Get out the road atlas and plan your next family road trip!

It's time again for another special collection of rocket related flotsam from Rocket Team Vatsaas. You won't want to miss any of these attractions on your next family vacation! Be sure to pack a tape measure, graph paper, and lots of Dramamine.

I wasn't disappointed.

Alabama, Just south of the Border

Just inside the Northern Alabama border at the I-65 Rest stop, you can marvel at this full scale Saturn 1-B, while this fellow cleans your windshield with his shirt.

Fairbanks, Alaska

Poker Flats Research Range

I am not sure what kind of rocket this is, but someone is bound to write in and set me straight (click photo to enlarge)

Paradise Valley, Arizona

Vella, Arizona

Matador Missile surrounded by a tasteful ring of Tyrannasaurus femurs

Wikieup, Arizona

Anaheim, California

The TWA Moonliner once graced Tomorrowland at Disneyland

Click photo to Enlarge

Note: No longer on display

Hollywood, California

A visit to Hollywood Memorial Park; Cemetery of the Stars will lead you to the Atlas Rocket gravestove of Carl Morgan Bigsby, an artist whose greatest achievement appears to be the selection of his headstone

Port Hueneme, California

This Harpoon missile appears to have been carved from a telephone pole, using a a massive pencil sharpener.

This sidewinder missile appears to be from the same collection

Santa Barbara, CA

Universal Child Statue, looks more like the Universal Klan Statue to me.

Sausolito, California

SF-88 Nike- Hercules Base

Contrary to rumors, this missile is not targeted on Haight Ashbury. .

Oh, yeah. I've made my share.

Cape Canaveral, Florida

Looks like someone captured one of Bradley's Bulbous Rockets .. Actually, it turns out that this at something called the Mad Mission to Mars at The Kennedy Space Center

It is also intresting to note how the nose resembles a silver-painted bathroom plunger adorned with an assortment of donuts.

1950s - Hotel sign located east of S.R. 520

Already in the 1950's were entreprenuers trying make a buck off the space. You can just imagine Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden pulling up in buick convertable

Skycraft Parts & Surplus located in Winter Park, FL.  Sayeth photo contributor Lance Allgood: "Not only do they have a few rockets & a flying saucer on the outside of the building, they are an *amazing* place to go for nuts, bolts, wiring, tubular nylon, gadgets, widgets, thingamabobs, whatchamacallits, and whatnot that could possibly be used in our high power rockets!"

Cordele, GA

Just off I-75

Rumor has it that the local fire department was called out several times to get our Burl out of the nosecone.

Fleming County, Kentucky

This IS your father's Oldsmobile

Arco, Idaho

Something weird about seeing a torpedo hundreds of miles from any ocean.

Click to Enlarge

Willmington, IL

The Gemini Giant

I think NAR should make a rule to require these helmets at all sanctioned launches

Thanks to Debra Jane Seltzer for letting use this image from her appropriately gigantic collection of gargantuans at her website Roadside Architecture. If you have a full tank of gas, we encourange you to take the detour to this great collection of roadside monuments.

Virgil Grissom Memorial

B-58 Hustler Rocket Sled

Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Burl and family pay homage to the Pershing 1A

Undisclosed Suburb, Maryland

Goddard Space Flight Center

Delta Rocket

Auburn, Massachusetts

Auburn is the location of Robert Goddards historic first rocket flight. The event is properly commemorated in American style by encapsulating the launch site in a cheesy strip mall. Some of the photos come courtesy of Andy Bakinowski and is his son.

There is no Goddard rocket at the site, but there is this Polaris missile.

Cloquet, Minnesota

It is aimed ominously at the Perkins Resturant down the street.

Also in Cloquet, MN

Cloquet is site the first and (until recently) only Frank Lloyd Wright designed Service Station. It has it's very own SRBM shaped LP Tank. The design appears to be a hybrid blend between an Estes Big Bertha and a washing machine agitator.

Minneapolis, MN

Bracket Field

Aunt Effies Rocket!

When our mother took us to visit our spinster great-aunt, we escaped at the first opportunity, and ran down to the local playground so to climb on the big playground rocket, where we would play imaginary games of interstellar conquest, where we would land on a pristine peaceful planet, oppress the indigenous lifeforms, pillage their natural resources, addicted them processed sugar and soap peras, then leave inhabitants in the hands of a scaley, tentacled president-for-life.

Which is probably real reason the local principalities of the nanny state pulled down the playground rocket in 2004, under the guise of child safety

But there is hope! bracketrocket.org is attempting to bring the rocket back to the park, so go check out their website.

Note the concrete sewer pipe choo choo train in the foreground

Wheaton, MN

Next to the Wheaton VFW Post there is a Loon Missile, which is what became of the German V1- Buzzbomb.

However, if you ask at the local gas station to see the loon, they may send you to see the Wolds Largest Mallard at the junction of MN27 and US75.

Unfortunately, I haven't been through Wheaton in years, and I don't have a picture of the Wheaton missile. If you happen to be passing through, Wheaton, be sure to snap me a picture.

Rogers, MN

Century Tool

Ironically, I spotted this display on the way to a MASA club lauch.

This nifty rocket looks just about ready for Level Two Certification, except that it is constructed from solid aluminum barstock.

It looks nice, but I have no idea why it's out there.

Here are a few more pics 1 2 3

Kimbal, Nebraska

The official story is that the upper stage of this Titan I missile got blown off by a windstorm in 1998, but rumor has that it was stolen by radical anti-fur activists. and planted in John Carlson's Garage

Shurz, Nevada

I suspect that entire wall will fall over if you twist the doorknob

Warren, New Hampshire

Warren's most upstanding citzen is this Redstone Missile

Sandy Hook, New Jersey

Site of a flawed experiment to hide Nike Ajax interceptor missiles behind federally funded signage.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Carolinas Aviation Museum

Courtesy of Tim Jones (not his evil cousin, Jeff).

This is not exactly a display, but we like the third-world arms-bazaar quality of the photo..

Durham, North Carolina

Science and life Museum

Lamoure, North Dakota

In front of the Lions Club stands this Minuteman Missile

While you are there, you can visit the Toy Farmer Museum. Funny, I never new toys grew on farms. I always thought they were mined at the North Pole

Almagordo, NM

THIS IS THE MOTHER LODE!

A half hour stopover here is worth at least a weeks stay at your mother-in-law's condo in Sun City!

The rockets here are too numerous to list, so push on to the White Sands Missile Museum Webpage!

And to top it off, Admission is free, so go ahead and splurge for the campsite with shade!

Also in Almagordo, NM

Prepare yourself for the cheesiest space museum ever....

The Space Mural Museum .....and GIFT SHOP

This mural is actually painted on a water tank

Camp Perry,

Ohio

Nike Hercules

University of Toledo

Bristow, OK

VFW Wake Island Memorial,

Corporal Missile

We all learned in history class the important role the corporal missile and M113 personnel carrier played in the action at Wake Island.

Rapid City, South Dakota

South Dakota Air and Space Museum as Ellsworth AFB. Lots of Bombers besides this Minuteman missile. FREE admission.

Houston, Texas

Johnson Space Center

Click to enlarge

Brigham City, Utah

Alliant Techsystems Thiokol Plant

Mostly just big rocket motors including a Space Shuttle SRB

Rick worked for Alliant Tech briefly during its inception, but never worked on anything as cool as this stuff.

Other than the Terrier Booster, I have no idea what this rocket is.

Roy, Utah

Hill AFB Museum

Has this MX Missile and many others. Plus the admission is FREE

Just north of the North Carolina border on I-75

Another roadside rocket captured by Burl. This beast is constructed from a corn crib to help sell fireworks to travellers crossing the state line.

Seattle, WA

.
Rumor has it Anti-Globalist protestors intend to launch it in retaliation of the next WTO summit

Challenger Memorial

Coalwood of course is the home town of Homer Hickam, and the setting "Rocket Boys, and October skies"

The chain link fence really sets the mood, don't you think?

Shamrock Hotel

Wisconsin Dells, WI

Wisconsin Dells is what you get it if you take the Poconos, Ocean City, and Coney Island, removed all that is refined, then deposit on a barren stretch of I-94 in the midst of the cheese capital of the world. Sleezy tourists traps of all kinds abound here.

This little gem was once a fun play area at this hotel, at least until the insurance company made them weld it shut.

The boy in yellow. however, managed to successfully imprison his brother inside. click on the picture to see if you can spot. him.

This is what happens if you let lawyers design play-ground rockets

International Hotel, Wisconsin Dells. Maybe this is supposed to be a French rocket?

Osseo, WI

I like this one as it somewhat resembles my Fliskits Acme Spitfire.

Close up the "UFO Alien"

Piti, Guam

Reader Rob Smith sent us this photo of a polaris missile display while on a business venture in Guam. Rob writes: It marks the entrance to the aptly named Polaris Point Navy facilities. "[The missile] also marks the spot where about a thousand saki charged Japanese soldiers did a screaming Banzai charge into Marine machine guns in 1944.  It turned out badly for them....

Not as badly as if we had this puppy in 1944.

Apparently no one told the Navy not to launch their rockets so close to the powerlines.

Baymon, Puerto Rico

These spaceship reproductions are found at the Parque de las Ciencias Luis A. Ferr are a tad cheezy

Edmonton, Alberta

At the Alberta Aviation Museum stands Boeing CIM-10B Bomarc Missile

Looks pad ready for a N2000 and dual deployment

via:
Large Canadian Roadside Attractions

Vancouver British Columbia\

If I ever get to Vancouver, I gotta get my picture taken with this bad boy

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Rock it Air Wear

823 North May Street
Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada

My guess is Rock It Air Wear borrowed their design from this Tom Swift book jacket.

I like how Enstein enigmatically looks on >>>>

North Bay, Ontario

Boeing CIM-10B Bomarc Missile
Location: Lee Park

via:
Large Canadian Roadside Attractions

Ear Falls, Ontario

Nike-Cajun Rocket

Location: Ear Falls Museum

via:
Large Canadian Roadside Attractions

Note: Beware falling ears.

Montreal, Quebec

Magician's Garden has a shrubby version of Tintin's Rocketship

Actually, this probably belongs in our NotRocs collection

South Bolton, Quebec

This rocket adorns a gas station, and seems to have survived better than the surrounding buildings

Rocket in 1964 (click to enlarge)

More recent pho.

Woomera

When you go down under, the Woomera Rocket Range is a must see.

William Creek

This looks too much like the display in my basement

If you are in Sao Luis Brazil, why bother with the beaches ..

when you can spend all day searching for the Alacantara Space museum?

Shanghai fun park

Burl was on his way to China for business, so I talked him into taking pictures of this military display outside of Shanghai, it didn't take much arm twisting to convince him to make the journey

Burl with this SA-5ish missile

Click for larger image

Burl shows how this Chinese ICBM dwarfs his huge american frame. The aircraft carrier isn't real, its acually a building

click for larger image

Here is an aerial view of the carrier building. It definite is the most formidable ship on this body of water.

This is taken from atop the carrier looking back at the missiles. I like the sculpture of the water polo guy in the background

London, England

This building often described as rocket shaped but it is actually called "The Gerkin". To me, its more of a large argyle cigar.

Tolouse, France

Ariane Rocket at le Cit de l'Espace (Space City)

Better hurry, cause there is no time to-lose (oof)

Haute -Savoie, France

This deserted BP station sports a nifty rocket with a neon exaust plume.

Paris, France

This rocket appears to be constructed from an old drop tank. The police car strobe as a pulsating exhaust plume is a nice touch

A French version of the pee-ing Calvin, we think.

Bremen, Germany

Space Park with Ariane 5 Rocket

Apparently this park was a total failure as it closed soon after it opened. It opened in Feb 2004 and closed the following september.  I can't help but think that this is because you need a special license to fly D Motors in Germany.

Kouya-san, Japan

I suspect that the contributor of this rocket statue wants the deceased far away on another planet in the afterlife as well.

Omiya, Japan

or maybe, Macross City

I keep expecting one of the building on the right to transform into Optimus Prime.