March 21, 2010 - Buckeye, Arizona

I wake up in a smelly motel room. Time to talk awake, and take a walk. I start on the sidewalk.

A Botanic Star

Then I take to the road. My destination, a big statue, stands 40 feet tall in the distance.

A 40 Foot Man Stands at the end of a road.

Walk walk walk.

The man is a big statue.

Stand proud, giant hobo. I wonder who would have put the fellow here.

A closeup on the upper half of Hobo Joe

A plaque sits on the hobo’s pedestal…

???

… and leaves me more confused. It reads:

Hobo Joe Built by and stands in memory of Marvin Ransdale (1928-1988) by his good friend Ramon Gillum July, 1989

Did Marvin build it in his own memory? Did Ramon build it for Marvin? Perhaps they build it together, but come July, 1989 only Ramon was around to remember Marvin’s contribution? I’m not sure.

But the hobo lives near a meat processing plant.

Joe stands near the meat processing facility.

I begin looping back to the hotel, and meet an owl guide.

An plastic owl with a missing eye glares at you.

He reveals to me the mysteries of waste and tools left out by citizens of Buckeye.

A tractor hides behind a wire linked fence.

Rusty pipes look at you from atop a flat trailer bed.

A green branch with orange thorns points at you.

A cityscape made of circuitry.

Done with waste, I continue with the drive thru to the motel.

A fast food drive thru, leading nowhere.