The Thing?

The Thing?

In 1980-something, as I looked out the windows of a Continental Trailways bus crossing the country on Interstate 10, I saw huge yellow billboards promoting "The Thing?". These billboards seemed to go on for hundreds of miles. 

Those billboards are no longer as plentiful as I remember, but they still tempt travelers with a two word question: "The Thing?". I don't think one can get much more ambiguous than that. There is a thing in the desert. Stop and see it. What is this Thing in the desert? This reminds me of a high-school English teacher telling me "there are no such things as things and stuff". She wasn't a marketing person. ;)

The Thing?

The question begs an answer.

If countless miles of highway littered with "The Thing?" billboards don't entice travelers to stop, the proprietors have added fuel and Dairy Queen as additional temptations.

Inside the building is a gift shop that is much like many other roadside trading posts.

Between displays of cowboy hats and fireworks is the entrance to "The Thing?". We paid our $1 per adult admission fee and followed the yellow footprints as instructed by the cashier.

The footprints led us to perhaps one of the strangest and hokiest museums ever.

After viewing bizarre yet fun exhibits in the first couple buildings, we come to the one holding The Thing? ...

What is this thing thing?

It's a wonder!

Is it a wonder that I paid one whole dollar to see The Thing? If you want to see it, you'll have to go visit and spend your own dollar. We certainly got more than a dollar's worth of fun seeing The Thing?.  Great roadside attraction fun.

So, do you really want me to show you The Thing?

I recommend you go see it for yourself; but if you must see it now, click here.

Go see The Thing?

And don't forget to get some Dairy Queen.