Foster Braun

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. numbered highway system on November 11, 1926. The Spring 2014 issue Friends in the Fast Lane column highlighted the efforts of Solomon Valley US 24 Association to rediscover one of those named highways, the Midland Trail, We spoke with Joan Nothern in an earlier podcast about those efforts. In this podcast we are going to reach back into our archives for a conversation from the Spring 2011 issue with another leader in the movement, Mike Conlin, a map maker by trade and one of the movers behind the recreation of the Jefferson Highway. This remarkable ribbon of highway stretched from north of the US border in Canada all the way to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. ###### This podcast is brought to you by the Illinois' historic I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor which lies between Lake Michigan and the Illinois River, It’s an outdoor recreational dream, beginning with miles of trails and waterways stretching from suburban Chicago all the way to Starved Rock State Park. The Illinois National Heritage Corridor CVB reminds you to: Get out your light saber and wake up the Wookie. It’s time for the 5th annual Star Wars Day, June 7th at the Joliet Public Library. For more information Click Here ###### History comes alive everyday in Springfield, Illinois! It’s interactive time-travel fun for the entire family! For more about great getaway packages call 800-545-7300 …or, go to www.visit-springfieldillinois.com. Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile. ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/

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 Dakota that is displayed in our Spring 2014 issue. How does she find these roadside behemoths? You'll just have to listen to our conversation to find out that and much more. ###### This podcast is brought to you by the Illinois' historic I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor which lies between Lake Michigan and the Illinois River, It’s an outdoor recreational dream, beginning with miles of trails and waterways stretching from suburban Chicago all the way to Starved Rock State Park. The Illinois National Heritage Corridor CVB reminds you to: Get out your light saber and wake up the Wookie. It’s time for the 5th annual Star Wars Day, June 7th at the Joliet Public Library. For more information Click Here ###### History comes alive everyday in Springfield, Illinois! It’s interactive time-travel fun for the entire family! For more about great getaway packages call 800-545-7300 …or, go to www.visit-springfieldillinois.com. Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile. ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/

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 their efforts to rediscover the forgotten transcontinental Midland Trail. Joan will share the vision she and her associates have for restoring the awareness of this remarkable homemade link between oceans that sprang up in the early days of touring cars. To spur that effort on, the alliance is going to showcase the historic Midland Trail Guide at the Kansas Sampler Festival on May 3-4in Wamego, KS. For more information about that festival visit ###### History comes alive everyday in Springfield, Illinois! It’s interactive time-travel fun for the entire family! For more about great getaway packages call 800-545-7300 …or, go to www.visit-springfieldillinois.com. Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile. ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ###### ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/

Scott, Thanks so much for your expansive and kind comments. It has been my pleasure to visit many of these places through my interviews. Marsha is one precious lady. Unfortunately we could not find a picture of the topless mermaid, probably because the incensed matrons of Ainsworth Springs decided that it was an image not destined for posterity let alone their husbands eyes. ;-)) Thanks again for you comment. Foster Braun

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 Gardens. This remarkable facility is located in a beautiful park just west of St. Louis in the suburb of Chesterfield. Laura Chisholm, Living Collections Manager, takes us on a quick tour of the insides of this beautiful facility that you will want to make a must visit on your next trip to the Gateway of the West, St. Louis, MO. ###### History comes alive everyday in Springfield, Illinois! It’s interactive time-travel fun for the entire family! For more about great getaway packages call 800-545-7300 …or, go to www.visit-springfieldillinois.com. Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile. ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ###### ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/

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 famous Steamboat Springs right across the street. Greg also shares an honest look at the hard life of maintaining a motel. It’s a real labor of love. ###### History comes alive everyday in Springfield, Illinois! It’s interactive time-travel fun for the entire family! For more about great getaway packages call 800-545-7300 …or, go to www.visit-springfieldillinois.com. Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile. ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ###### ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/

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 part three and our final interview with Marsh Gillies, the current innkeeper shares a wonderful story about the bawdy mermaid sign that once graced her Lodge and the artists who have memorialized the inn. ###### History comes alive everyday in Springfield, Illinois! It’s interactive time-travel fun for the entire family! For more about great getaway packages call 800-545-7300 …or, go to www.visit-springfieldillinois.com. Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile. ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ###### ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/

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 Part Two of our three-part interview with Marsh Gillies, the current innkeeper along with her husband, she describes the colorful history of the Lodge itself and how her family overcame a terrible tragedy to maintain the historic inn. ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ###### ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/

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 part one of our interviews with Marsh Gillies, the current innkeeper along with her husband, we will find out about the fascinating history of an area of the Canadian Rockies that has been a gathering place for millennia due to its healing waters. In parts 2 and 3 Marsha will share the colorful history of the Lodge itself and her family’s overcoming tragedy to maintain it. Don’t miss any of these installments! ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ###### ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/

Click here to listen... Click here to download... In 2011 a California grocer named Dave Schaub drove his Brizio-built Custom ’32 Ford roadster through all 49 continental United States in an amazing 7 days, 14 hours and 21 minutes. We featured a picture of Dave at the finish line in Alaska in one of our recent Friends in the Fast lane Column. In part two of our interview Dave describes how he made the incredible journey on 5 hours of sleep a day without being accompanied by a chase crew. It was literally man and machine against the clock for nearly 9,000-miles to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford University Hospital. But the most challenging part of the race against the clock and the most inspiring moment came as Dave entered Canada on his way to the finish line in Alaska. ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ##### Saturday, March 29, 2014 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. • Shreve ElementarySchool 598 North Market Street (State Route226), Shreve, Ohio 44676 This peak spring bird migration event includes self-guided tours throughout the Killbuck Wildlife Area, Ohio’s largest inland wetlands complex. Experts will be available at designated spotter stations to help you find and identify birds. At the school, enjoy a full day of “sensational” family-friendly activities in addition to six workshops offered by well-known experts in their fields. ###### ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/

Click here to listen,,, Click here to download… In 2011 the jovial California grocer drove named Dave Schaub drove his Brizio-built ’32 Ford roadster through all 49 continental United States in an amazing 7 days, 14 hours and 21 minutes. We featured a picture of Dave at the finish line in Alaska in one of our recent Friends in the Fastlane Columns. It was all part of an effort to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford University Hospital. In this first part of the interview, Dave talks about getting himself and his custom car ready for the grueling journey. In part 2 Dave Schaub will reveal a surprising benefit that he gained from the journey. ###### Today’s interview is brought to you by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway--Where the Mother Road Begins. From famous road-side restaurants to hidden gems, Route 66 in Illinois offers a journey back in time. ##### Saturday, March 29, 2014 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. • Shreve ElementarySchool 598 North Market Street (State Route226), Shreve, Ohio 44676 This peak spring bird migration event includes self-guided tours throughout the Killbuck Wildlife Area, Ohio’s largest inland wetlands complex. Experts will be available at designated spotter stations to help you find and identify birds. At the school, enjoy a full day of “sensational” family-friendly activities in addition to six workshops offered by well-known experts in their fields. ###### ###### Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/ Pick up a copy of American Road magazine and don't miss another edition! Find a Store: http://dld.bz/AMRoadRetailOutletsPreview the current issue: http://americanroadm...previewmag.html American Road Magazine: http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/