VINTAGE: The One Golden Arch of McDonalds

America is a great place if, you're like me and love nosing out of the car window at random business and road signs. Neon, huge, spinning, flashing, America has them all. When some of them are on your doorstep you take them a little bit for granted, and I thought it was high time I got around to working out why two of the local McDonald's restaurants signs only had one of the arches in their signs. Plus they look rather vintage - double winner. I got a couple of questions about why the single arch was used when I shared the above photograph across social media, so I thought, why not blog about it. Why not indeed.

To back up a little, the golden arches we associate today with the fast food chain is known globally. But that hasn't always been the case. in 1948, eight years after brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their barbecue resturant, the Speedee character was launched, a character reflecting the Speedee Service System of their production line principles. He was later replaced with Ronald McDonald. Sadly signs featuring Speedee are even harder to find than the single arch, but you can stumble across one in the automotive section of The Henry Ford Museum over in Dearborn (shown below).

So between Speedee and the golden arches during one short interval in 1962, the single arch came about, many featuring a crest design upon the red advertising space. Here in Metro Detroit we are rather spoiled in being home to two (one in St Clair Shoes - pictured, and Warren) of the few remaining. This modernist transitional sign is own back lit (very popular in post World War II USA) and constructed of plastic panels upon a metal frame with the red advertising space midway. 

Sadly with McDonald's popularity, growth, redevelopment, finding early signs is growing increasingly tricky with some suggestions of only around 11* still used for their original advertising intentions, the majority lost to scrap yards or incorporated into private collections.

So there you have it, a little bit of history about that infamous branding you might just happen to pass every day.
  

* The 11 "known" single crested arches can be found in Lancaster, PA, Magnolia, NJ, Green Bay, WI, St Clair Shores and Warren, MI, Huntsville, AL, Independence, MO, Winter Haven, FL, Velleville, IL, Muncie, IN and Pine Bluff, AK.

LIFE: Travels and Ponderings on a Roadtrip

The Ohio -  West Virginia border

Last week we decided to take the long way around to our nephews joint birthday in Pittsburgh PA and spent a couple of days in Ohio. Part of Joe's birthday present was to take a trip to a theme park so the plan was for an early Wednesday morning drive down to Mason OH, ride coasters all day, spend the next day at the Zoo, drive over to Pittsburgh on the Friday and spend some time there over the weekend.

Our little trip turned into five nights, visiting five states - including two new ones for my visited list (Kentucky & West Virginia) and travelling over 800 miles in one huge circle. 

Cincinnati, Ohio

Spending a lot of time on the road with hours and hundreds of miles between all the cities you find things to past the time. Like punch buggy game (I lost), watching every single cars licence place to see where they've travelled from and wondering where they are heading to, and pondering odd things like;

• How bloody huge America is
• How the hell do you comfortably drive from California to Pennsylvania in a Fiat 500?!
• If only the camera would stop focusing on the windscreen damn it
• How road signs warning about a "bump" in the road is just an everyday occurrence in Michigan 
• Thus leading to thinking ... wow everyone has better roads than Michigan
• And public transport while we're at it
• Wait I don't know if I picked up my camera ... 
• Oh look there's a truck with a Confederate flag 
• Does eating in a McDonald's count as visiting a state?! 
• Constantly wondering how the hell houses in Pittsburgh don't slip down the hills

But at least since I ditched TMobile and switched to Boost I know have phone signal in the middle no nowhere, especially on the turnpikes to not only GPS track every single mile but to wiki search anything that makes my fancy. Always leaning, always learning ...

Ohio

Learning things like how farming is Ohio's number one industry so it's no surprise when you're driving around the state how many fields and farms you come across. While born a country lass, my life is now spent hidden away in the burbs of Detroit so it's always nice to see fields, trees and animals as far as the eye can see. As for the countryside smell, yeah not missed that so much. It was particularly eerie with the mist rising come Friday morning as we left Cincinnati and headed east.

Ohio Interstate 70 by Zanesville

Driving on American roads is always filled with history, even if it is a little more on the modern scale of things. Interstate 70 is one of America's major highways stretching from Maryland all the way west to Utah. In many places it mirrors the former path of Route 40 of which the mile marker (above) was one used for. I always have a great love for state historical societies and their plaques.

Ohio - West Virginia border

So we followed I-70 as far as Washington, PA which meant getting to tick another "new" state to my visited list - that of West Virginia. Granted it was only a 14 mile stretch but we did stop at a McDonald's so I'm counting it all the same. But even with that short drive through the state, I can certainly see why it's a state known for it's mountains and rolling hills.

The Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Sunday rolled around and it was time to head home and back to normality. We took our normal route back along the Turnpike. Normally we visit the in-laws in November/December when it's all gloomy, snowing, wet and leafless so seeing all the green fields was a particular delight. Well it was after all the rain stopped.

I actually got really excited back in May when one of my favourite blogs the Dainty Squid shared her walk around the Cuyahoga Valley National Park which lies between Akron and Cleveland in Ohio. That huge bridge in all her stunning photographs - well that's the bottom of this one I managed to catch a gloomy photograph of. We've driven over this part of the national park so many times coming back and home Pittsburgh and it's always looked so beautiful down in the valley.

Detroit, Michigan

And while I'm still suffering from post holiday blues, it is always a welcome sight seeing Detroit's skyline as we travel north up I-75. Home isn't too far away with you see those towers of the Ren Cen (told you you could spot it miles away!).

I have a lot of blog posts about this road trip in a lot more detailed planned out for the forthcoming weeks (and probably months because I'm slow at times and I love sharing details and history) so bare with me!

But let me know how you cope and past the time on road trips and when travelling?!

MICHIGAN: Uniroyal - The Worlds Largest Tire

If you ever happen to be driving east along I-94 through Allen Park just by the Metro Airport you might come across one of the world's largest roadside attractions - a huge tire. Heading back from Taylor this weekend, I finally managed to quickly grab a drive by photograph!

Located near Detroit, the Uniroyal Giant Tire stands 80 feet high (about 8 stories high) and was originally created as a Ferris wheel for the 1964/1965 New York World Fair. With each ride in any of the 24 gonadlas costing 25c and lasting 10 minutes, the tire Ferris wheel was enjoyed by over 2 million people.

 Back in it's former life as a Ferris Wheel at the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair. Source.

After the fair closed the tire was dissembled into over 180 pieces, the gondolas removed and the tire was relocated to the Uniroyal sales office in Detroit to be displayed as a static roadside attraction, paying homage to the automotive history. For me the first mention I ever heard of Detroit was in geography lessons - Detroit built it's wealth and fortune upon the automotive industry, with Henry Ford's thirst for innovation refining the production line and mass assembly. With these methods adopted by Ford's rivals, and part suppliers establishing themselves in the city, many car manufactures based their headquarters in the Detroit, the Motor City.  

Weighting 12 tons, the worlds largest tire is built to withstand hurricane strength winds and while it's changed it's name and had a new hub cap over the years it's still standing strong. You certainly won't miss it if you're ever in these parts!

View Larger Map

Looking for the Uniroyal Tire? 

You'll find it eastbound on I-94 between Southfield Freeway and Outer Drive. 

What's the best roadside attraction you've ever spotted?

MICHIGAN: The World's Largest Limestone Quarry

Now I really want to see the random things that America has to offer, you know from the mom and pop diners to crazy roadside oversized objects. Once we found out we could stop at the viewing sight overlooking the world's largest limestone quarry just outside of Rogers City, we knew it was a must. Founded in 1910, although production did not begin until 1912 The Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company with the construction of both the quarry and a port, transported the limestone out to everywhere from Chicago to Detroit and Cleveland. 101 years later, the quarry continues to be mined and stands at around 5 miles long and 2 miles wide - it's even more impressive once you see it from the air.

Source

Stepping up onto the viewing platform is like being transported into another world. One cut up, blown up and carved into an unrecognisable unearthly landscape somewhat how you might imagine the surface of the moon to be with it's craters and mountains. It's even more unworldly when you consider the immense scale of the quarry as trucks drive across the vista dwarfed by the height of the cliffs and ledges because you know the truck in the third image down is going to dwarf you if you ever stood beside it.