mobilene

I always thought plank and corduroy were the same, too, but in hindsight it just doesn't make sense does it?

Great images, Dave. I'll have to go to the LOC and look them up. According to connerprairie.org: Plank roads, literally the building of a floor of timber as roadways, were once considered a viable solution for transportation problems in the United States. This was especially true in muddy, rural areas where they were looked upon as the perfect answer to providing smooth, dust-free roads. A plank road craze swept Indiana in the early 1850s as builders foresaw a way to provide cheap, efficient toll roads. Ft. Wayne and Indianapolis constructed their first plank roads in 1849 and within two years over 400 hundred miles of the timber highways had been built throughout the state. The plank road phenomenon ebbed before the Civil War due to the rapid deterioration of the roads, insufficient revenues, and competition from railroads. I also read at michigan.gov today that plank roads were primarily used to provide a secure and dust-free road surface, while corduroy (log) roads were laid in soft/wet areas. So who knows, it's possible that much of the MR was planked.

Ok, now wait, every time I try to fry a burger in my iron skillet, it ruins the skillet's seasoning, and I have to scrub it clean and reseason it. How can I avoid that?

Anywhere I go across this great nation, the Denny's cheeseburger is an old friend to me. The thing probably has 2,458,162,307 calories, 90% of which are fat, but I don't care, the things are wonderful. Best cheeseburger I <i>ever</i> had was in San Antonio, TX. My ex-brother-in-law grew up there and took me out to this joint, the name of which escapes me, that had the juiciest and most flavorful half-pound of beef topped with cheddar I've ever had. The thing was so dripping in fat that my arteries instantly hardened. jim

WOW! What a story! I just skimmed it this morning but will hunker down and read it thoroughly later today when I have time.

I just have the one car, for business and pleasure - my '03 Matrix. It isn't particularly stylish, but it gets 35 mpg and has never let me down. Also, it is small enough to go down a one-lane former alignment, turn around, and go back -- and carry my two large dogs along for the ride too.

Photos of the MR through Indianapolis are up and minimally tagged. Sorry, not geotagged yet. That's a dang lot of work. I'll get to it eventually. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mobilene/sets...57605001968216/

Several years ago, South Bend's airport, which is on the Lincoln Highway, was expanded such that the road had to be rerouted. Now the airport director wants to commemorate the LH's original right-of-way within the airport grounds. http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs....20330/1011/News

Denny, you know I'm lovin' the crumbly old-alignment shots.

Thanks Dave! I am sorely tempted to make local copies of my sources given how Internet sites are here today, dead links tomorrow. I'm quietly making copies of the photos I'm finding online, for the same reasons. I figure that the stuff I find online plus what I find on the road as I drive will be all I accomplish this summer. But then I'll want to go visit libraries in counties along the route and find other physical resources to put the story together more. What I'm doing right now is primarily experiential and historical. But I haven't found a solid focus yet, something I could turn into a book. I'd like to do that. I've been published before, albeit while writing computer books -- but at least I do get how publishing works. -- Weather permitting, I plan to drive the MR through Marion County (Indianapolis) over the weekend. There are a couple former communities left along the way, including Wanamaker and Augusta, that were consumed to varying degrees by the city after Unigov merged city and county. There is also a whole lot of malaise along the MR through Indy -- some places I'll be a little worried about my safety if I get out of my car for a photo. jim

I have started writing about the Michigan Road on my Roads pages, http://www.jimgrey.net/Roads/MichiganRoad. I have written about my trip up to Napoleon, Ind. so far. Why read this report when you've already seen the Flickr photostream? Because I've included extra information and old photographs of some of the spots along the route. Normally, when I write up a road trip, that's it, I'm done writing. But I expect that as I find out more about the Michigan Road, I'll be adding to pages I've already written and posted. And I'll keep adding new segments to the writeup as I can. So stay tuned.

Our historian at The Bell Rang visited Old Washington: http://thebellrang.blogspot.com/2008/06/ol...-alignment.html

http://hoosierhappenings.blogspot.com/2008...avel-lodge.html A writeup of the former Heminger Travel Lodge in Plymouth, IN, now restored as a battered women's shelter.

Keep yer day job, Dave!

The Vega was a better looking car than the Pinto. The Kammback was 1,000% better looking than the Pinto wagon IMHO. But yeah, early Vegas were a real roll of the dice. GM made that basic platform live through the early 80s as the Monza/Sunbird/Skyhawk and by then they got the kinks worked out. jim

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...0351/1056/COL02 In Bellefontaine, OH, the nation's oldest stretch of concrete road, built in 1891, is at a crossroads.

Great writeup, Denny! Now I know where old 66 really began.

The Pinto was the brainchild of Lee Iacocca, who mandated a subcompact weighing less than 2,000 pounds that would cost less than $2,000. And so it did, in 1971 at least, when debuted. Your '73, RoadDog, was probably saddled with the massive 5 mph bumpers, like mine was. My '75 had about 60,000 miles on it in 1986 when I got it. It ran fine -- matter of fact, it ran rich, given that it would accelerate to 40 mph on its own, without me touching the gas pedal, after I let off the brake. The radiator issue got fixed fine with a radiator from a junked Pinto. The rust was that car's bane, though. jim

When I was 19, I got what I consider to be my first car, although I didn't exactly hold the title. It was a 1975 Ford Pinto. I loved that stupid little car. I am still not sure why. I wrote about it on my blog the other day and realized that I wouldn't mind finding one in good shape and having it restored, or maybe buying one already restored. Then I thought: Are you nuts? If you're going to do that, why not go for something with a little more zest, a little more verve, a little more, um, sex. You know, '71 Chevelle. '67 Mustang fastback. '68 Impala hardtop coupe, V8 powered. But another Pinto? Then I realized: I would be willing to part with the cash for a Pinto, while the other cars I cited, not so much. And then I could follow the Michigan Road, the National Road, the PP-OO, etc., etc., in a car that would make passers-by go, "Was that what I think it was?" And, "Who would want to restore one of those?" I added a search for "Ford Pinto" to my eBay favorites. Who knows, maybe someday I'll find the right deal. jim

Be sure to catch Sycamore Row! And if you go through Logansport, I have under high authority that the Char-Bett on SR 25 has fabulous ice cream.

I have two friends who grew up in Randolph Co., IN, and never told me about this drive in! They've been holding out on me! Amazing and wonderful that it's still going. A&W drive-ins were everywhere when I was little. Most of them had closed by the mid 80s and were standing empty, and today I don't see even the bones of many old A&Ws in my travels. jim

http://hoosierhappenings.blogspot.com/2008...ellowstone.html

Denny, I liked that shot of 20 rolling gently. And it was great to see the shots of the '51 Hudson convertible. I love Hudsons from that era. And the shot of the White House No. 1 in Logansport -- driven by it a bazillion times, so often I don't even notice it there anymore, but I have never, ever looked inside. Love how the color has worn off the edges of the laminate counter. Thanks for the interior shot. And finally, I'm glad you found Sycamore Row with no trouble. jim

Have fun with the route today! The Michigan Road enters South Bend from the west on Lincolnway West (Business US 20) and then LaSalle St. Then it leaves the old Lincoln routing and heads south on Michigan St. (Old 31). The Dixie follows Old 31 into South Bend from Michigan. So the two routes meet at Michigan and LaSalle. They diverge again within Indy, I think at 16th St., but I'm not entirely sure about that. BTW, as you head north to south through Rochester, to stay on Old 31 you actually have to bear left just before Fast Food Row on the south edge of town. The Michigan Road, aka SR 25, goes straight through and under current 31. jim

Some parts of 31 were absolutely the Dixie. From downtown South Bend, you had to take Main St. south; the Dixie was one block east, on Michigan St. When you merged back in to Michigan St. on the south side of town you merged into the Dixie -- and the Michigan Road. Then 31 was the Dixie/Mich Rd right up until you drove past the exit ramp to Plymouth. Had you taken that, you would have stayed on the Dixie/Mich Rd. on Old 31. There would have been a slightly confusing moment where Old 31 met the four-lane 31 again south of Plymouth, but if you had gone south on it and then taken the first left, you would have been back on the Dixie/Mich Rd and entered Rochester on it. BTW, Plymouth is very nice for a town its size. If you ever get the chance, do drive through it. If you are interested in following the Dixie -- and the Michigan Road, as well -- follow State Road 25 out of Rochester to Logansport. The road will T at 6th St.; turn left and go over the river. Drive to Broadway St. and then turn right. Drive to 3rd St. and turn left. Follow 3rd; after it crosses the other river in town it becomes Burlington Ave. When you get out of Logansport, the road becomes State Road 29 and, later, US 421. It is a straight shot, save a few tiny towns, through to Indy. The tiny towns have gas stations and maybe a local eatery but there will be no major amenities until you near Indy. 421/MR/Dixie has an interchange with I-465 in Indy if you want to head home quickly from there. *BIG TIP* - A short original one-lane alignment of the Michigan Road remains south of Logansport, immediately south of the little town of Deer Creek. If you want to see it, watch for when SR 218 multiplexes in. It won't multiplex with 29 for long. As soon as 218 demuxes from 29 and goes its own way (right), you will cross a small creek. 29 will jog left a bit. The old alignment is on your right, but you can't access it yet. Look for CR 400 N on your left as 29 swings back left. When you see it, the beginning of the old alignment is on your right and you should be able to turn onto it. There will be a historical marker there -- Sycamore Row, I think it's called. This is because the row of sycamores that line this stretch of road grew out of sycamore logs used to make a plank road here a gazillion years ago. The bridge over the creek is long gone, unfortunately, but the one-lane alignment remains. Have fun! jim