltop is where I hung my hat during my visit. One of the best signs (and locations) on the strip, reasonable rates, and a couple of pools. | Another view of the Star Motel complex, looking towards Colossal Buffet segment. | Large roadside mouse thing, missing most of his letters. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Shamrock motel on the strip, Hwy. 12. | High Voltage! I love these signs in different locales, though this one's not as good as the one in Poland (with the skull). | 4 Seasons Motel, Hwy 12, Wisconsin Dells. | Flamingo Motel. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| House of Embers had an AMAZING sign at nighttime, though it wasn't terribly impressive during the day. Great animation and lettering. | Sandman Inn's photo suffers from twilight lighting, sorry. | Motel with faux-Bavarian treatment, Wisconsin Dells. | Pine-Aire Motel. I almost stayed here for the name alone, but alas it was no match for the Star, overall. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Evergreen Motel. "Lemme tell you a thing or two, Mister...." | Trading Post, one of many. This is where I bought Liz's wolf painting and a bunch of other crap, more photos later. | Sign for Lost Canyon. Had nice sequin-y stuff on horses. | Charming and perfect sign on a grocery store. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Not hard to find Cheese in Wisconsin. | Weird and impressive restaurant, Denny's Diner. | Gotta admire the jigsaw work here. | Kings Inn Motel, Wisconsin Dells. |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Another view of Denny's (no affiliation with the shitty chain called Denny's; this place is a real diner). | Smokey the Bear, in very nice shape. | Twi-Lite Motel. Love the optimism that name inspires. Almost stayed there, too, but too far off the strip. | First glance of incredibly macabre Swim at Your Own Risk sign, see other to follow... |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
 Sat, Jun 19, 2004 |
| Mary's Place serves up grotesque-looking hotdogs and awful typography. I do like the twist-cone though, and the faithful rendering of Pepsi logo. | I turned back toward town at Mary's. Here we are back at the masterful and nightmare-inspiring poolside sign. I'd recommend making this your desktop wallpaper. My hands' shadow adds an extra dimension of terror... | Harsh shadows on quaint architecture. | Ho-Hum little post office, Lake Delton, WI. A national treasure. |