Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich
Farm
Picacho, AZ Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf
Driving along Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson, it is hard to miss Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch sitting beneath Picacho Peak. What began as an ostrich farm has grown into one of those wonderfully unusual roadside attractions where the signs practically dare passing motorists to take the next exit.
D.C. “Rooster” Cogburn began raising ostriches here in 1993 and opened the ranch to visitors in 1999. For the price of a cup of food, travelers could stand beside the fence and feed hundreds of curious birds. Keep an eye on the cup because an ostrich has a pretty impressive reach when lunch is involved.
The ranch also sold feathers, decorated eggshells, ostrich jerky, and fresh eggs for cooking. One ostrich egg can equal roughly two dozen chicken eggs, so better invite a few friends over before starting breakfast.
Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich
Farm
Picacho, AZ Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf
A low-flying hot-air balloon startled the flock in 2002 and caused a terrible stampede that killed more than 1,000 breeding ostriches. The ranch survived the loss and gradually reinvented itself as a much larger animal attraction.
Today, ostriches share the grounds with miniature donkeys, goats, ducks, tortoises, rainbow lorikeets, and even stingrays. Visitors can also take a desert monster-truck tour or try a little “ostrich fishing,” making this far more than a quick stop for one cup of bird food.
UPDATE: Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch remains open at the foot of Picacho Peak. Admission now includes food for several animals, while additional activities and feeding experiences are available. Summer hours are shortened to avoid the worst of the desert heat. 09-26
Jackass Flats
Phoenix, AZ Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf
Out in the desert somewhere near Phoenix is Jackass Flats, one of those roadside stops that seems to exist simply because someone decided the middle of nowhere needed a little more personality. It is not quite a conventional sign, building, or tourist attraction, but that is part of the fun.
The name alone is enough to make a passing motorist slow down for another look. Add the wonderfully cluttered roadside setting, and Jackass Flats becomes the sort of place that belongs in the travel album even if nobody can quite explain what it is.
Very little history has surfaced about the site, and even its exact location remains something of a mystery. Perhaps it was a business, a private desert collection, or simply one person’s idea of a roadside welcome. Whatever the story, it made a memorable stopover along an otherwise empty stretch of Arizona road.
UPDATE: The present location and condition of Jackass Flats could not be confirmed. It may have disappeared or changed beyond recognition as the Phoenix area expanded into the surrounding desert. 09-26
The Thing
Trading Post
Near Willcox, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Travel east from Tucson on Interstate 10 and the yellow billboards begin appearing across the desert. “The Thing?” “What Is It?” “The Mystery of the Desert.” After enough of these signs, curiosity usually wins and Exit 322 starts looking pretty tempting. 03-05
The Thing arrived in Arizona in 1965, when creator Thomas Binkley Prince charged travelers 25 cents to see his mysterious attraction. Following Prince’s death in 1969, Bowlin Travel Centers took over and kept The Thing hidden inside a series of metal sheds behind the trading post.
Visitors followed painted footprints past assorted antiques, torture devices, strange carvings, and a 1937 Rolls-Royce supposedly connected to Adolf Hitler. The exhibits did not always make much sense together, but making sense was never really the point. Everything was building toward the final room.
The Thing
Trading Post
Near Willcox, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Inside a glass-topped wooden coffin rested The Thing itself, a pair of shriveled figures presented as a mummified mother and child. Roadside historians generally believe they were created by Phoenix sideshow artist Homer Tate using materials such as papier-mâché, mud, and animal bones. Of course, confirming that might spoil the mystery.
The trading post also offered gasoline, food, and enough Southwestern souvenirs to fill the car before heading back onto the interstate. Whether The Thing was worth a quarter, 50 cents, or a dollar depended on the visitor, but at least the billboards had finally been answered.
UPDATE: Here are more photos from The Thing in Arizona. Many thanks to Gorb70 for update. 02-07
UPDATE: Bowlin completely rebuilt the attraction in 2018 as a large, air-conditioned travel center with a Shell station, Dairy Queen, souvenir store, and an Aliens versus Dinosaurs museum. The original Thing still waits at the end, and those yellow billboards continue to tease motorists across the Arizona desert. 09-26
The Thing
Sign
Near Willcox, AZ Photo courtesy Gorb70
The entrance to see The Thing
Near Willcox, AZ Photo courtesy Gorb70
Yes we accept the BankAmericard
Near Willcox, AZ Photo courtesy Gorb70
Longhorn Bar and Grill
Amado, AZ Photo courtesy Gorb70
The Longhorn Bar and Grill is hard to miss along Interstate 19 in Amado. A giant steer skull rises beside the highway, and visitors enter the restaurant by walking through its nose. Tucson artist Michael Kautza created the 30-foot-wide roadside landmark from rebar and stucco in the early 1970s. 04-06
The building later became the Longhorn Grill and even appeared in the 1995 movie Boys on the Side. After closing in 2012, it sat vacant for seven years.
UPDATE: The Longhorn reopened in 2019 and continues serving steaks, barbecue, and drinks behind its restored steer-skull entrance. 09-26
Bedrock City (Rem.)
Valle, AZ Photo courtesy Matthias Tippner
Yabba Dabba Doo! The Bedrock City sign welcomed Grand Canyon travelers into a cartoon world of concrete houses, Flintstones characters, a volcano train, and a giant dinosaur slide. The roadside park opened in Valle in 1972. 01-07
Bedrock City appeared headed for extinction when its longtime owner retired, but new owners purchased the property in 2019 and turned it into Raptor Ranch.
UPDATE: Bedrock City closed and became Raptor Ranch in 2019. Fortunately many of the old Flintstones features were kept after new owners realized that visitors were still interested in paying to see them. Today, there is a combination of the old Flintstones items and the new Raptor Ranch. 06-23
UPDATE: Bedrock City remains open as part of Raptor Ranch. Many of its original Flintstones buildings, statues, and entrance signs survive alongside live birds-of-prey demonstrations and a campground. 09-26
Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich
Farm
Jackass Flats
The Thing
Trading Post
The Thing
Trading Post
Bedrock City (Rem.)
