That's Some Bad Hat, Harry

Recently got an email newsletter from the folks at Walz Cycling Caps that included the following almost-too-awesome-for-words image:

Irony Alert: "Bad" in the title means "good", obviously. I mean, look at that thing!

For those not versed in oddball roadside attractions, that big dude is what's known as a Muffler Man. If you like your treatises on such things a tiny bit more scholarly-like, there's a Wikipedia page devoted to Muffler Men. Or, if you want to go deep down the rabbit hole of strange things to see on a road trip, try Roadside America's exhaustively weird and wonderful Muffler Men page. I cannot tell you how many bizarre side trips I've been on thanks to Roadside America, so consider yourself warned.

Apparently, the Amgen Tour of California was headed through Escondido, CA (not far from Walz headquarters in Oceanside), so the folks in Escondido commissioned their hat-making neighbors to outfit the big fella for the event. The Muffler Man stands 25 feet tall, and his hat is a whopping 104 inches in diameter... which makes me think the Walz folks might even be able to make a cap big enough for my gargantuan melon.

So, Walz, chapeau to you. A really, really big chapeau.