Alex Burr - hester_nec

Did anyone catch the Great American Road Trip last night (Tuesday) on NBC?? The concept is like the Amazing Race, only this one takes place on Route 66. Six families start out from Chicago, each in their own RV, supplied by an RV rental company. The idea, like the Amazing Race, is to get from Chicago to California with contests among the families along the way. In the first episode the families drove from Chicago to Madison, Illinois with a stop in Springfield for the 1st contest, then on to St. Louis where the 3 losers of the 1st contest had to try to win another contest, with one family being eliminated and going home. Lots of nice Route 66 footage along the way, tho they are doing it the easy way by staying on the interstates. In a word the show's hilarious. Future episodes are on NBC, Tuesday night at 9pm EDST. Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Great pic's Pat - almost like being in the back seat traveling with you guys!!! I've driven 30 across Pennsy, from Chambersburg to Greensburg, and found it to be well marked with Lincoln Highway signs. What they don't post, in Chambersburg, is what you're going to find not to far to the west!!! The road is, to say the least, interesting - especially if you like roads that go straight up, and then straight down. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

In short study the list of needed equipment in an old Automobile Blue Book and stock accordingly Enjoying your trip report. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

The Indians warned him and pointed to the marks on the rocks left by the high water in their lifetime. He ignored the warning and the house was completed, ready to move into - then came the high water. The house was so well built that it was not washed away, but was almost buried in sand. One room had been excavated and in this we spent the night.” Always listen to the Indians - they were here first!!! Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Great pics. Seeing that trailer in the mud reminds me of a Hershey years ago. They had a lot of rain and so the grounds were soaked. Everybody was getting stuck in the mud - from cars all the way up to motor homes. Two great pretenders from the Military Vehicle Historical Society were having the time of their lives hauling big rigs out of mud holes - with an old WWII half-track they'd brought to the show. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU - and many, many more. You are about to discover an immutable truth - for some reason the days will pass by more quickly. Tomorrow was 3 weeks ago and next week was 3 months ago. And you'll wonder where it went. Happy one anyway. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I didn't mention it because it is north of 60 on U S 71 - but there is a civil war battle site just south, if I remember right, of Carthage - and a very nice Civil War museum in town on Grant Street. My daughter and I stopped there back in 2002 on our way back for our trip to South Dakota. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

That's one beautiful convert, Dave. I'm wondering if that's the one Park Waldrop restored and sold a year or so back. There sure aren't to many around any more. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Lots to do in Springfield, MO - check out this site: http://www.ask.com/bar?q=springfield+misso...gfieldmo.org%2F When you get to that, click on "Things to do", then on "Springfield Attractions" - you get wound up in Springfield, you won't make Oklahoma. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Hi Jason, There really isn't any time that certain things will be occuring that would affect visitors. For example, there will be club officers and directors meetings, club chapter editor meetings, things like that. This would have no affect on visitors dropping by, so give me a call and come on over. I don't plan on going anywhere once I get there and I'll be happy to show you around. Evening might be a little cooler anyway. Thanks for the heads up on the road conditions. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

The Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club is holding its annual national meet at the Detroit Marriott Pontiac at Center Point, 3600 Centerpoint Parkway, in Pontiac, MI from Monday July 13th until Friday July 17th - best days for visiting, if you are in the area, would be Tuesday or Wenesday. From the numbers floating around this is going to be a very large meet - it could go over 300 Hudson products (including Essex, Terraplane and possible Railton). Here's a chance to see the cars that were built to run on our favorite 2-lane highways. We are also celebrating two events - the 100th anniversary of the Hudson Motor Car Company and the 50th anniversary of the HET club. At the moment I think we've just about filled 3 hotels in the area, so that is a lot of people and cars. If you can stop by and say hi, I'd love to get-together with you - best way to find me is call my cell phone @ 901-201-6143. I'll be at the meet Monday, Tuesday and Wenesday - my ride is leaving Thursday. But if you can't make it the first of the week come on over Thur and Fri - you can find somebody to show you around and tell you more than you'll ever want to know about Hudsons. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN hudsontech09@yahoo.com

There's a gentleman who signs himself as Perfesser Creekwater who has walked U S 40, east to west and west to east, several times. Mark posted the following (excerpt) on the US40 road group today about Fairfield, CA: I ALREADY KNEW THAT OLD 40 USED TO GO THIS WAY, BUT WAS "DOWN-GRADED" YEARs AGO, AND THE RT.40 ROAD-SIGNs REMOVED ... :-( YESTERDAY I DISCOVER'D THAT FOLKs IN FAIRFIELD HAVE RE-INSTALL'D RT.40 SIGNs :-) :-) ---DOZENs OF THEM, ALONG TEXAS STREET, THE TOWN's MAIN STREET, TO ID IT AS "HISTORIC US 40 ROUTE" And, yes, the Perfesser does type in all caps - always has. Interesting snippet to say the least. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Sneaky way to get people to watch the Today show, I'd say!!! I did a search (on ask.com) using tom brokaw us 50 and turned up one site @ http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/nbc/to...here_111011.asp doesn't give much info, tho. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Might there be a stop at Route 66 in a future mid-west cruise?? Only the Denster knows. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

And the best part of it - I just discovered, sitting on my book shelf, is the 1926 Auto Blue Book, Volume 2, that goes with the map!!!!!!!!!!! Does it get any better!!!!!!! Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I just got a General Index Map off ebay showing main auto routes from a 1926 Volume 2 Automobile Blue Book. It covers, on one side, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York from Route 20 south, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The other side covers North Carolina to Florida, the gulf States to Mississippi, Tennessee and southern Kentucky. 1926 U S highway numbers are not given, but state route numbers are. On the southeastern states routes are lettered as follows: B - Bankhead Highway; BL - Bee Line Highway; D - Dixie Highway; DB - Dixie Bee Line; DO - Dixie Overland Highway; F - Florida Short Route; J - Jackson Highway; Jf - Jefferson Highway; Le - Lee Highway (now U S 11); M - Mississippi River Scenic Highway (Now U S 61); MV - Mississippi Valley Highway; N - National Old Trails Road; S - Old Spanish Trail. The other side, showing northern states, does say some states have not completed the numbering - I take that to mean the new U S highway numbers. Key to organized highways lists the following named highways: B - Bankhead Highway; H - Horseshoe Trail; J - Jackson Highway; LT - Lakawanna Trail; LS - Lakes-to-Sea Highway; Le - Lee Highway; Ly - Liberty Highway; L - Lincoln Highway; N - National Old Trails Highway; RM - Roosevelt Midland Trail; SV - Shenandoalh Valley Pike; ST - Susquehanna Trail; T - Tidewater Trail; P - William Penn Highway; Y - Yellowstone Trail I havn't as yet looked over the map to see where these named highways run - some, like Lee Highway (now U S 11), Yellowstone Trail (now U S 20) and Dixie Highway I'm familiar with. Some of the others I've heard reference to. Looking at the map I found that the Lakes-to-Sea Highway, which I thought was U S 6 ran between Erie, down thru Franklin, over to Harrisburg, finally disappearing somewhere just to the west of Philidelphia. I can't find any markings east of Philly. More digging. I found the Mississippi River Scenic Highway (M) interesting - today it is known, pretty much of its way, as the Great River Road Scenic ByWay - for some reason I think the previous name summed it up much better. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I just got a General Index Map off ebay showing main auto routes from a 1926 Volume 2 Automobile Blue Book. It covers, on one side, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York from Route 20 south, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The other side covers North Carolina to Florida, the gulf States to Mississippi, Tennessee and southern Kentucky. 1926 U S highway numbers are not given, but state route numbers are. On the southeastern states routes are lettered as follows: B - Bankhead Highway; BL - Bee Line Highway; D - Dixie Highway; DB - Dixie Bee Line; DO - Dixie Overland Highway; F - Florida Short Route; J - Jackson Highway; Jf - Jefferson Highway; Le - Lee Highway (now U S 11); M - Mississippi River Scenic Highway (Now U S 61); MV - Mississippi Valley Highway; N - National Old Trails Road; S - Old Spanish Trail. The other side, showing northern states, does say some states have not completed the numbering - I take that to mean the new U S highway numbers. Key to organized highways lists the following named highways: B - Bankhead Highway; H - Horseshoe Trail; J - Jackson Highway; LT - Lakawanna Trail; LS - Lakes-to-Sea Highway; Le - Lee Highway; Ly - Liberty Highway; L - Lincoln Highway; N - National Old Trails Highway; RM - Roosevelt Midland Trail; SV - Shenandoalh Valley Pike; ST - Susquehanna Trail; T - Tidewater Trail; P - William Penn Highway; Y - Yellowstone Trail I havn't as yet looked over the map to see where these named highways run - some, like Lee Highway (now U S 11), Yellowstone Trail (now U S 20) and Dixie Highway I'm familiar with. Some of the others I've heard reference to. Looking at the map I found that the Lakes-to-Sea Highway, which I thought was U S 6 ran between Erie, down thru Franklin, over to Harrisburg, finally disappearing somewhere just to the west of Philidelphia. I can't find any markings east of Philly. More digging. I found the Mississippi River Scenic Highway (M) interesting - today it is known, pretty much of its way, as the Great River Road Scenic ByWay - for some reason I think the previous name summed it up much better. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I couldn't open it with WinAmp - while I waited for it to open I took a shower, got my breakfast and scanned 8 pp of a parts book I'm putting on-line. And, oh yeah - I mowed my back yard too. hehehehe All I got from WinAmp was plugs for everything but your video. YouTube sounds good to me. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I've had pretty good luck converting color pics to black and white using MS Picture It. Mostly with pictures of older (1920's and 1930's) Hudson's. These are usually pictures I've taken with my digital camera at car meets. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Dave, sorry to hear about your daughter. We will keep her, and your family, in our thoughts and prayers. Alex Burr Memphis, TN

You ought to be down here in West Tennessee - the Rebs are cleaning their muskets and shotguns, ready to defend the south against an un-needed interstate. The big controversy around here seems to be where to run an I-69 corridor - one faction wants to build it on top the current U S 51, by-passing the towns; another faction wants to run it out east of 51; and still another faction wants to run it west of 51 - somewhere - with a connector to the current route 300 on the north side of Memphis taking I-40 over another bridge to be built somewhere in this area where I live. I think I'd be living on an on-ramp if that last one prevails - but I doubt I'll live long enough to see anything get done. It appears somebody is looking for a direct, short route to the Mexican border from Chicago. I did a "which way" scenario a while back just for fun and games. Using the projected I-69 routing balanced against using current interstates, ie, I-57 to Memphis, I-40 to Little Rock, I-30 into Texas, I-35 to Laredo - or I-44 out St.Louis to Oklahoma City, then south on I-35; I found that the I-69 proposed route would be at least 300 miles longer than the above. The smell of pork barrel pervades the air, to say the least. An interesting aside - the portion marked I-69 that crosses northern Mississippi between I-55 and U S 61 leads right into the casinos just north of Tunica - I mean right into the parking lots. Wonder how that happened. Can we spell oooppps!!!!! Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

No apologies for length needed. We ALL love to read trip reports. Tho yours is really just hi-lights it's still great reading - and THANK YOU for a great read!!!! Be looking fwd to reading about the west bound trip next year. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

And did anybody notice that at least 75% of the old cars in that shot are touring, also called phaetons. Open cars with soft tops. That would be quite common in that era - it would be up to Hudson to offer a low cost car (5-Pass. Coach @ $1495) in 1922. Tho they had sedans from 1919 in the Essex line and from around 1916 in the Hudson line, the prices were in the low $2000 range, as were prices for comparable makes. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Like that ad - almost makes me want to start packing all the gear needed to head west. Dusters, goggles, shovels, tools, rope or chain, tire repair kit, etc etc etc But on the other hand, according to that ad, it's an excellent highway so maybe I wouldn't need all that equipment on this road. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

8 cars an hour - sounds like my kind of road!!! Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN