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I thought the video was fabulous. But of course, any video that features so many steel trusses always has my vote. And I'm pleased to see how much old signage remains in Tacoma! jim

Dave, the reporter found my US 40 writeup at jimgrey.net and e-mailed me. I gave him a phone number and he interviewed me. Chris, you're right, Plainfield is like a massive speed bump along US 40. I don't find US 40 east of Plainfield to be particularly interesting, so if I lived south I'd use your bypass every time. I live north, and I haven't figured out a good way to bypass the Avon/Plainfield mess. Thanks for the tip about Cartersburg Road; I'll try it sometime. jim

I was heavily quoted in an article in Sunday's Terre Haute Tribune-Star about US 40 and the National Road. http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_227232002.html

Yay! I'm jealous! These photos are great, and they have me itching to make the trip myself someday.

A brief abandoned alignment with a bridge. http://jimgrey.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/nature-always-wins/

One of my favorite things is "dashboard-cam" type videos where you experience the road from the driver's seat. Unfortunately, there's a safety risk involved there, so it's not something I do all the time.

heh! Yeah, I'm now the age that is the answer to the Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything! http://jimgrey.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/st...ened-and-moved/ Remnants of an old alignment around the Marion-Hendricks county line, plus a photo of The Diner and of the old 40 Motel sign, since they're right nearby.

Starting to blog about the trip. http://jimgrey.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/ph...road-questions/ Posts to come: An abandoned bridge. Tiny towns and old houses along the route. A bridge on the National Register, restored for pedestrian use. A brick road segment in Putnam County. The sadly decayed town of Brazil. Sights in Terre Haute, including a great neon sign over the Saratoga Restaurant. The end of the road where I-70 was built over it.

Thanks, Becky! Now that I know that you all would not deliberately add such a thing, I won't hesitate to contact directly should it happen again. I'm back from the trip -- exhausted! I found what I believe to be an old brick alignment of the road; it's now on private property, but I got a good photo of some of it. More to come.

I would prefer that nobody going to my site think that I am in any way associated with any advertising!

Yes, I think it's something happening with the forum software.

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That LinkBucks thing isn't on my end. Don't know why it's showing up when you click. It's really stinking annoying. If you try to close the "LinkBucks" bar, you get two or three pop-up windows, and when you try to close them, you get several "Are you sure" dialogs. When I try to edit the links, they show up as I put them in - without the LinkBucks thing. Is this something the AR people have added as a revenue path? Hope not, it's pretty invasive.

Encouraged by the Movers and Stakers: Stories along the Indiana National Road film, I'm going to be making two trips along the NR across Indiana. The first will be tomorrow. I'm collecting my road-trip buddy and we're going to revisit 40/NR in western Indiana. This was the subject of my first-ever official road trip, which was in 2006 -- yes, three years is all the longer I've been doing this! But in those intervening years I have learned a TON, and wish to make the slow journey along the NR again with my new eyes. I know of two brief former alignments I missed last time, and will be stopping in the tiny towns to snap photos unlike last time. We'll make the trip down the NR in eastern Indiana in the fall, probably. The western half of the NR is really more interesting from a road perspective, but the eastern half is more interesting from a roadside architecture perspective. jim

Niiiice, Dave!

How could I forget that one?!!? I'd go a little farther and say stay on 40 from Marshall to at least where it merges with I-70 just before Terre Haute so you can see more of the abandoned brick/cement highway that parallels current US 40. If you're especially adventurous, forget the I-70 merge, follow the Historic National Road signs, and stay on the old road all the way into Terre Haute.

Out here in Indiana, I'd recommend: - The Michigan Road instead of I-74 between Greensburg and Indianapolis - US 136 -- essentially the DH -- instead of I-74 west of Indianapolis; you can return to 74 by heading north from almost any small town along the way; there are several old alignments along the way if you're intereted. (Gotta make a US 136 trip myself one day.) - US 40 instead of I-70 across Indiana -- even though 40 is four lanes and usually divided, it gets 1/1,000th of the traffic of I-70 and takes you through any number of charming small Indiana towns, especially east of Indianapolis. There are also a few old alignments to explore. You can get back on 70 by heading north (eastern IN) or south (western IN) from most of the small towns, too.

Ah yes, his audience is almost entirely Hoosier so he assumes some knowledge of the geography! Try this hastily-drawn map. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp...mp;t=h&z=10 I'm wrinkling my forehead a bit over what the author says is the final alignment in western Elkhart County; it doesn't make sense to me. But otherwise I think this is a fine piece of roadsleuthing. I think our styles influenced each other. He taught me a ton about recognizing roadside architecture, but perhaps he drew from my trip reports for his approach.

A friend of mine (my partner in crime on the Michigan Road byway effort) was hired by the Indiana LHA to work on a historic byway application for the route(s). He's written a couple posts about the road in Elkhart County with some good photos of the roadside architecture. http://hoosierhappenings.blogspot.com/2009...ln-highway.html http://hoosierhappenings.blogspot.com/2009...countys-lh.html

Incredible!!

Any county named Darke has my vote.

I remember there being a lodge there, too.

I've been to Crossville; spent a week in Cumberland Mt. State Park in a rented cabin several years ago. This was before my roadgeekery had fully bloomed. I traced Old State Hwy 28 in Google Maps along the corridor you followed and if I were to make a return trip I'd want to drive it! I was right by it in that park all those years ago. There's a great old bridge in that park.

Sorry, no idea.

I'm too young to remember Truman, but based on what I've read, it sounds just like him to make a trip like that. I met a guy on a road trip once, a fellow who owned some radio stations. Just after Truman left office, as he was on his way home to Missouri, he stayed overnight in Indianapolis. This fellow drove to town (from nearby Terre Haute), went to the hotel where the ex-Pres was staying, and asked for him at the front desk. The desk called the room, Mr. Truman actually came to the phone, the desk handed the phone over, and this fellow said, "I'm from such-n-such radio station and I'd like to interview you." Truman said, "You want to interview me? Come on up!" Just amazing to think that something like this ever could have happened.