mga707
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Posts posted by mga707
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Ah, thanks for IDing the lyric snippet. Now hopefully it will leave my brain!
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I'm intrigued by the next coastal town to the southeast as shown on Dave's (KtSotR) map: Yankeetown.
Why in the world is there a "Yankeetown" in northern Florida, which, as most know, is far more "southern" in character and history than southern Florida!
There's got to be a story behind this community and it's somewhat prejorative (at one time, at least) name. Anyone know?
Another musing: Ever since reading this thread, the line "Travis McGee's (MacGee?) still in Cedar Key" keeps rattling around in my brain. I'm assuming it's a song lyric, but I just can't pin it down. What song, and who is or was Travis Mcgee?
While I never made it up to Cedar Key--or Yankeetown--I did explore the area along the coast to the south about 20 years ago. Weekie Watchee(sp?), etc. I liked it: Far less developed and touristy than far too much of the rest of Florida has become. Now I want to check out Cedar Key--sounds delightful!
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Bravo! Well done, as always. Saw that this was posted earlier but waited until I had the time to fully enjoy the trip. And so I did!
What is it about small towns and interesting, unusual old cars? They're always present.
Loved the shot of the 'anvil building' with the end-of-the-line (54?) Kaiser, '61 Chevy Biscayne or Bel Air, '71/'72 Mustang Mach 1, and '64/'65 Barracuda out front. How great it would be to walk out and think "Which classic car should I drive today?" The second car I owned (1978-84) and first one I purchased myself was a '72 Mach 1, so that one really resonates. I want it!
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Great photo travelogue, as always!
I've seen Mount Baker, but only from the air (takeoff from SEA to the north, with a gradual right turn to eventually head SE to PHX).
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What is the cause of Brownsville's decline? Is it a former steel town?
It isn't by chance the faded Pennsylvania town where parts of "The Deer Hunter" was filmed, is it?
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Now you know more about Hudson's than you probably ever wanted to know.
...and even one MORE piece of Hudson trivia: Hudson successor American Motors (AMC was formed by the merger of Nash and Hudson, although it was really more of a Nash takeover than a merger of equals) kept the rights to the "Hornet" name and brought the name out of mothballs in 1969 for the all-new 1970 AMC Hornet. The Hornet's second incarnation lasted through the 1977 model year, and the basic 1970 Hornet body lasted, through the Concord and Eagle, all the way until the takeover of AMC/Jeep by the Chrysler Corporation in 1987!
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The location shown on the screen is here. The road on the right is called "Yellowstone Trail Rd" according to Google Maps.
Chris
I'm certainly no Yellowstone Trail expert, but the way that the Yellowstone Trail Road as shown on the GPS dead ends at both ends just as it approaches the I-90 right-of-way seems like a clue that it could at one time have been an old Yellowstone Trail section. Experts?
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That would have to be Chuy's (since 1959) at the west end of town. Sorry to say, I was on such a time constraint that I didn't stop in. Online reviews are mixed as to the food/service quality, but I'd stop in for the historical factor alone and check it out myself.
Yep, that's it--Chuy's. Thanks!
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Hey Jeff (or anyone)--
What's the name of the John Madden-recommended Mexican restaurant in Van Horn? The name escapes me...
As I recall, it was pretty good...(wait for it)...for Texas! (said condescendingly like a true Arizonan
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Jeff,
I have driven a few short sections of US80, and now I realize how much I missed without your book. I can recommend it to anyone who has an interest in road trips, whether on the Bankhead or not!
Dave
Keep the Show on the Road!
Amen to that! I sure wish I'd had it with me in '08 when we were (fruitlessly, as it turned out) searching for the Old Plank Road remnants west of Yuma.
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Loved the photo album, as always. I've driven 101 around the Olympic Peninsula twice, in 1990 and again in '98. Both times on Olympic NP visits.
One town with an interesting name you missed by heading out to the beach: Humptulips!
Loved the "no karate chopping seal pups" sign. Still laughing over that!
I guess Aberdeen still does not officially recognize their most famous son, huh? Oh well, Hibbing MN doesn't have a "birthplace of Bob Dylan" sign either. And he's still alive!
OTOH, North Myrtle Beach SC proudly lets visitors know that they are the hometown of Vanna White.
Wonder if the boring clam is from Boring OR?
If you ever make the trip again, take any or all of the inland drives to the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault rain forests in the park. They're all amazing.
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I was trying to simplify and use those only designated as 'National Parks." The next question should be how many NPS administered sites have you visited (the all inclusive definition with National Monuments, National Historic Sites, etc.).
Its going to take me a little while to figure out how many I've visited myself... 1, 2, 3, 4..... (I'll let you know when I've finished counting).
We're looking forward to seeing everyone's answers!
Thanks for the reply!
Of the 58 designated National Parks, I have so far visited 36, with three more in Alaska scheduled for this June.
I think I've been to all of the well-known, "signature" parks, with the surprising exception of Shenandoah. Don't know how I've missed that one, as I've been all around it!
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List of National Parks of the United States[/url]" at Wikipedia with 58 parks identified. When I found the "List of areas in the United States National Park System" at Wikipedia with an introduction that talks of "392 units of the National Park System"
Wow. Sometimes the ol' memory still works! My remembered figure of 58 designated parks was right! I guess four more areas have been added to the total NPS site list since my '06 map was printed, but none are designated as parks. I know that Congaree in South Carolina is still the newest of the 58.
As far as visiting even all 58 of the actual parks, the National Park of American Samoa (LONG way away!) and Kobuk Valley and Gates of the Arctic (along with a couple of others) in Alaska are going to be tough to get to--no road access at all!
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For persons of a certain age, National Park entry fees can be made nonexistent for all weeks. When I visited Carlsbad in December, I purchased my lifetime pass for a mere $10. A remarkable bargain that you youngsters can only dream about.
Believe me, I know about the incredible deal that is the lifetime pass. One of the few good things about turning 62! I've got a few more years (10, actually) to go, and in the unlikely event that this bargain is still around in a decade, you bet I'm snagging it the day I turn 62. Luckily for me there's an NPS site (Saguaro NP) just 'up the road' from my house, so I don't have far to go to get it. Just ten more years...
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Thanks for posting about this topic Pa.t and Denny
In honor of National Park week, we posted a poll. We would be interested in learning how many National Parks you have visited. We also encourage you to share which parks you enjoyed most and why. We included a trivia question about the National Parks, too, just for a little fun.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Just for clarification: Do you mean only areas designated as National Parks (I believe there are 58 so designated, although I could be off a couple), or do any and all NPS-administered sites qualify? According to my NPS map and guide, as of 2006 there are 388 such sites in the US and possessions. Included are National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Historical Parks, etc.
In addition, there are a growing number of Federally-designated National Monuments that are not administered by the NPS, but by other agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service. The vast (and amazingly scenic) Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is one such area.
I am an NPS 'completist' and one of my lifetime goals (now that I have visited all 50 states) is to visit every NPS site. I highlight them in yellow on the abovementioned map as I 'check them off'. I'm probably approaching the halfway mark to bagging all 388!
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Show:
Really? "Oly" beer is no more? I well remember the "It's the Water" radio/TV ads way down here in southern AZ back in the 60s/70s (I was too young to drink the stuff back then, but we all knew the ads!). If memory serves, the ads always said "Olympia brewing company, Tumwater , Washington".
You mean it's gone to Falstaff/Burgermeister/Schlitz/Hamm's/probably-too-many-other-defunct-brands-to-name beer heaven?
Guess I assumed it was still around, albeit on a regional basis.
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Show: Your bridge "way down upon the Suwanee River" jogged my memory, so I checked the gallery, and, sho 'nuff, it looks almost identical to the old US 80 bridge across the Gila River by the Gillespie Dam (between Gila Bend and Buckeye, AZ), that I shot last year. It was also constructed in 1926, so that was a common type from that era, it seems.
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I love Bridges! I have been paying close attention to the styles of the railings and trying to guess the era by the architecture. I have seen some excellent examples around my area and will take pictures. The first five photos of this thread are great examples of the 'mission' style of railing that went from the 20's to 50's but the most I've seen are 30's and 40's. It will be fun to resurrect this thread.
~ Suey.
I love bridges, too, but I'm really chiming in here just because I love your screen name! Wish I could think of something half as clever.
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Did the Cienega Creek/Marsh Station loop today, with Jeff's book as a guide. Although I have driven this bit of old 80 quite a few times, thanks to the book I now know that there is an even older, pre-80 1921 alignment that dates from the completion of the bridge and veers off from the later, 1933 road in some areas. I'd driven right by those old bridge abutments and abandoned grades and never noticed them until now. The book is great, and incredibly thorough and detailed.
Can't wait to drive the Pinal Pioneer Parkway stretch (Tom Mix!) with the book along to spot old abandoned alignments!
Got one disagreement with the author (Jeff), though: He prefers Saguaro National Park's newer (1960s), West Unit, to the original (1933 established as Saguaro Nat'l Monument by Pres. Hoover) East Unit.
I'm a Saguaro East fan all the way! Much more history there, and better hiking trails. There's nothing to compare to the Cactus Forest Loop road (WPA built) in the West unit, nice though it also is.
Anyway, love the book. Highest recommendation.
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Michael, your book has also gone out. I sure hope you enjoy it as this is the perfect time of year to do some exploring around the SW!
Yes, it came today--next day service! Thanks--it looks great!
Since I'm off this week on a little 'staycation', I think I'll motor east tomorrow to the Cienega Creek/Marsh Station loop and possibly on to Benson and Tombstone if I've got time.
The book will be on the passenger seat--I'm so excited!
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Thanks for the info! I'm going to order it right away--sounds great! I posted pictures on the gallery of the old Cienega Creek and Gillespie Dam bridges last year.
Update: My check's in the mail.
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Mike,
I have looked at the Lincoln crossing the proving grounds from a distance (not near the fences) and it is quite evident on the ground. A few years ago the Lincoln Highway Association held their annual convention in Ely and we all, including an American Road Magazine contingent, went out that way for a look see.
Dave
Keep the Show on the Road!
Cool! That would've been a fun convention, I'm sure. Wish I'd known about it at the time. I've been to Ely and it's a funky little town--liked it! Trivia: For a number of years prior to 1980, Ely was the smallest US town, outside of Alaska, that had scheduled commercial jet service. United ran two daily 737s through there, SLC-Ely-Elko-Reno, and vice-versa. Ely (and Elko) were the first towns UAL dropped following deregulation in 1979. Now I don't think they even have scheduled "puddle-jumper" (commuter) service of any kind! At least Elko still has regular 'scheduled charter' gambling trips on Allegiant and others due to their larger number of casinos.
Would be great to somehow get gov't. permission to have a "Lincoln highway expedition" on the old alignment through Dugway. they'd just have to hide the 'reverse-engineered' flying saucers and the captured aliens while we're out there!
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My maps (which are not as good as Dave's) shows the Lincoln Hiway north of Ely following the Pony Express route
and going across the desert in what is a closed area now.
Dale
The "closed area" is the military's Dugway Proving Grounds. If a recent "UFO Files" episode is to be believed, the "cammo dudes" will be all over you rather quickly if you even loiter outside the fences. They really, REALLY don't like photography of the area, which seems kind of silly in an era of satellite imagery readily available on the web. Supposedly Dugway is the 'new' Area 51.
I remember reading years ago that there are some really nice Lincoln Highway remnants preserved within what is now a highly restricted area.
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Hey, everyone, don't forget about the Royal Gorge bridge in Colorado. I know it's more of a tourist trap, er, attraction than a bridge that's necessary to get from point 'A' to point 'B', but still, that is one HIGH bridge!
As far as bridges that are necessary to go from 'A' to 'B', I think (IIRC) that West Virginia's New River Gorge bridge (US 19 north of Oak Hill--where Hank Williams died) has the longest drop to the river of any in the USA.
Cedar Key, Gulf Coast, Florida
in State Highways & Other Roads
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I can relate to this! There are two tiny towns (three, actually, as one of the sites is two adjoining communities) out here in the southwest that I've been to and loved that could easily, and unfortunately, become "Sedonafied". I made up that term but I think you all what it implies--see above!
I almost hate to mention them, but here they are: Boulder, Utah; and the Glenwood/Pleasanton area in SW New Mexico. Here's hoping they--and Cedar Key--stay undiscovered!