Saturday, July 2, 2022

Riverboat Car Wash


Back in the 70's, when I was a kid, not every gas station had a car wash. In fact, they were pretty rare. You had to specifically go to a car wash, or do it yourself. My dad always did it himself and it was a blast for us as kids to help. Grandma and Grandpa, on the other hand, had moved beyond washing the car themselves, so it was always a treat to go with them to get the car washed. After all, when you're a kid, the simple things are extremely entertaining. So riding in Grandma's car while it gets suds upped and slapped with a bunch of big blue brushes, that's like the coolest thing ever. In Denver, though, there's an extra level to the coolness when you can have that experience in a car wash shaped like a giant riverboat!


It's called the Riverboat Car Wash, for obvious reasons. I mean, what else do you call a car wash that looks like a giant white, three-level riverboat? It's even got two big black smokestacks popping out of the top! It is an odd sight, for sure, to be driving down a busy Denver road and suddenly see a large riverboat parked just behind Grease Monkey.


I guess part of what makes it such a weird sight is that Colorado is not an area that is really known for that Mark Twain sort of river culture. Sure, the Platte River goes right through Denver, but it's not the sort of waterway that could handle a vessel this size. I'm not complaining, though. This is just the sort of roadside oddity that I love to experience. 


You'll find the Riverboat Car Wash about three-quarters of a mile east of I-25 on Hampden Technically, the address is 3480 S. Poplar in Denver.

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