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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
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The rich earth of the Mississippi River bottom just east of St. Louis has long been a place to grow some of the best produce in the country. In particular, it was something of the tomato capital of the Midwest for many decades. What better monument to that juicy history than a massive catsup bottle, m
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We all have a trusted steed that carries across the American Road whether it’s a vintage VW Campervan or the latest Hybrid. But there is group of travelers with a peculiarly deep passion for an historic American Road vehicle: The GMC Motorhome. From 1974-1978 GMC made the only RV produced by a major automaker. Of the 12,000 made, 8000 are believed to still be on the road.
The GMC motorhome was not a home stuck on top of a truck frame; it was
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)- James Schulte: Toy Treasure Trove
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Nothing brings back the wonderful moments of our childhood like seeing our favorite toy, whether it was a classic Barbie doll or one of the original GI Joe's. The city of Wheeling, W.Va is home to a treasure trove of those great memories all collected in Millers Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum. Alan Miller and his son assembled toys dating from the 1890's along with a
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)– Rosslyn Schulz: Bowl Plaza
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The drawing above is the architect's vision of a unique restroom behind the Grassroots Arts Center in Lucas, Kansas. Our guest Rosslyn Schulz, who is the Executive Director of the Center, shared about the loving and artful details that are going into this project which should be complete in the spring of 2011. You can find more about themany facets of the project by visiting their
American Road Trip Talk (Podcast)– Nathan Schock: Corn Power
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It's highway robbery every time we pull up to the gas station. Whether it's political turmoil in the Middle East or pure greed on the part of oil companies, there always seems to be an excuse for jacking up the prices Well there are some folks in the heartland of America working to break that dependence on foreign fuels at a company called POET, a company formed in the
American Road Trip Talk (podcast): Erika Nelson. Think Big!
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This podcast is sponsored by the City of Joliet, IL who want you to include their Festival of Trees from Nov. 22-28, 2010 on your holiday itinerary.
Hi, it's good to be back with our American Road Podcasts, conversations with authors, fellow travelers and interesting people we meet along the way. My name is Foster Braun and I have had the pleasure of doing these intervie
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)– Abe Clymer: Honest Abe
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This week's guest pictured above with his model is Lewis "Abe" Clymer of Vandalia, Il. Truth is that Lewis, or "Abe" as everyone has known him for more than the last half century, is the spitting image of Abraham Lincoln and learned at an early age to put it to good use. He is a Lincoln interpreter and you can find out more about him in the National Road column of the Autumn 20
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)– Jay Allen: Painting the Town
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The picture above is one of 43 murals created by Jay Allen our guest on this week's American Road Trip Talk. Jay's sign painting company, Shaw Craft Signs collaborated with renowned muralist Bill Hueg to produce these historic gems in Illinois cities under a grant obtained by the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition. During our interview Jay will give you the full history o
American Road Trip Talk (podcast) - Ann Wescott: Cave Caroling
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It is one of the most unique Christmas events on the American Road. Imagine the songs of the season echoing through Mother Nature's concert hall...underground. That is exactly what is going on from Dec. 3 through the 5th at The Cave of the Mounds National Natural Landmark in southwest Wisconsin. Ann Wescott from the Cave of the Mounds joins me to talk about the concert expe
American Road Trip Talk (podcast) - Cat Bonciu: Buchanan Tavern
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Leave it to an American immigrant to give President James Buchanan his due. Catalin Bonciu is the proprietor of the Buchanan Pub and Hotel in Mercersberg, Pennsylvania along Highway 16. This is part of the Buchanan Trail highlighted in our fall 2010 edition of the American Road Magazine. Cat bought the historic building that once belonged to James Buchanan's father and lovingly
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)- Sharon Tesch: Super-Sized Santa
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The little village of Christmas, Michigan was built on a dream in the 1930's that was almost wiped out by fire. But the spirit of Christmas is alive and well on the shores of Lake Superior and is home to the world's tallest Santa Claus. My guest Sharon Tesch is the proprietor of Santa's Workshop where Christmas reigns all year 'round. We will be talking about the histor
American Road Trip Talk (podcast) Rick Jones: Pancake Challenge
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It might not look like much but only 18 people in the last 25 years have been able to down a plate of pancakes like this in 30 minutes or less. I interviewed Rick Jones, the owner of the Seiad Valley Cafe which sits near the middle of State Hwy 96 that winds its way from Yreka, CA on the southeast to O'Brien, OR. on the northwest. It is one of the few places that still reme
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)- Wayne Bronner: Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland
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Over 50 years ago a man named Wally Bronner, the son of German immigrants, bucked family tradition and opened Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland, a Christmas store that has become a holiday landmark throughout the Midwest. In this edition of the American Road Triptalk, you'll meet Wayne Bronner, the founder's son, and learn how Wally's dream grew into a Christma
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)- JoAnn Sasse Givens: Lincoln Remembered Weekend
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Abraham Lincoln, one of America's greatest presidents, spent much of his early political career in the old state capitol in Vandalia, Illinois. So it's fitting that the Vandalia would be the site for the "Lincoln Remembered" Weekend. Feb. 11th and 12 Vandalia is going to be the focus of multiple historical anniversaries including the remembrance of Lincoln's
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)- Ann King: Virtual Route 66
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Some call it The Mother Route 66, others America's Main Street. Bobby Troup encouraged a footloose, post-war America to "Getyour kicks on Route 66". But until now no one has ever created a way for people to enjoy this great highway without ever driving a mile on it. I'm talking about a Virtual Tour ofRoute 66. In 2010 three graduate students, Ann King, Tina Lai and Marc Meye
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)- Steve Sidlecki: Christmas Leg-acy
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"You'll shoot your eye out!" was probably the most famous line in The Christmas Story but the infamous leg lamp that became the movie's most famous prop. As a matter of fact it was a homemade version of the Leg Lamp that served as the inspiration and one of the main means that led, former Navy pilot, Brian Jones to buy the house in 2005 and recreating the magic of Ralph
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)- Jim Jones: Waldmire's Wheels
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Route 66 has been dubbed the Mother Road and Bob Waldmire has to have been one of her favorite sons. A Tunnel Vision article in the Winter 2010 issue of American Road Magazine describes some of the unique vehicles that Waldmire used while creating his incredibly detailed pen and ink images of the American Road along Route 66 . In this American Road Trip Talk, JimJones, th
American Road TripTalk (podcast) - Ron Gustafson: Penguin Power
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When the weatherperson wants you to know just how cold things can get in case you were starting to feel sorry for yourself, they would probably say, "But in Cut Bank, Montana it's 40 degrees below zero." In our Winter 2010 Holiday Road Tour we visited the Glacier Gateway Inn and Plaza in Cut Bank where former owner Ron Gustafson had built the largest penguin inthe world t
American Road Triptalk (Podcast)-Kim Koga: Neon in the Spotlight
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Starting in the1920's the art of neon lighting lit up American roadways and towns from coast to coast. In many ways it was arevolutionary as the digital artistry of today. Curiously, neon lighting made its way into the US from Europe by jumping across the country and landing in Los Angeles, California. So it's fitting that the City of the Angels should be the home of th
American Road TripTalk (podcast) - Tom Holm: Eco Trek Plant Power
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Tom Holm is a man on a mission to change the way Americans travel our favorite roadways without becoming enslaved to foreign oil based fuels. In early 2011, Tom completed a 10,000-mile Eco Trek from coast to coast and back powered solely by cellulosic ethanol. It's a fuel derived from cornhusks, stalks, and other plant byproducts and is currently produced by a company named P
My linkAmerican Road TripTalk (podcast) - Costas Schuler: Mercedes Pens
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Like any dedicated artist Costas Schuler wants to make his mark on the world. The only difference is that Costas wants to make that mark with used up pens, thousands of them, in all sizes and colors and all of them glued to his 1981 Mercedes 300D, better known simply as the Mercedes Pens. Costas has his sights set much higher than his ingeniously colorful ride and yo
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)- Dee Helming: Fallen Shoe Tree
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The stretch of desert highway between Austin and Fallon, Nevada was home to one of the rarest trees in Americana: the "shoe tree." Actually there are a number of these huge trees draped with Doc Martins, tennies, work boots and all manner of used shoes all across the country. Rather than being treated as smelly, eyesores, they have become beloved roadside shoe shrines. T
American Road Trip Talk (podcast)- Dr. Steve Cumbaa: Extinction Theatre
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Our spring 2011 edition of the American Road Magazine is centered around dinosaurs and their many manifestations along the highways of North America. One of our articles presented The Extinction Theatre, part of the Talisman Energy Fossil Exhibition, housed in the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada.
Our guest for this American Road TripTalk is
American Road Trip Talk (Podcast)– Barbara Wynns: Weeki Wachee Woes
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Weeki Wachee Springs, is a natural wonder innorthwest Florida where "mermaids" have performed under water for millions ofvisitors since it opened shortly after WWII. Right now the very existence of this extraordinary attraction is in danger. Like every state in the union, Florida is trying to save money by cutting costs and outsourcing state services. Wee