Hi - Lo Motel Cafe - Weed, CA

If you like stately mountains and coniferous forest, Northern California is definitely the place for you. This expansive area is home to countless creeks and swimming holes, with broad vistas and shady groves to boot.

Another highlight of the region serves up good food and comfortable lodging to the weary auto-tourist. The sign for this place beckons both night and day, calling the hungry and tired to stop and stay awhile. This time, let's stop in at the Hi - Lo!

Nestled on the Old 99 in the still-small-town of Weed, we find the Hi - Lo Motel Cafe back in the days of Ike:

The fate of many 40's - 50's motels isn't always as pretty as a postcard from the past. Many end up surrounded by chain-link fence, with their pools drained and defaced by local wise-acres.

Having said that, I’m quite pleased to report that the Hi - Lo lives on, even though Mt. Shasta was 'Obscured By Clouds' during this recent visit:

The grounds were well kept and the restaurant was bustling. And guess what? The M-O-T-E-L and C-A-F-E letters in the classic sign still light up in sequence, although it's hard to tell on such a bright sunny day:

Maybe next time we'll try one of their Refreshing Root Beer Floats.


Thanks for visiting. See you next time...

Norwalk Car Wash - Firestone Blvd

Here we find a near-cousin of the Slauson Car Wash. Perhaps it was built using the same plans? Those fins appear to be very similar…

The good news about this wash-n-shine is that it looks to be as popular and well maintained as it ever was during its heyday:

Nearby are the shuttered remains of an old Van De Kamps restaurant (note the distinct former-Windmill tower) that had evolved into a Norm’s at some point:

Since Norm’s is closed, let’s have a bite at Douglas Burgers, where they Char-Broil the patties and also serve up Breakfast, Pastrami, and of course Burritos and Tacos.

From what I can find online, it appears that this place has been serving up some awesome (if fatty) food for quite some time:

That’s all for now, see you down the road…

Pacific Car Wash & Bob's Big Boy

At the risk of being typecast, I hereby present another installment in the 'SoCal Classic Car Wash' series: Pacific Car Wash

Located at 12050 Beach Blvd in Stanton, California, it looks like the Pacific has seen a lot of classic autos pass through it's gates over the years. Thankfully, most of it's 60's stylings remain, but I'm guessing that the large sign used to be a bit more 'grand':

And just for good measure, here's a shot of the former Bob's Big Boy on Harbor Blvd near Disneyland. This place was vacant for a while a few years back; I'm glad that Coco's picked it up and didn't change the look:

Happy travels until next time...

Slauson Car Wash

If only to show that I'm still around, here's a nice 'drive-by' shot of the Slauson Car Wash at 3615 West Slauson Avenue, Los Angeles:

The Slauson is just one of many fantastic 50's/60's style car washes scattered throughout the LA region.

I passed by after a stop at Simply Wholesome, which is housed in the former Googie landmark 'The Wich Stand' coffee shop & lounge.

Thanks for stopping by, I'll try to be back with a real post in the near future...

Greetings From Moab, UT - The Apache Motel & Other Scenic Sights

Let’s visit the friendly and beautiful Red-Rock city of Moab, located near Arches National Park in southern Utah. My family and I were lucky enough to spend some time here this past summer, and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Here’s Main Street, back in the early 60’s:

And the same scene on a warm August afternoon in 2009:

Moab embraces its role as a hub for tourism and has many lodging choices to offer the weary traveler. A perfect example is the Apache Motel, which is:

Quiet off highway. Luxury 32 ultra modern units, TV, Pool, Playground, Air Cond. Delightful Restaurant. “Western Hospitality in the heart of the Canyonlands”

Tradition and value are honored at the Apache, where the large arrow-sign is still stuck firmly in the pavement out front.

According to the motel’s website, The DUKE stayed here…Wow!

The pool is still in good shape, and those old-style metal umbrellas are probably the same ones that shaded Mr. Wayne when he relaxed at poolside…

Signs on (and off) of Main Street direct traffic to the Apache, which is located on a quiet looking street away from the heart of town.

Even at night, the Apache beckons:

I’m sure that John Wayne loved neighboring Arches National Park and all of its scenic wonders, including Balancing Rock:

Landscape Arch as well...

If the Apache is all booked up, perhaps the Rustic Inn or the Virginian Motel have a room available:

The Best Western Canyonlands was home to my family and I during our stay, and we heartily recommend this excellent motel to anyone planning a visit. The beds were very comfortable and the breakfast was outstanding!

The modern Canyonlands motel is located at the corner of Center and Main. In former days, the Canyonlands Café shared the site with the older incarnation of the motel:

The old Café was bulldozed in the early 90’s, and today ‘Pasta Jays’ sits on the corner. It was always busy during our stay, and you could smell the garlic a block away.

If you get a chance to visit Arches National Park, make sure you hike down Park Avenue around Sunset…It was a truly sublime experience.

The Windows Section of the park is quite striking as well…

When we left Moab, our journey through the West continued through Castle Valley and Dead Horse Point State Park:

We made it ‘off-road’ to Goblin Valley also:

Then we proceeded to tour through Capital Reef NP and scenic Highway 12:

We finished the trip with stops at Bryce Canyon followed by Zion National Park…

It was quite a journey, and one that I would recommend to any of you who get the chance. It was the type of adventure that sticks in the old memory banks for quite awhile.

Oh, and if you get tired on the drive home, how about the Sands in St. George?

Take care and thanks for visiting…