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

RoadDog

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Posts posted by RoadDog

  1. I'm in. I'll try to get Liz to come as well.

     

    I would also like to see Carl Fisher's grave in Indianapolis since this is Abe's 200th.

     

    Hopefully there will not be any blue laws. Thanks again, Denny. I've already seen the sign museum. but will definitely see it again.

     

    Thanks for setting this all up, Denny.

  2. What? Willis Tower which used to be called the Sears Tower. A London-based insurance brokerage with little US name recognition just rented 140,000 square feet and got the naming rights.

     

    Personally, I will continue to call it the Sears Tower.

     

    Now, when visiting Chi-Town, you can visit the Aon Building, US Cellular Field, the James R. Thompson Center, and the Palmolive-No, Playboy-No Palmolive Building. Go north to Evanston and see the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field.

  3. The February 7th List Universe at www.listverse.com had a list of top ten spots along the the Mother Road. Good pictures and captions. Of course, we know ther are a lot more to see than just ten.

     

    It included the Round Barn, U-Drop Inn, Cozy Dog, Big Texan, WigWam Villages, Meteor Crater, El Rancjo Hotel, Jack Rabbit, Lou Mitchell's, and Number 1, the Leaning Tower of Groom.

     

    Earlier, they had a first list of top ten.

  4. Yesterday marked the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, the namesake of the Lincoln Highway.

     

    The Chicago Tribune ran an "If Abe were able to celebrate 200" including things he would like and wouldn't. Steve Johnson wrote this.

     

    What Lincoln Would Like Least:

     

    ** Horseless carriage named after him intended for the wealthy.

     

    ** The way everybody just says "87" instead of "Four score and seven."

     

    ** Wouldn't have been caught dead in the shoes the Lincoln Memorial has him in.

     

    ** Key lesson of the Gettysburg Address--brevity--apparently lost on Ken Burns.

     

    ** Still confused about digital TV transition.

     

    ** A penny? Come On.

     

    I think Abe would have appreciated the list and found humor in it.

     

    I'm sure he would have been honored to have the first transcontinental road named after him.

  5. The news of their deaths had no impact on me. Besides being 9 at the time, I wasn't listening to music.

     

    That changed five years later when the four lads from Liverpool arrived and appeared on Sullivan. We are now looking at the 45th anniversary of those days.

     

    Wednesday night, I played "I Want to Hold You" and "She Loves You" for a group of 6-8th graders and they really liked it.

     

    I do have to wonder what impact Ritchie Valens would have had on the music with his Mexican heritage.

  6. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has released its 2009 Dozen Distictive Destinations.

     

    They are:

     

    1. Athens, Ga.*

    2. Briston, RI

    3. Buffalo, NY*

    4. Fort Worth, Tx

    5. Franklin, Tn*

    6. Hot Springs, SD

    7. Lake Geneva, Wi*

    8. Lititz, Pa

    9. Santa Barbara, Ca

    10. Santa Fe, NM

    11. Saugatuck-Douglas, Mi*

    12. Virginia City, Nv.*

     

    I've been to these. We only live abiout 20 miles from Lake Geneva, a really great place to visit. Never heard of #2 and #8.

     

    How many have you visited?

  7. My answer is yes.

     

    My wife had two of my prized possessions framed.

     

    One was of the Blue Swallow sign in Tucumcari with one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. I'd bought it back in 2006, after a visit. The motel's owner had set up outside for many hours over many days to get this one special.

     

    Also, back in 2006, while attending the Munger-Moss anniversary celebration, I was lucky enough to win one of Ken Turmel's post office art prints. Until now, it remained rolled up in the tube, but no more.

     

    My mother got me an original watercolor of Wilber's BBQ in Goldsboro,NC, by noted artist Brenda Behr. She had it framed and I had the owner, Wilber Shirley sign a business card which I put on the front. I really love my Carolina-style 'cue.

     

    Now, I just need to find places on the wall to put these up. No easy chore after living here for 16 years.

     

    What roadie stuff did you get?

  8. Came across an article about this short road in Stratford, Connecticut that was designed by George L. Dunkelberger and Weld Thayer Chase who made it not only utilitarian, but a place folks would want to pull off for a picnic and admire the views.

     

    It was once toll, but now free. I didn't know toll roads ceased to be toll roads. Certainly not around here in Chicago.

  9. The 1930 Airplane Filling Station on Clinton Highway in Powell, Tennessee (near Knoxville), received a $9000 grant to do interior structural repairs. I'd never heard of it, but will check it out next time I'm in the area.

     

    I saw pictures of it. Neat place.

     

    Anyone ever seen it before?

     

    Clinton Highway is also US-25 and the article mentioned that was also once part of the Dixie Highway.

  10. Mu uncle sent this to me. I'd never heard the story before.

     

    Henry Ford was traveling in Mississippi in 1930 in a new Model A Touring car when he got stuck in the mud. He and his driver attempted to get the car out, but to no avail.

     

    Finally, a 14-year-old boy by and said to Mr. Ford (whom he didn't know), "I kin go get my daddy to bring a team of mules to pull you out; but Mister, if you'a had a 'Tin Lizzie' you wouldn't be stuck no how!"

     

    Mr. Ford knew this very well as the Model T had much higher ground clearance and larger tires.

     

    The boy's father arrived and pulled the hapless automaker out, but wouldn't accept payment saying he was just doing what anyone else in Mississippi would do.

     

    Ford got his name and address and had his factory in Detroit build the father a special touring car with all the available accessories and sent it to him.

     

    Great story. I wonder how we could use it for the proposed automaker bailout?

  11. Well, a small stretch of it between McDowell and Buncombe up in the mountains. It is now known as Point Lookout Trail for biking and hiking. And...it will take you to the old tourist spot of the same name. The NCDOT, several municipalities, US Forest Service and a few private landowners cooperated on it.

     

    Point Lookout was a popular stopping point and overlook on Old US-70. Founded in the 1920s, it had an observatiobn deck, huge flagpole, and restaurant overlooking Royal Gorge. Also, there was Sally the brown bear who was a popular attraction kept on the grounds.

     

    There was an oldpostcard offered on e-Bay for $4.95, and three photos at www.gribblenation.com/ncpics/old10/lookout2.html

     

    Nice going you Tarheels.

  12. If it's the same one I'm thinking of, it's on the south end of Springfield just north of Lake Springfield at the Toronto Road exit off I-55. I believe there's a Motel 6 at that interchange that I stayed in once. We've been to two Hen Houses.....one on Route 66 in Mitchell, IL and the other in Arcola, IL. I know the last time I was through 66 in Missouri, the one in Bourbon was still in business.

     

    Thanks for the post and :welcome:

     

    That's the one. We plan on visiting it the next time in Springfield.

     

  13. In yesterday's Chicago Tribune, Alan Barrett, who intends to eat at a different breakfast spot every Saturday, picked his favorite spots so far.

     

    Best Coffe-- Ina's at 1235 W. Randolph Street

     

    Best Omelets-- Orange at 3231 N. Clark Street

     

    Best Breakfast Burritos-- Hot Spot-- 2824 W. Armitage Avenue

     

    Best Overall:

     

    Palace Grill-- 1408 W. Madison

     

    Eleven City Diner-- 1112 S. Wabash

     

     

     

    AND, at 565 W. Jackson, "Never gets old" according to Alan, ...

     

    Places to check out.

     

    Well, Everybody's Got to Have a Goal in Life. --RoadDog

  14. Sorry to see that Jerry Reid, old Cledus "Snowman" Snow has gone to that great highway in the sky.

     

    Unfortunately, he was probably better known for his role in Smokey and the Bandit, than his music, which was also impressive with tunes like "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "Amos Moses." and "She Got the GoldMine, I Got the Shaft."

     

    Smokey and the Bandit is one of the great roadtrip movies of all time.

     

    One of my all-time favorite scenes was after the motorcycle gang beat him up after old Fred's supposed indiscretion. There he is in the cab of his truck looking miserable and battered. Suddenly this big old grin comes across his face and fade to that line of motorcycles parked in front of his rig. You just knew what was going to happen next.

  15. In the past several months, I've noticed new road signs along our stretch of US-12 here in northeast Illinois. It is now called the Iron Brigade Memorial Highway with very distinctively-designed signage.

     

    The Iron Brigade was a famous Midwestern unit comprised of regiments from Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The 24th Michigan served part of their duty in Springfield, Illinois, and were the honor guard at Lincoln's funeral. That would explain Illinois' participation in the renaming.

     

    Being a Southerner, I Don't Know About This. --RoadDog

     

     

  16. I see that the George Washington Foundation plans to start work on the George Washington Trail in three to four years. It will connect Mt. Vernon, his birthplace at Pope's Creek and his boyhood home at Ferry Farm where he may or may not have chopped down the cherry tree and skipped the silver dollar across the river.

     

    Ferry Farm has just recently undergone its first major archaeological dig with lots of artifacts found. The house iself was burned for firewood by Union soldiers during the Civil War.

     

    Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog

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