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

Welcome!


Guest Jim Ross
 Share

Recommended Posts

Guest roadmaven

Evening folks. Let me first quote Carl Fisher, one of the fathers of

 

the "Father Road", the Lincoln Highway, who once wrote in 1912: "The

 

highways of America are built chiefly of politics, whereas the proper

 

material is crushed rock, or concrete." (Taken from George

 

Stewart's "US 40: Cross Section of the United States of America").

 

 

 

Well, those words are ringing true in Indiana these days. There has

 

been a move for umpteen years to extend Interstate 69 in Indiana from

 

Indianapolis to Evansville (along the Ohio River). This is part of a

 

grand scheme to have I-69 traverse from its beginnings in eastern

 

Michigan to the Mexican/Texas border, creating a highway stretching

 

from the US/Canadian border to Mexico.

 

 

 

The fight in Indiana has intensified in recent years as the reality

 

of this Indy/Evansville path has become more apparent. Many folks

 

desire the IDOT to have the new 69 share the current I-70 between

 

Indy and Terre Haute, then upgrade U.S. 41 to interstate standards

 

from Terre Haute south to Evansville. This is also reportedly a

 

cheaper alternative.

 

 

 

Most of these folks talking the loudest are environmentalists. The

 

reason for their concern is IDOT's preferred route angles southwest

 

out of Indy through Bloomington and Washington and then into

 

Evansville, utilizing state highway pathes and creating new pathes.

 

There is also much of this route that would cut through the heart of

 

the Hoosier National Forest, thus explaining the environmentalist's

 

part in this.

 

 

 

There's no question many of the small towns on IDOT's route would

 

suffer, if not wiped out entirely. Before I became a highway geek, I

 

always thought new highway pathes were the coolest thing. I suppose

 

it was the "newness" of seeing where that new road was going to take

 

me & what new terrain I'd see along the way. But nowadays, after

 

seeing what the interstates have done to so many small towns

 

throughout this great land, I'm more in favor of doing what will

 

protect "small town America." Perhaps it's my advanced age of 34 that

 

has made me re-think where I stand in regards to highway "progress."

 

But I think part of this is the preservationist coming out (and

 

growing) in me.

 

 

 

But we will see in the years to come where the inevitible I-69

 

extension will go. In the meantime, here's a link to the story in

 

today's INDIANAPOLIS STAR which inspired me to think a little more &

 

post this diatribe: http://www.indystar.com/article.php??

 

highwaypm1023.html

 

 

 

When it comes to our roads, the state transportation departments can

 

be our biggest ally or, God forbid, our biggest enemy. I'm certain

 

we've all seen this to be the case. Keep on your toes, folks!

 

 

 

Your humble List Host,

 

 

 

Pat Bremer

 

Speedway, Indiana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest sundayjohn66

> Ivan's an absolute gentleman who understands and respects the

 

historic property he has.

 

 

 

We met Ivan in the spring of 2000, when we swung through Cave City on

 

our way back from a pilgrimage to Athens, Ga., (I'm a huge B-52's fan)

 

and Chattanooga (had to See Rock City). This was back when the only

 

guidebooks we carried were The New Roadside America and an atlas.

 

 

 

Wigwam Village #2 was the first concrete tepee I ever slept in. We

 

went on the strength of the recommendation by roadsideamerica.com and

 

were not disappointed. I think that might have been the first

 

mom-and-pop motel I ever slept in, too, come to think of it. (Sad,

 

yes, but we didn't travel much when I was a kid, and when I got out on

 

my own, I became more of a B&B girl.)

 

 

 

I blew two rolls of film out there (not to mention 40 bucks on

 

souvenirs, including two T-shirts and a mess of postcards ... still

 

kicking myself for not buying the plaster model of the wigwam we slept

 

in) and really enjoyed meeting Ivan and talking to him about his

 

property. I got him to autograph my copy of Roadside America. We went

 

during the off-season and really wanted to go back and explore the

 

area more when all the tourist traps opened up, but we never got back

 

down there, because two months later, we fell in love with Route 66. I

 

don't have to tell you the rest of that story. ;)

 

 

 

Anyway, thanks for the blast from the past, Pat. Funny how long ago

 

that night in Cave City seems now. Maybe it's time to steal a weekend

 

from the Mother Road and spend it down in the concrete tepee where my

 

love of mom-and-pop motels was born.

 

 

 

I probably ought to send Ivan a thank-you note ... if he'd done a

 

crappy job with the Wigwam Village, it probably would have scared me

 

away from mom-and-pops forever. Instead, he kept it clean and nice and

 

comfortable, and I learned that a room does not have to be expensive

 

or affiliated with a major chain to be an acceptable place to stay.

 

 

 

Yeah, I think we're definitely gonna have to slip down to Cave City

 

next summer....

 

 

 

Emily

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Denny Gibson

That does help. It seemed really strange that someone was once big enough to

 

earn a park, a plaque, and a "father of..." title yet be completely

 

invisible on the internet. That the honors came from colleagues, rather than

 

organizations, helps to explain their lack of notice today.

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Denny

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

 

From: sascoaz [mailto:sascoaz@yahoo.com]

 

Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 8:23 PM

 

To: AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com

 

Subject: [AMERICAN_ROAD] Re: Charles Small (AZ Highways) information?

 

 

 

 

 

Denny,

 

 

 

Brian Butko of the SCA Journal pointed out your query to me. I have

 

done a fair amount of research on early AZ highways and can tell you

 

a little about Mr. Small (mostly from an article in the November 1933

 

issue of Arizona Highways):

 

 

 

Charles Churchill Small was born on January 12, 1874 on Cape Cod,

 

Mass. In his early teens he began working on railroad engineering

 

crews in the northeast and later California and the Southwest. He

 

never attended college, but taught himself higher mathematics and

 

engineering through self-study and on-the-job training. The

 

railroads that he worked on or for included the El Paso and

 

Southwestern, Santa Fe, and the Southern Pacific. He began working

 

for the Arizona State Highway Department in 1919 as a locating

 

engineer and in 1928 was promoted to deputy state highway engineer.

 

 

 

He died suddenly April 5, 1932 (not sure how - perhaps an accident).

 

His title as 'Father of Arizona's Highways' was given by his

 

engineering coworkers at the time and comes from the role he played

 

in laying out many of the early AZ highways during his years as a

 

locating engineer. He is not particulary well known today - he kept

 

a fairly low profile and was more of a technical-minded implementor,

 

than a high profile leader or visionary as the title might imply.

 

The pull-out and memorial was built by his coworkers shortly after

 

his death.

 

 

 

Hope this helps,

 

 

 

Erik Berg

 

Phx, AZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--- In AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com, "Denny Gibson" <mail@d...>

 

wrote:

 

> On AZ 89, a few miles north of Congress, there is a stone walled

 

> overlook. There is a dedication plaque to Charles Churchill Small.

 

> Internet searches on that name have come up empty despite the fact

 

> that the plaque calls him "The father of Arizona highways".

 

>

 

> Can anyone point me to any info on Charles or this structure? It's

 

> merely curiosity but deeply frustrated curiosity:) A picture of the

 

> plaque is at:

 

> http://www.dennygibson.com/ariz092003/day02/ccsmall.jpg

 

>

 

> --Denny

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest B Worley

According to very reliable sources, the Tower Drive-In in Rule, Texas will be

 

rebuilt and reopened in the Spring of 2004!!

 

 

 

More news as it is confirmed ~

 

 

 

Texas Drive-ins are lookin' good!!

 

 

 

___________

 

Bob Worley

 

Texas Drive-ins: www.worleyworld.com/txdriveins/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

__________________________________

 

Do you Yahoo!?

 

Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard

 

http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Alex Burr

Hello Fellow Roadies,

 

 

 

Glancing at the calendar today told me it'll be about 6 weeks and

 

we'll be heading out on those long lonesome highways for another run

 

to Memphis - going to spend Christmas with my oldest daughter.

 

 

 

Unfortunately the mighty Monte that has taken me on so many trips in

 

the past 5 years, across U S 12 and 24, down U S 51 and and over parts

 

of U S 40, will make no more trips to the western territories. She

 

has served me well and done so in comfort, but the transmission is

 

making death rattles, the left rear frame rail is rotted out - typical

 

New England and rust belt damage. If anybody wants a classic and has

 

the time or money, it could be fixed.

 

 

 

So rather than head out next month in the Dollar Dodge truck we

 

bought a newer car - a 1992 Buick, that is in very pristine condition;

 

one owner, always garaged, always taken care of.

 

 

 

Our plans this trip are to take a trip down U S 11 thru the

 

Shenandoah Valley of Virginia - down thru Harrisonburg, Staunton, and

 

on south thru Roanoke and Atkins into Tennessee. Maybe we'll see the

 

ghosts of Jubal Early and Robert E. Lee and hear the hoofbeats of

 

Confederate Cavalry, the rattle of musketry and the solemn beat of the

 

drums of the Civil War.

 

 

 

We've traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway a time or two - and that's a

 

grand road trip to take. Especially if you get on in Front Royal at 6

 

in the morning - you'll have a lot of it to yourself, along with

 

various and sundry wild critters who are simply curious as to why you

 

are there. Watching the sun rise from an overlook is something to

 

witness.

 

 

 

So if there's anybody out there, and there must be somebody, who has

 

has driven U S 11, we'd like to hear from you. We drove it once - but

 

it was nearly 50 years ago back in 1958 during a very fast trip from

 

Kingsville, TX to Kennebunk, ME - and back - in around 90 hours. But

 

that's another story for another time.

 

 

 

Meantime everybody have a great day today and better days to come.

 

 

 

Hudsonly,

 

Alex B

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Bob Reynolds

--- In AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com, "Alex Burr" <hester_nec@y...>

 

wrote:

 

> So if there's anybody out there, and there must be somebody, who

 

has

 

> has driven U S 11, we'd like to hear from you. We drove it once -

 

but

 

> it was nearly 50 years ago back in 1958 during a very fast trip

 

from

 

> Kingsville, TX to Kennebunk, ME - and back - in around 90 hours.

 

But

 

> that's another story for another time.

 

>

 

> Meantime everybody have a great day today and better days to

 

come.

 

>

 

> Hudsonly,

 

> Alex B

 

 

 

Ah, now you're talking about my favorite road! I doubt you'll

 

be getting quite down to my neck of the woods unless you want to

 

take 11 on down to Chattanooga and take either 64 or 72 west to

 

Memphis.

 

 

 

A brief suggestion or two. Stop in Buchanan, VA and check out

 

the swinging footbridge across the James River. It's just to the

 

west of the 11 bridge. Hard to miss:) Also, Abingdon has a lot of

 

old architecture, especially the Martha Washington Inn and the

 

Barter Theater. The latter got it's name during the depression when

 

it accepted farm produce and animals as payment for tickets.

 

 

 

Your post is giving me a nudge to get off my rusty dusty and

 

write up my day trip to Chattanooga from last month. Things have

 

been rather hectic recently, and time has been at a premium, but

 

I'll do my best to get it done this weekend.

 

 

 

Happy trails,

 

 

 

BabyBoomerBob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Jen!

 

 

 

Mighty fine photos! Looks like the winds were really blowin' there.

 

The flags looks super too. You just talked Melissa into going there!

 

Sweet deal!

 

Thank You.

 

 

 

Ken

 

 

 

 

 

--- In AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com, "jenniferrt66"

 

<jabremer66@a...> wrote:

 

> I have put up lots of pictures I took this weekend at Wigwam

 

Villlage

 

> #2 in Cave City, Kentucky. Enjoy!

 

>

 

> Jennifer

 

>

 

> http://www.roadtripmemories.com/trips/wigwamvillage2.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest UKRoads

Hi Nicole, how nice to hear from you. To be honest, I gave up on the Route66

 

group because they became so insular, a small number of them using it when they

 

should have just sent private emails to each other. I found that they did not

 

welcome posts from individuals whom they did not consider their 'buddies'. I am

 

trying again and hope that this is not longer so.

 

This group seems much friendlier and its great to hear from friends.

 

I did the Great River Road two some years ago, but financial constraints have

 

stopped me since then. You are in Arizona now? How is it, and what have you been

 

up to?

 

Regards Walter

 

----- Original Message -----

 

From: Nicole

 

To: AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com

 

Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 10:44 PM

 

Subject: [AMERICAN_ROAD] Walter from Glasgow!

 

 

 

 

 

Hi there Walter!

 

 

 

I haven't heard from you in such a long time! How are you??

 

Anyway.......glad to see you're still

 

around and interested in the road and getting over here to explore!! Any

 

plans on when you may

 

possibly be headed this way??

 

 

 

Keep in touch!

 

 

 

Nicole

 

 

 

 

 

Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest UKRoads

Thanks for all your posts regarding coast to coast routes. They are just what I

 

was hoping for. This is the first time I have heard of the Yellowstone Trail and

 

I will look forward to researching it. The Lincoln Highway is the obvious route,

 

but an idea of travelling on more than one is forming in my mind. It would allow

 

some 'diagonal' travel, which is often overlooked, isn't it?

 

I have managed to blot my copybook pretty darn quick by posting what I thought

 

would be a private post to Nicole on the full site, so that you can all read it!

 

Oh well, us Scots are well known for putting our feet in our mouthes, and I

 

just have! Apologies for any offence for an honest but tactless observation.

 

Thanks again

 

Walter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest roamndav

Dave, you may have already done this,,,, BUT,,,

 

 

 

I agree with you about the experience of driving on vintage

 

concrete. From my personal experiences, might I recommend a trip on

 

old US80 from the west side of El Centro, CA through to Pine

 

Valley/Descanso before being dumped onto I-8 on into San Diego. This

 

is why:

 

 

 

The stretch from El Centro to Millers/Ocotillo is virtually unchanged

 

desolate desert country with the original 1915 era concrete right

 

next to you for miles! What a time warp. No Burger Kings, no

 

NOTHING to remind you of the present! In fact, all of the bridges

 

over the washes are still the 1930's wooden deck bridges. Though

 

forced back onto I-8 through In-Ko-Pah gorge, you can see fragments

 

of the 1915 and 30's era roads all over (especially the Mountain

 

Springs exit area). At the top, take old 80 from the Desert

 

Watchtower down to Jacumba then up through Pine Valley/Descanso.

 

This whole stretch is 30's era concrete highway with asphalt added

 

shoulders! Talk about a time capsule! This whole section is

 

reminiscent of the feeling I get on the Seligman-Peach Springs

 

stretch of Route 66. Beautiful yet desolate country that really

 

takes you back. I cannot reccommend a more vintage piece of highway.

 

 

 

For a quick peek, take a look at the Hwy 80-California section of my

 

web page http://bygonebyways.com/California_80.htm

 

 

 

In the spirit of the open (vintage) road,

 

Jeff in Tucson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest jenniferrt66

<The roadside caught my attention of course, how could it not,

 

as I too was trying to capture the spirit of bygone road trips.

 

The remaining older roadside features and landmarks become

 

familiar (and fewer) and I began to realize that the spirit

 

of bygone trips could also be experienced by finding the right

 

stretch of pavement, indeed could even be best experienced.>

 

 

 

I definitely agree with you about "the road" itself. I don't

 

particularly care to discuss portland concrete vs. asphalt, but I do

 

enjoy driving on old concrete roads and listening to the rhythm of

 

the seams! Pat and I have done more exploring of old alignments,

 

looking through patches of overgrown grass in search of concrete!

 

I've been attacked by swarms of mosquitoes walking on an old

 

abandoned alignment of Route 66 in Lincoln, Illinois, and gotten my

 

sneakers messed up traipsing through mud.

 

 

 

For a great driving experience or photographic opportunities, there

 

doesn't have to be anything on the roadside like the cool motels and

 

diners. I do enjoy that and taking pictures for my website. But

 

that's only part of it...I also enjoy lonely stretches of road out in

 

Arizona or New Mexico (or anywhere in the U.S. that I just haven't

 

had the pleasure of exploring – yet!). There doesn't have to be

 

anything manmade (except the road! LOL) – just beautiful scenery,

 

mountains, deserts, flowers, cacti, a gorgeous sunset - or perhaps a

 

wild horse or even a turtle to move off the road and onto the safety

 

of the roadside (I am sure that the turtles appreciate the roadside

 

more than the road itself!). I've taken as many pictures of all

 

those things as I have diners and motels. I love photographing all

 

of it!

 

 

 

Here are some examples (I ran all my website links through

 

TinyURL.com so they wouldn't be broken here):

 

 

 

-Old Route 66 concrete in Illinois: http://tinyurl.com/ytmh

 

-More old 66 in Arizona: http://tinyurl.com/ytn8

 

-A coyote! http://tinyurl.com/ytnl

 

-A wild horse http://tinyurl.com/ytns

 

-Route 66 east of Galena, KS http://tinyurl.com/yto2

 

-Alignment of Route 66 in Lincoln, IL: http://tinyurl.com/ytoc

 

-Brick alignment of Route 66 in Auburn, IL http://tinyurl.com/ytor

 

-Turtle crossing the road in Southern Indiana -

 

http://tinyurl.com/ytp5

 

-Bridge crossing in Southern Indiana: http://tinyurl.com/ytpc

 

-A view of the ROAD from the roadside in Missouri:

 

http://tinyurl.com/ytpf

 

 

 

Ok, that's enough for now...for more, visit my website! But

 

hopefully that illustrates my interest in the ROAD, and in nature and

 

scenery as well as diners and motels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<It's a bit more subtle perhaps without anything as obvious as

 

architectural or graphic styles to provide age cues but with practice

 

you can come to recognize the different styles and standards of

 

roadbuilding as they evolved.>

 

 

 

Pat and I notice different types of curbs, bridges, pavement,

 

etc...again, personally I don't care to know or discuss the technical

 

details about roads, which does bore me. But driving and exploring

 

(the visual aspects) I enjoy very much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<For me to capture the spirit of bygone road travel the most reliable

 

way is to find a stretch of road that has had minimal improvements

 

and drive on it.

 

 

 

Usually these are rural segments that have been bypassed and mostly

 

forgotten, strictly local, usually county roads.>

 

 

 

During our honeymoon on Route 66, Pat and I drove the Cuervo Cutoff

 

in New Mexico. It was unpaved, unimproved and ultimately

 

impassable...we had to turn back, but we did explore a good bit of

 

it. It was so isolated and sooooo cool!! We even met up with a wild

 

horse (not the one in the above picture, that was a different trip).

 

We took pictures but I don't have them on my website yet...putting

 

the honeymoon on the website has been a too long, drawn out process.

 

I have to get on that! We were also in the Kaibab National Forest and

 

got temporarily blocked from proceeding due to a small herd of cattle

 

parked in the middle of the road!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<The deal is that there are so many layers of roadside culture now

 

that it is virtually impossible to roll back the clock when in the

 

built up environment, when you get out in the countryside on a white

 

cement road shining in the sun it can almost be the 20s or 30s again.

 

 

 

So I tend to get a bit discouraged when I see the focus shifted to

 

the roadside so often, the roadside probably has a pretty good number

 

of advocates by now.>

 

 

 

True...while I enjoy certain things about the roadside, I agree that

 

you can't find a true roadside experience in some areas because

 

there's too much new development, and it's usually generic. It's

 

hard to find "it" when you go by Staples, Best Buy, Chili's,

 

Applebees, etc...I like to find the old diners and motels in the

 

midst of all those, but I enjoy areas of the road that are isolated

 

and with nothing for miles. Most of my experience so far has been

 

Route 66, but slowly and as time permits, I'm exploring other roads.

 

Of course, this list and American Road magazine are a great way to

 

learn about all the great roads out there and get you all excited for

 

a lot of road trips!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<Here's an afterthought to a post a few weeks back, someone was

 

COMPLAINING (imagine that...) about finding latte stands in remote

 

Wyoming, complaining...

 

 

 

I find it more than a little ironic that people who enjoy road trips

 

and roadside culture somehow take this view. Maybe they see it as

 

more cultural homogenization.

 

 

 

Seems to me the latte stands are in the great roadside tradition

 

and are the latest development in a long lineage that we all enjoy.

 

And guess what, they even put up new colorful builidings designed

 

to catch the eye and make you stop, imagine that.

 

 

 

I have seen more than one latte stand in the form of an espresso pot

 

and maybe you have too. So we even have a resurgence of roadside

 

figural architecture here, who woulda thunk it, (me, that's who)>

 

 

 

I agree there...it's a fact that there are changes in the way we

 

live, changes in culture or technology, etc..I think an espresso or

 

latte stand shaped like an espresso pot is most definitely reflective

 

of the roadside businesses of the past and very cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<And how about the new MacDonalds with the classic arches

 

only now it's been 'supersized' like it's on steroids. No outside

 

counters but plenty of red and white tile and the classic profile.

 

 

 

The purists tend to automatically think 'corporate is bad' and

 

write it all off along with the 'superslab' but here's how it

 

looked from my side of the windshield, when I first saw the

 

giant new McDonalds I laughed out loud, it made my day.>

 

 

 

I'm not the biggest McDonald's fan anymore (for some reason their

 

food just isn't agreeing with me like it did in my...ummm...younger

 

days! But I still love their fries). As far as chains, I'm not 100%

 

anti-chain by any means, whether it's stores or fast food. It's not

 

that I never bought anything at a Wal-Mart or Walgreen's, of course I

 

have. I love Steak n' Shake and Sonic Burgers. I've stayed at Motel

 

6, and Super 8, and Hampton Inn, Sheraton, yada, yada...but basically

 

I prefer to support mom & pop establishments whenever possible. It's

 

easy to go on about homogenization and the generic look of our

 

country (which I do! LOL). I do like the chain stores and

 

restaurants to an extent, but I just think they are too much. They

 

have their benefits, but part of the detraction is their

 

success...they're everywhere! I don't fault a corporation on the fact

 

that they're successful; I also don't fault them for having standards

 

of cleanliness or uniformity – in some respects. I don't want to get

 

food poisoning at a restaurant or sleep in a motel with cockroaches.

 

And most people are creatures of habit, have favorite foods,

 

etc...but I don't like the fact that most new chains are all the

 

same. Example - I love Cracker Barrel, I do...but I admit, when you

 

are inside one Cracker Barrel, you simply wouldn't know the

 

difference from one to another. From a standpoint of development of

 

cities and towns, they are becoming carbon copies of one another.

 

It's hard to accept it when one area of Indianapolis could be

 

another...or could it be any town in Chicagoland? Or Utah? Or

 

Connecticut? When everyplace starts to look alike with the same

 

stores and restaurants over and over, you wonder why people would

 

travel to other areas of the country! I think that McDonald's diners

 

or the retro McDonald's are good, at least they are acknowledging

 

their retro roots and mixing it up a little. But even when they do,

 

it's just not the same as a unique experience or design of an

 

independent business. There are plenty of mom and pop places that

 

serve good food, and are clean and comfortable too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<The advertising industry has been milking roadside iconography

 

for years to where it is part of our everyday cultural vocabulary

 

and you see it often on teevee and in the stores, this is good.

 

 

 

But meanwhile, it keeps getting harder and harder to have an authentic

 

vintage driving experience (if you get what I mean) and if all you

 

can see is the roadside you will have to live in the present pretty

 

much.>

 

 

 

That's why I'll hunt around and find and photograph the old places

 

whenever possible...I acknowledge that in developed areas, it's not

 

much of a vintage experience; but it does create an interesting

 

challenge to find vintage architecture and signs among all the big

 

box stores and hotels! But at least on my trips on Route 66, I have

 

enjoyed all the old alignments off the beaten path with no

 

development. Oatman Road is a great example...on my website I wrote

 

about driving in that area, on all the twists and turns of the road,

 

with all the modern convenience my rental car could provide – A/C,

 

power steering and breaks; I had a cooler and drinks in the backseat,

 

and my cell phone handy. The road itself isn't any different than it

 

was when the Dust Bowl Okies traveled it, and I knew how fortunate I

 

was! I could only think of their experience and how vastly different

 

it was for them. I felt the same way going through the Mojave too.

 

 

 

Hmmmmm...now that I think of it, I think that if we want a "truly"

 

vintage experience, we should drive the road in an old car from the

 

20's or 30's, and no cell phones, no coolers, nothing that anyone

 

traveling back then wouldn't have had either! Totally and fully

 

recreate the real experience in an authentic manner! Ahem...not that

 

I would ever do that, I'm not that much of a purist! I'm not afraid

 

to admit it...I need some modern conveniences (like AC!) and I don't

 

plan on dying in the middle of the Mojave with buzzards picking my

 

bones clean when the jalopy breaks down and I have no cell phone!

 

I'll just have to settle for as much of the vintage experience as I

 

can traveling America's roads in my Plymouth Neon (or Pat's Caprice),

 

with my digital camera in one hand and a cold bottle of Coca-Cola

 

from the cooler in the other. Hey, at least I don't use a GPS!

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Bremer

 

American Road List Co-Host

 

http://www.roadtripmemories.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Rudyard Welborn

Two possibilities (other than 40 which is great!) are U.S. 50 (which I

 

believe is the least polluted cross country stretch of US highway left (also

 

known as "the lonliest road) in Nevada and US 20, which was one of the major

 

east bound arteries from Chicago East prior to the Interstates (it runs a

 

stones throw from Cooperstown, NY situs of the baseball hall of fame, one of

 

the coolest museums anywhere in the world!) Tsingtao, Kip

 

----- Original Message -----

 

From: "ukroads15" <ukroads@btconnect.com>

 

To: <AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com>

 

Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 8:21 AM

 

Subject: [AMERICAN_ROAD] The American Road

 

 

 

 

 

> Hi, I hail from Glasgow in Scotland. I have been interested in

 

> travelling the highways & byways of your grand country and recently

 

> subscibed to American Road Magazine. I have driven Route 66 twice

 

> now and also meandered down the Great River Road. My next project is

 

> to drive from Sea to Shining Sea, all the way from the East Coast to

 

> the West Coast. I am thinking Lincoln Highway but am very receptive

 

> to other routes, if members fancy suggesting any.

 

> Its a pleasure to join your group and I look forward to getting to

 

> know everyone

 

> Kind Regards from freezing cold Glasgow

 

> Walter

 

>

 

>

 

>

 

> 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

Guest drivewdave@aol.com

In a message dated 12/12/03 12:19:04 AM, jabremer66@aol.com writes:

 

 

 

<< I acknowledge that in developed areas, it's not

 

 

 

much of a vintage experience; but it does create an interesting

 

 

 

challenge to find vintage architecture and signs among all the big

 

 

 

box stores and hotels! >>

 

 

 

Dave here again, looks we are mostly on the same web page here,

 

but if you will allow, I did have a vintage roadside experience

 

today, it's just that the vintage was late 2003.

 

 

 

I made a trip as a passenger to the rental store today

 

a few miles north on Aurora Ave in Seattle aka 'Old 99'

 

and officially designated WA SR99

 

 

 

This is one of the classic roadside strips and it was

 

its usual continual visual delight on all sides. There were

 

plenty of older buildings and a few really old and some

 

of them were even in what looked to be original condition.

 

 

 

What really captivated me was the entire experience

 

from end to end moving through space and time and seeing

 

the different layers from the various decades. (Yes I miss

 

the Twin Teepees, who wouldn't, more on this another time)

 

But the strange old elephant atop the florist and the restored

 

Signal gas tower are still there. What impresses me is the

 

vitality of the Aurora strip as it continually evolves.

 

Some of the used car lots have painted their premises in

 

bright vibrant multicolors now, like in the tropics, maybe

 

there is a new group of owners here now.

 

 

 

Hey there's the Klose-In Motel with its well-known sign,

 

I have been looking at it for going on thirty years now,

 

it sure looks different seeing it from a car than it looks

 

on the web or in a book though.

 

 

 

It was a fabulous vintage today trip I took today and it left me

 

once more with the idea that the way to come closer to making

 

a faithful document of it is through motion pictures or video,

 

the still photographs are just too 2-D to do it justice.

 

(Where is the futuristic virtual reality experience

 

that is supposed to be just over the horizon?)

 

I believe Frank Brusca is working on new 360 degree

 

views of George Stewart's old US 40 location shots,

 

this will be a great improvement on the status quo.

 

 

 

As for me I want more and I keep hoping for more.

 

Just a sign against the sky does not do it for me,

 

even if it is a cool old sign, like you, (and you, and you)

 

I have seen plenty of cool old signs already and

 

most of us have a good idea what they look like.

 

Removed from their context they resemble a butterfly

 

stuck on a pin in a cigar box, something to collect.

 

 

 

So there was plenty to look at today on Aurora and

 

it was all real and of right now, the likely place for

 

the old timey roadside experience nowdays is in a

 

theme park or at the movies and these are

 

unltimately fake of course, no matter how

 

good the art director and set dresser they

 

never fully succeed in turning back the clock.

 

 

 

Be that as it may, Robert Altmant took a pretty good

 

run at it a few years back with Kansas City and some

 

years earlier Paper Moon and Bonnie and Clyde had

 

their moments too. They pretty much got the

 

roadhouse right in the remake of The Postman

 

Only Knocks Twice, if that was not the real

 

thing they did one heck of a job on it.

 

 

 

The model railroad people are real good at creating the

 

illusion of a bygone world despite limited means and

 

a narrow focus, if we are willing to do the same and

 

narrow our vision it might be possible to inhabit

 

little pieces of the past but I think you will mostly

 

be parked in one spot and looking in one direction,

 

once you start moving through the built-up roadside

 

you are certain to rub against the more recent past,

 

the present and sometimes even a hint of the future.

 

(anyone for espresso?...this was the future recently)

 

 

 

This sort of leads into the paragraph where Jennifer wrote:

 

 

 

Hmmmmm...now that I think of it, I think that if we want a "true

 

vintage experience, we should drive the road in an old car from the

 

 

 

20's or 30's, and no cell phones, no coolers, nothing that anyone

 

traveling back then wouldn't have had either! Totally and fully

 

 

 

recreate the real experience in an authentic manner!

 

 

 

Sounds to me like a script for another 'reality' teevee show

 

along the lines of Frontier House or Victorian House, there

 

are lots of the possibilities, Okies, Model T Gypsy Campers,

 

1950s style hot rod culture is making a comeback too.

 

 

 

There is a web site http://www.1950svacation.com/

 

about the family who set out in the old station wagon

 

to go have what the name says, I would not be

 

surprised if they took along the laptop so as to

 

post the daily updates.

 

 

 

The time I drove a 47 Chevy over Humbug Mtn (I think) on

 

the original US199 about 25 years ago seemed pretty

 

darn authentic, strictly an old asphalt forest road with

 

no development whatever, no way to tell what

 

year it was outside of the car and inside the

 

car it could have been anywhere from the

 

50s to the 70s (assuming it took at least three years

 

for the inside of the 1947 car to get to be so decrepit,

 

some of you know the drill, no door liners, no headliner,

 

blankets for seat covers, lots of noise and vibrations,

 

the 2nd gear whine of an old Chevy is as characteristic

 

an American Road sound as that of the Harley exhaust)

 

 

 

The post the other day about retracing the earliest

 

unpaved routes of the Yellowstone Trail had it right.

 

This is probably about as good as it gets for some of us.

 

 

 

But only for some of us mind you, like Jennifer keeps

 

reminding us there is a wide range of ways to enjoy

 

our American Road, you say AC (air conditioning)

 

and I say AC (asphaltic concrete)

 

 

 

The paper still runs articles that refer to the Aurora Strip

 

as 'tacky' and 'Seattle's armpit' and generally consider it

 

to be a visual blight along the lines of those urban

 

planning books of the 60s. They just don't seem to

 

get it and I suspect more than a few of us roadies

 

who are stuck mainly on old motels and gas stations

 

might not quite get it either, how <it's pretty much all good>,

 

discouraging lookalike chains notwithstanding. (Like I say

 

to my mom when we revisit a town we have not been to in

 

a long time, "Here's the McDonalds, can the Burger King

 

be far behind?" and quite often it's right down the block

 

which is good for a laugh)

 

 

 

So when in Ford's name will we see a picture of

 

what is next door to the Klose-In Motel and what

 

is just across the street from it (and much more

 

visually interesting in my opinion) and what

 

you see when you aim the camera a bit lower

 

from a bit farther back, just wondering...

 

 

 

heck, when will we just see a picture of

 

that darn motel in all its run down glory

 

(When you drive by all you get is a

 

two-second perpendicular glimpse but

 

it used to be enough to last me all week

 

when I drove by there regular...)

 

 

 

Well I am (finally) going to 'sign' off now,

 

cranky as ever on three hours sleep, dave

 

 

 

PS if someone asks me "what's your sign?

 

there's a good chance I will say "NEON ! ! !"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Hank Hallmark

Here is additional information on the AMA Route 66 piece....

 

 

 

FYI [other Route 66 event background and history]

 

 

 

Be aware the Mother Road Rally http://www.hhjm.com/rally/index.htm was

 

started by Kirk Woodward out of Grapevine, TX. in 1995. He died of cancer on

 

February 11, 2002. The 2002 Mother Road Rally was held as a memorial ride

 

for Kirk and on June 15, 2002 at the CART66PF's 1st annual awards event,

 

Kirk was presented-posthumously--the first "Get Your Kicks On Route 66"

 

award. It was announced any future award in the "motorcycle" category would

 

be know as the Kirk Woodward Memorial award.

 

 

 

Kirk organized the first Mother Road Rally in 1995. To my knowledge, other

 

than some [much] earlier Route 66 tours by the AMA--which, I don't think any

 

went the entire length of Route 66, Kirk's event's success was the

 

"motivation" for those tours which followed. Of course, individuals and

 

groups have been doing "unorganized" touring of Route 66 since it's

 

inception....

 

 

 

Kirk's widow, Pam , Pat Evans projectshalom@compuserve.com

 

and Lew Bellinger lbellinger@nfx.net was instrumental in the success of the

 

2002 Mother Road Rally and intend to continue the "ride."

 

 

 

I participated in the inaugural rally in 1995 serving as the West Coast

 

Coordinator and assisting with the California portion of the participants

 

guide. I rode a modified 1994 Harley Davidson Sportster from Santa Monica

 

to the shore of Lake Michigan [that's west to east folks ;-)] that year. I

 

have ridden the "ride" sufficient times to be known--as Kirk lovingly

 

referred to us--as a "repeat offender"....

 

 

 

Feel free to contact either the Mother Road Rally or the AMA for their tour

 

schedule and itinerary. The more businesses open during their scheduled

 

times the best it is for the merchants, the riders and the Route....

 

 

 

Scroll below Danny's original post for additional information....

 

 

 

Hank

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

 

From: <DadsPlace@aol.com>

 

To: <route66@yahoogroups.com>

 

Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2002 5:51 PM

 

Subject: [route66] Re: FYI Route 66 Article

 

 

 

Danny NYC said:

 

 

 

Hello Everyone

 

 

 

I just received "American Motorcyclist" magazine it is the official mag for

 

the AMA. It had a great article in it regarding the AMA ride last May along

 

the "route," Quite a few photos and about 3 full pages of interesting essay.

 

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

----

 

Here is the article--less photos. If you wish to read the article and view

 

the photos use the following link:

 

http://www.ama-cycle.org/index.asp

 

 

 

Decades after it was decommissioned, Route 66 hasn't lost its kicks

 

Story and photos by Greg Harrison gharrison@ama-cycle.org

 

 

 

It's as American as Harley-Davidson. A ribbon of pavement that wound "from

 

Chicago to L.A. More than 2,000 miles all the way."

 

 

 

As far back as the 1930s, John Steinbeck called it "The Mother Road." It was

 

the escape route for the Joad family in "The Grapes of Wrath," and for tens

 

of thousands of others fleeing the Dust Bowl of Depression-era Oklahoma and

 

Texas for the lush promised land of California.

 

 

 

After World War II, it became something else-a symbol of a new American

 

freedom to travel whenever and wherever we wanted. It was more than another

 

road; it was the Main Street of America, a place with a style of its own.

 

 

 

It even had a theme song, penned by Bobby Troup in 1946, and a television

 

series back in the early 1960s, starring two guys and a Corvette

 

convertible.

 

 

 

There was a time, 40 or more years ago, when Route 66 was synonymous with

 

adventure, whether you were traveling to a new life in the West or just

 

heading out on a family vacation. Everything about it was unique, from the

 

thoroughly modern motor courts that replaced old-fashioned hotels to a

 

post-war architecture that saw gas stations shaped like dinosaurs and motels

 

shaped like Indian teepees.

 

 

 

It was, for a while, the epitome of American car, and motorcycle, culture.

 

Then came the interstate highway system.

 

 

 

It didn't happen overnight, but slowly, inevitably, Route 66 began to

 

disappear. One piece at a time, it was rerouted, bypassed and replaced.

 

 

 

Finally, in 1984, when the last stretch of Interstate 40 was completed near

 

Williams, Arizona, Route 66 died. At least officially.

 

 

 

From the road's beginning in 1926 through its heyday, millions of Americans

 

were caught up in the lure of Route 66. Decades later, the attraction

 

remains strong. But many believe the opportunity to travel this great

 

American highway has long since passed. After all, the last piece of Route

 

66 disappeared nearly 20 years ago under a couple thousand miles worth of

 

concrete monotony, chain motels and anonymous fast-food joints.

 

 

 

Or did it?

 

 

 

Standing just a couple of blocks from Lake Michigan, in the shadow of

 

downtown Chicago, there's little hint that you're at the origin of one of

 

the world's most famous roads. Near the corner of Adams Street and Michigan

 

Avenue, though, you'll see a small sign saying, "Begin Historic Route 66."

 

From here, in 1960, you could travel 2,448 miles to a Pacific Ocean beach in

 

Santa Monica, California, and never leave Route 66.

 

 

 

But the road that linked two of America's biggest cities spent most of its

 

time traversing the wide-open spaces in between. As the song notes, it did

 

pass through St. Louis, but the other lyrical highlights were Joplin,

 

Missouri; Oklahoma City; Amarillo, Texas; Gallup, New Mexico; Flagstaff,

 

Winona and Kingman, Arizona; along with Barstow and San Bernardino,

 

California.

 

 

 

As is probably obvious from that list, the route wasn't chosen for the

 

population centers along the way. Instead, it was attractive because of

 

geography. Hooking south out of Chicago, it quickly escaped the winter

 

weather band. And it tackled the western mountains not at their most

 

imposing in Colorado, but over the lower, less intimidating passes of New

 

Mexico.

 

 

 

So, while the skyscrapers of Chicago marked the road's beginning, the

 

horizons along the way were more likely to be broken by grain elevators in

 

Oklahoma or the mesas and buttes of Arizona.

 

 

 

That's good news for those trying to find traces of the road today. The open

 

landscapes of the Midwest and Southwest aren't overwhelmed by a network of

 

roads constantly being widened and repaved. In many places, what was there

 

decades ago is still there, just waiting to be found.

 

 

 

In fact, maps show that 80 to 90 percent of the old road remains. Some of it

 

has been redesignated with a different route number. Some has been

 

incorporated into county road systems. Some has been abandoned, leaving

 

behind cracked pavement overgrown with weeds. There are continuous stretches

 

more than 100 miles long, and other stretches where only a few hundred feet

 

survive.

 

 

 

But the question is: How much of Route 66 can a 21st-century traveler

 

actually ride? Seventeen AMA members from across the U.S. descended on

 

Chicago last May to find out, as part of AMA Tours' inaugural Raising Route

 

66 ride.

 

 

 

We started with a pilgrimage to Chicago's Lake Michigan shoreline, then

 

headed southwest on Interstate 55, which roughly follows the old road. It

 

looks like any other urban expressway, but in the suburb of Willowbrook, we

 

caught the first glimmer of old 66 at Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket restaurant,

 

home of "The Best-Dressed Chicken in Town."

 

 

 

The business began in a gas station that served fried chicken to travelers

 

as a sideline. In 1946, a full sit-down restaurant was built, and somehow,

 

it's survived the fall of the road.

 

 

 

Today, you can see the restaurant from the interstate, but you have to know

 

just where to turn to reach it, on a mostly neglected stretch of service

 

road. It isn't until you park in the restaurant lot and look back that the

 

realization hits you: This two-lane road-wedged between I-55 and an

 

industrial park-once was the Main Street of America.

 

 

 

There are dozens of revelations like that. In Springfield, Illinois, we

 

stopped at the Cozy Dog Drive-In, the place that perfected the corn dog back

 

in 1946. At the Mississippi River, we saw the remains of the Chain of Rocks

 

Bridge, the one-mile span with a kink in the middle that carried Route 66

 

traffic for decades and is now open only to hikers and bicyclists.

 

 

 

We passed through Devil's Elbow, Missouri (named after a bend in a river),

 

and Baxter Springs, Kansas ("First Cowtown in Kansas"), as we followed the

 

old road west.

 

 

 

Reaching the open plains of Oklahoma and Texas, we saw the road as Steinbeck

 

saw it: "The long concrete path across the country, waving gently up and

 

down on the map.over the red lands and the gray lands, twisting up into the

 

mountains, crossing the Divide and down into the bright and terrible

 

desert."

 

 

 

But we also saw it as tourists did in the '40s, '50s and '60s, when it

 

became a 2,400-mile theme park, full of attractions, both natural and

 

manmade. From resurrected Burma Shave roadside rhymes to the Big Texan Steak

 

House in Amarillo ("Home of the 72-ounce steak. Eat it and all the trimmings

 

in an hour, and it's free!"), and the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona

 

("Sleep in a Wigwam Tonight!"), we rolled along to the age-old rhythm of

 

Route 66.

 

 

 

Like so many of the tourists back then, we took the 60-mile side trip to the

 

million-year-old spectacle of the Grand Canyon, where we watched the sun set

 

from our privately catered barbecue on the canyon's rim.

 

 

 

Along the way, we met people who are keeping Route 66 alive with museums,

 

motels, restaurants and shops.

 

 

 

People like Angel Delgadillo, who for more than a half-century has been

 

dispensing road lore and cutting hair from his one-chair emporium

 

overlooking the dusty main drag of Seligman, Arizona.

 

 

 

"You wouldn't know it to look at it today," he told us, "but I used to sit

 

here and watch thousands of cars, trucks and buses go by every day."

 

 

 

And then there's his brother, Juan, who runs the Sno-Cap Drive-In just up

 

the road ("Home of the Dead Chicken Dinner"). He entertains all who stop by

 

with jokes he's been telling travelers since the '50s.

 

 

 

For them, and for thousands of others, the magic of Route 66 was that it

 

brought the entire nation to their doorsteps, making neighbors out of people

 

who lived three, four or even five states away.

 

 

 

"It's really always been that way," said a woman who runs a curio shop in an

 

old clapboard hardware store in Halltown, Missouri. "Route 66 has always

 

been about nice people in small towns wanting to meet new people and help

 

them out."

 

 

 

Eventually, we descended into the maze of freeways leading into Los Angeles.

 

We jumped off the interstate and rode right down Sunset Boulevard, just as

 

Route 66 travelers would have a half-century ago. Then we picked up Santa

 

Monica Boulevard-the last leg of the trip, both then and now. Finally, ahead

 

of us, we saw the blue of the Pacific.

 

 

 

2,500 miles after leaving Chicago, we posed for a group shot in Santa

 

Monica.

 

 

 

The plaque designates this part of Route 66 as the Will Rogers Highway. With

 

the Pacific Ocean in the background, it also marks the end of the road-or

 

the beginning, depending on your point of view.

 

 

 

For two weeks, we'd traveled together-sometimes in groups, sometimes setting

 

out on our own. Each night, we'd assemble over dinner to tell stories from

 

the road.

 

 

 

We shared tips on everything from the day's can't-miss roadside attractions

 

to the best variety of pie on each menu. We found ways to stay warm in

 

Illinois and cool in Arizona. We helped each other with minor bike problems,

 

and when Spokane Dave's problematic starter motor-the part we feared might

 

leave him stranded in the middle of nowhere-had the good taste to finally

 

give up the ghost at our hotel in Santa Monica, practically within sight of

 

a dealership, we cheered.

 

 

 

Most of all, though, we found that the reports of Route 66's death have been

 

greatly exaggerated. For those who are willing to take a little extra time

 

to look for it, the Mother Road is alive and well, and waiting to be ridden.

 

 

 

AMA Tours will again host the Raising Route 66 tour this May. For more

 

information, call AMA Tours at (800) AMA-JOIN, ext.1190, or visit

 

http://www.amadirectlink.com/travel/brochures/02route66.pdf

 

 

 

© 2002, American Motorcyclist Association

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Russell S Rein

Hey Dave,

 

 

 

I'm sorry to say that the Vale's book does not include #66.

 

The reason, I think, is that it may be under water! Let me

 

know what you think when you get it.

 

 

 

slim

 

On Tue, 11 Feb 2003 05:56:47 EST drivewdave@aol.com writes:

 

>

 

> In a message dated 2/11/03 2:07:50 AM, drivewdave@aol.com writes:

 

>

 

> << p.s. someday I would hope to chance upon the location of one of

 

> my

 

> favorite images in Stewarts U.S. 40, Target of Opportinity..

 

> U.S. 40 Revisitedbook has more specific information as to location

 

> this will

 

> >>

 

>

 

> sorry folks, wasn't quite done there as you can see. the mouse fell

 

>

 

> and hit the auxillary Enter key next to the numeric keypad at the

 

> lower right of the keyboard. If you are writing mail and hit the

 

> extra Enter key your mail is sent whether you are done or not.

 

>

 

> what I was trying to get at is this, in Stewarts book image 66

 

> titled Target of Opportunity is only described as being a few

 

> miles west of image 65 which is described as west of

 

> Duchesne, Utah. If the newer book has this image and

 

> gives it a specific location it will be a quandry,

 

> likely I will have to try and ignore it if I want

 

> to hang on to any uncertainty or mystery. Some

 

> of you may be saying, you dummy, all you have to

 

> do is look at the map on page 188 and you can see

 

> right where it is and that may be somewhat true

 

> but we are still talking about 'a few miles' which

 

> is a fairly vague amount when you consider the

 

> scale of the map and the scale of the landscape.

 

> If later books reduce the mystery of 'a few miles'

 

> to a specific number like 9.7 then no more surprise.

 

>

 

> Speaking of transcontinental trip images,

 

> about 30 years ago I saw a home movie made

 

> with the time-lapse technique, a complete

 

> coast to coast interstate trip was reduced

 

> to half an hour, now that's the kind of

 

> documentation we need, intensive.

 

> Too bad Andy Warhol never took to

 

> the road. He made an all day movie once,

 

> eight continuous hours of the Empire State Building

 

> without moving the camera, a static shot. He also

 

> made an all night static shot movie of a sleeper.

 

> hese are of course grueling for most audiences.

 

> More than once when Andy took a college speaking

 

> engagement he sent a ringer in his place. It is sort

 

> of appropriate when you consider his fascination

 

> with mass production and manufactured image.

 

> How about a five day video of your road trip...

 

> it would not even cost that much. Actually

 

> now that I think of it the famous1964 trip

 

> of Kesey's Furthur resulted in hundreds of

 

> hours of footage, very little of which is

 

> ever seen except by a few insiders.

 

>

 

> 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/

 

>

 

>

 

>

 

>

 

 

 

________________________________________________________________

 

Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today

 

Only $9.95 per month!

 

Visit www.juno.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest brownwho63

>

 

> (If we followed the In Cold Blood tour idea further the

 

> next steps would be to procure the appropriate weaponry

 

> and then go steal the right model car, it's all in the book)

 

>

 

> So go write your own book and you can tell us all where to go

 

> (I know that looks nasty, don't take it toooooooooooo literal)

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, the car was a '49 Chevy (the first black and white movie

 

used a Pontiac -- the second version used a '51 or '52 Chevy). At

 

least Hickock got the car right.

 

 

 

My idea of a unique blue highway cruise obviously isn't for

 

everyone. U.S. 50 is right in my own back yard, Kansas is a

 

neighboring state, and I remember reading about the case in the

 

Kansas City Star in '63. Soooooo........I'll eventually do it, have

 

a good time doing it, be glad I did it, and will try not to wake up

 

anyone in the process.

 

 

 

Cruisin',

 

Bliss

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest drivewdave@aol.com

Bliss, it sounds like your In Cold Blood has really

 

captured your imagination, you will be in for a good time.

 

 

 

I vaguely recall The New Yorker magazine had an article

 

about Capote in Kansas, who was with him, where he

 

stayed, where he went and who he talked with. This

 

was probably in an issue from about ten years ago.

 

 

 

You can find both topo maps and satellite images at

 

terraserver.com

 

these might be helpful for finding older alignments.

 

 

 

By all means try and find a 49 Chevy if you can, having the

 

right wheels makes a big difference. You could make some

 

tapes for the right kind of music. Driving by night can

 

enhance the illusion of time travel. (They Drive By Night

 

with Bogart and Raft is a classic truck driver movie)

 

 

 

Whether to use a vintage vehicle or modern is a good question

 

and there is no definitive answer. Drag racers used to have

 

a phrase "run what ya brung" which is how most trips go.

 

 

 

Back in the 70s my teenage old brother-in-law spent a year

 

restoring Ralph, his 1948 Chevy 4 door and one spring we

 

drove Ralph a couple thousand miles down to Reno and back

 

to see Harrahs' car collection. Ralph was equipped with

 

two J. C. Whitney catalogue novelty horns, the aaa-ooh-gah

 

horn and the bull horn. It was fun to puzzle the cows along

 

the way with the bull horn. Ralph needed a new voltage

 

regulator on the way back, it helped having a mechanic along.

 

 

 

You really would not need a 49 Chevy, but a 1963 or older

 

car of any make would put you in the right time to enhance t

 

he mood of your trip. And if you can, go at the same time

 

of the year and the weather might be similar.

 

 

 

Sounds like a fun trip, good luck and keep us posted, Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest drivewdave@aol.com

(this is an edited/ammended version of an earlier premature post)

 

 

 

Bliss, it sounds like your In Cold Blood tour idea has really

 

captured your imagination, you should be in for a fun time.

 

 

 

I vaguely recall The New Yorker magazine had an article

 

about Capote in Kansas, who was with him, where he

 

stayed, where he went and who he talked with.

 

It was in an issue from the 1990s. It might have been

 

a book review so maybe there is a Capote in Kansas book.

 

 

 

You can find both topo maps and satellite images at

 

terraserver.com

 

these might be helpful for locating the older alignments.

 

 

 

It would be great if you could drive a 49 Chevy, having the

 

right wheels makes a big difference. You could make some

 

tapes for the right kind of music. Driving at night can

 

enhance the illusion of time travel. (They Drive By Night

 

with Bogart and Raft is a classic truck driver movie)

 

 

 

Whether to use a vintage vehicle or modern is a good question

 

and there is no definitive answer. Drag racers used to have

 

a phrase "run what ya brung" which is how most trips go. .

 

 

 

Everybody knows that old roads look better from an old car.

 

You would not need a 49 Chevy since a 1959 or older

 

car of any make puts you in the right era. If you go

 

in the late fall the weather will be similar too.

 

 

 

Sounds like a fun trip, good luck and keep us posted, Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Alex Burr

Hi folks,

 

 

 

We're all aware of the great American roads, U S 30, U S 40 and

 

rockin', rollin' 66.

 

 

 

But there's another one out there - called the lonliest highway in

 

the U S. Could also be called the 'forgotten' highway. Those who are

 

true roadies know I'm talking about U S 50.

 

 

 

Well, there's another roadie out there that has written a book about

 

a trip he (Wulf Berg) and his wife, Heide, made back in the 90's from

 

Ocean City to California on 50.

 

 

 

It's an entertaining day by day account of their travels - loaded

 

with great info about people, places and things. It's a great buy and

 

I think it should be on every roadies bookshelf.

 

 

 

For more info go to this web site: http://www.route50.com/

 

 

 

PS - I don't get a nickle out of this LOL - I really think it's a

 

great book. I've spent several very pleasant evenings before bedtime

 

following Wulf and Heide across this great country of ours.

 

 

 

Hudsonly,

 

Alex B

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right on Alex! This is a great read - and U.S. 50 makes for a very

 

interesting trip. A good addition to the bookshelf.

 

 

 

Carol Ruth

 

 

 

 

 

Alex Burr wrote:

 

 

 

> Hi folks,

 

>

 

> We're all aware of the great American roads, U S 30, U S 40 and

 

> rockin', rollin' 66.

 

>

 

> But there's another one out there - called the lonliest highway in

 

> the U S. Could also be called the 'forgotten' highway. Those who are

 

> true roadies know I'm talking about U S 50.

 

>

 

> Well, there's another roadie out there that has written a book about

 

> a trip he (Wulf Berg) and his wife, Heide, made back in the 90's from

 

> Ocean City to California on 50.

 

>

 

> It's an entertaining day by day account of their travels - loaded

 

> with great info about people, places and things. It's a great buy and

 

> I think it should be on every roadies bookshelf.

 

>

 

> For more info go to this web site: http://www.route50.com/

 

>

 

> PS - I don't get a nickle out of this LOL - I really think it's a

 

> great book. I've spent several very pleasant evenings before bedtime

 

> following Wulf and Heide across this great country of ours.

 

>

 

> Hudsonly,

 

> Alex B

 

>

 

>

 

>

 

>

 

> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

 

> ADVERTISEMENT

 

>

 

<http://rd.yahoo.com/M=243066.2784921.41513.../S=1707284507:H

 

M/A=1377502/R=0/*http://www.verisign.com/cgi-bin/go.cgi?a=b31550113206004000>

 

>

 

>

 

>

 

> 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 the Yahoo! Terms of Service

 

> <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Rudyard Welborn

There are a couple of other books on the lonliest road although neither get to

 

that part of Nevada where the lonliest road got its name:

 

1) U.S. 50 the forgotten highway by Wendell Trogdon--a good travelogue from

 

Washington to St. Louis...

 

2) Highway 50: aint that livin...I cant remember who wrote it but it is a fun

 

little story more for the guys exploits along the way than for the travelogue...

 

--and for all interested in U.S. 61 a book by William McKeen "Highway 61, a

 

Father and Son Journey through the middle of america" looks like a good

 

chronologue down the Blues Highway! It was just reviewed in the Post Dispatch

 

and got some decent cudos!

 

----- Original Message -----

 

From: Alex Burr

 

To: AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com

 

Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 4:00 PM

 

Subject: [AMERICAN_ROAD] U S 50

 

 

 

 

 

Hi folks,

 

 

 

We're all aware of the great American roads, U S 30, U S 40 and

 

rockin', rollin' 66.

 

 

 

But there's another one out there - called the lonliest highway in

 

the U S. Could also be called the 'forgotten' highway. Those who are

 

true roadies know I'm talking about U S 50.

 

 

 

Well, there's another roadie out there that has written a book about

 

a trip he (Wulf Berg) and his wife, Heide, made back in the 90's from

 

Ocean City to California on 50.

 

 

 

It's an entertaining day by day account of their travels - loaded

 

with great info about people, places and things. It's a great buy and

 

I think it should be on every roadies bookshelf.

 

 

 

For more info go to this web site: http://www.route50.com/

 

 

 

PS - I don't get a nickle out of this LOL - I really think it's a

 

great book. I've spent several very pleasant evenings before bedtime

 

following Wulf and Heide across this great country of ours.

 

 

 

Hudsonly,

 

Alex B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest laurelrk66@aol.com

I tore open the box of American Road Magazines I ordered for Afton Station

 

the moment it arrived today. It's just beautiful! It looks good, reads

 

wonderfully, and even SMELLS good! (The aroma of printers' ink was

 

overwhelming and very pleasant.) It's such a wonderfully constructed

 

magazine, with great pictures and graphics, and stories that will appeal to

 

roadies everywhere. I have the feeling this will be the first magazine I've

 

ever read cover-to-cover without skipping a single word, right down to the

 

list of staff and contributors! It's fun to personally know so many of the

 

people involved in a publication of this quality and appeal. Congrats Tom,

 

Jim and the rest of the staff! And now, back to reading.....

 

 

 

Laurel Kane

 

Afton Station, OK

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Alex Burr

Laurel,

 

 

 

Now you got us all worked up. LOL

 

 

 

Hudsonly,

 

Alex B

 

 

 

--- laurelrk66@aol.com wrote:

 

> I tore open the box of American Road Magazines I

 

> ordered for Afton Station

 

> the moment it arrived today. It's just beautiful!

 

> It looks good, reads

 

> wonderfully, and even SMELLS good! (The aroma of

 

> printers' ink was

 

> overwhelming and very pleasant.) It's such a

 

> wonderfully constructed

 

> magazine, with great pictures and graphics, and

 

> stories that will appeal to

 

> roadies everywhere. I have the feeling this will be

 

> the first magazine I've

 

> ever read cover-to-cover without skipping a single

 

> word, right down to the

 

> list of staff and contributors! It's fun to

 

> personally know so many of the

 

> people involved in a publication of this quality and

 

> appeal. Congrats Tom,

 

> Jim and the rest of the staff! And now, back to

 

> reading.....

 

>

 

> Laurel Kane

 

> Afton Station, OK

 

>

 

>

 

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

 

> removed]

 

>

 

>

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________

 

Do you Yahoo!?

 

The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.

 

http://search.yahoo.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Mike Ward

Any word when the copies are going out to individual subscribers? I saw a copy

 

at the Arizona Fun Run but I didn't have a chance to look through it.

 

 

 

Mike

 

----- Original Message -----

 

From: Alex Burr

 

To: AMERICAN_ROAD@yahoogroups.com

 

Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 5:05 PM

 

Subject: Re: [AMERICAN_ROAD] The magazine

 

 

 

 

 

Laurel,

 

 

 

Now you got us all worked up. LOL

 

 

 

Hudsonly,

 

Alex B

 

 

 

--- laurelrk66@aol.com wrote:

 

> I tore open the box of American Road Magazines I

 

> ordered for Afton Station

 

> the moment it arrived today. It's just beautiful!

 

> It looks good, reads

 

> wonderfully, and even SMELLS good! (The aroma of

 

> printers' ink was

 

> overwhelming and very pleasant.) It's such a

 

> wonderfully constructed

 

> magazine, with great pictures and graphics, and

 

> stories that will appeal to

 

> roadies everywhere. I have the feeling this will be

 

> the first magazine I've

 

> ever read cover-to-cover without skipping a single

 

> word, right down to the

 

> list of staff and contributors! It's fun to

 

> personally know so many of the

 

> people involved in a publication of this quality and

 

> appeal. Congrats Tom,

 

> Jim and the rest of the staff! And now, back to

 

> reading.....

 

>

 

> Laurel Kane

 

> Afton Station, OK

 

>

 

>

 

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

 

> removed]

 

>

 

>

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________

 

Do you Yahoo!?

 

The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.

 

http://search.yahoo.com

 

 

 

Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

 

Choose your car now!

 

- Make -AcuraAM GeneralAston

 

MartinAudiBentleyBMWBuickCadillacChevroletChevrolet

 

TruckChryslerDaewooDodgeDodge TruckFerrariFordFord TruckGMCGMC

 

TruckHondaHyundaiInfinitiIsuzuJaguarJeepKiaLamborghiniLand

 

RoverLexusLincolnLotusMazdaMazda TruckMercedes-BenzMercuryMitsubishiNissanNissan

 

TruckOldsmobilePlymouthPontiacPorscheRolls-RoyceSaabSaturnSubaruSuzukiToyotaToyo

 

ta TruckVolkswagenVolvo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...