Alex Burr - hester_nec

As always, Denny puts us in the car with him on his road trips!!! Even a bit of humor on this one (propellor driven car eliminates jay walkers) and (riding downhill in a grocery cart). I'd heard of the Lane Musuem, and in fact a PBS program here in Memphis, Tennessee Crossroads, featured it on one of their recent programs. Curiously this is the 3rd reference I've seen about the place in as many weeks (a friend of mine in Beaumont emailed me about it about 3 weeks back.) Keep on traveling Denny - and keep on writting. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Sounds good to me. Hudsonly, Alex Burr TennesseeTraveler Memphis, TN

Since KC and I had a double leg pet transport - bringing a Min Pin and an Aussie sheep dog on the next legs of their trip from a shelter in Texas, toward their new homes in Illinois - from Brinkley to Blitheville, Arkansas, a look at the run sheet told us we'd be coming back to Memphis about 1pm. Hey, gal, we can stop at Uncle John's Shake Shack for lunch!!! Heard great things about this place, looked it up on the 'net and found rave revues. Ok, we'll stop. So we dropped off our charges to the next transporter taking them to Sikeston and headed south, mouths drooling over the great burgers awaiting us in Marion. And here's a tip for you travelers coming south on I-55 - you DO take the "64 West" exit, even tho you got to go east on 64 for about 100 yards. There ain't no "64 East" exit - another Arkansas peculiarity. As you exit you will see a traffic light ahead of you and, WOW, signs at the light telling you 64 West is to the right and 64 East is to the left. Under the overpass - can smell them burgers cooking now. Maybe check it out and see what kind of shakes they got. Roll into - what's this, hey it's Saturday - empty parking lot and sit there a moment looking at a big CLOSED sign. ON SATURDAY at noon-time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, it sure was closed. So I guess we try it another time. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Y'all find yourself in the Memphis area, let us know (email to hester_nec@yahoo.com) and we'll try to get together and show you around the area. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN P. S. If your pitching tents I got one heck of a big back yard over here. LOL

Sad to say, I heard from several people that their effort was returned - either "not our policy to distribute this" or "wrong address" - sounds like govm't BS to me. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I don't think you are out of line. This is more than just a road trip - it is a horrifying reminder that the world should never, ever forget. Every leader, every politician, in the world should be forced to make this tour - maybe it would stop and make them think. Tho, sadly, I doubt it. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I have learned, sadly, that what you seek has probably been lost - especially if it's 40 or 50 years back down that winding two-lane highway. But, that said, the excitement and hope that drives us to look back is what's important. I've driven over roads I traveled, first with my parents, later by myself traveling from one duty station (Navy) to another, years later and found little that I remember. But it was the anticipation that made the trips worthwhile. And I am richer for the original traveling, and for being able to go back and look again. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Don't know about anybody else, but Maryland links 1 thru 100, sent me to Google Maps in Coffeeville, Kansas. The rest seem to work as advertized. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Now, Now - You can't really say this "predates by a few years even the oldest of us............." , except for the wagons. I'm 70 years old myself , and yes, the roads weren't much more improved by 1945 - tho a lot more were paved. In actuallity a lot of roads got improved because of the war. The many, many training and other military bases that were built between 1940 and 1944, 1945, had to have access to decent highways, as did cross-country convoys. Railroads played a big part in that too. Interesting look back tho. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN.

One give-away is the Citizens Bank bill board - with the "Welcome to Puyallup" across the bottom.. Puyallup is a tad east of Tacoma, WA. It is interesting to note the comments written on some of the photo's indicating these were "working" photo's rather than, say, just plain shots of the area. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I'm ready for my close up Mr. DeMillle!!!! LOL What a great memory - an era gone by. You can have old home movies like that restored, you know. And put on DVD's. Thanks for sharing - looking fwd to more, later. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Go back to sleep Becky, American Road arrived today. LOL Safe Travels. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Denny, they were making 300+ miles a day - but they were driving, what 15, 16 or so hours - that averages out to somewhere around 20 to 30 mph. Plenty of time for stops, if they were driving 45-50 when on the road. I got a kick out of the "pitching a tent and sleeping out". Safe Travels. Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Most definitely many thanks for sharing. I especially enjoyed it as part of the route, between Dayton and Wheeling, is the way we used to go back in the late 40's, early 50's when I went with my family to visit friends and relatives in the Dayton area. I can say, without contradiction I imagine, that travel in 1948 was much improved over 1921!!! Tho from the description the road was in very good condition, even at that early date. Mention of "all thru the mountains there were filling stations" shows how quickly the idea of motor travel was proceeding, considering probably only 10 years earlier it was a far different story. Still and all, in 1921, it was still one of the remaining "great American adventures" to make a trip like that. Not a bad advertisement of the reliability of a 1918 Dodge either. Thanks for the sharing. Safe Travels. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Oh sure - rant and rave about another great issue from American Road (ain't they all!!!!!!) and those of us still waiting will be pacing the floor in anticipation!!! LOL ROF Can't wait but guess I'll just have to. Safe Travels y'all!! Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

I can only echo Denny's comments. Great photos and shows what you can do if you have the time. KC and I only had a day to make the trip from Memphis to Clarksdale, so you're photo show showed us what we missed. We drove Old 61 from the MS/TN line down to Lula, tho - but from what little I can remember (from 50 years ago) there's precious little left on the old road. I do need to redrive that again and get some better pictures - somehow I lost the ones I had on my web site travel report. So all I have there is narrative, for the moment. Thanks again - and we'll just have to try and remember to make the festival next year. Safe Travels. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

I sent the URL's to my daughter - she said, after hitting the full screen button, that it felt like she was moving. LOL I kept wanting to pass that truck in the 2nd video. LOL ROF Next best thing to being there - but one thing does bother me. Who was driving??? hehehehe Hudsonly, Alex Burr MemphisTraveler Memphis, TN

I doubt that "paper" will fade away, at least not in our time. I can remember the time when computers were going to make paper files obsolete - and that was, what, 20 years ago. I have a ton of Hudson material on disc - but I also have it backed up in notebooks. Actually, it's easier, and quicker, to grab a notebook and look for that tech bulletin, than it is to pull the disc, put in the CD drive, call up the file, and find it. Safe travels all. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

Moving east to west (or the other way) old U S 30 thru Chicago Heights works - tho I will admit I havn't been thru there since 2001. At that time it was 4-lane most of the way, except for 2 lane just before the IL/IN state line into IL. Still beats I-80/I-90. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

So did I!!! Got the first two wrong - then I said to heck with it and did some WAG's. Got 5 in a row right. LOL ROF LLAM LMAO Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN

And American Road people do such a GREAT job of keeping up with their suscribers, no matter how many times they change addresses (in my case we're up to 2)!!!! LOL It's greatly appreciated. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

This must be the month for ABB's - I just bought a 1923 Blue Book, Volume 1 (Northeast), off ebay for the princely sum of $12. Looks real nice on the shelf beside the 1923 Volume 2 (Southeast), that I got from ebay. So now I have the east coast covered, at least for 1923. Volume 2, unfortunately, didn't have, the map with it, a common problem with these books, but Vol. 1 does. I have found, however, that the maps, while great to have, and full of info, are not all that essential to finding routes from hither to yon. You can find the route pretty much using the index. I was looking at the route (old U S 61, not numbered in 1923) between Clarksdale and Memphis - in Tunica the book says "4-cor. beyond sta. Right cross RR and left beyond." That fits old 61 thru Tunica to a "T" even today. Hmmmmmmmmm - another road trip (or maybe re-trip) coming up between Memphis and Clarksdale. NOTE: Hey, Denny - get your butt down here and we'll do a run from Clarksdale to Memphis over old 61 and see how the book fits the road today. Hudsonly, Alex Burr

For years I've had these little voices in my head, from time to time, telling me I should look here to find, for example, someone we were searching for (when I was in the Coast Guard), or that I should do this or that. Sometimes right, oft times wrong. Crazy, or Paranormal - take your choice. Works for me. Hudsonly, Alex B

Interesting site. Was curious about Moscow, TN - we got nailed there last April on the way back from Crump. If you guessed the west side of Moscow, by the river, you just won a big seegar. Small towns are notorious for this sort of set-up - it pays for a lot of city services. In our case, KC and I were driving west out of town, following a pickup truck and talking - so weren't paying attention to the speedometer. As I recall we were about 5, maybe 6, over the limit. We got nailed, but the truck didn't. There were two other cruisers besides the one that stopped us - one headed eastbound stopped at the end of the bridge. There was more than enough room for him to have turned around and gone after the truck. Makes me wonder, now, if the truck wasn't working with the cops - leading people into the speed trap. That would be an interesting twist - anybody run into that one?? The cops had to have known the truck was going the same speed as we were - otherwise we would have run into it, were it going slower. And the fine would have been around $160 - KC didn't have a current proof of insurance in the vehicle . It was at the house. So when we went back to the court (court is one night a month, I think- between 7 and when-ever) and she provided proof of insurance, the fine was, ta da - like the web site says - $90. Tennessee is different than other states I've registered a car in - they don't issue a registration slip, like other states. You have a title (not required to be in the vehicle), a drivers license and have to have proof-of-insurance in the vehicle. If you get stopped for a violation all you have to produce is a drivers license and the insurance card. Apparently they could care less if you stole the car. LOL Just as long as the drivers license and insurance card are current and valid. Also, TN does not have a state wide vehicle inspection. Some counties have inspection requirements, as do some towns and cities. Memphis has mandatory vehicle inspection, Shelby County, where Memphis is, does not. You take your car to a city run inspection station and they check to make sure the glass is there, lights, horn, emergency brake, lights work as they should and sniff the exhaust. That's it. Don't check suspension, steering, etc. You don't pay anything at the inspection station - they get that when you register the car. Anyway - guess we take a copy of the speed traps pertaining to the area we are going to be in just to be safe. Everybody have a great day, and we catch you later. (No we aren't cops!!! LOL) Hudsonly, Alex Burr

Tracy - great pics. I can identify, somewhat with the ones around Winona - my daughter, KC, was born there back in 1958. Thanks for sharing and bringing back a bit of the past in an area I wandered around in back in the mid-50's. Working on another trip down that way one of these days. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN http://www1.freewebs.com/yankeetraveller/index.htm