Dave Reese

Alex, Thanks for the great source...you seldom get to see such great vintage photos with this good of resolution when searching the web. I am afraid I will now be spending even more time at the computer...

Dave, Great items. I always loved stations that looked similar to the three illustrations. I have an HO kit similar to those that may eventually appear on my layout, and recently bought a print by a favorite artist from the Colorado Springs area that will be framed and mounted in my study when the renovations are completed ( http://www.michaelbaum.com/P%20Green%20Pickup.htm ). Check out some of Michael's other works on this website as well. Great Route 66 art and much more...

Maybe it is my age, or maybe just spending a lot of time in Philly, but I was sorry not to see the song "South Street" by the Orlons in there. Danced to that one many times in the old days, and have enjoyed many a day on South Street doing people watching and shopping and dining.

Gee, Thanks for the optimistic viewpoint. I was feeling pretty good about my retirement. I guess I should start to worry since only the good die young...

My love of the two-lane highway started about 8 years ago. Peg and I were married about a year and our son (stepson for me) was going to play in the junior olympic volleyball nationals in New Orleans. He did not want us to go as he thought we would be in his way. In the end he wished we had gone, as the coaches would not let the kids leave the hotel and walk the streets at night without a parent, but that is a whole other story. We dropped Mike and some teammates off at the Harrisburg airport, and then drove downtown to the State Capitol to start a week of travel. Our only plans were to go to Gettysburg, and to see Falling Water, and to pick the guys up in Harrisburg at the end of the week. While at the gift shop in the Capitol, I bought a copy of "Pennslvania Traveler's Guide The Lincoln Highway" by our own Brian Butko. We went on down to Gettysburg and did the normal tourist things for a day, and then used Brian's book for a good part of the trip towards Falling Water. Peg read Brian's descriptions as I drove and we periodically stopped to take a photo or walk around. The next day we went to Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece which was then in the midst of been preserved due to weakness in the cantilever structure. A visit to Pittsburgh, Butler, then State College, and finally beautiful Boalsburg completed our impromptu drive. Ever since then I have tried to use the old roads when I could make it practical on a trip. I think it is also a tribute to my Mom's family, as my Grandfather was a great advocate of road travel. By the time my Mom graduated from high school in 1935, they had driven from Allentown PA to vacation in all 48 states, and then they went to Alaska the next summer. Knowing what the roads were like then, and having heard some of the stories of those trips, I feel like my adventures on the road are just a glimmer of what they did in the 20's and the 30's. At least now that I am starting to explore some of the Lehigh Valley roads in my newly acquired 1962 TR3B, I feel like the car is matching the roads a bit more accurately as I have no radio, no AC, and nearly no suspension. Well the road is calling me, so I must go (okay, it really is my wife calling).

Rick, Thanks for sharing and the great photo. I just started reading the book in the proper East to West direction, and have not yet hit the PA sections that I have driven. That was about 8 years ago and probably was the reason that I began to fall in love with the American two-lane.

I tried linking to the gallery, but that did not work, so I linked to my personal web page and posted the photos there in a new directory named ARpix. It would be nicer if I could post photos in the gallery and then link the gallery as you said. Tomorrow's trip will be first time using my new ride, my 1962 TR3B. I am taking it to a British car show in Hellertown PA. I have had the car just a bit more than a month after it spent a number of years in Arizona. I will probably post photos of that on my own Triumph car page.

Today Peg and I made took a drive a few miles from Allentown. We went up PA Route 100, north of I-78 but not as far north as PA 309, and headed west to the Tetz Carriage Museum which had an open house. The Tetz family has worked to restore caissons, horse drawn hearses, and other horse drawn vehicles, and now house the Horse Drawn Museum on their property. On this beautiful day, we drove to the Museum Open House at the site of their home, shops, and the museum on Bausch Road in New Tripoli PA. In addition to Carriage Rides, canine agility displays, a goat cart, antique cars and trucks, live music, chain saw carvers and a black smith, they even had a crystal coach like Cinderella's that is available for weddings. This is the sign describing the Yellowstone Carriage in their museum which is considered the first tour bus. It is proudly displayed in the museum Before leaving, I could not resist taking one more photo of the beautiful rolling hills in the farm country just west of Allentown I have two more photos in the Reese's Photo Pieces Gallery of this forum showing one of the horse drawn hearses and an antique Ford tractor that was on display for the open house today and Sunday, June 10, 2007. You can learn more about this attraction and the open house by visiting Tetz Carriage Museum's Site

Sure was...that was the only reason I recognized the name French Lick. Always wondered what their High School Mascot would have been...

Becky, I want to thank you for running the "Two-Lane Trivia" Contest. I love winning your contests and am especially excited about this prize. I have just skimmed through the book, “Watch It Made in the USA” published by Avalon Travel Publishing, and it looks like a treasure trove of additional stops on our trips. Peg and I have gone with friends to a number of factory tours within an hour of home, and are looking forward to using this book to add to our upcoming agendas, starting with New York State at the end of June. Thanks again!!!

The Segway probably has some good uses if they get the cost down. One Jersey seashore town has them for rent on the boardwalk for those who can't and don't want to walk. Many cities use them for tourist tours, and the Philly Airport has them for some of the security police to allow them to get from one end to the other on patrol. But my favorite is there are a few golf courses adding golf bag holders to replace golf carts. Now, that is where I want to try one...

Thanks for sharing those. I love those cover graphics as well. They would make a great montage framed on the wall of a study or family room...I remember them more from the 50's and 60's, but I think mom sold them all at a garage sale when I saw no need to keep them. Oh well!

American History magazine had an article of vintage road maps in the June 2007 issue. There was not a lot of text, but a nice few pages of graphics. They also have now posted some map artwork on their web site. Check out http://www.historynet.com/photogallery/6850362.html if you are interested.

Jennifer, Thanks so much. I remember posted photos from a trip and sending friends here to look at the gallery to find that they could not see them. Maybe looking at the galleries will be an incentive to join the group and get us new participants. I sure feel this will be a better way to get new potential members to experience our group. Thanks again!

Since our start of the trip will be starting late (after eating the evening meal) on a Sunday, it will probably be I476 to I81 to Binghamton NY without much chance to sight see. The next day we will meander north to Alexandria Bay. It looks like we can do a good part of this on US 11 instead of I81, but in Watertown we would branch off onto 37 and then 26. After our time in Watkins Glen and Corning, I plan to head down on US 15 to Mansfield, go west on US 6 to Wellsboro, and then double back on US 6 to Scranton before heading home. At least that is the tentative travel plan, although weather can always change the course of our trip as well.

Brian, Have you posted a gallery of your beautiful photography for this forum yet?

I have found from several groups that more members participate on email lists than on forums. I have been opposed to changing most lists to the forum format, and for the most part I participate on a forum for a day or two, than disappear for days at a time. I only read the emails that get forwarded to my regular email, and I am sure I have learned a lot less since the change. I belong to half a dozen forums or more, but only check three regularly, but I read most emails from each of the 40+ that I get individual emails from as they are posted. As to the photos, it would be great if my friends to check out my gallery on American Road without having to join. Instead I have ended up posting photos on my web site, and post fewer photos or duplicate those in the gallery...

Thanks so much, The Allentown information was fun to read. I remember the Comfort Station in Center Square, but it has been sealed for years. The Hotel Traylor still exists, and with some work could again be elegant. The Shankweiler Hotel was just a restaurant when I grew up, but was known for its Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken and Waffel dinners. Alas, it now is a very nice looking bank branch, but the building is still basically still complete. I will start to print out and study the route to see where it matches up with our plan so I can do a good bit of two lane travel during our jaunt. I have stayed away from the collection of old maps and tour books, mainly because I already collect local school yearbooks, auto history and racing history items, and way too much other stuff. So your resources are Greatly Appreciated.

I used to drive US 11 through Central PA in my the mid-70's, but often at 5 am on the way to a job when I worked out of Harrisburg. I normally did not go north of Williamsport, and have not driven it in NY at all. I did not know that this was known as the Lackawana Trail. Thanks for that information. As we are starting out around 6 pm on Sunday after I sing in a concert Sunday Afternoon, we will have some time to explore on the way to Alexandria Bay on Monday before checking in. It will be about a month till we go, so resource materials will be appeciated. I will email you directly and hope that I can come up with some good reports and photos when I get home. Thanks!!!