roadmaven

Thanks Fran! We'll keep your date in mind when setting up the schedule.

In the next two weeks prior to Super Bowl "41" (sorry, too tired to figure out how many Xs, Vs, and Is are in 41) between Indianapolis and Chicago, you just might hear that it's the "I-65 Super Bowl". Well, 65 is the common route for most people traveling between Chicago and Indianapolis, BUT, 65 ends in northern Indiana and doesn't even hit the suburbs of Chicago. Technically, there's not even a US highway that connects the two cities. But, this game should be called the "Dixie HIghway Super Bowl" since the west alignment of the DH did go from Chicago to Indy. So when you hear someone mention this I-65 Super Bowl, there's your ammo to set them straight!

When looking at a map of the DH here , it's interesting the DH-West wasn't called a connector and the alignment heading out of Mackinaw City, MI that took the path along the west coast of Michigan wasn't called the DH-West. It boggles the mind how a highway could run amok like that, especially in the south in TN and GA. I have explored a little bit down in southern Indiana near Bloomington some of the route that is closed to the public. If memory serves me, part of it is used by some sort of construction company and is gated off. I'm curious though, are these "connectors" considered to be the DH as well? If so, US 40 from Richmond, IN to Indy would have been at various points in its life three different trails: The National Road, The Old National Trails Highway, and the Dixie Highway. As for your assumption, you are correct sir! My 35 mile round trip to & from work in a guzzler that was getting me 20mpg was putting a dent in my budget. So I found a good looking '98 Honda Civic...high miles, but not really for a Honda (142K). I picked it up in Louisville last Saturday at a dealer and got a whopping 39.2 mpg on the trip back to Indy (it's an automatic too!). Surprising pep for a 1.6, 106hp 4 banger. I've been really happy with it thus far. It's not a VW, but it's been total fahrvergnügen. I sold my old green Caprice to my nephew. 240K on the odometer, but it was time we parted ways....my wallet insisted!

I was out Saturday giving the new Honda a shakedown and decided to take US 136 out of Indy. 136 west of Indy parallels the CSX rail line and just past Lizton, I noticed 136 took an unnatural curve to the left, yet I could've continued straight across the tracks onto a county road. It looked as if that county road was the natural path. So I kept looking to my right and that county road parallelled to the north of the tracks and eventually blended back in with 136 at another rail crossing about 3 miles up the road. So, being a road detective, I decided to take said county road at that western crossing and take it back east to where I first saw it. I had a hunch I was on the western alignment of the Dixie Highway , but I shortly verified it when I saw someone's mailbox that had the address "Old State Road Thirty-Four". Well, I knew SR 34 was the precursor to US 136 and the Dixie Highway was the precursor to SR 34. The best I can figure is that they rerouted it to eliminate two railroad crossings. Here's a satellite image of my find, with the section called "Old State Road" being the DH alignment: http://tinyurl.com/yz78ms There's also another suspected old DH alignment a few miles up the road in New Ross.

I'd also like to add Michelle's website here: http://www.route2outsmartcancer.typepad.com/ Please check out her trip pix and journals!

And a Happy New Year to everyone from me! We haven't discussed New Year's resolutions here, but mine would be simple: Someone be the first to post in the Atlantic Highway/US 1 forum!!

Thanks for the info Brian, and welcome aboard! I'm just curious, with somewhat of a "rivalry" between some LH folks and some Route 66 folks, what's been the reaction of some of the LH loyalists regarding a "Route 66 guy" writing a book about "their" road? ;-) Seriously though, with your fine book out (I don't see any book coming out to surpass its quality) and now the Wallis/Williamson book coming out, I think we could really see a wave of new motorists hitting the LH much like the Wallis book did for Route 66 more than 15 years ago. Let's hope!

OK, so this isn't *that* big of a deal, but come 2010 when you're on your US 40/National Road trip and you find yourself looking for a night's stay in Indianapolis, this might fit the bill. But before 2010, consider this a warning about construction traffic on old 40 in downtown Indy. :-) Story with video

Rankin and Bass said it best: If you're feeling abominable, don't fret. Put a star on a tree and have yourself a holly, jolly, holiday. At least that's the lesson learned from the blue-faced, bug-eyed Bumble in the 1964 Animagic classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. According to Rick Goldschmidt, author and webmaster at rankinbass.com, the original Bumble figure was 16 inches tall and covered in yak hair. Don't miss this opportunity to ask your questions about Rudolph, the Bumble, and any other of the Rankin Bass characters or productions. Join Rick in the American Road Chat Room on Thursday, December 21 at 8pm EST. Some of their memorable shows include: Frosty the Snowman, The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Year Without a Santa Claus. To access the American Road chat room, simply go to American Road forum at http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/forum/ . On the upper right corner of the forum, click on the "Live Chat" link where a separate window will open that will instruct you to enter a User Name. Give yourself a name, click connect, and you'll be in! Pat & Jennifer Bremer American Road Forum Hosts

Hi folks.... Thanks to a thread in another forum, an idea has emerged consisting of a weekend cruise on Kentucky's Dixie Highway. We're looking at early-mid April 2007 right now, with the Wigwam Village #2 in Cave City, KY being our overnight stop. The sketch we have so far would be to gather at the Wigwam Friday night and depart on our journey Saturday morning. Possible stops include the Coca-Cola museum in Elizabethtown, the Whiskey Museum in Bardstown, the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, and possibly even heading down into Nashville, TN. Regardless of where we'd go that day, we'd end up back at the Wigwam Saturday night for a (hopefully) evening out in the courtyard discussing anything & everything road-related. The party would head home Sunday morning. So, with that rough schedule in mind, what weekends are good for those of you who might be interested in doing this? As far as I know, the only weekend I couldn't would be the 3rd weekend in April. So far myself, Denny, and Bliss have shown some interest in this. Let us know your thoughts! Cheers,

I like the idea of the WV2. Question: Would it be just a place where anyone interested would converge on, or would we gather in "City X", and depart from there and head to WV2? My guess is that Louisville would be the logical gathering point for those of us currently in this thread, then head down 31W from there. Of course if BB Bob enters in the discussion, that will throw everything off!

Nice trip! That I-75 photo looked very familiar to what I witnessed on my super slab trip last month. Ironically, I almost jumped off at the Jellico exit, so I'm glad to see what I missed had I done that, as well as the US 25 scenes. Sounds like you guys had a great time. Perhaps we should get a little American Road motor tour together someday, eh?

I wrote to the reporter from the Mirror asking to clarify whether this was an issue of eminent domain or whether Jerry Grubb got an offer he couldn't refuse (I'm going to make the assumption that he owns the land, since the place has been there for 50-some years). Here's what I received: Hello, When I spoke with our county planning director, he was going to contact owner Jerry Grubb, because the questions you have about the diner are the same as the planning commission's. There's a few history buffs on the planning commission and they were concenred about the community losing the diner. All I know at this point is that Mr. Grubb wants to move the diner building, but whether he intends to run it as a diner or just preserve the structure, I'm just not sure. He didn't return my call prior to my deadline. I will keep an eye on this story and write follow-ups. I can keep you posted. Best wishes, Rebecca Berdar, staff writer, Altoona Mirror So I'd say based on that, eminent domain wasn't in play here. Hats off to the planning commission for apparently having an attitude of keeping something old instead of a cookie cutter business. If I was a betting man, I'd say Jerry got offered some $$$ for the land, but he still wants to keep his diner in business. I wouldn't think it's a matter of Jerry wanting to retire, since his son pretty much runs the place anyway. I'll keep you all posted if I hear anything new. Cheers!

Greetings! We are planning on starting a monthly "Chat Night" in the new American Road Online Chat Room, which can be found at www.americanroadmagazine.com. We'd like to know what night would be best for you, so please cast your vote for which night you'd like to spend chatting with your fellow roadies.

While I was at a local Borders bookstore this morning liberating the two issues of American Road they had from the back of the rack to the front of the rack, I checked out what was new in the US Travel book section. They had a copy of Brian Butko's "Greetings from the Lincoln Highway" in hardcover. I was very impressed with the quality. Brian's obviously put a lot of hard work into it. It was packed aplenty with vintage postcards and photos, new and old. It will be a must-have for any roadie's library.

After much deliberation, recounts, and many court battles, we can finally declare a winner of the "Most Interesting Post" contest. And the winner is <insert drum roll here>: Baby Boomer Bob! BBB's two-part series in the "Dixie Highway" forum titled "Dixie Dreamin'" was voted most interesting by the panel of judges. Thanks to all who participated and look for more ways to get cool stuff in the near future!

LANESVILLE, Ind. -- A decaying barn's "Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco" sign -- a familiar sight in southern Indiana for at least 60 years -- has been salvaged by the operators of a sign museum. A barn sign, with the phrases "Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco" and "Treat Yourself to the Best," will be reassembled in the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. - Sam Upshaw / AP Two carpenters and two barn experts removed the sign Tuesday by prying away the weathered boards onto which the words were painted decades ago on the hillside barn overlooking Indiana 62. To read the rest of the story, click here.

After being closed for over a year for renovations, the French Lick Springs Resort Hotel is set to reopen, this time with a casino on the grounds. Since Indiana's backwards gaming laws force casinos to be "in water", a large pond had to be built so the "riverboat" casino could be built. As you can see by the picture in this New York Time article, the boat's not going far. Regardless, this should revitalize Indiana's poorest county. Also, look for French Lick Springs' next door neighbor, the West Baden Springs Hotel, to welcome guests in the future. And please remember: Gamble responsibly....it increases your odds.

Per Ron Warnick's route66news.org site, it looks like a major hurdle has been cleared in the efforts to re-erect the old Meadow Gold sign that once sat proudly along 11th Street (Route 66) in Tulsa. Check out all the details here. Also, be sure to open the pdf on the link to see the artist rendering. Once it's up and illuminated again, that will quickly be one of the most photographed structures along the entire route. Good job, Tulsa!

Well, it was about 3pm and I had a hankerin' for a cheeseburger and vanilla shake at the Launching Pad. Then I reazlized by the time I got there and back home, it'd be after 10. Next trip! So at that point I veered off in Springfield. I'd have taken 36 home, but I didn't want to get in the covered bridge festival traffic in Indiana.

You know, I knew there was a restaurant or something down that way you and Kip talked about. For some reason I kept thinking it was in Sikeston, although I knew it wasn't Lambert's. Shoot, I coulda used some BBQ this weekend too! Well, I reckon another weekend trip is in store!

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything." -- Charles Kuralt No kidding. If I ever had doubts about this statement, they were dashed this weekend. I took a "mental health trip" spanning some 1256 miles throughout the midwest and southeast. I gassed up the car Saturday morning at 8:30 in Indy , jumped on I-74 to Cincinnati, where I picked up I-75 to Knoxville, TN, where I picked up I-40 to Nashville, where I picked up I-24 to Paducah, KY, where I picked up US 60 to Sikeston, MO and called it a day. 769 miles total! I took all of 3 pictures Saturday. The first one wasn't on the interstate, but of Sanders Cafe in Corbin, KY. The other two were on I-40 west of Knoxville where I took a couple of driving shots of some hillsides that were painted in some nice autumn hues. Unfortunately, it was dark by the time I got to Cairo, IL, so I basically missed the view driving over the 2-lane bridge over the Ohio River, immediately followed by the 2-lane bridge over the Mississippi River: Cairo I'm not a big fan of water and high places. However, the darkness got me across both bridges with ease, even though while crossing both I was certain a bridge collapse was imminent. I made it to Sikeston and unfortunately no mom & pop motel was to be found, so I stayed where "life's great". I was on the side of the motel where a McDrivethru was within 20 yards of my window. Lovely! Sunday's drive was much more enjoyable. I took US 61 north out of Sikeston to St. Louis. Very nice drive, although I'm glad I didn't decide to drive north out of Sikeston Saturday night looking for a motel, 'cause there weren't any to be seen for miles. The road is a great road to drive though. I thought it was odd that there was a 1-lane bridge to be found on a US highway. Don't see that too often. I entered a Wal-Mart in Festus, MO where I'm happy to report 10 copies of American Road were on the shelf on the magazine rack there. Back on the road, I made it to St. Louis, picked up some St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake, and jumped on I-64 through town. I picked up some of 66 in Illinois, then I-55 up to Springfield where I picked up I-72 and then I-74 back home. Nice quiet weekend. Uneventful, but trips are what you make of 'em. Look forward to more of my trip reports in my personal search to see if there IS anything to see on the interstates.

For all of you who've been asking "Just when is there going to be a museum for Red Skelton?", here's your answer: Vincennes, here we come!

Great report, Kip! We were down in that same neck-o-da-woods this past weekend. The Corvair club went on a fall trip to southern Indiana and overnighted in Owensboro, KY where we feasted on some fine BBQ at Moonlight BBQ. We took a lot of Indiana 66 from Rockport, IN (the Indiana side of Owensboro) to it's terminus. Leavenworth is a great river town. We're going to head down there sometime again and eat at the Overlook Restaurant. GREAT VIEW. Next time you're in the area of Floyds Knobs, be sure to stop by Joe Huber's Winery in Starlight, IN. Free tasting!

A Neon? The thieves around The Hill must've been incredibly desperate or incredibly stupd. They probably didn't even make it back to the chop shop before the head gasket blew. Gee, you'd think we'd have had experience with one of those "fine" automobiles, eh?