Shoe Trees...........What?

I have been driving past this tree for a couple of years now and I kept telling myself that one of theses days I was going to pull over and snap a few photos of this crazy "shoe tree"! I'm trying to think when it first appeared. .... I'm guessing just about that length of time. When I first noticed it, it had a longer tree arm that was recently cut down with tons of shoes on it. It remained somewhat sad and shoeless for about three months and then it took off again.

This particular tree is located just a few miles east of Virgin, Utah near the Ostrich Ranch.

and............how funny was that sentence?

I was certainly surprised after I did some research this week on the internet!

Shoe Trees may be the greatest embodiment of the American Spirit you can find on the highway (free of admission charge, anyway).

A shoe tree starts with one dreamer, tossing his or her footwear-of-old high into the sky, to catch on an out-of-reach branch. It usually ends there, unseen and neglected by others. But on rare occasions, that first pair of shoes triggers a shoe tossing cascade. Soon, teens are gathering up their old Adidas and Sauconys, families are driving out after church with Dad's Reeboks and grandma's Keds. Many inscribe messages on the sneakers in permanent marker -- greetings, love poems and life accomplishments.

No way I was looking in this zip lock baggie.............Ewe!

The shoe tree blooms with polymer beauty. A work of art like this may last for generations, tracing our history by our sneakers . . . as long as the tree doesn't die or get attacked by shoe tree murderers.

Some might consider this art, while others consider it a form of littering! Either way...........I thought it was totally "blog worthy"!