If you're driving through New Mexico, you may be lucky enough to see the roadside attraction known as 'Cowboy Ruckus' . I've been driven by these two giant plywood cowboys myself, and they never fail to excite me. The two flat, plywood cowboy cut-out sculptures stand 18 feet high while one points at the other from across the road.
The way they tower above the passing cars and stretch into the endless, New Mexico sky always looks surreal. The cowboys are situated on Highway 285, and are based on ranchers named Mike and Mark Marley. They were created by artist John Cerney, who has made many plywood sculptures across the USA.
From Atlas Obscura: "Although you can see their silhouettes quite clearly even from a distance, there is a handy spot at the shoulder to pull over and take a picture." I didn't know this, so if I get a chance to drive by these cowboys again, I'm definitely going to pull off the road and admire them for a few minutes.
From an article about them in New Mexico Magazine:
RANCHERS MARK AND MIKE MARLEY loom 18 feet high on either side of US 285. One points an accusatory finger at the other, who has adopted a "What, me?" stance. "I've always wanted to be larger than life," Mike says. "Now I am." Cowboy Ruckus was dreamed up by artist John Cerney while he drove around his hometown of Salinas, California. "I saw two prostitutes arguing across the street from each other," he says. "It was a scene that couldn't be ignored for its drama. It stuck with me." Cerney's many oversize pieces in numerous states include a UFO cutout adorned with LED lights south of Roswell.
See also: We found the most delightfully unhinged restaurant in the southwest
