Alex Burr - hester_nec

It's fun to try and line up yesterday with today, isn't it. For example, looking at the area I'm most interested in (61 and the Tunica area) early maps show the road running into Lula (old U S 61) - later ones past 1950 or so show Lula by-passed by 61 to the east (current 61.) Thanks for the great site Denny. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Jack, jack, jack - oil companies found out how a jack works. Gas prices in Memphis running from a lo of $1.70 to a high of $1.95. And it will reach higher levels around Memorial Day - that's traditional. Has nothing to do with the supply tho - just ask the oil companies. They'll tell you they are switching from "winter" blend to "summer" blend, thus supplies are just a tad short at that time of year. Just coincidence it happens at the time when people are screaming to get out of their winter bound houses. Ever hear of "area" pricing - this is a great example of it. The lower prices are to be found in less affluent (make that "poorer") neighborhoods; the higher prices in more affluent neighborhoods. Of course if you want to drive your Beemer into the poorer neighborhood to get lower price gas (maybe because your 401K has gone south) you better bring back up and a couple Uzi's!!! Actually it isn't all that bad. You can go to mid-town, get a Kroger grocery store card and save a few pennies a gallon at their gas stations. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Jim, This road trip report is fantastic - there is a common theme running thru it that is very subtle and easy to miss. And that is small town America is still alive and well out there somewhere. It's just quietly snoozing in the mid-day sun. Most of these small towns along the Michigan Road will probably never change because they are not near large industrial centers - thus won't become over built, over crowded bedroom towns. You've captured it all with this trip - it would be fun to do again in, say, 10 years to see how much (or how little) it has changed. A note on the multi-colored house in the Marshall County segment (Wacky Paint Job) - we tend to look at the Victorian Era (around the 1880's period) as drab and dull. Actually, paint schemes like this were quite common on homes of that era. Sort of like saying "Look!!! I've got enough money to buy several different colored paints for my house!!!" A great example of this style can be found around the Cape May area in southern New Jersey. There was one area full of summer cottages that the residents banded together and restored. They were built in the late 1800's, early 1900's, and they have paint schemes like this. The picture of the auto repair garage (two bays in front, one in back, tower against the front of the building). Going by the general layout and the tower I'll take bets that at one time that was the town garage. Am slowly reading my way thru your trip - and enjoying every minute of it. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

The rock and roll years from 1954 to the early 60's, which happened to be my teen years, probably would have changed if only a little later had Holly, Valens and Richardson not been killed. Those first 6 or 7 years were what you would call the formative years. Performers like Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and others in those beginning years, took several different genre's of music - blues, gospel, and other southern music, and hammered it into a powerhouse of pure raw power. It was the small record producers, like Sam Phillips of Sun, who discovered this new form and turned it loose. The small producers couldn't really compete with the big studious like RCA, etc, who, when they finally figured out that something was happening out in the "real" world, jumped in with both feet and started buying out the smaller studios contracts. There was a ground-swell of opposition to rock and roll in the 50's, much of it church driven and a lot of it Southern Church driven - they forgot that one of the bases of the phenom was gospel. My take is after the bigger studios got into it, in the early 60's, I think it would have started to become tamer, in a word, at that point as the bigger studios overlooked the roots and made it platable to the critics. In any event it's all a moot point now. The Beatles came along and the old form rock and roll began to loose it's raw power and become refined. It is my personal opinion, having spent my teen years from 54-to-the-British-Invasion, that the music, if it died, it went when the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. That's not to take anything away from the Beatles or those that followed - each generation has it's music - mine was the 40's and 50's. I just turned the radio off after 1964-1965. So to Elvis, Roy, Carl, the Big Bopper and the rest - thanks for the ride, guys - it was a time. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Pack the suitcases and head for Pontiac, MI in July. From Monday July 13th thru Friday the 17th you will find a lot of one of Detroits finest road cars - Hudsons, Essexes and Terraplanes. From what's been published here and there there's going to be a turnout like you wouldn't believe - we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Hudson Motor Car Company and the 50th anniversary of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club. There aren't to many car clubs can claim that distinction. You can find the meet at the Pontiac Marriot at Centerpoint Hotel, 3600 Centerpoint Parkway, Pontiac, MI 48341 I can guarentee you will not have to hunt for the cars. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Yeah, Jim - imagine rolling the old Hudson thru that at 2 in the morning with a snoot full!!!! Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Thanks for the idea Dave - I amended my report by adding the road condition info, at least for that section that is pertinent to this. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I got the ones I have off ebay - and there are a some up for sale at the moment. The condition mine are in would be cosidered rough - but that's ok with me. I use the dickens out of them. I will tell you one thing I've found - pre-1926 tour books are better for tracing out old roads. They have turn by turn directions that are lacking in later post-1926 books. Yes, AAA and other tour books from '26 up do have strip maps, but those are lacking in a lot of ways. Of course it isn't possible to put detailed strip maps, I realise, but one can figure out some alignments from those. I do have some AAA tour guides from the 1940's that are in very good shape - they still get used. I don't expect to resell them back on ebay - someday I may just box them up and send them to somebody. Same thing with maps that I have - they also get used. I neglected to mention a book I am reading at the moment, that might be of interest to roadies. We all know of Least Heat Moon, Charles Kuralt, Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" and we have several talented road reporters on this forum. But the book I'm referring to is "Ernie's America: The Best of Ernie Pyle's 1930's Travel Dispatches". It's quite a book - similar to Heat Moon's Blue Highways. I found a copy in the local library but there's a few on alibris.com for very reasonable prices. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I've finally gotten off my rear end and started writting up some of the local area road trips - they are actually more explorations, than road trips - over the past year or so. Last Sunday I went out and traced some 1920's alignments of U S 51 (of course, this was before it became U S 51) that I found in a 1923 Automobile Blue Book. The main one being in the Brighton area. I also pretty much have figured out the Jackson Avenue routing in downtown Memphis, and this is included in this report. To view the results go to my road travel website @ www.freewebs.com/yankeetraveller - click on Memphis Short Trips - this trip is the first paragraph - Memphis to Dyersburg - Jan. 25, 2009. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

You're doing a great job with your site, Jim - I can't access it, even thru saved bookmarks and trying to come in thru Google. All I can get is - Not Found The requested URL /Roads/MichiganRoad/index.htm was not found on this server. As for going to www.jimgrey.net I get a nice looking page that says coming soon Hudsonly, Alex Burr Mempis, TN [/b]

Something to think about - would be later when the weather warms up a little. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Camels in Texas - certainly. I beleive you'd find they dated back to before the civil war. Fellow name of Jeff Davis, Secretary of War around 1848 had something to do with it. The idea was dropped at the start of the Civil War, the camels were sold to private owners and some escaped into the wilds of the southwest. More on this noble experiment can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Camel_Corps Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Lets see - I've been to Bristol (not Briston), RI - nice location, Fort Worth (years ago - did find a great resturant, believe it was the Cattlemans Resturant) and Buffalo. Other than Bristol being in a nice location I can't really think of much that would attract me to either Buffalo or Fort Worth. Maybe I was just looking in the wrong place. I should take a run over to Frankliin, TN, sometime - that's quite historic. Dates back to 1799, Civil War battle, historic stuff. Now, THAT might be worth taking a trip for. Virginia City - also historic. Believe that's where a gentleman name of Sam Clements worked for a newspaper and wrote a couple of his stories, also a typical mining town, home of the Comstock Lode and if you beleive Hollywood and TV the site of the Ponderosa Ranch and the Cartwrights. LOL Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Blogs are, I think, strange - should I say entity, here - yes, entities. What starts as a daily journal, perhaps, begins to morph in some strange way to something entirely different from what was intended. One of the interesting features of the internet is that people tend to interact with others in ways they never would face to face. They begin to open up - sometimes opening their souls to perfect strangers. A blog that was intended to convey one thing, I beleive, may turn into a mirror of one's thoughts and, yes, even one's soul. Whatever your blog has become, Ara, perhaps different from what you envisioned when you started, it has touched all of us in some way or other. Some will see your blog as a very interesting road trip; others may be inspired by what you write; for some others it may change their way of life. Safe journey - follow your path, and your hawk, to wherever it may lead you. I think this forum would be a bit emptier without your posts Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Blogs are, I think, strange - should I say entity, here - yes, entities. What starts as a daily journal, perhaps, begins to morph in some strange to something entirely different from what was intended. One of the interesting features of the internet is that people tend to interact with others in ways they never would face to face. They begin to open up - sometimes opening their souls to perfect strangers. A blog that was intended to convey one thing, I beleive, may turn into a mirror of one's thoughts and, yes, even one's soul. Whatever your blog has become, Ara, perhaps different from what you envisioned when you started, it has touched all of us in some way or other. Some will see your blog as a very interesting road trip; others may be inspired by what you write; for some others it may change their way of life. Safe journey - follow your path, and your hawk, to wherever it may lead you. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Becky, I'd love to come to Michigan - however, I left my snowshovel in Maine when I moved down here. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

You can always camp in my back yard - it's something like 50-60 feet wide and 125 feet deep!! Plenty of room - you just got to get used to the street light in the middle of the neighbors back yard. And maybe the moles tunneling down below. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

There were 3 big navy bases - Mainside Jax is south of downtown on the St John River; NAS Cecil Field was out west of town a few miles; and Mayport was the carrier base for Jax and Cecil Field. From a google search they are still there. Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Another great trip report, Denny. And over some ground that I've been over before - 50 years ago!!! LOL I was stationed in Jacksonville at the Naval Air Station back in 1956!! While I was following your trip, I was/am reading Least-Heat Moon's River Horse - I found a copy at the library. In the History section - figure that one out. That's as good as his Blue Highways and The Road to Quoz. Thanks again for taking all of us with you on your road trips - your writting is enjoyable and interesting. And the photos excellent. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Add my welcome to the group, Mark. I've had some upheaval in my life in recent years and this American Road family, along with my Hudson Car Club family, has been an anchor for me. You couldn't find a greater group of people. Drop by my "Back Yard Roadtrips" http://www.freewebs.com/yankeetraveller/ - sometime - nothing fancy as I don't really know how to build a really good web site. But it gets the job done, I guess. I really got to get back to work on it. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Ah, yes, the man does have a sense of humor - now if you can just teach that reindeer sitting in the side car to fly, think of the benefits!!!!!!!!!! Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I learned to shave with one of those injector razors - back in the early 50's!!!!! A few years back I got tired of buying disposable razors and bought an electric. Don't shave quite as good as a blade - but, hey, I ain't going to visit the queen!!!!!!!!!! Have a great, and safe, trip Denny - we'll look fwd to each day's report, as we always do, with anticipation. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Dave, tho it is in the 30's here in Mempis, there isn't any snow on the ground - I don't have any trouble getting out of my driveway. Yeah, I really miss New England and winter - like maybe a root canal???????? Hudsonly, Alex Burr (Sunny) Memphis, TN

Those fire dances are awesome to watch - my ex-wife and I went on an Hawaiian cruise in 1995 and one of the things we got to see was a Samoan fire dance at the Hawaiian Cultural Center out in Laie on Oahu. The show was mesmerizing. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

In the 1950's it was planned to extend the Taconic State Parkway as far north as US 20 in West Lebanon, Rensselaer County. There was some talk of eventually extending as far north as Buskirk (at the intersection of NY 67 and NY 22), on the Rensselaer-Washington county border and still earlier there were plans to extend as far north as the Canadian border. As usual the gremlin that stopped this ambitious project was lack of funds. Perhaps it's a blessing it didn't happen. I'm sure that the extension, if it had been built after the 1950's, would have turned out to be just like the interstates today - far, far from the wonderful experience one can enjoy on the existing road today. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN Check out this web site, where the material above was taken from: http://www.nycroads.com/roads/taconic/