Questions Answered: Caution Funny Signs Ahead

Yesterday, I mentioned a newly-released book that made me laugh called Caution: Funny Signs Ahead.

I enjoyed it so much that I tracked down Megan Edwards, editor of RoadTrip America and one of the book's co-authors, to ask her some questions about it.

Do you remember your first funny sign?

Several signs I photographed very early on in our travels are in the book. One is “Banana Slug Crossing,” which I found in Redwood National Park, California.

Another is “We Make Home Ownership a Reality” next to a trailer mounted on top of a tall pole in Pennsylvania.

Although I can’t remember which is the official first one, somewhere in there I got hooked on nabbing more. And more, and more, and OMG… yeah, I’m forced to admit. It’s an addiction.

Do you have a favorite funny sign?

It reveals my roots in middle school humor, but one of my faves will always be Erik Hollander’s shot of the “Fresh Fudge” banner strung up a little too near the restrooms.

Is there a particular part of the country that seems to have more funny signs than the rest?

There are funny signs lurking everywhere, but Kentucky has more than its share of too-funny-to-be-true place names. That’s where you’ll find Big Bone Lick and Rabbit Hash, just to give a couple examples.

Does it take a certain sense of humor or a certain point of view to notice funny signs?

Nothing more than a middle school sense of humor is required, but it helps to have a hunter’s mindset.

Also, it’s easy to become blind to the hilarious signs in your own town. It’s often easier to find good quarry in places you aren’t familiar with.

Has anyone ever gotten mad at you for taking a picture of their sign?

So far, no one has complained, but I do try to be careful. I’m very aware that Dr. Anil Ram might not think his name is funny, and that the owners of the Poo Ping Palace may not want their possibly excellent restaurant immortalized in a gallery of funny signs.

Even though the signs are out there in public, and I’m not really invading anyone’s privacy, I’m thinking about getting a more powerful zoom lens.

How has your obsession with funny signs changed you as a traveler?

Probably the most apparent effect is that I’ve pulled some pretty silly--not to mention oh-so-slightly illegal--maneuvers to get photos of funny signs.

I’ve also driven hundreds of miles out of my way just because I noticed an enticing name on a map. How could I resist going out of my way to visit Earth, for example, or Mars, or Noodle?

I guess it’s fair to say that it’s added a hunting element to my road trips that wouldn’t be there otherwise. It makes me take the back roads, too, where I’m more likely to find businesses that advertise “Custom Killing” or “Eat Here, Get Gas.”

Read yesterday's post about the book.