This is the namesake for the “Pink Elephant Antique Mart” in Livingston, IL. We went there to get the Big Beach Boy and Muffler Man (see Big People) and got this pink elephant as well. I’ve run into more of these pink elephants around. A couple of them are in front of liquor stores and are holding a martini glass with their trunk, pretty clever eh?
Livingston, Illinois Elephant
Vandalia, Indiana gave us a couple of unexpected Big Things, a Big Muffler and then this Big Fire Breathing Dragon – no kidding! I saw the propane tank and all. It’s out in front of the Vandalia location of the Kaskaskia Supply and Rental store. It’s such a delight to run into these unexpected Big Things. There are lots of people out there with a good sense of humor.
Fire Breathing Dragon
Halloween has gotten to be a bigger event then I remember as a kid. Oh, we dressed up, went begging, maybe even soaped a window or too, but I don’t rememeber all the temporary shops that spring up. So many in fact they look like Starbucks. On Keystone and Ruth Drive in Indianapolis there are two shops across the street from each other (one of them next to a Starbucks, by the way.) Anyway after getting a Grande Pumpkin Latte low fat, etc coffee we stopped to grap this inflatable.
Keystone Golilla
Well I had this turtle placed entirely in the wrong location. I previously thought I found it on the way back from New Harmony in Southern Indiana. Actually it stands at the entrance of the Churubusco Community Park, on Rte. 33, the Lincoln Hwy, near Churubusco, Indiana. I’m not sure I could find this one again, but once is probably enough.
Churubusco Park Turtle
We were in the visitors center at Indiana Dunes State Park when lo and behold I spotted this pair of stuffed fish. Not the biggest fish I’ve been photographed with but big anyway. One in the background is a Catfish and I’m not sure about the other type.
Indiana Dunes Fish
This stork was a nice find. There is a car wash in Vincennes that has several Big Things, this stork is one of them. I don’t know what’s in the water in Southwest Indiana (besides Calcium from all the limestone) but whatever it is, they do like Big Things. This was a researched find but turned out better than expected as some of the best finds do.
Car Wash Stork
I don’t know what it is with the car washes in Southwestern Indiana. Maybe they are competing but there are a plethora of Big Things around car washes. Yogi here waves to all the passing motorists enticing them to come on in and leave with a clean car.
Car Wash Bear
We were in Southwest Indiana on the way to New Harmony, an Intentional Community founded to wait for the Second Coming. A very serene and holy place – you need to go there! Just north in Haubstadt, at the junction of I-64 and US-41 is the Jim Hipp Nursery. Believe me, this a “Target Rich” environment. I am pictured here with the buffalo that greets visitors.
Jim Hipp Buffalo
Well at Jim Hipp’s there are so many wonderful Big Things I almost couldn’t figure out how to capture everything, so here’s a double eagle (wasn’t that a coin?) Pretty cool. And you know what? Jim Hipp lives on site. His house has a warning that it is off limits to visitors, he’s had strangers wander into his kitchen. Imagine that!
Jim Hipp Eagle
Jim Hipp Eagle
From I-64 you can spot this fish (largemouth bass? let me know) if you know where to look. Thankfully for my friends on “RoadsideAmerica.com” I know where to look. Doesn’t everyone plan their trips around things that are larger than life?
Jim Hipp Fish
I have an elephant below on this page that is on the Pendleton Pike here in the Indy area. Melinda told me about that Big Thing. She was an enthusiastic Big Dogger and gave me a Maritni elephant like the one below. Was I surprised to find another here at The Jim Hipp Nursery along with a trio of his friends.
Trio of Elephants
Martini Elephant
This was a nice find. Unexpected as some of the best finds are. I’ve lost my notes on this but as I recall it was in Mitchell, Indiana near Spring Mills State Park where we were planning to spend the night. This sad looking bull was abandoned out in front of a closed general merchandise store. I just realized that I neglected this poor bull as well with my lost details. How sad!
Sorry Looking Bull
I’ve wanted this Inflatable for quite a while now. At times I’ve seen it up in front of one of the Chick fil a restaurants. Without a doubt I saw this inflatable and didn’t have a camera with me or my most favorite photographer. This time the planets were in alighnment and me, the inflatable and the photographer were all together. Hooray!
Chick fil a Cow
I picked up the location of a Muffler Man from “Roadside America” and thanks to GPS we found him and more, this chicken for example. It wasn’t an easy trip but on the way we drove through orange orchards. It let me visualize what the LA area was like decades ago before all the development. At any rate it was near Mentone at the corner of Garnet Road and Mill Creek Road. If you go be sure to stop at the Greenspot store and get some of their “World Famous Jerkee (sic)”
Mentone, CA Chicken
California for Christmas 2008 and still in pursuit of Big Things. After lunch at Lucky Baldwin’s in Pasadena (you have to go there, what a classic place) we were driving South on Fair Oaks and passed the Barn Burner BBQ with this Big Chicken out front. A quick u-turn and the mini-van full of Hejls pulled into the parking lot to grab this image.
Barnburner Chicken
Lucy here is a National Monument. I guess I didn’t treat her with the proper respect because as I was paying the bridge toll into Margate, NJ I asked the attendant where the “big elephant” was. He looked at me with derision. I should have shown some more respect.
Lucy the Elephant
I was just up in Minneapolis and spotted this Big Thing which looks like a big Canadian Goose on Nicollet Mall. I think it was a Canadian Goose, it would have maybe been more authentic if there were a mess of cast goose droppings everywhere like in real life.
MSP Goose
So, we were on our way up to Michigan to see the Davidsons. As we passed an exit I spotted this large rooster in a little park outside a restaurant. We made a note of the exit number and stopped by on the way home. I can’t find the name of the restaurant right now and will update if I find my notes. It was a family style restaurant and would stop there to eat.
I-69 Chicken
Another image ‘found’ from 2005 during the website transfer. Deb and I were in DC for Parents Weekend at Maryland. The three of us drove up to Baltimore to meet Ben and Annie and visit the Baltimore Aquarium. We had timed tickets and ran into a lot of traffic. I somehow managed to drive through the tunnel without paying the toll. Later I received a reminder from National Car Rental of the oversight (and also a charge of $35.00.) After the aquarium we went to the Inner Harbor for a crab lunch at Phillips. The Big Crabs were all over the city.
Baltimore Crab
We were off to an early start to capture some Big Things “Down the Shore” in Seaside Heights, NJ. We spotted this unique guy(?) holding a pepsi can. Of course we had to get this, but the attraction was not yet open. Not to be deterred the Chief Photographer talked our way in and we were able to get this image. A pretty good one-of-a kind.
Seaside Heights Pepsi