I had just crossed the state line, going from western Montana to the northeast panhandle area of Idaho. As I rounded a gentle curve through the mountains, this was the view.
I went about a mile before I decided I couldn’t let it go, so I found a place to turn around and went back. Look at these cars. How could a photographer resist?
There was a sort of order in the chaos: all the cars were decades old, rusted out wrecks long past their usefulness. Only they were still useful in one sense, as roadside art by some kind of madman creator.
They weren’t throw up on that hill like it was a junkyard. No, sir. Someone had lined them up, made sure these cars were facing that way and the next bunch were facing the other way. There’s some crazy logic in there, although it’s not obvious except in the symmetry of the end result.
I kept thinking that if I’d found this spot with my Dad, he wouldn’t have left till he’d told me about every car: year, make, and model, and if he’d owned one like it back in the day.
Three and a half years he’s been gone, and seeing something like this place makes it feel like yesterday. He gave me an appreciation of cars, old and new, fast and loud, sleek and sporty, new and old. If I wasn’t his daughter, I probably would have driven on by this thing, but being his daughter, I couldn’t.
Is this place accidental or artistic, who knows? It’s cool either way. Yep, you would have loved it, Dad.
The car has become the carapace, the protective and aggressive shell, of urban and suburban man.
Marshall McLuhan
I spent three consecutive summers in Idaho, 1979-1981. Nice to know it hasn’t changed.
I love this comment, because I love finding just the right quotation to end a post 🙂
We have passed rusted and dilapidated beauties, mostly old buildings, and I’m only realizing now how badly I wished I’d stopped. Intend to change this in the future!
Hi Annie, It’s Fathers Day here in Australia, so your pics. story and sentiments are even more touching. A great time for remembering and story telling about all our dads. We run a charity for bereaved children and the stories about dads ‘bring them to life’. Thank you for yours.
What a fantastic find! So glad you stopped and let us all share in your memories.
Delightful artistry and likely intentional, given the care in the buildings behind. It brings a tug of the heartstrings. My dad bought a Rambler and several other of these cars when my brother and I were teens. He figured that the low power and $100 price tags were about right for learning driver skills. We had a grand time.
So glad you went back to capture this roadside art. How I’d like to do a feature story on the person who created this! It’d be a wonderfully whimsical story.
Love Love this! Both the pictures and the sweet memories of your dad. Thank you for the smile
Great picture! I’d have stopped too.
Annie,
First, great call on stopping and capturing this scene. You are right Dad owned two Ramblers (5th picture, blue station wagon body, rear view.) His were sedans but had the same square bodies. One was that blue color. 6th picture shows a Studebaker and Dad owned a mid Fifties Studebaker Commander coupe. So out of those cars, he owned at least two of those makes! Pretty amazing!
Mine would have too, Annie.
While I enjoy your blog entries, I love your final quotes even more!