If you’re a fan of the website roadsideamerica.com like I am, then you know what a muffler man is. For everyone else, they are fiberglass statues made to advertise mufflers originally. Over the years they have been modified to sell any number of things.

I crossed paths with one while driving through Crystal Lake, Illinois, holding a couple of hanging flower baskets to advertise the garden nursery. What first caught my eye was the giant Indian. I took the usual photos and headed home. After checking the Roadside America website, I had found two previously unknown roadside attractions! Here’s to Bessie’s contribution to America’s oddities! View at RoadsideAmerica.com.

Bessie coasted in for some fun at the Port Washington Fish day. At the world’s largest one-day fish fry, Bessie floated down main street in her patriotic parade gear and sailed off with a third-place trophy in the car show. Before you start cheering, she was only one of three MINIs in her class. The trophy is topped with a Torino, for those wondering. The event was set against the lovely Lake Michigan. The fish and chips were good, but I like my chips crispier. Luckily, the rain stayed away almost the entire day! Amazing! View photos…

Bessie was dwarfed by the mighty Mammoths in Hot Springs, South Dakota. We were up close to a huge excavation of actual bones from animals who had gotten caught in a large pool of water. The tale they told was quite interesting and we all learned a lot about the life and extinction of many species. View Photos…

Afterwards, we headed to downtown Keystone to eat lunch at Flatiron Coffee bar. However, they were out of Chicken. They were out of Beef. That left two menu choices. So, we left and went to The Blue Bison. We enjoyed our sandwiches enormously there. The ice cream was delicious and the atmosphere wonderful. Afterwards, we took a relaxing dip or sped down slides at Evan’s Plunge, a hot spring. View photos…

Feeling refreshed, we braved our final twisting, mountain road called Iron Mountain Road. It features some great outlooks onto Mount Rushmore. From there, we ventured into Keystone again, this time to take in the sights and have a bit of dinner. We chose Arriba for its Mexican cuisine. Such delicious nachos! Oh, that you weren’t 832 miles away!

We finished the day back at Mount Rushmore. Every evening they have a program before lighting the mountain. It’s a wonderful sight. View Photos…