The Thing – One More for the Road
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 9:30PM Tweet By Bennett Owen
Credit: A.C. Huestis
You’ll start seeing the billboards as soon as you cross from California into Arizona, or heading west from the New Mexico border.
And you’ll keep seeing them, the deeper you drive into the desert – ‘Mystery of the Desert’ – ‘The Thing’ - 247 road signs in all, captivating the kids’ imaginations and enticing the weary traveler to go even further out of their way to stop at a curio shop that’s as close to the middle of nowhere as it’s humanly possible to get.
Credit: Snap Man
And people stop here in droves, putting down good money for the sucker punch of the century…the desperate need to find out what “The Thing” really is.
Credit: Bill on Capitol Hill
No, we’re NOT going to tell you, although most visitors say it’s worth every cent of the 1 Dollar entry fee. Talk about damning with faint praise!
Credit: Eccentric Roadside
Although if you really want to spoil the surprise, my favorite website, Roadside America, does a hilarious inventory.
The owner…Bob Hope…says the original shop started up in 1950 and has been in the same ‘central’ location since 1965. That’s some true staying power.
Credit: LatFJCCT
And, over the years ‘The Thing’ has gained enough of a reputation that it’s marketing its anachronistic quirkiness. Hence the Thing caps, shot glasses, t-shirts, beer mugs, and bumper stickers .. there’s even thing-branded bottled water.
Credit: Eccentric Roadside
Credit: Roadside America
In all, it’s an utterly ridiculous collection of crap that’s is far too good, far too entertaining to pass by.
PS: The My-West staff would like to give a hail and hearty hat tip to the intrepid RJ Burns for tipping us off to The Thing!