roadhound

The Oregon Coast, especially the southern part, has become a favorite destination of mine over the last couple of years. We spent 5 days in Brookings last summer and it was one of the most relaxing vacations I have ever had. I got up before the sun each day to catch the morning light at sunrise, napped in the afternoon, and was back out on the beach in the evening to catch the sunsets. I felt like a real nature photographer. I find the bridges along the Oregon Coast to be spectacular. Most have that classic art deco style from the 30's with graceful arches that compliment the surrounding landscape. Except for the Thomas Creek Bridge which you have no idea what it looks like when you cross over it and even when you pull over at one end or the other it is still hard to tell what it looks like, which is probably why I found it so intriguing and needed to get a photo of it. I do have a plan for next time that involves ropes and a machete.

The most recent posting in my blog involves a bridge in Oregon that did not want me to photograph it. I tried everything possible to get a full profile shot but it was not to be. Blog post is at: http://www.rwphotos.com/blog/?p=2177 Roadhound

Tom, What a great trip, thanks for sharing. I especially liked the aviation references. Every great road trip should include at least one stop at an airfield or air museum. Roadhound

And if they are still operating have they done anything to upgrade the rooms? When I stayed there on my '07 trip our room was very nostalgic. The mattresses were old, carpets were old, one channel on the TV, floor felt like a trampoline,everything about the room reminded you of a time before numbered highways. I slept in my sleeping bag and we got an early start the next morning. Roadhound

Congrats to you (and your car) on making it all the way across the country on the LH. Definitely a once in a lifetime adventure. But, if you do decide to do it again, I'll make sure to stay in town so we can get together for a cup of java. BTW, glad you were able to take the advice to travel over Tioga Pass on your way out of the Golden State. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your journey east. Rick

i have been following his journey both on his website and through his FB postings. Over the last couple of days he has been in some territory that is very familiar to me. I will be interested to see his perspective on it once he posts about it on his website. Roadhound

What a disappointment. All that searching and no beer. Next time you go there take up a sixer or two to leave for the next discoverer. Seriously....congratulations on your find. Roadhound

If your adventurous and would rather go to Las Vegas instead of Barstow, you can take CA190 off 395 just south of Lone PIne This will take you through Death Valley and really test out your cars air conditioning. The air temperatures in Death Valley should only be in the 110-115 degree range at that time of year, but it's a dry heat.

Denny, You didn't say when your trip was but if it is in the summer months you are going to find that the the run between CA-152 and Barstow to be 1.) mostly boring and 2.) hot, hot, hot. Might I suggest a nice scenic route through the Sierra Nevada Range instead? Make your way over to the East Bay and follow I-580 to CA 120 and let 120 take you through Yosemite, over Tioga Pass to Mono Lake before you turn south on 395 to CA-58 and Barstow. Plus, if time permits while your passing through the East Bay, we can do lunch and I can point out some local remnants of the Lincoln Highway and routes to keep you off the Interstate as much as possible. Rick

The B-24 could also carry a larger payload than the B-17. The Navy version of the B-24 Liberator was the PB4Y Privateer which operated primarily as a long range patrol bomber. The most notable difference between the two was that the B-24 had an "H" tail and the PB4Y had a more conventional looking tail. Hawkins' and Power's which operated aerial tankers out of Greybull, Wyoming flew a number of PB4Y's The old bombers worked well as firefighting tankers until a wing spar broke on one of them while making a drop resulting in a loss of plane and crew. The rest of the planes from that era were grounded as aerial tankers. My story about Hawkins & Powers and some photos from Greybull are HERE Roadhound

Denny, you've got me beat by 8 Wright R2600's. The most I ever was able to see was 16 sometime in the late 90's as they made a pass over the USS Hornet which is now a museum at the former Alameda Naval Air Station. If you're ever out this way the carrier is well worth spending half a day exploring. The Doolittle Raiders final gathering in Florida was the last "public" gathering of the remaining airmen. They intend to have a private gathering to break open the bottle of 1896 Hennesy Cognac and make a final toast. Men like that are few and far between. http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130421/NEWS/304210004/Doolittle-Raiders-gather-final-reunion Roadhound

Sounds like the Confederate, er, Commemerative Air Force (got to be PC) was in town. It's been 15 years since I was able to see Fifi (the B-29) fly. It doesn't make it to the west coast that often. Hope you got a chance to see it in the air. You would have enjoyed Greybull when Hawkins and Powers was still operating there. Lots of big planes with radial engines. We have the Collings Foundation making its annual stop this weekend. Always a thrill to see and hear a B-24, B-17, and B-25 in the air. I was fortunate enough to do an air-to-air photoshoot with them a few years ago. Story is HERE Are you going to try to catch 844 while its out on the rails? If so, be careful. Train spotters have a level of fanaticism that is hard to match. They will do just about anything to get the pic or video. Roadhound

What a great road trip! Yellowstone, steam engines, and a battlefield. What more could you want in an 11 day trip? The only thing I might have added was a trip to the Aerial Firefighting Museum at the airport on US 14 outside of Greybull, Wyoming, but last I heard it had been closed. At least while passing through I would stop and listen to the ghosts of Hawkins and Powers. I'll bet if you listen real close you can hear the sounds of the radials still reverberating off the nearby hills and through the canyons. UP 844 passed through California a few years back and I took the opportunity to follow it. What a gorgeous piece of machinery to see in action. I hope to make it up to Cheyenne one of these days for Depot Days. Sounds like the place to be if you like trains. UP 844 on a siding in Oroville, California. More pics of 844 HERE Roadhound http://www.rwphotos.com

Placing a marker for the western end of 66 at a location that was never the end of the road is not without precedence in Santa Monica. The plaque dedicating Route 66 as the Will Rogers Highway is located on Ocean Ave, which is along the shoreline, 2 blocks north of the Santa Monica Pier at the corner of Ocean Ave and Santa Monica Blvd. There were a couple of endpoints for Route 66 during its existence. In 1936 the road was extended from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica ending at what is now the corner of Olympic Blvd and Lincoln Blvd. When I drove through the intersection I didn't see anything commemorating that fact. Given all that I tend to agree with you Dave that it really doesn't matter. The fact that Santa Monica is taking note that the road ended somewhere within their city is good enough for me and ending at the ocean has a romantic ring to it. Besides, the intersection of Olympic and Lincoln is far too congested to set up a gift shop for tourists to purchase their Route 66 coffee mugs and keychains. I do like the idea of a Corvette off the end of the pier but I would mount it on a piling so it looked like it was just about to enter the water. Rick

On the Santa Monica Pier, at approximately the surf line, a sign post is placed declaring that spot as the western terminus of Route 66. For its entire existence as a numbered US Route the Santa Monica Pier was never the western end of the road. The closest Route 66 ever got to the ocean was 4 blocks east of the pier. It was until November 11, 2009 that the Route 66 Alliance designated the Santa Monica Pier as the official Western Terminus of Route 66. Is it right, wrong, or does it really matter where they put the sign? While you ponder that question here are some pictures from the Santa Monica Pier Marker noting the post 2009 terminus of Route 66 Entrance to the Santa Monica Pier after sunset. Ferris wheel at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier Roadhound http://www/rwphotos.com

You got me stumped. The only definitive information that I can provide at the moment is that I once lived 4 blocks away from the street view link in #5. It was the first apartment my wife and I lived in after getting married, 225 W. Eaton #219.

I learn so many things on this site about stuff I would have never wondered about. Thanks Dave! (Meant as a compliment on your ability to make the seemingly mundane interesting)

Outstanding pictures and report Dave, as usual. It looks like you got lucky with some blue skies. I've been through that area twice now and both times were overcast. I get a kick out of some of the names of the area landmarks like "Dismal Nitch" and "Cape Disappointment." They really uplifted your spirits. Did you get a chance to stop at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria? Well worth spending a couple of hours if you have the time, especially if you are interested in what the Coast Guard does at the mouth of the Columbia. Roadhound

Mobilene, I can't offer much advice on what to see on that end of 66 (unless you plan on gettting as far west as Arizona) but I can offer my 0.02 worth on how to make it a memorable trip for both yourself and your teenage sons. My experience has been that the dynamics of a road trip changes when they get into the mid teen years, especially if they are able to drive. keep them involved in the planning and navigating. The night before, or at breakfast before hitting the road, talk about what's ahead, what looks like a worthwhile stop, sidetrips, etc. and get feedback from them to judge their interest. Everyone is more open to the adventure if they have a say in where they're going. I'll bet you find as the trip goes on that your interests will sync up. Also, as you probably know their interests, pre-identify places that they would want to go. With teenage boys any auto museum, air museum, or a military museum is probably a safe bet. It's important to do your homework before the trip so you can throw in a few surprises. Know when to ease up. On all of my trips I took with my son I found there was a point where the enthusiasm wanes and you need to lighten up on the accelerator. When you see road weariness set in change up the schedule and let them sleep in, decrease the mileage for that day, go see a movie, or whatever it takes for them to recharge their batteries a bit. Worse thing you can do is keep pushing on when they aren't into it. Music. If you don't have one already get an iPod adapter that you can play through the car stereo. Even if you don't care for what they are listening to sharing the noise is better than each passenger in their own world. Maybe they will even let you play some of your tuneage. Find an isolated stretch of road and give the 13 year old a few minutes behind the wheel. I did this a few years ago on the Lincoln in the Utah desert with my then 13 year old son. Last year I gave my 14 year old daughter a chance at a few miles of abandoned 66 east of Painted Desert. Both know exactly where they where the first time they were behind the wheel. Have a great trip. I'm positive you and your boys will have a trip that will be remembered for a long time. Roadhound

Dave, The Nike's missile batteries in the Marin Headlands are over the hill from the bridge, tucked in a valley, and typically you would have only seen them if they were preparing to launch, otherwise the missiles would have been left in the bunker. You may may be able to see the radar installations in your 8mm movie as they looked like big white golf balls on top of the hill. Growing up in San Leandro there was a Nike base in the hills to the east and I could see the "golf ball" from my bedroom window. I had no idea at the time what it was but do remember when they took it down. Fort Point is still there and still an attraction. In addition to a significant amount of area north of the Golden Gate Bridge the Presidio, Chrissy Field, and Fort Point are all part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, west of US 101, was once part of fortress San Francisco. The foundations of many gun emplacements, some dating back to America's Civil War and stretching into the Cold War can still be found and explored. The last defensive battery put in place on the Marin Headlands was a pair of Nike missile bases and the corresponding Integrated Fire Control Center's. One of the Nike batteries, SF-88L, has been kept in good repair by a dedicated group of volunteers and is worth a stop if you happen to be there on the first Sunday of any Month You can read more about it on my blog at the link below. http://www.rwphotos.com/blog/?p=1576

Thanks for the endorsement Dave! I sincerely appreciate it. ***WARNING, SMAMELESS SELF PROMOTION TO FOLLOW**** You can visit my website at http://www.rwphotos.com or for those of you that are on Facebook you can "Like" me here. All the photos are available as prints so if you see something that would look good hanging on your wall please don't hesitate to add it to the cart. </ end shameless self promotion> Many of the places I have visited over the last few years I would not have known about if not for the regular contributors to this board. Every time someone posts photos and descriptions from their road trips it starts me looking online and at maps, which often leads to new destinations and reasons to hit the road. Somewhere deep down in the Lincoln Highway forum is a post by a newbie asking where the Lincoln Highway was in Utah. This board was so responsive that the "newbie" has since driven it from Salt Lake to California twice and he is still discovering new spots that he needs to explore along the way. I only hope that I can share half as much with this board as I have gotten out of it and if in the process there happens to be few photos that you enjoy then that is good too. Roadhound

The final blog posting from my 2012 summer adventure and my first ever posting in the U.S. 6 forum. I think that it may have also been the first time I had ever driven on US 6. As I mention in the blog posting this "attraction" is not very well known or is it well marked. I needed geo coordinates just to find where I needed to turn off of US 6. I tried to capture the mood of what we were all feeling by that time based on what I wrote in my travel journal that night. http://www.rwphotos.com/blog/?p=1142 Roadhound

Very cool Dave! I love old 8mm movies. I would agree that it is very likely that not much has changed about that road since that movie was shot. That must be a young KTSOTR that we catch a glimpse of around the 24 second mark?

Thanks mga707, Keep, The maps are very interesting in that both of them make Capitol Gorge look like just another innocent stretch of unpaved road. It probably didn't see much cross country traffic, at least in 1926, since there are no roads east of Hanksville. The next mystery is what happened to the 13 mile road between Notom and Grover that is on the 1926 Clason map but not on the 33-34 Gallup's map? I'm glad I could bring back pleasant memories for both of you. Going to that area brought back memories for me as well. In 1989 my wife and I were driving from California to Colorado Springs for my brothers graduation from the USAFA. We started the second day of our trip in Las Vegas and saw both Zion, and Bryce Canyon National Parks that day before ending up at the Aquarius Motel in Bicknell. We had gassed up in St. George and and I expected that we could get gas somewhere on Hwy 12 between Bryce and Torrey. However, since it was a Sunday evening in Mormon Country, every gas station along the way was closed. Long story short, I drove highway 12 switching between being mesmorized by the late afternoon sun hitting the scenery outside the car and being fixated on a gas gauge getting closer to 'E' with every mile. I put 19.8 gallons into a 20 gallon tank when we got to Torrey. The next day we hiked for a few hours in Capitol Reef before going to Arches and Canyonlands that same day. Yeah, we wanted to see as much as we could in the little time we had. I have one more posting to make from my summer trip which I hope to finish by next week. I doubt the next one will bring back any memories good, bad, or otherwise unless you like to travel to really obscure geological formations. Roadhound