Dave Reese

I will be driving up from Allentown PA to Alexandria Bay New York during the last week in June. We plan to head up pretty directly and will spend four days on the Saint Lawrence in a cottage type motel. If you have any restaurants or sights to suggest, please let me know. We have a few days to meander on our way back, and I am considering Watkins Glen as a possibility, and maybe Corning NY or the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. Please add any alternatives you have found interesting that we can consider. Thanks. Please note that the title should be AlexandRIA Bay, not Alexander. This aging is causing more brain fade than I like to admit.

My only trip to Arizona was about 10 years ago. I managed to fit in the Caverns, and enjoyed them. After the elevator took us down below to the caverns, a rock fell into the gears of the lift mechanism, so the stay under ground was extended until a worker walked down the stairs and removed the obstruction. As to asking the hotel clerk for restaurant suggestions, we find that the hotel desk in a small hotel is normally beneficial as long as the hotel does not have a restaurant. We also have found that many store clerks are a great resource for special interesting dining choices. When you ask a local for their advice, they often will make the effort to come up with a good local suggestion.

Some great photos...thanks for sharing.

Could that be the historical markers along the highways that are about 5 ot 6 feet high with something like "On this site in 1765, Mabel Johnson made the first Shoo-fly pie in the state of Delaware"? How was the phrase used?

Denny, Thanks for the great advice. I think this can even be good for a personal cruise, vacation, road trip plan. I like to feel that I have seen a lot, but hate the feeling that I have done everything I would have wanted and have no reason to return in the future. Has anyone posted pictures from the cruise?

The pictures of both have always been intriguing. Another file to start for a future trip. I will need to live a long time to visit all of my projected trips... Thanks for the heads up.

I had a tough time selecting a photograph from my archives. Should I go with the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, or Fountains Abbey in England (seemed to miss the spirit of the contest) or even something from the Grand Tetons. Too many photos are on my computer. I decided to use a photo that is also already in my Reese's Pieces photo gallery. Not to far off of Route 66 in Albuquerque NM is a shopping area named Old Town. This area is 300 years old, and features some great architecture, wonderful galleries and shops, and some good dining as well. Being from PA, the adobe structures were very romantic, and after a relaxed lunch, learning the history of Alfredo's Coffee House from Alfredo, I saw this entrance to a group of little shops, and felt it portrayed the mood of the district very well. I hope you agree.

Back in 1976, when visiting the "real" Stonehenge, you could still walk up to and touch the stones. It was an amazing and awesome site, but some tourists could not respect the history, so now you cannot approach the structure up close. This is how the site looked with tourists. I did not want to remember it with people all over, so I underexposed another shot to get the more mystic appearance here: A lot of great two lane roads to travel in the UK too.

Brian, When you get home, set up a gallery in the forum's gallery section. I would love to see your photos and have them there for us all to see. And I knew about your project from your blog and advice that you provided me last year before our trip on 89. Without your help, I would probably have been on the Interstates both directions during that trip. Thanks again for being such an great resource.

The Bluebird was great when we stopped there in April 2006. You can see a few more photos from 89 on my web site by going to April 2006 Trip

Bob, Thanks, what a great resouce. Once we plan our vacations, I will be poring over the site to find the most enjoyable routes rather than the shorterst or fastest that I get from mapquest. Thanks again.

Thanks again Brian, Looks like I will need to go out and find a copy of National Geographic's Adventure Magazine for April 2007. I loved the stretch of 89 from Jackson Hole to Logan UT. Sounds like I need to visit another section soon.

Could you post the link to Robert D. Vroz's web page listing all the US highways, past and present. I would be most interested in getting a chance to look that over. Thanks.

Looks great. Wish we could join you this year. Hopefully we will be able to soon.

Just what America need's...another chain drugstore. Here in Allentown you could almost run from one drug store to another to avoid sniper fire, and be fairly safe due to the small intervals from one to the next.

Looking through the index, it might be very helpful to have a section of the index by state. When planning a vacation, we are not always following a specific American Road, but staying in one region near a certain city, or a portion of one state. It would speed the process a bit. Thanks for your consideration of this option.

I would guess that the highway came away from the coast to hit the cities, such as Philadelphia. My understanding of earlier routes (and many later ones too) were built to connect the main population areas.

John, Thanks...I will check out the Little Red Barn. I will see if I can track it down. Since we booked this trip, our son's orders were changed by the USAF. He will now be reporting to Randolph AFB in July, after having been at Lackland a few years back while still a cadet at USAFA. So this might just be our first trip there. We are really looking forward to this visit.

I built a model of the Corvair Spyder back in the 60's. Never had the pleasure to own one. I tried to get my sister to buy one when I was in HS, but she opted for the Camaro. I ended up buying it from her...it was my second car, and only one of two automatics I have ever owned. But I still love to look at the Corvairs at the car shows...

Thanks...some interesting photos there. Hope to keep seeing more from the members.

So I guess the question is if any of the moderators have a suggestion of how to set up a database of historic inns, motels, diners, and restaurants on this forum that we could check before or while hitting the road...Moderators?

Just wondering if this would by region, by state, by route, or just random. I have eaten at some great vintage places that are not really on a specific route, as much as in a town but not really on the specific travel path such as Route 66 (a cool restaurant in Albuquerque's Old Town comes to mind, using a former ranch bunk house). It is an interesting idea, but it needs to be organized in advance to probably be useful when planning a trip. Just my personal appraisal. I am truly hoping that this can be developed into a useable resource.