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  • Foster Braun

    American Road Trip Talk: Heather Hausmann: Sinful Sidney Sesquicentennial

    By Foster Braun

    Click here to listen… Click here to download… In the rough and tumble days of the late 1800’s, the little town of Sidney, Nebraska was an important military and commercial outpost on the railroad lines that were becoming the arteries of American expansion. It was indeed the Wild West, populated by such colorful characters as Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane and earned the moniker, Toughest Town on the Tracks. In 2017 what was once called Sinful Sidney is celebrating its Sesquicentennial ( that’s
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    • 3,521 views
  • Foster Braun

    National Road Garage Sale 2018

    By Foster Braun

    Click here to listen...  Click here to download.   In  our 2018 Spring Viva Las Vegas issue , under the Friends in the Fast Lane column, the lead story was about an 824 mile long garage sale!  In this American Road Trip Talk podcast,  you are going to meet Pat McDaniel, the lady who dreamed up this great gathering.  The Historic National Road Garage sale took place from May 31 to June 4 Along US 40 from Baltimore to St. Louis.  For ore information visit their Historic National Road Meande
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    • 4,476 views
  • etchr66

    Geneva And Geneva On The Lake Ohio

    By etchr66

    It's summer time and its hot. What better way to cool down then to spend some time at the lake. With that in mind, our Namesake town for this entry is Geneva, Ohio and the nearby summer resort town of Geneva on the Lake. Both are located in Ashtabula County, which has a wealth of museums and sites of historic interest. In addition there are some eighteen covered bridges in the county, including both the longest and shortest covered bridges in the United States. Add the ten or so wineries in the
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    • 7,308 views
  • Alex Burr - hester_nec

    Introduction

    By Alex Burr - hester_nec

    Hello. Tho I am new to this media, blogging, I am not new to American Road. I've been around since the beginning. I do have a road trip web site, but decided to give this blog a try to post my rather infrequent road trips in the Memphis, TN, area.   Being nearly 73 years old I'm old enough to remember the good old days of 2-lane road travel. Indeed, I went with my folks in the late 40's and early 50's on several trips from southern Maine to the Dayton, Ohio, area to visit friends and relatives
    • 4 comments
    • 6,972 views

London Kentucky & World Chicken Festival

This entry in the For Namesake blog is about London, Kentucky and the World Chicken Festival [1}, which this year is being held on September 25 to 28. This is one of 14 "London's" from the book "For Namesake, a Travel Book"[2]   London, Kentucky (37.128670, -84.083341)   London, Kentucky is a town of 7,993 located in Laurel County along US Route 25 and Kentucky Route 80, just east of Interstate 75 in the southern part of the state. London is the county seat of Laurel County. London has a sat

etchr66

etchr66

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Fred Heiss Sr. And Jr.: Melody Drive In, A Family Affair Part 2

Click here to listen... Click here to download The summer 2014 issue of American Road Magazine brought back one of our favorite family themes for the lazy, hazy days, A Night at Drive In Part 2. This podcast is part 2 of a series focused on the Melody Drive In located in rural northern Indiana near the Bass Lake campground resort. Their family owned drive in is one of the few that still sport grass infield rather than asphalt or gravel and give an almost park like feel. But it has not alway

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Fred Heiss Sr. And Jr.: Melody Drive In, A Family Affair Part 1

Click here to listen... Click here to download … The summer 2014 issue of American Road Magazine brought back one of our favorite family themes for the lazy, hazy days, A Night at Drive In Part 2. The best part about the more than 30 outdoor movie palaces reviewed is that the majority of them are still going strong. Being a family business seems to be one of the big factors in their survival. Families work cheap! Just ask Fred Heiss and his son Fred Jr. Three generations of their family

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

Moscow, Idaho

This entry in our For Namesake Blog is about Moscow, Idaho. Moscow, Idaho is one of 6 Moscow's in the United states from the book For Namesake, a travel book - Places in America inspired by famous World Cities. [1]   Moscow, Idaho (46.732298, -116.999936)   Moscow, Idaho is a city of 23,800 located in Latah County along US Route 95 and Idaho Route 8. Moscow is the county seat of Latah County and is situated along the Idaho/Washington border 20 miles north of Lewiston. The city serves as the

etchr66

etchr66

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Steve Bloomer: Skyview Drive In, Belleville, Il

Click here to listen... Click here to download …     The Summer 2014 issue of American Road Magazine brought back one of our favorite family themes for the lazy, hazy days of summer, A Night at the Drive In Part 2. This issue features more than 30 outdoor movie theatres. According to Steve Bloomer, second-generation owner of the Skyview Drive In of Belleville, Illinois, things have never been better. We know you will enjoy Steve’s stories in this podcast as he describes a family business he

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Olga Herbert: Postcard Museum

Click here to listen… Click here to download …   Summertime and the living is easy or so the so went in the famous operetta Porgy and Bess. We certainly hope the arrival of our summer edition of American Road Magazine is adding to your summertime relaxation.   In our Friends in the Fast Lane column made a stop at a unique exhibition at the Lincoln Highway Experience Museum in Latrobe, PA. There we met executive director, Olga Herbert, who described the Postcard Exhibit which launched

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Linda Sweat: Odessa,tx Jack Rabbit Central Part 2

Click here to listen... Click here to download   Our Spring 2014 issue of American Road Magazine featured an article entitled Hopping the Hippety Highway by Jillian Gurney. The author followed rabbit trails all over the country tracking down big bunnies. One of the stops was Odessa, Texas, home of the largest jackrabbit in the world. In this second of a two-part interview with Linda Sweat of the Odessa Convention and Visitors Bureau we will find out about the surprising cultural oasis th

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Linda Sweat: Odessa,tx Jack Rabbit Central Part 1

Click here to listen... Click here to download...   Our Spring 2014 issue of American Road Magazine featured an article entitled Hopping the Hippety Highway by Jillian Gurney. The author followed rabbit trails all over the country tracking down big bunnies. One of the stops was Odessa, Texas, home of the largest jackrabbit in the world. In this two-part interview with Linda Sweat of the Odessa Convention and Visitors Bureau we will find out about the history of the rascally native jackrabb

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Dan Parsons: Nanticoke Heritage Byway

Click here to listen... Click here to download …   In the Spring 2014 issue of the magazine Tunnel Vision highlighted the birth of a new scenic roadway, the Nanticoke Heritage Byway which will eventually traverse parts of southern and western Delaware. In this podcast Dan Parsons, a historic preservationist for the Delaware, tells us about the importance of this unique byway and its link to the beginnings of our nation. To keep up with the Nanticoke Heritage Byway development, visit their

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

Lisbon, Maine And The Moxie Festival

This entry in the "For Namesake" blog is about Lisbon, Maine, home of the World Famous Moxie Festival which takes place this year on July 11 - 13.     Moxie is a unique New England soft drink with a taste that you have to experience for yourself. Moxie started out as a "Nerve Food" and was first introduced by Dr. Augustin Thompson of Union, Maine as a patent medicine in 1876. Back then it was given out by the spoonful to cure any number of medical conditions. In 1884 Dr Thompson began to mark

etchr66

etchr66

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Mike Cline: Great American Roadside Art

Click here to listen... Click here to download…   The Tunnel Vision Column of our Spring 2014 issue of American Road Magazine featured a bizarre piece of art called the “Paulverizer” in front of an auto recycler on Highway 501 in Buena Vista, VA. It is just one of dozens of huge, humorous and highly imaginative works of art created by Mark Cline. In our interview, I hope you will catch some of Mark's passion for creating these merry roadside monsters that have found homes all over the co

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Jim Kor & Bruce Sewart: Urbee 2 Part 2

Click here to listen... Click here to download…   In our Spring 2014 issue of American Road Magazine we presented the story of a three wheeled, bullet-shaped orange car called the Urbee 2 in our Friends in the Fast Lane column. The strange little car represents the vision of Jim Kor and Bruce Stewart to build an aerodynamically perfect and absolutely energy efficient vehicle. In Part 2 of the Urbee 2 story, Jim and Bruce describe how 3D Printing will give their ultra efficient vehicle the a

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Jim Kor & Bruce Sewart: Urbee 2 Part 1

Click here to listen... Click here to download...   In our Spring 2014 issue of American Road Magazine, you’ll find a story about a three wheeled, bullet shaped orange car called the Urbee 2 in our Friends in the Fast Lane column. The strange little car represents the vision of Jim Kor and Bruce Stewart to build an aerodynamically perfect and absolutely energy efficient vehicle. In Part 1 of the Urbee 2 story, Jim and Bruce share the journey that is taking them toward an historic voyage on

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Mike Conlin: Finding The Jefferson Highway

Click here to listen... Click here to download …   2016 will mark the official 100th anniversary of our numbered highway system. Up to 1926 the process of naming, building and publicizing a stretch of roadway was very much a local affair. The results were often confusing if pleasantly familiar to the home team. The named trails served a valuable purpose in their day, but they began to pass into history when the American Association of State Highway Officials formally adopted the U.S. numb

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

Milan, Michigan

This month's "For Namesake" town is Milan, Michigan, one of 10 Milan's in the US from the book "For Namesake - a Travel Book"[1]   Milan, Michigan (42.084126, -83.681074) http://mapjam.com/milanmi   Milan, Michigan is a town of 5,836 located in Monroe and Washtenaw Counties along US Route 23. It lies 20 miles northwest of Monroe, the county seat of Monroe County and 15 miles south of Ann Arbor, the county seat of Washtenaw County. Milan is on the Saline River, which is a tributary of the Riv

etchr66

etchr66

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Erika Nelson: Titanic Turtle

Click here to listen… Click here to download …   The Think Big Column in our magazine is a regular platform for some of the most remarkable sights along the American Road. Erika Nelson is the peripatetic folk artist who chronicles kings and queens of the highway like the largest ketchup bottle or biggest baseball bat in the World’s Largest Collection of the Smallest Replicas of the World’s Largest Things. In this conversation Erika shares her most recent find: a titanic turtle in North Dako

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Joan Nothern: Rediscovering The Midland Trail

Click here to listen… Click here to download… In the Spring 2014 issue in the Friends in the Fast Lane department, we show a Kansas artist David DeArmond who was so moved by the 1916 Midland Trail Tour guide that he began painting scenes mentioned in the book. Now people like our guest, Joan Nothern, of the Solomon Valley Hwy 24 Heritage Alliance are making that nearly century old driving guide come alive. Joan is the president of that association and right here shares the story behind the

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Laura Chisholm: Butterfly House St. Louis, Mo

Click here to listen... Click here to download …   Butterflies normally conjure up beautiful images of colorful, delicate winged creatures flitting by your mind’s eye. How about throwing in a few thousand cockroaches you can play with and lots of hungry caterpillars? In the Spring 2014 issue of American Road Magazine in our US 40: Across the Middle Department, I described some of the Looking Glass Insects I discovered at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House of the Missouri Botanical Garden

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Greg Koehler: Steamboat's Rascally Rabbit

Click here to listen... Click here to download …   In the Spring 2014 issue of American Road Magazine our Memory Motel column was all ears as we swept down into the mountain resort of Steamboat Springs to visit the Rabbit Ears Motel. Ironically, as Greg Koehler, our guest and owner of the motel will tell us, the name has more to do with geology than a certain rascally cartoon character. On the other hand the inn’s overactive sign did create something of a distraction for visitors to the f

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

Havana, Florida

This entry in our For Namesake Blog [1] is about Havana, Florida, the "Arts and Antiques" Capital of northern Florida.   (30.62728, -84.41483) http://mapjam.com/havana_florida   Havana, Florida is a town of 1,754 located in Gasden County along US Route 27 and Florida Route 12. It lies 11 miles east of Quincy, the county seat of Gasden County and 12 miles northwest of Tallahassee, the Florida capital. The nearest universities are Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Florida St

etchr66

etchr66

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Marsha Gillies: The Rocky Mountain Mermaid Part 3

Click here to listen... Click here to download…   In our Winter 2013 issue of American Road Magazine we wandered a bit north of our theme area of Washington State into the Canadian Rockies for the subject of our Memory Motel Column. Tucked in the foothills of the craggy grandeur of British Columbia near the town of Ainsworth Springs stands the Mermaid Lodge and Motel. Not quite the image that would seem to go with a town that grew up in the rough and tumble of the Canadian Gold Rush.   In

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Marsha Gillies: The Rocky Mountain Mermaid Part 2

Click here to listen...   Click here to download…   In our Winter 2013 issue of American Road Magazine we wandered a bit north of our theme area of Washington State into the Canadian Rockies for the subject of our Memory Motel Column. Tucked in the foothills of the craggy grandeur of British Columbia near the town of Ainsworth Springs stands the Mermaid Lodge and Motel. Not quite the image that would seem to go with a town that grew up in the rough and tumble of the Canadian Gold Rush.  

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

American Road Trip Talk (Podcast): Marsha Gillies: The Rocky Mountain Mermaid Part 1

Click here to listen... Click here to download…   In our Winter 2013 issue of American Road Magazine we wandered a bit north of our theme area of Washington State into the Canadian Rockies for the subject of our Memory Motel Column. Tucked in the foothills of the craggy grandeur of British Columbia near the town of Ainsworth Springs stands the Mermaid Lodge and Motel. Not quite the image that would seem to go with a town that grew up in the rough and tumble of the Canadian Gold Rush. In

Foster Braun

Foster Braun

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