Guest jenniferrt66 Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 > Emily, who won't let Ron drink bottled soda while driving the Hippy > Wagon because he takes both hands off the wheel to open the bottle ... Yikes! It seems we all tend to "multi-task" to a degree when we're driving! No matter where in the backseat I hide the snacks, Pat has an amazing ability to reach back there with his right arm and get them. I think his right arm is at least 8" longer than his left! He usually reads maps too (I think he considers the steering wheel to be another name for "atlas holder"). When I lived in Chicagoland, during my commute (scary flashbacks begin now!) there was no end to the lunacy of people doing VERY scary stuff...one guy was going 70 on I-355 and tying his necktie. Another lady (on a residental street, but that's no excuse), couldn't get her ponytail just right...she re-did it about 4 times as she steered with her elbows. And of course, I've seen too many women to count putting on their makeup as they drove. My only rationale for that is that they preferred to have their own makeup on, so they wouldn't have to have the cosmetologist at the funeral home do their makeup (it never looks good!). Jennifer http://www.roadtripmemories.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jenniferrt66 Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 > If my memory serves me correctly, I remember a diner (and I *think* > it was an actual stainless steel diner, but I'm not sure if it was or > if it was new or what) along U.S. 44 in either western CT or in RI. > I do remember a neat neon sign, but no details whatsoever. > Any info? I know I don't have much to go on here, but I know it was > in that area. Darn, now I'm curious and I can't get there to take a road trip and investigate!! Well, being in Indiana, I can't check it out myself, but I went on Microsoft Streets & Trips and I think the route my dad would have taken me to college would have been U.S. 44 to CT 101 (becoming RI 101) and then becoming U.S. 6 into Providence. I searched the Internet and found Along that route, there is a diner in Dayville called Zip's Diner http://www.zippythepinhead.com/pages/1places/zips.html However, I seem to remember a sign with more neon and lights than the one at Zip's (although they could have changed the sign since!) and that it was at a "V" type intersection. In addition, my perception was that it was fairly close to Providence, as opposed to being in CT, or western RI...and I do remember also going by a motel called the Bel-Air. So, I checked the Internet (and Streets and Trips) and found a Bel-Air Motor Inn on U.S. 6 in Johnston, RI. I also found a restaurant called Cindy's Diner and Restaurant, which is at or near the junction of U.S. 6 and the U.S. 6 bypass/RI 101) in North Scituate, just before Johnston. http://www.discoveringthe6.com/route_6_diners.htm I can't find a pic of the main sign, so I don't know if this is it, and it's not stainless steel (though I don't know if it was stainless steel - I remember the neon more). Chalk it up to my curiosity (yet again) and a case of insomnia! LOL Jennifer http://www.roadtripmemories.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Ford Racing Event Nov. 17 November 12, 2004 - Ford Racing hosts "Champions of the Community" media briefing and T-Bird owners will party like it's 1955 in a drive-in movie setting at the Homestead- Miami Speedway next Wednesday (Nov. 17) [TOMORROW!!!] in conjunction with Ford Championship Weekend. More than 1,700 Miami Mustang fans will test drive the '05 Mustang, Five Hundred and Freestyle on the raceway track. Winning paint scheme by fifth-grade artist from Opa Locka will be unveiled on Greg Biffle's F-150 NASCAR racer. A hundred Miami teens will learn safe driving skills from race car drivers and instructors. More than 30 Miami-area classic Thunderbird and Mustang owners and their classics will gather at the Speedway for a car show and a drive-in screening of "American Graffiti." http://cars.ign.com/articles/566/566054p1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alex Burr Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 At 10:30-11:30 a.m. "Champions of the Community" media briefing by Ford Vice-President Cisco Codina, Ford Car Marketing Manager Ben Poore and Ford Fund's Raquel Egusquiza will cover Ford community initiatives and consumer- outreach programs in the South Florida area Lordy - whatever happend to the good old days when we had people running our companies with names like Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Horace Dodge, George Romney, Roy Chapin......!!!! Hudsonly, Alex B --- chris <chris@experiencenascar.com> wrote: > Ford Racing Event Nov. 17 > > November 12, 2004 - Ford Racing hosts "Champions of > the Community" media > briefing and T-Bird owners will party like it's 1955 > in a drive-in movie > setting at the Homestead- Miami Speedway next > Wednesday (Nov. 17) > [TOMORROW!!!] in conjunction with Ford Championship > Weekend. > > More than 1,700 Miami Mustang fans will test drive > the '05 Mustang, Five > Hundred and Freestyle on the raceway track. Winning > paint scheme by > fifth-grade artist from Opa Locka will be unveiled > on Greg Biffle's F-150 > NASCAR racer. > > A hundred Miami teens will learn safe driving skills > from race car drivers > and instructors. More than 30 Miami-area classic > Thunderbird and Mustang > owners and their classics will gather at the > Speedway for a car show and a > drive-in screening of "American Graffiti." > > http://cars.ign.com/articles/566/566054p1.html > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free! http://my.yahoo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Worley Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 --- Alex Burr <hester_nec@yahoo.com> wrote: > At 10:30-11:30 a.m. "Champions of the Community" media > briefing by Ford Vice-President Cisco Codina, Ford Car > Marketing Manager Ben Poore and Ford Fund's Raquel > Egusquiza will cover Ford community initiatives and > consumer- outreach programs in the South Florida area > > Lordy - whatever happend to the good old days when > we had people running our companies with names like > Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Horace Dodge, George Romney, > Roy Chapin......!!!! > > Hudsonly, > Alex B > Well, Ford's CEO and/or Chairman *is* Bill Ford II. Then again, the new 2005 Mustang's chief engineer is Hau Thai-Tang. Oh well --- Mustangly, LoneStarBob . __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free! http://my.yahoo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alex Burr Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Yeah, I guess if you look at it objectively the Chevrolet Brothers were French, the Dusenberg brothers German and Stephan Fekete, the Hudson engineer who dreamed up the counterbalanced crankshaft for the Hudson Super-Six was Hungarian. Lot's of immigrants helped build this country - not only the cars, but the road systems we all love so much (pre-interstate). Hudsonly, Alex B --- Bob Worley <bwcobra15@yahoo.com> wrote: > > --- Alex Burr <hester_nec@yahoo.com> wrote: > > At 10:30-11:30 a.m. "Champions of the Community" > media > > briefing by Ford Vice-President Cisco Codina, Ford > Car > > Marketing Manager Ben Poore and Ford Fund's Raquel > > Egusquiza will cover Ford community initiatives > and > > consumer- outreach programs in the South Florida > area > > > > Lordy - whatever happend to the good old days > when > > we had people running our companies with names > like > > Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Horace Dodge, George > Romney, > > Roy Chapin......!!!! > > > > Hudsonly, > > Alex B > > > > > Well, Ford's CEO and/or Chairman *is* Bill Ford II. > > Then again, the new 2005 Mustang's chief engineer is > Hau Thai-Tang. > > Oh well --- > > Mustangly, > LoneStarBob > > . > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free! > http://my.yahoo.com > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free! http://my.yahoo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WILEYOTTER@AOL.COM Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 And I've found the best way to trip along the back roads is on a motorcycle.. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Shellee Graham Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Just wanted to compliment RAY on his nice succinct quote about highway travel. Well done. > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > "Roadtrips > aren't the same on > the interstate‹you don't get a > feel for the land and the people. > > Freeways have taken the > adventure and romance out of > automobile travel, just as jet > airliners contributed to the > demise of the passenger train. > > Our 2-lane highways are > one of our greatest treasures.? > > ‹ Ray Alkofer > Yakima, Wa > > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Shellee Graham Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Want to see lots of NEW designs, merchandise for the CORAL COURT MOTEL? Just designed some COOL stuff in the past week. Check it out at-- http://www.cafepress.com/coralcourt I think I like the lunchbox. Any feedback is appreciated (neg or pos). I want to know what is good, what could be better. My boyfriend Mr. Ross had a good comment about the lunchbox: he said it looks like a girls lunchbox. Maybe that's OK. I dunno. Let me know. See ya later. Thankya. Shelvis P.S. I may do some tweaking on the ornaments AND do some new holiday cards...any suggestions on the card idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Denny Gibson Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 I ordered one of these right after reading Mike's message and it arrived today. A very nice piece of work. A mix of reference material and decoration. --Denny -----Original Message----- From: Mike Ward [mailto:flyboy1946@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 8:45 PM To: American Road Subject: [AMERICAN_ROAD] "Lost Highways" A member of the roadmap group I belong to produced the map listed below. I figured it was worth a little "shameless non-self promotion" to pass along his offer to the group. I've had one on the wall of my map room for a couple of years and I refer to it quite a bit when I'm trying to track down the route of an old highway. Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: Mark Everhart To: Roadmaps Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 5:37 PM Subject: RM: The Annual Shameless Plug: "Lost Highways" Yep, another year has rolled around! It's Christmas shopping season already! I'd just like to remind you once again of a great gift idea, if you're still looking: The "Lost Highways" poster! It remains probably the greatest Auto Trails Poster of the Motoring Era! It's historic. It's artistic. It's decorative (suitable for framing). It's just darned neat! Just ask any of the scores of people who own one - including a number of libraries, museums and universities. (And many thanks to my prior customers here!) Yes, I still have a few of these beauties left. (And, yes, I'm STILL in the red on this little labor of love. The good news is that after more than three years of plugging, I only have a couple dozen more to sell to finally break even!) SO: The RMCA/roadmaps-l member discount of 10% is back in effect! Keeping it simple, that makes it a grand total of $16.00 (postage & handling included) delivered to your mailbox First Class in a sturdy mailing tube! Idahoans need to add $0.81 sales tax, Canadians add $1.00, please. Throw in $2.25 more if you want the speed of Priority Mail. Just mention the code: "RMCA/R-L" in your order. PayPal, checks, or money orders accepted. If you want more than one (to the same address in the same tube), additional posters will be just $12.75 each. Orders received by me by Dec. 13 will be processed immediately and should arrive at your door in time for Christmas giving. You may view it at: http://www.users.qwest.net/~everhart/highways.htm OK, I'm done. Happy Holidays, everybody! Thanks for your attention! Mark Everhart 217 PayPal ID: everhart@qwest.net Mailing address: 9432 W. River Beach Ln., Boise, ID 83714 -- Mark R. Everhart Boise, Idaho See the "Lost Highways" Poster at: http://www.users.qwest.net/~everhart/highways.htm Visit our homepage at: http://www.mockturtlepress.com To subscribe to AMERICAN ROAD magazine, PHONE TOLL-FREE 1-877-285-5434 WITH YOUR ORDER TODAY! Or send payment to: Mock Turtle Press, PO Box 3168, Lynnwood, WA 98046-3168 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 year (4 issues) for $15.95 (save $3.85 off the newsstand price!) 2 years (8 issues) for $27.95 (save $11.65 off the newsstand price!) For questions about the list, contact: AMERICAN_ROAD-owner@yahoogroups.com To SUBSCRIBE to this group, send an email to: AMERICAN_ROAD-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To UNSUBSCRIBE from this group, send an email to: AMERICAN_ROAD-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com To POST a message via e-mail, send it to: AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim Conkle Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 My son Chris found this and I thought that all of you would like to see it too. It is a preview of Disney/Pixar’s ‘CARS’ James M Conkle Executive Director & Chairman of the Board California Route 66 Preservation Foundation P O Box 290066 Phelan, CA 92329-0066 760 617 3991 cell 760 868 3320 760 868 8614 fax HYPERLINK "mailto:"jim@cart66pf.org www.cart66pf.org _____ From: chris conkle [mailto:conklechris@verizon.net] Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 1:11 PM To: Jim Conkle; francesconkle@verizon.net Subject: [Norton AntiSpam] Trailers for Cars (2005) HYPERLINK "http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317219/traile...lay-X26995-10-2"http:// www.imdb.com/title/tt0317219/trailers-screenplay-X26995-10-2 --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.733 / Virus Database: 487 - Release Date: 8/2/2004 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.733 / Virus Database: 487 - Release Date: 8/2/2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alex Burr Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I recently posted street maps for Cincinnati,Louisville, Memphis and Nashville - 1930; Kansas City and St. Louis - 1934. Photos, folder marked Street Maps. Have more - will post later. Hudsonly Alex B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rodney Firman Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 After wondering if I'd ever rememner the name of the magazine from the Macomb Daily article, I was relieved when I found the link to the group and magazine. I have a lot of black[and red] top I'd love to read more about but my soft spot loves two in particular. US 23 and US 41 are my alltime favorite roads. Sure Route 66 is famous as are the Lincoln Highway and the National Road. But these two ribbons of blacktop go through so much of the state I love Michigan. Any chance we'll see some articles in the near future on them?? Rodney --------------------------------- Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Michael G. Koerner Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 "Raymond" <jeffersoncanyon@yahoo.com> wrote: > Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 18:34:08 -0000 > From: "Raymond" <jeffersoncanyon@yahoo.com> > Subject: Mullan Road > > Sorry for the abrupt change of subject. This question will take us > well north of "The Mother Road". Does anyone know if the old Mullan > Road west of Missoula, Mt. is the actual YT route prior to Hwy 10 > being opened? It runs about 15 miles from Missoula to Frenchtown, > closely paralleling the Milwaukee RR right-of-way, or what's left of > it. One of the Milwaukee's electrical substations is still standing > at the site of an old siding named Primrose, about 9 miles west of > Missoula and 6 miles east of Frenchtown. For years I had no idea > how to reach this location by car until I asked my uncle who > operated Milw substations and he told me you had to get off the > highway at Frenchtown and come in along Mullan Rd from the west or > Missoula from the east. > > Additionally, does anyone know when Hwy 10 was built north of the > Mullan Road? I-90 now occupies much, if not all, of that route. > One last query: Was the Mullan Road in this location ever numbered > as US 10? > > Between this group and the YT people maybe I'll figure this out. > Thanks in advance for any info provided. Merry Christmas and Happy > New Year! > > Ray Alkofer I can't add much on the latter two, but the info from the Yellowstone Trail Association itself http://www.yellowstonetrail.org shows that Mullan Rd there was the trail. USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps seem to agree with that, too, and I would like to see aerial photos of that section. Unfortunately, http://www.terraserver-usa.com does not yet have air-photos between about downtown Missoula and Tarkio, MT (about I-90 interchange 61) available, so I was unable to visually confirm that Mullan Rd was the trail, or if there are even earlier grades. -- ___________________________________________ ____ _______________ Regards, | | ____ | | | | | Michael G. Koerner May they | | | | | | rise again! Appleton, Wisconsin USA | | | | | | ___________________________________________ | | | | | | _______________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ken Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Greetings All! Just in time to ring in the New Year! A must have indeed for every roadie's Route 66 collection! Get 'em while they're still fresh hot off the press: <http://hometown.aol.com/bobwaldmire/myhome...artgallery.html> God Bless and Happy Trails! the landrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Denny Gibson Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 These are sooooo close. There is a hint that larger versions exist but you can't get there from here. There are thumbnails (Cincy = 6KB), screen size (Cincy = 133KB) and full size (Cincy = 392KB). I believe that only the poster can get to the full size images and reading the screen size images requires better eye sight than I have now (and maybe ever). I didn't mean this to sound like a complaint. These are neat maps and posting them is a neat act (Thank you, Alex) but they do lose something in translation. --Denny -----Original Message----- From: Alex Burr [mailto:hester_nec@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 10:55 AM To: AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AMERICAN_ROAD] Street Maps I recently posted street maps for Cincinnati,Louisville, Memphis and Nashville - 1930; Kansas City and St. Louis - 1934. Photos, folder marked Street Maps. Have more - will post later. Hudsonly Alex B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WALTER HACKNEY Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 I just posted some a new album in my webshots page - Neon signs along East Colfax (US 40) through Denver. If you view the East Colfax album in order, then go through the West Colfax album you will have covered 20 plus miles of main street Denver at night. Please let me know if you have any problems with the album or the link. Album page: http://community.webshots.com/album/107274159kirRwd Until next time -- Walt Hackney Gyrfal@Juno.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chris Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 A classic diner tradition Sunday, January 11, 2004 By ANDREW D. SMITH Staff Writer Nicholas Mastoris watched the traditional diner enjoy its heyday around World War II. Then he watched the diner business fall into decline in the 1960s and '70s, as chains such as McDonald's stole customers and 4,000 of the nation's 6,000 diners closed their doors. . . . . The story of Mastoris began in 1927, when the Corcodilos family moved from Perth Amboy to Hightstown and paid $7,000 for a 12-stool lunch wagon. Nicholas Corcodilos turned his business into a success, and replaced his mobile eatery with a permanent structure that offered what was then a radical service - tables for women. In 1941, Mary Corcodilos married Nicholas Mastoris, who came to work at the family business and helped it prosper further. After World War II, demand for beer and wine grew steadily. By 1959, the lack of liquor licenses in Hightstown persuaded the family to sell its property there and build a 350-seat eatery just outside of Bordentown City. . . ." http://www.nj.com/business/times/index.ssf...se/business-0/1 0737291869206.xml ________________________________________________ The print version of the above article has a couple good images. If I can find my scanner under the typical pile of other good stuff, I will share these with you. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bakerhab@aol.com Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 The reporter who wrote this article, was at the Goffs Schoolhouse Museum & Cultural Center in October 2003 to interview Dennis Casebier for the article. Dennis is the author of the Mojave Road Guide and the Executive Director of the Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association. The MDHCA maintains and operates the Goffs Schoolhouse Museum on Route 66 in Goffs, California. Although the reporter's perspective for this article was the Mojave Road, as the open house coordinator I would have liked a little more publicity for our events. Oh well, I guess you get what you pay for, and since she got it mostly right, I should be thankful. Helen Baker Los Angeles Times Sunday January 11, 2004 Mojave milestones Braving the perils of the historic road -- and nearly succeeding. Photos Dangerous curves (Robert Gauthier / LAT) All ears (Robert Gauthier / LAT) Paint it, red (Robert Gauthier / LAT) Times Headlines Mojave milestones MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE MOJAVE DESERT MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE MOJAVE DESERT By Susan Spano, Times Staff Writer Baker, Calif. aˆ” Some people love the desert. They love it at 110 degrees with the AC off. They love rusted junk, abandoned mines, sand traps, rattlesnakes, old bones and dry washes. You're pretty sure they're touched until you go there with them, as I did in October with my brother, John. He'd been wanting to drive the 130-mile Old Mojave Road, a dirt, rock and sand path across Mojave National Preserve that passes landscapes you don't get to see on paved roads. It was the historic route from the Colorado River to Barstow for Native Americans, explorers, stagecoach drivers and the Army. When the railroad laid tracks to the south, the old road was all but forgotten until Dennis G. Casebier, a Navy physicist from Corona with a passion for desert history, decided it should be re-opened for recreation. In the early 1980s, the Friends of the Mojave Road, founded by Casebier, mapped, repaired and erected stone cairns along the desert route. But with the creation of the 1.6-million-acre Mojave National Preserve in 1994, the group's custodial role diminished. Now Casebier has moved on to tending a historic schoolhouse museum in the Mojave Desert hamlet of Goffs and collecting oral histories from people who once lived in the East Mojave Desert. But he still sometimes checks the mailbox his group installed near Kelbaker Road, where people record their passage over the old road. Casebier estimates that several thousand make the trip annually. One tends to think all deserts are the same, places that get only a scant amount of rain. But in North America there are four kinds: the Great Basin, Sonoran, Chihuahuan and relatively small Mojave, all in Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. Sailing the desert in an SUV ThE Mojave National Preserve has some of the tallest sand dunes and thickest Joshua tree forests on the continent and, better still, a combination of elements aˆ” lava cones, dry lake beds, basin and range topography that make it a kind of desert primer. If a desert has something to teach, I want to learn. Then too, I like tagging along with John on hiking and backcountry driving trips. He has the skills and gear, although when camping he would eat protein bars for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I didn't bring along some real food. For protection in the wilderness, he takes my grandfather's World War I saber, about as deadly as a papier-mA?chA© prop in an operetta. He pores over maps before setting out and then basically ignores them in order, I think, to give expeditions a sense of discovery and adventure. John told me this would be a very rough trip aˆ” two days of driving and one night of camping aˆ” and that I better not wimp out, the way I did a few years ago when I made him turn back on the appallingly rugged road that leads to the Maze District of Utah's Canyonlands National Park. I rented a beige Ford Expedition with four-wheel drive and left a day ahead of John so I could see a few sights, including Kelso Depot. This desert oasis at Kelbaker and Kelso-Cima roads (two of the paved arteries that cross the preserve) was born with the completion of the railroad between Salt Lake City and L.A. in 1906, when there was considerable mining in the area. But passenger trains began bypassing the little settlement after World War II. The handsome early '20s Spanish Revival train station, with its restaurant and regal stand of palm trees, was left to molder. Now the National Park Service is in the final stages of renovating the building as an interpretive center and museum, scheduled to open this summer. It's a good rest stop between visits to the Cinder Cone Lava Beds about 15 miles north and Kelso Dunes to the south. Then I headed up Kelso-Cima Road, which rounds the south side of gently sloping, astonishingly symmetrical Cima Dome, a 75-square-mile area of volcanic uplift in the wild heart of the preserve. The two-lane highway, often used as a shortcut between Palm Springs and Las Vegas, is straight and flat, paralleling railroad tracks before branching off across the Ivanpah Valley. The sun was setting in a pink puddle by the time I reached Nipton, on the northeast side of the preserve, with its bushy tamarisks, pint-sized hotel and general store. I chatted with the clerk and drank a soda before heading for the Avi Resort & Casino, on the Colorado River about midway between Needles, Calif., and Laughlin, Nev. I am not much of a gambler and had never been to the Needles-Laughlin area, where the tamed Colorado River is a bathtub favored by motor boaters and water skiers. But the eastern portal of the Old Mojave Road is near the Avi, which is owned by the Mojave Indians who settled the river's flood plain and helped blaze the trail that became the road. They led Spanish explorer Father Francisco GarcA©s across the desert in 1776 and did the same for the American trapper Jedediah Strong Smith in 1826. But eventually, relations turned hostile between newly arriving white people and the Indians. As a result, in the 1860s the U.S. government built a chain of forts along the old desert trail, which by then had become a rump-blistering wagon road carrying supplies and mail. I doubt the people at the Avi, propped at slot machines with plastic cups full of quarters, were thinking about history. Together with the casino's garish lights and the gorging at the Native Harvest Buffet, they vaguely depressed me, so I went to my room aˆ” big, clean, simply furnished, not bad for about $25 on a weeknight aˆ” and went to sleep, anticipating a rendezvous the next morning with John, who wasn't able to leave L.A. until after work. I banged on his door at 9 a.m. and had a map spread out on a table in Avi's Feathers CafA© when he showed up for breakfast. Our plan was to drive half of the road that day, camp overnight and finish the next day, coming out at Afton Canyon just south of I-15 between Barstow and Baker. Then we would head back to the Avi, where we were leaving John's car, for a dip in the pool, another go at the buffet and beds with clean sheets. But we were in no hurry, because two days of driving would easily get us over the road, with time to stop and explore such features as Soda Dry Lake on the west side of the preserve. After rainy weather, it becomes a vast, tire-swamping mud flat. When John saw the Expedition, he said it was probably too heavy to make it across the playa, but he cheered up when I told him it was insured for every conceivable mishap. We packed the water, food and gear John had brought, spent a cool $50 filling the gas tank and set out. The unmarked turn-off west across the desert was about three miles north of the Avi; we found it with the help of Casebier's "Mojave Road Guide," annotated mile by mile. John made me manage the wheel at the beginning, to prove I could do it. Like most novice dirt-road drivers, I tended to take my foot off the gas when we came to sand. But my brother kept saying, "Follow the ruts. Keep going. Don't stop." Then he cracked open a liter of Coke and yelled out the window, "No problem anyway! We're fully insured!" That day was a pure desert joy from start to finish. The temperature was about 80 degrees when we left, and the sky was mounded with clouds. A lop-eared jackrabbit jumped out of a nest of creosote, birds tittered, the air smelled like a spice rack. And, suddenly, everything sharpened up, as it will in the desert, from the yellow rabbitbrush to the brittle Piute Mountains, as if I'd just had Lasik surgery. About 23 miles west of the Colorado River (using Casebier's distance calculations), we reached Ft. Piute, one of the military redoubts built on the road in the 1860s. It sits in the shadow of Jedediah Smith Butte, above dependable Piute Creek, and once harbored 18 enlisted men of Company D of the 9th U.S. Infantry. John went looking for Native American petroglyphs in the creek bed while I ate a packaged cheese-and-cold-cut snack on the knee-high stone walls that are the remnants of the fort. Just before we relaunched our Old Mojave Road sortie, he did a saber dance in front of the Expedition with Grandpa's sword. Mysterious turnoffs With John driving, we climbed 3,412-foot Piute Pass, infamously rough in the old wagon road days. The view west swoops over the Lanfair Valley, where homesteaders tried to make the Mojave bloom in the early 20th century, to range upon range of desert mountains, separated by basins, in a Western geography lesson. From there, we tooled across the valley, so thick with Joshua trees you would think they had been propagated. Here and there we saw old stuff scattered over the desert, including a wrecked school bus that made me think of the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." There were also mysterious turnoffs that John said could lead to crystal methamphetamine labs. He likes to put me on edge. When I asked if we needed gasoline, he routinely said we were about to run out. We crossed paved Ivanpah Road at Casebier mile mark 41.7 and caught graded Cedar Canyon Road west to avoid a more treacherous stretch of the Old Mojave Road along Watson Wash. Eventually, we reached Government Holes, where one of the last gunfights in the West took place in 1925. It's a pretty place in the Round Valley, with a windmill and abandoned corral, and we considered making camp. But it was starting to get chilly and there were no windbreaks, so we turned south on Black Canyon Road, heading for Mid Hills Campground in aromatic forests of pinyon pine and juniper. There we claimed site No. 25, with the preserve's best view of Cima Dome. A fire pit was stocked with wood, left by some friendly earlier camper, and there was a nice flat place for my tent. John set up his cot outside so he could see the stars. We had steak and apples for dinner, talked for a while and then went to sleep. I slept like a sunken ship and awakened in time for sunrise over Cima Dome. Another day in the desert ensued, not quite as good as the last. We lost our way, making an unintended detour north toward Death Valley Mine on a track that kept getting fainter and fainter. Finally, we reached the paved Kelso-Cima Road, where there's a little convenience store and post office run by tiny, wizened Irene Ausmus, who came to the Mojave with her husband in the 1960s and refused to sell out when the National Park Service arrived. It wasn't hard to find the Old Mojave Road again, with Casebier's help. In fact, the road's rutted route can be seen for miles as it pushes west across Kelso Wash and rounds the Beale Mountains, named for explorer Edward F. Beale, who tried to introduce camels to the Mojave in 1857 but had to abandon the experiment because they frightened the horses. The views north to Cima Dome and south to Kelso Dunes only got better. But just east of Marl Springs, John realized we had a flat, necessitating an hour of hot, dirty work mounting the humongous spare. There was some cursing, after which we decided to get to Kelbaker Road, about 20 miles west, as soon as possible, so we could drive to the town of Baker on I-15. With the rigors of Soda Dry Lake ahead, it seemed prudent to get the blown tire fixed so we'd have a spare. In Baker, we stopped at the Park Service information office, where a ranger gave us more bad news. Autumn rains had made passage over the playa dicey. Several vehicles had gotten stuck there recently, languishing for days awaiting rescue as the salt crust of the dry lake corroded their undercarriages. John wanted to risk it, but the day was more than half gone. Over a lunch of hummus, fried calamari and gyros at the Mad Greek restaurant, I persuaded him to abort and head back to the Avi. So we can't say we drove the whole road. Our names don't appear in the record book at the Old Mojave Road mailbox, which we bypassed in our rush to Baker. But John plans to return and conquer the playa. Maybe I'll go with him. I'm starting to understand why he loves the desert. Besides, I'd like to see him brandishing Grandpa's saber again. Rocking and rolling across the Mojave GETTING THERE: Mojave National Preserve is about 200 miles northeast of Los Angeles. From L.A., take Interstate 15 northeast to Baker and turn south on Kelbaker Road, or take Interstate 40 east from Barstow and turn north on Kelbaker Road, to reach Kelso Depot, a major historical site in the preserve. The eastern portal of the Old Mojave Road is on Needles Highway about halfway between Needles, Calif., and Laughlin, Nev. Spring and fall are the best seasons to drive the Old Mojave Road. Consult the Mojave National Preserve or "Mojave Road Guide," by Dennis G. Casebier (Tales of the Mojave Road Publishing Co., Essex, Calif.), for information on how to prepare for the trip. WHERE TO STAY: Two campgrounds in Mojave National Preserve, Mid Hills and Hole-in-the-Wall, have drinking water and toilet facilities. Sites are $12 per night. Roadside car camping is also permitted, with restrictions. Avi Resort & Casino, P.O. Box 77011, 10000 Aha Macav Parkway, Laughlin, NV 89029; (800) 284-2946, http://www.avicasino.com . This complex on the west bank of the Colorado River has rooms in a new tower or an older poolside building. Doubles start at $19 Sundays to Thursdays, $49 on weekends. Hotel Nipton B&B, 107355 Nipton Road, HCR-1, Box 357, Nipton, CA 92364; (760) 856-2335, http://www.nipton.com . This homey desert enclave is on the northeast side of the preserve. It has a general store and five guest rooms with shared baths. Doubles are $69.50, including breakfast. WHERE TO EAT: Laughlin and Needles have a range of casino and fast-food restaurants. But if you're driving through Baker on I-15, don't miss the Mad Greek, (760) 733-4354, for serendipitous gyros, souvlaki and fried calamari in the desert. Lunch for two about $20. TO LEARN MORE: Mojave National Preserve Headquarters, 222 E. Main St., Barstow, CA 92311; (760) 255-8801, http://www.nps.gov/moja , or the NPS Baker Information Center, 72157 Baker Blvd., Baker, CA 92309; (760) 733-4040. Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Assn., Goff's Schoolhouse, 37198 Lanfair Road, G-15, Essex, CA 92332; (760) 733-4482, http://www.MDHCA.org . aˆ” Susan Spano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alex Burr Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 I was posting some of the pictures I took of my recent road trip across U S 64 and U S 70 and realized one of them is a bit flaky, to say the least. It was taken about a mile east of Hazen (going by the state route 11 sign tacked onto the bottom of the sign post in the photo) and indicates 70 and 63 run together at this point - however, if one looks closely at a highway map of Arkansas U S 63 does NOT run thru this area!!! In fact the maps show 63 ends at I-55 (except for a possible old alignment now listed as AR 77 running down toward Memphis). Anybody figure this one out?? Anyway my photos are posted in a U S 64 folder - as soon as the photo program lets me I'll move the U S 70 folder into Albums. Hudsonly, Alex B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Worley Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 I ended up booking us at the Best Western Saddleback Inn on I-40 at SW 3rd Street. It looks pretty nice for a family, with refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and breakfast included. Its 5 miles from the Cox Center, too. We will be arriving Jan 21st. I HOPE to be able to do a little photo hunting while there, namely the Winchester DI, Chief DI in Chickasha and Beacon DI in Gunthrie. Too bad they are all closed for the season though... --- Bob Worley <bwcobra15@yahoo.com> wrote: > Hello Ken, > > Thanks for the recommendations. We will be arriving in OKC Friday > afternoon, Jan 21st. We will not pass thru Lawton, but rather come direct > from Dallas on I-35. > > Regards, > Bob > > > --- Ken <thelandrunner@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > Hi Bob, > > Happy New Year! > > > > There's really no motels of that description directly in the downtown > > area. Only the skyrise hotels there. Have no personal experience > > recommendations of any Mom and Pop places because I've never actually > > stayed at any of them here in OKC. ( Like the Carlisle Motel on NW39 ) > > There are a number of good priced chain motels just a hop skip and a > > jump away from the Cox Center either east along I-40 near Tinker > > A.F.B. in Del City/Midwest City or west on I-40 at Meridan Ave. exit. > > Have you checked out: <http://www.roomsavers.com> > > > > BTW - What day do you plan to arrive into OKC? Will you be passing > > thru Lawton, OK. along I-44 ? > > > > God Bless. > > > > Ken > > > > > > --- In AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com, Bob Worley <bwcobra15@y...> > > wrote: > > > Hey Roadies, > > > > > > I just found out we are going to Oklahoma City the weekend of > > January 22-23, > > > 2004 for a national cheerleading competition. We need a nice, > > clean > > > *inexpensive* motel near the Cox Convention Center - I-40 & > > Robinson Rd. > > > Some nice mom & pop place would be cool. Any recommendations? > > > > > > (maybe I can find my way with my new GPS ) > > > > > > Thank ya ~ thank ya > > > > > > LoneStarBob > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Meet the all-new My Yahoo! - Try it today! http://my.yahoo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Reynolds Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 --- In AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com, "Alex Burr" <hester_nec@y...> wrote: > I was posting some of the pictures I took of my recent road trip > across U S 64 and U S 70 and realized one of them is a bit flaky, to > say the least. It was taken about a mile east of Hazen (going by > the state route 11 sign tacked onto the bottom of the sign post in > the photo) and indicates 70 and 63 run together at this point - > however, if one looks closely at a highway map of Arkansas U S > 63 does NOT run thru this area!!! In fact the maps show 63 ends at > I-55 (except for a possible old alignment now listed as AR 77 > running down toward Memphis). > > Anybody figure this one out?? The 2003 Rand McNally road atlas indicates this is, in truth, the new alignment of US 63. It follows I-55 south from Gilmore, AR, then west with I-40 to AR 11 through Hazen and south to Stuttgart. Then it coaligns with US 79 to Pine Bluff. From here, it follows AR 15 though Warren to Eldorado. Finally it follows US 187 to Ruston, LA. Arkansas has had a number of realignments over the past few years, including the creation of US 412 and the extension of US 49 north from Brinkley to Piggot. Confusing, but interesting. Have a safe trip home, Alex! BabyBoomerBob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Shellee Graham Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Hi folks, Just thought I'd let you know that I'm selling a few more items on eBay again. There may be a couple of items that may interest you, most notably: ...a drive-In movie theater speaker from the 66 Park-In, St. Louis, MO. Razed 1994. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=3379288778 Thanks for looking, and have a nice weekend. From a sick Shellee G. ------------------- Shellee Graham http://www.coralcourt.com http://www.smithkramer.com/route66.html http://home.earthlink.net/~shellee66/sg.html http://homepage.mac.com/dougoutg/PhotoAlbum1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Gassmann Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 As I'm sure everyone knows by now, on Wednesday, January 5, 2005, President George W. Bush paid a visit to Collinsville to talk about our country's medical liability situation. Who would have imagined, that in his opening remarks, the President would mention wanting to go see the Catsup Bottle! Whether you care for W are not, or agree with what he had to say or not, I just think this is pretty damn cool...! President Discusses Medical Liability Reform Gateway Center, Collinsville, Illinois - Wednesday, January 5, 2005 1:13 P.M. CST THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. Thanks for coming out to say hello. It's great to be in Southern Illinois. (Applause.) I appreciate the chance to come to Madison County. I'm honored to be the first sitting President to visit the city of Collinsville. (Applause.) I'm sorry Laura is not with me. AUDIENCE: Awww -- (laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: That is generally the reaction. (Laughter.) I was hoping she and I could go look at the Ketchup Bottle. (Laughter and applause.) The entire transcript has been released by the White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20...0050105-4.html# MG # # # * * * Mike Gassmann, Big Tomato World's Largest Catsup Bottle Central Command PO Box 1108 Collinsville, Illinois 62234 618.345.5598 phone 618.345.5699 fax bigtomato@catsupbottle.com www.catsupbottle.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Russell S. Rein Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Happy New Year! Here's your first Lincoln Highway E-newletter of 2005: The Lincoln Highway National Museum and Archives personal property was auctioned off by the Crawford County Sheriff in Galion, OH on Wednesday, December 29th. The museum was the creation of former Galion resident Craig Harmon, and had been closed for over three years. The sheriffs sale was an execution of a judgement against Harmon for unpaid rent and utilities by the buildings owner. The museum was not associated with the Lincoln Highway Association. There were a lot of fixtures and display material at the auction but not too much actual Lincoln Highway memorabilia. Also, there was evidence of water damage - ascribed to a roof leak while the Museum was closed. I attended the auction and was the winning bidder on most of the LH memorabilia. Also in attendance were LHA members Richard and Mary Lou Taylor. The day before, and during the auction, individuals were recovering items that they had lent the Museum. Some folks had to buy back their items. Here are some of the items I won: * Stereoview of the western terminus of the LH with the special concrete marker * 1921 Official Guide to the LH (some water damage * 1914 LHA Progress Report Pamphlet * 1920 LHA Progress Report Pamphlet (severe water damage) * 1930 Columbia-Wrightsville PA bridge dedication ephemera & pinback * Lincoln Highway cigar box and five cigars (13 other cigars were sold in lots or separately) * Boyce motometer with separate LH inset (radiator gauge) * folders of writer D. H. Lane material (he ghost wrote the 1935 LHA History published by Dodd, Mead) * photo of the 10th Millionth Ford in NE There was a lot more Presidential, Lincoln, Harding and Galion history ephemera and books, flags, banners, new souvenirs, and display fixtures. Harmon still maintains an excellent website on the LH: http://www.lincoln-highway-museum.org/ Craig Harmon - Presidential Inauguration on the cheap: http://xrl.us/emi5 and http://xrl.us/emi8 Donner Party mystery in Utah: http://xrl.us/emiv Mifflin Inn since 1819 - Review: http://xrl.us/emiw 18th Century Lancaster Pike Mike Marker Stolen: http://xrl.us/emiz This reminds me - LHA member D. Lowell Nissley has one of these markers - a 1795 mileage marker "21 M to P." He writes: "It is from the farm where my wife grew up near Malvern, PA and was rescued several years ago. It now graces the front entrance to our home as a bench. The new owners of the property, a large office building, will be glad to donate a spot near its original location if and when we want to replace it. Do you suppose the LHA would be interested in participating (or planning) a ceremony for its replacement? It would be good publicity for the LH. I have a nephew who is the world's greatest genealogy nut and closely related to the local historical society. He would be delighted to work at something from the local end. There would be no problem for me and the local people to replace the post, but I would like the Lincoln Highway to get some mileage out of it. The house dates back to Geo. Washington's time, in fact he and some of his generals stayed there over night one time. The sad end of this story is that the house became practice burn in 1977 for the local fire department, to reduce taxes. This property was on the original Philadelphia to Lancaster Turnpike, 21 miles from Philadelphia." What say local LHA PA members? This seems like a good opportunity for some LHA PR? Perry Township, OH and the LH: http://xrl.us/emi4 Year's fav drive - the LH, fav city - Pittsburgh: http://xrl.us/emi7 LHA Members pipe in: Howard Stovall points out an excellent set of Richard Weingroff articles on Eisenhower including the 1919 Army LH Convoy: The Man Who Changed America - Part 1: http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/03mar/05.htm Part 2: http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/03may/05.htm Norman Root explains about the Orangevale "Lincoln Cut" real photo postcard on ebay I mentioned in the last update: "I've seen several copies of "Lincoln Cut" circulating lately. This was next to the Gold Creek Bridge on Orangevale Avenue that the City of Folsom plans to replace. The Lincoln Highway Association is trying to block that action. Yes, this is on the 1928 Lincoln Highway alignment. The Lincoln Cut was originally a railroad cut. It was part of the California Central Railroad built by Theodore Judah, to become the start of his Transcontinental Railroad. It was named for the President of the Railroad, Charles Lincoln Wilson. In 1915, Sacramento County built a new road from Folsom to Orangevale, using the abandoned Central California roadbed. This new road became part of the Lincoln Highway in 1928. The cut was "daylighted" in 1947 and is now the intersection of Greenback Lane and American Canyon Drive." Linda at the Marshall County Historical Society, which has the new Historic Transportation Center featuring the Lincoln and Dixie Highways and the Yellowstone Trail tells about an LH marker rescue: "Also some good news: We now have a complete LH marker. I did a program for a leadership group and highlighted the LH and the markers along the highway. The next day I received a call from one of the ladies at the group stating she had one in her front yard at Cook Lake (no where near the Lincoln Highway). She said it was there when they bought the house a few years ago and she had no idea what it was. Lucky us! It took some digging and lots of muscle to pull it out of the ground." ebay haps: your loyal editor may have found a new LH arch - check it out on the Bridgewater, PA bridge real photo postcard I won at: http://xrl.us/emkp A Texaco LH strip map booklet went for $90 today: http://xrl.us/emku That's all for now - have a safe, happy & healthy 2005 and I will see you soon in Ely, NV. Yer pal, ypsi-slim, New King of the Dixie Highway Russell S. Rein 522 Maulbetsch Ave. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 734-669-7534 days-work, 734-434-2968 cell-home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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