Free Trip On The Lincoln Highway

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Rarely, but often enough to keep me looking, I find a true road treasure on the internet. Bear with me because the reward will be learning how you can drive the Lincoln Highway on your computer, believe it or not.

 

I started this little discovery trip knowing that my state (Washington) had a “video log” of all highways in the state, but that I had to provide the hard drive for them to download it for me. So I started looking for other state departments of transportation that had video logs, and several do. However many are not available to the public, on hard drive or on line.

 

There are some exceptions, and I have discovered two that are on line, and expect to find more, perhaps with the help of other forum members.

 

The two I have discovered are Pennsylvania and Oregon, but I suspect they will be several more. They are not heavily promoted. In fact you may have to dig pretty deep to find them. I suspect that the DOT’s really don’t want lots of virtual tourist’s to tax their servers, but if they talked with their tourism departments they might think differently.

 

It sounds a lot “Road Geek” to take a road trip on the computer, and I don’t recommend it as an alternative to the real thing. But as a way to scout out a real trip, or to discover the potential beauty and attraction of an area, it really can’t be beat.

 

With these sites you can drive down the highway of your choice and see the sights just as you would out of your car. They allow for variations in speed and for selecting where you want to start and end so you can skip sections if you wish.

 

What the departments of transportation haven’t figured out quite yet is that they could connect with tourist interests and promote specific “rides.” You folks here on the forum with an interest in promoting your road should start to introduce your “groupies” to the segments of your road that are fascinating. You can bet I will with US 101 in Oregon.

 

I just “drove” a short segment of the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania. And I did it for free. It was amazingly beautiful, with quaint houses and roadside businesses, lovely trees and vistas, and a nice two lane road. I never knew the “typical” Pennsylvania landscape was so interesting. I have to go there. Really.

 

I don’t want to turn you into an armchair driver, it isn’t good for the old cardio, but I am going to start showing off some of the beauty of US 101 in Oregon, thanks to the Oregon website. (Washington, listen up, you could be famous too). I’ll identify mileposts that have special sights and you can drive them. Just crossing the high bridge over the mouth of the Columbia River at Astoria via the Oregon DOT video will make you a believer. (Note Hester_Nec, no vertigo, and Roadhound, Oregon US101 is bridgeguy paradise)

 

Well I have kept you on the hook long enough, so let’s look at the Lincoln.

 

Go to

 

http://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ividlog/video_locate.asp

 

Choose PennDOT Route, Bedford, Route. Hit GO. Wa la...Cinerama on the old Lincoln, US30. Happy travels!! For Free!

 

For Oregon, look at my earlier post, and start looking at US 101 here on the forum for some recommended sights you can key in as mileposts.

 

Let me know with a post what you have discovered.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!