Along with a love for “world’s largest” things, Im also a fan of strange roadside attractions. So after a well-deserved night’s sleep, we headed a little bit out of our way to visit what were probably two of my favorite sights from the entire trip. The first was a stop at a life-size replica of the colorful house from Pixar’s animated film “Up.” I can’t even begin to describe my excitement when we rounded the bend in an otherwise uninteresting subdivision just outside of Salt Lake City and laid eyes on Carl & Ellie’s handprint-covered mailbox.
Sufficiently excited about our previous stop, we headed to Lehi Roller Mills – the sight of Kevin Bacon’s famous dance scene from “Footloose.” Even though the building, which is now an old-time general store, was closed for the day, it didn’t stop us from cracking the car stereo, rolling down every window and “kicking off our Sunday shoes” to some Kenny Loggins in the parking lot.
As we headed out of Salt Lake City we marveled at the size and beauty of the Great Salt Lake, and learned why Johnny Depp (er, Captain Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean”) went mad wandering through the Bonneville Salt Flats. Keep your eyes peeled for Metaphor: Tree of Life about halfway through the barren landscape. We also celebrated our first-ever trip to In-N-Out Burger and I’m not going to lie – it was absolutely life changing.
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Megan, I love this post. I’m also a huge fan or roadside attractions, and you’ve found some great ones that I’ve missed. Beautiful photos of the “Up” house – the mailbox is a nice touch. And I’m with you on the In-N-Out Burger – life changing. 🙂 ~Terri
Terri, Thanks so much for the kind words! It’s always exciting to meet other fans of quirky roadside attractions. I really appreciate it! “Adventure is out there!” – Megan