Alex Burr - hester_nec

I note the price on that 1906 map - $5!!!!! Sounds more like a 2006 price. LOL Interesting to see the 1927 piece sold for 75 cents. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Purveyor of safe travels

On the east/west axis I've taken U S 30 south of the city. Yes, it is congested, yes there are lights, but, as I recall, most of it was 4-lane most of the way - tho, at the time (2001) it turned into a short streatch of 2-lane at the western end somewhere. It was a lot easier than using the interstates. Safe traveling everybody. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

Chain food stores?? Ah, yes. They really aren't all that new, you know. I joined Uncle Sam's Navy back in 1955 (yeah, I'm an ancient albatross!!!) and I remember one fast food chain that kept us alive on more than one liberty. White Castle and their 12 cent (as I recall) (square) hamburgers!!! When you're only making $30 or so a month as a pay grade E-3 (seaman, fireman, airman) and you have a weekend pass, a half dozen of those hockey pucks for lunch, maybe even dinner, were welcome. LOL Happy Travels, Alex Burr

What??? No AMC cars, or Hudson (along with Essex and Terraplanes)?? World is going to blazes in a handcart. LOL ROF Hudsonly, Alex B P.S. I know of several Hudsons that are registered in Illinois

This photo was taken at the junction of U S 45 and U S 61, Clarksdale, MS - It's the cross-roads where legend says Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil so he could be the best bluesman in the world. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

This old road dog has moved south (west) to Memphis - no more Maine winters and tons of new highways to explore!!!! Left Maine last Tuesday and arrived safely, more or less, in Memphis Friday noon - hauling a 6 x 12 Uhaul trailer makes for very slow traveling. Only real problem I had was a flat tire on the trailer, but road service had me up and on my way in short order. Weather coming out of New England was typical New England - cold, heavy rains and miserable traffic. Trouble is the damn cold weather followed me down here - but at least we don't have the snow (12 inches in Portland, ME) here. It'll warm up soon. Been looking for a place to live - staying with my daughter at the moment. She fixed me up with a nice cozy room. So here's wishing one and all a Happy Easter (yeah, yeah, I'm a little late) - and have a lot of safe road trips this coming summer season. Anybody finds themselves headed for west Tennessee and/or Memphis drop us an email at hester_nec@yahoo.com and we'll try to get together. Happy Traveling, Alex Burr

U S 30 is the best way to go as it takes you into Pittsburg. There are a number of places to eat and stay along the old route - I don't eat fish myself so I don't know of a good fish place. About 3 years back, in 2004, a friend of mine and I met up (he's from New York, I'm from Maine) outside Bloomsburg. We followed U S 11 down to Selinsgrove, 522 down to 22 in Lewistown and took 22 from there into P'burg (we were going to the Hudson club national meet held in P'burg in 2004). That was a nice drive too. Or you could go a bit out of the way and take U S 6 across. I havn't done that route in years, so can't give you much info on it. I have driven 30 from Chambersburg to Pittsburg, tho, once or twice. Between Chambersburg and Bedford it's a thrill ride!!! Try it and you'll see what I mean. Happy Travels. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

Sounds good to me - I couldn't make it in April, but if there are future plans in the area I probably could and would love to get together. Oh, by the way, (pay attention Denny G), I'll be moving to Memphis sometime in the next few weeks - hopefully. We have a buyer for our house, if it goes thru - herself is moving back to the old house here in town, and I'm moving to Memphis. Sometimes things don't work out. Happy traveling folks. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

Another 2 cents worth from Maine - you might want to take a walkabout thru my daughters web site @ http://www.geocities.com/sumpnrottn/LadysC...venturePg1.html This site documents a trip she took a couple of years back with her favorite dog (Rottweiler) Lady. To calm any fears anybody might have about Lady, she was a certified therapy dog - the first and, so far, only Rotty so certified in the Memphis area to go into nursing homes to visit and raise spirts of the "old folks". Unfortunately, we lost Lady in January - she was around 14½, 15 years and it was time for her to leave. Anyway, this trip site of KC's has some great information on eastern North Carolina. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

While I was in Memphis this trip, my daughter and I had a chance to visit the National Civil Rights Museum located in the old Lorraine Hotel/Motel on Mulberry Street in downtown Memphis. This is the motel (added onto the old hotel at some time) where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. Part of the complex is across the street in the boarding house where James Earl Ray allegedly fired the fatal shot from. The boarding house is accessed from the museum, across Mulberry Street, and through a tunnel under a vacant lot between the two buildings. Then you take an elevator to the 2nd floor. This floor has been opened up, leaving only Ray's room and the bathroom down the hall from where the shooting took place. A visit to this complex is at one and the same time, not only sobering, but also conducive to much thought about these events from the past. If you are in the area, I highly recommend you make an effort to visit. We also drove out to the Shiloh National Military Park, located off TN Route 22 in Shiloh, TN. This is another place that is a great place to visit - if you come from Memphis I recommend taking TN Route 57, as we did. Along the way you will pass thru La Grange, TN - La Grange, IL, was founded, and laid out the same as the TN town by the same man - a town that is literally frozen in time. Most homes along Route 57 have signs giving the original owner and date built. Population has remained almost unchanged for many, many years. While I took some pictures at the Shiloh Park, I'd recommend this site: http://travel.webshots.com/album/549617110yffVfW If you are looking for Shiloh on maps or programs such as MS Streets & Trips, you want the Shiloh, TN, located in Hardin County - there are Shilohs in Bedford and Rutherford Counties. Must keep the post office confused. You can also, on MS Streets and Trips, find the Park by searching for Pittsburgh Landing, the Confederate name for the area. Happy Traveling Alex Burr

XLI - I beleive. Hudsonly, Alex b

www.amazon.com has copies $1.25 up, as does alibris.com from $2.95 up. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

I found an interesting "old alignment" for US 70, et al, on the east side of West Memphis - coming off a railroad bridge!!!! Will have aerial photos on my web site @ http://www.freewebs.com/yankeetraveller/index.htm shortly - been visiting a friend down in Mississippi for the past 3 days so havn't caught my web site up yet. When you get to the YankeeTraveller site, click on Memphis Day Trips and then scroll down to "1 Jan 2007 - Memphis-Arkansas Speedway. I'll try to get the overhead shots on in the next day or two - along with some others. Hudsonly, Alex Burr 09 JAN 2007 - Aerial views of the US 70, et al, early alignment are posted on the yankeetraveller web site.

In Savannah you could visit the battleship (WWII era) USS NORTH CAROLINA. Also in Savannah is a good resturant, 'The Lady & Sons" - web site @ http://www.ladyandsons.com/ Have a great trip. Hudsonly, Alex Burr (PS - don't forget we drive on the wrong side of the road up here - or maybe it's the right side!! hehe)

My daughter and I turned a visit to the old Memphis-Arkasas Speedway track west of W. Memphis into an exploration of the alignment of old U S 70 thru W. Memphis. First a word about the speedway. This was a 1½ mile, high banked, dirt track opened in 1952, but closed in 1957. There will be more on my yankeetraveller web site, so I won't go into it here. Except to say that access to the old track is thru the current owners back yard, but we were greeted warmly by the owners son who lives next to the track and invited to return when it was not flooded and muddy as it is at the moment due to a two day heavy rain. After leaving the track we headed east on U S 70, which runs in front of the track, into West Memphis down Broadway, past the Riverside Motor sports track to the end of Broadway at I-55. At that point there is an entrance ramp to I-55, which also may be the 1949 entrance to the current I-55 bridge, the Memphis-Arkasas Memorial Bridge. To get onto Broadway coming west from Memphis you use a left hand exit, a little bit west of the east bound entrance. Most of Broadway thru W. Memphis is 4-lane, and is currently being widened, probably to make possible center turn lanes. About a mile after entering I-55 eastbound there is an exit (1) at Bridgeport. This allows you access to a gravel road that runs down under the highway and two railroad bridges. Despite the rain previously, this gravel road was very accessible to my daughters Honda CRV with full time 4-WD - I'm not really sure I'd want to drive my '97 Caddy over it - tho the gravel road was in excellent conditon - especially where we went to get up onto the old 70 entrance to the Harahan Bridge. There are currently 4 bridges across the Mississippi, as follows south to north: southernmost is the Memphis-Arkansas Memorial Bridge, built in 1949 for auto traffic, today carrying I-55 and several U S routes, next up-river is the Frisco (or Memphis) railroad bridge opened May 12, 1892; then comes the Harahan Bridge opened July 14, 1916. In 1926 wings were added to each side of this bridge with a planked floor and used to carry auto traffic until 1949. The 4th bridge, further north is the I-40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge. More info on this trip will be found on my yankeetraveller web site (as soon as I get busy and finish writing it up) @ http://www.freewebs.com/yankeetraveller/index.htm - click on "Memphis Day Trips" and scroll down to Memphis-Arkansas Speedway and old U S 70. I'll have it done up shortly. My daughter has to downsize some of the photos she took and I need to have a 35 mm film that I took. Happy Traveling Hudsonly, Alex Burr

Ebay is an excellent source - I've found most of what I have on there. Condition is, however, a matter between seller and buyer. A seller's description may not match a buyers expectations. Quality in what I've bought has ranged from excellent to so-so (minor tears and rips, fading, etc.) All my ALA green tour books and AAA tour books have come off ebay - again you have to accept what you're buying. A few of the books are missing the key maps in the back, so you have to search thru the book for a particular routing (HINT: use the city/town index in the back). Happy hunting. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

Hi fellow roadies, What I am about to post is not truly road related - but I happen to think it to be a great idea. Being retired military I know what it is to be away from home over the holidays and little things, such as this, mean more than anyone can ever know. This one came from a classmate of mine - I think it's a great idea. Might be the best 39 cents you ever spent. When making out your Christmas card list this year, consider adding: A Recovering American Soldier c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW >> Washington, DC 20307-5001 And, don't hesitate to share this if you think it's as good an idea as I do. Blessed, peaceful Christmas!

Great article - I have a small collection of road maps from the 1930's, '40's and '50's. I also have about a dozen AAA and ALA tour guide books - the ALA books are from 1921, 1927-1928 (New England States and Truck Lines West and South), and 1932 and 1933 (All States East of the Mississippi), I also have a 1923 Automobile Blue Book, Vol 2 Southeastern States, 1930 Motor Trips Eastern US, and the following AAA guide books - 1937 Northeastern Tour Book, 1938 Northeastern Tour Book, 1938 Southeastern Tour Book, and 1941 Vol 1 Northeast and Vol II Western. I also have a 1918 New England Tours folder put out by the New England Hotel Association, an Official Touring Guide of Ohio-Indiana-Michigan, put out by the Toledo AAA Club and a 1918 New England North booklet put out by Goodrich (Goodrich Tour Book). The hardest ones to find seem to be the Southeast tour books - it took me about 8 or 9 years to find the 1938 Southeastern Tour Book (I like the 1937-1938 books as I was born in 1937). Sad to say many of these books are not in pristine condition - which does make it easy to thumb thru them without worry. Happy Traveling!!! Hudsonly, Alex Burr

I purchased Cars a couple weeks back, when it came on the market - havn't watched it yet. I'll be headed for Memphis the end of Dec for my yearly visit with my daughter. We have started a "New Years Day Movie Marathon" tradition (Last year we watched Vanishing Point and Thunder Road), so we'll watch Cars together - along with a VHS tape I picked off Amazon or Alibris, can't remember which now - The Richard Petty Story. Hudsonly, Alex Burr http://www.freewebs.com/yankeetraveller/

Thanks for the trip, Denny - you getting down into "my" country there. KC wants to move to that area - and from the pictures I can agree with her. I'll be rumbling thru that area in about a month on my way to Memphis. Everybody have a great holiday season - and Merry Christmas to all. Hudsonly, Alex B

That part of Kentucky is beautiful. I was last thru there in 1990, tho, headed west across Kentucky on the West Kentucky for Memphis. I remember one rest area we stopped at out there somewhere - the scenery was breathtaking with hi hills all around. I've driven 79/68/64 between Memphis and my sisters place in St. Albans, WV, a couple times and enjoyed the run. Sometime I'll have to do it again and write it up. Trouble is the past few years I've been making these New England/Memphis trips in December and January - not the best time of the year to go "off-Interstate" in mountainous regions (not the best "on-interstate" either - couple years ago I saw a LOT of cars and 18 wheelers off the road on I-81). In fact it is one thing that has made me leery of stopping at sisters place. Me, snow and mountains do NOT mix. LOL Great write-up, Kip - thanks for sharing. Hudsonly, Alex burr

I don't have the exact times to hand but in September 1916, 90 years ago, Hudson set a transcontinental record with a new Super-Six model of 5 days and change from San Francisco to New York, much of it over what would become the Lincoln Highway. After a few hours rest, they turned the car around and drove it back to Frisco in about 5 days and change (seems to me it took them about an hour or so longer) WITH NO MAJOR REPAIRS TO THE CAR!!!!! Hudsonly, Alex Burr

I don't like those Cairo bridges, day OR night. But the continuation across the levee into Misery is even more fun!!! You just know if one of those 18 wheelers coming the other way decides he wants the WHOLE highway you ain't go no place to go!!! Except straight down. My daughter would rather swim across the river than use the bridge. LOL Hudsonly, Alex Burr

For those who are interested in what being on the road was like in yester-year, here are two good books. The first, "By Motor To The Golden Gate", was written by Emily Post (yes, THE Emily Post) about her 1915 motor trip from New York to San Francisco with 22 year old son, Edwin, and her cousin Alice Beadleston. There are photos and numerous maps. Somewhere over the next hill, or perhaps around the next corner, is a place called Diddy Waw Diddy - and that's the title of the 2nd book. "Diddy Waw Diddy", by Billy Porterfield, a former reporter for the Houston Chronicle, the Detroit Free Press, The Chicago Daily News and the Dallas Times Herald, is a memoir of life on the road in the 1930's and WWII. Billy's father was an oil field driller in the Oklahoma/Texas area and this book tells the story of their wanderings from one oil field to another in the family's 1938 Terraplane. The title comes from his mother telling everybody, when they were on the road from here to there, that they were headed for "Diddy Waw Diddy, a place where they'd live like arcadian lords and never have to leave". Tho not strictly a "road" book, like "By Motor...........", it is, none-the-less, a story that chronicles the rootless life of so many family's during the depression - perhaps something like Steinbecks "Grapes of Wrath". Well worth reading. Both books are still available thru amazon.com in paperback or thru abe.com (Diddy Waw Diddy available in hardcover). If you buy I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

In Kennebunk, ME, at the moment it runs about (rounded off) $2.90/$2.99/$3.06 - move north about 5 miles to the next town up the line and take off about 5 to 7 cents a gallon. Kennebunk is considered a "rich" town to most people (not ALL of us), including the oil companies, so we generally pay 7 to 10 cents a gallon higher here than surrounding towns. At one point, for about 3 days a couple weeks back, we were paying as much a 13 cents a gallon higher here in town - was worth driving 10 miles, up and back, to the next town. I just hope it gets down to the $2.25 area by the time I get ready to go to Memphis in Dec. Hudsonly, Alex Burr