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American Road Magazine
Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

BabyBoomerBob

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  1. Ah, Denny, you're bringing back memories to me! There's no doubt that you drove right by my old alma mater, the University of Miami. Sadly, I didn't have a car back then and couldn't do much exploring:( I saw plenty of Florida through the windows of buses, so I did get to see a lot of two-laners, especially in the cities and wherever the interstate hadn't been built yet. And then there was Betty and Johnny's, a honky-tonk way out on the Tamiami Trail. A friend of mine and I used to go there and have a brew or two. They had a juke box with Hank Williams 78's in it! Since that was over 40 years ago, I doubt if it's still there. Probably a bunch of damned condos there now:(
  2. I'll have to look through my slide collection. I *think* I can beat that picture:) The road comes out of a tunnel , goes a few feet and stops. A hiking trail continues from the stump. It's the road that was supposed to go along the north side of Fontana Lake in the Smokies, but never was finished.
  3. I really appreciate the bridge pictures, Dave. Finances are keeping me from doing much traveling, so I've been taking virtual tours of faraway places via GoogleEarth:) I've opened a folder called "Bridges Around the World" where I've been stashing every bridge picture I can find. Your pictures are going there too! I'm sure the pictures you're posting ar not any I could find on GoogleEarth:) Thanks again!
  4. Well, here I go again with another old timer memory post:) When I was living in Memphis, I went out for a day trip into southern Missouri. on the way back, I took a lesser state road south into Arkansas. When I got to the state line I found a dirt road. But it had state road signage:) The only two states I ever knew to have unpaved state roads were Georgia and Arkansas. And Georgia's gotten rid of all of theirs:) That was back in the early 70's and I quickly came up with a sign that would have been appropriate for that state line. I AM DALE BUMPERS! GOVERNOR OF GOVERNORS! LOOK UPON MY STATE, YE MIGHTY, AND DESPAIR! pavement ends
  5. Us 52 and 62 are both what I refer to as "cross grain" highways. 52 runs from Charleston SC to the Canadian border in ND. But 52's no Hypotenuse Trail:) Not by a sight:)
  6. Seems like early bridge builders thought narrow was the way to go - try the bridges at Cairo sometime. Turn your hair gray early. I've driven those bridges at Cairo:) They're narrow as all get out, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat:) The scaredest I ever was on a bridge was on the US 12 bridge across the Missouri at Mobridge, SD. The problem there was the wind! I was driving a little Mazda hatchback and I was fighting the wheel the whole way across. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN It is too late to turn my hair gray "early." Had I realized the bridge at Vicksburg was closed, I would have crossed further north...but I'll do that next time! Keep the Show on the Road! Dave
  7. Hmmmm. If you took US 98 pretty much the whole way you must have been in the vicinity of Perry. When I was a senior at U Miami in the spring of 1970, a bunch of us drove to Perry, hoping to get a good view of the total eclipse of the sun. Sadly, the weather was overcast, so we couldn't see the sun, but we *did* see the shadow heading our way. And coming at a right smart clip! The edge was quite clearly visible and when it came over us it got downright chilly! All the cars had to turn their lights on:) I'll never forget it.
  8. First of all, I'm sorry I haven't made any comments about this fantastic trailblazing before. I just found out about it and I have a bunch of catching up to do. I've heard the Everglades described as a river of grass. The vast majority is grassy wetland, the mangroves being limited to slightly higher patches of ground known as "hammocks". There's one piece of road you missed, and it's probably just as well you did:) There's a loop of dirt road heading off the Tamiami Trail into what had the reputation (At least when I was in Florida in the late 60's) as the most lawless place in the state. The road leads into the extreme northeastern corner of Monroe County. This corner is surrounded by Everglades NP (which has federal jurisdiction), Dade, and Collier Counties. There are vast stretches of everglades and open water between this area and the county seat...in Key West:) I have no idea if the place has been cleaned up since then, but I suspect it's still a good place for dope dealers and fugitives to hang out. Where a man can hide and never be found, And have no fear of the baying hound. But he'd better keep moving and don't stand still, If the skeeters don't get him then the gators will. "The Everglades", sung by the Kingston Trio There! I knew if I waited long enough my University of Miami education would come in handy for something besides discussing football:)
  9. Since I've had no reply, I assume the trip is canceled until next fall.
  10. Perhaps it would be better to put this off until fall. I'll need a little time beforehand to arrange taking a couple of days of vacation. But it's a big gamble. God only knows what gas prices will be like come October:( All opinions welcome.
  11. Has anything been decided for sure? Is the trip still on? Had the weekend or direction been set?
  12. Susan and I will be able to go just about any weekend except the last one in March. And either direction is groovy. There is one place I would like to visit, the Starr-Gennet Museum in Richmond, IN. Gennet Records was a well known label in the 20's and featured such artists as Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong, from jazz; and country singers like Vernon Dalhart, Gene Autry and Uncle Dave Macon.
  13. Any suggestions for good but inexpensive motels in Richmond and Vandalia? Non-smoking section is a *must*, and TV preferred.
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