Roadside America

Just got back from a trip across the country. Saw a lotta stuff on the side of the road. Thought you might to see some, with a little help from Roadside America. I don't think I truly appeciated some of the significances until I looked them up.

ELEVEN ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS BETWEEN EL CAJON, CA AND CHAMPAIGN, IL
(arranged geographically)

1. Unarius Academy of Science: El Cajon, CA - Just a few blocks from where we lived in California, here's the headquarters of the Unarius Academy of Science. RA's article is a bit dated...apparently, the Unarians were awaiting the arrival of UFOs in 2001. I'm not sure what they did when it didn't happen.
2. Stovall's Space Age Lodge: Gila Bend, AZ - A space themed hotel! A great place to stop for you weary Unarians taking a shortcut between Interstates 8 and 10.
3. Meteor Crate: Winslow, AZ - We saw signs for this, but not the actual park. It brought back memories of my tour of the Southwest in 1996. Other memories from that trip include getting pulled over at the Grand Canyon, standing on the Four Corners, and visiting Mesa Verdere and Baskin Robinson's (yes, I do know those pronunciations are wrong).
4. Stewart's Petrified Wood: Holbrook, AZ - There are a lot of dinosaurs roaming Holbrook, AZ. However, these seemed to be the most, um, menacing.
5. Giant Teepee: Lupton, AZ - I remember seeing this, and though Roadside America doesn't have a specific article about the place, they do have this general article about giant teepees around the country (and Canada).
6. Cadillac Ranch: Amarillo, TX - I noticed this place where the Cadillacs were planted in the ground, but I don't think I understood the significance until we stopped for lunch and the penny squisher machine told us that this was a major Amarillo landmark.
7. VW Slug Bug Ranch: Conway, TX - I'm sure this came about in response to the success of the Cadillac Ranch. It's the same thing, but with VW Beetles. They were tie dyed when I saw them.
8. Second Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere: Groom, TX - You can see this cross from miles away, along with signs advertising it. It is indeed very large. They don't tell you that the largest cross is only three states away.
9. Leaning Water Tower: Groom, TX - Just down the road from the big cross is the leaning water tower of Groom. Apparently, it's the remnant of a truck stop that used it as a way to get people's attention so they'd stop to ask questions.
10. Former World's Largest McDonald's: Vinita, OK - On the toll road between Tulsa and the Missouri state line sits this restaurant. It's hard to miss, you have to drive straight through the place. It used to be the world's largest McDonald's, which apparently now resides in Orlando, FL.
11. Giant Cross: Effingham, IL - Effingham is known as the Crossroads of America, and indeed, this is where we turned north to head for Champaign. It looked exactly like Groom's cross, except without all the stuff at the bottom. It is apprently eight feet taller than the one in Groom.