Unique Stuff in the Arizona Desert

The Desert is where it’s at

I have probably traveled the highways more than the average man. For my money, I think the desert is the best place to find random weird things along the roadside. There is just something about the remote isolation of the desert that brings out oddities It should come as no surprise that I like roadside attractions. Therefore, on my last trip to the desert, I was on high alert for roadside oddities to share with you. Without further adieu, I give you unique stuff in the Arizona desert…

The Thing!

f you drive the highways of southern Arizona, you WILL see billboards for “The Thing.” The billboards are everywhere. Furthermore, you do not even have to be going in the right direction. I have a soft spot in my heart for any marketing campaign solely based on billboards. If you have ever seen the Wall Drugs billboards in the Dakotas…same approach here. Obviously, I had to investigate The Thing. Sadly for you, I am not going to tell you the entire story. For God’s sake, this is the “greatest mystery of the desert.” I could not live with myself if I revealed the mystery in my blog. Suffice to say, it details how aliens have manipulated the entire development of mankind. Ultimately, the exhibit wraps up with inarguable physical evidence of their claims…The Thing.

So, if you are near Dragoon, AZ, and have your $5, stop by and learn how our species came to be.

The Checkpoint

Keeping with the theme of invading aliens, if you are in southern Arizona, you WILL run into US Customs and Border Protection. In fact, on the highway north of Tombstone, there was an ongoing Customs Checkpoint for all north bound traffic. Eventually, I knew I was going to have to be inspected on the way out of town. I was looking forward to the inspection. On that day, I ensured my rental was free of illegals and edibles. Next, I headed north out of Tombstone to face the Checkpoint…

Sorry, some of my pictures are of lower quality, even for me. I was trying to be sneaky with my picture taking. I had no idea whether picture taking would or would not be viewed upon poorly by the agents. The bottom two pictures were over my shoulder while I was driving away from the checkpoint.

Although I did enjoy the checkpoint process, I was a bit disappointed. I wanted to be thoroughly inspected for illegals. However, I think they profiled me. The officer took one look at me and saw another harmless tourist. He just said…”Have a good morning” and waved me through. That’s it! How insulting. I can be a pretty questionable character. I was hoping for a more thorough effort from our US Customs and Border Protection, but I thank you for your service anyway.

The Boneyard

While I was wandering somewhere southeast of Tucson, I found a boneyard. It was a plane boneyard right out of Con Air. I can not tell you how many planes were in the boneyard, but it was well into the several thousands.

Sadly, the place seemed a little to secure to fully accommodate my curiosity. There were no offers for tours, nor could I find a breach in the fence to bring you better pictures. As there was a major air force base next door, I did not linger too long in the area. But, to give you a better idea of the full magnitude of this place, I released the PT drone for an overhead shot.

Using the Metric System

US Interstate 19 is a 65 mile stretch of highway between Tucson, AZ, and Nogales, AZ (a border town). It was completed in 1978. The highway is fully contained within Arizona. At the time of completion, there was activity in the government to convert our nation to the metric system. Because someone believed the conversion was actually going to happen, the road signs look like this…

Interstate 19 in Arizona is the only highway in the USA that uses the metric system for the entire stretch of the road. The intent to convert to the metric started under the Carter administration…and was abandoned under the Reagan administration. So, no one else used the metric system on their highways. Obviously, the original signs have been replaced several times since the original construction. The two main reasons for maintaining the metric system are…one, the locals like their unique highway…and two, it helps with the significant ongoing commerce coming from Mexico.

Just to confuse you further, the speed limit signs were all in miles per hour…I think. Apparently, the highway is one big math exercise. If Nogales is 86 kilometers away…and you travel at 75 miles per hour…when do we get to Nogales? I had no idea.

The Rattlesnake Ranch

I do not have any background story to give you about the Rattlesnake Ranch. It just is what it is. Not too far away from the The Thing, there is a desolate desert ranch loaded with metal dinosaur sculptures. Yeah, that’s it. During the day, the gate is left open. No one is around. Therefore, you just drive through the gate and loop through the 15-20 dinosaurs. Believe me, being shot for trespassing was on the fore front of my mind. But, it was all good. There was no other human in sight. I enjoyed the dinosaurs, then left $5 in the donation box.

Wrap It Up

That’s my random collection of unique stuff in the Arizona desert. I also hunted down a few ghost towns. But, I decided to spare you that boring collection of decaying, long abandoned buildings. So, if you find yourself putting in the miles in the desert…keep your eyes alert. Aliens like the desert and there are lots of weird things out there. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “Unique Stuff in the Arizona Desert” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Here’s another road trip for your reading enjoyment https://travelingwithpt.com/covered-bridge-geriatric-road-trip/