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

Route 6 Suggestions


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Michele.

 

Regarding your US 6 trip, I doubt you need this advice, but since it is free...here tis.

 

If I were planning a trip along Route 6, I would do at least the following:

 

Go through the index Becky referenced for American Road Magazine. They have provided terrific feature coverage of Route 6. It is golden.

 

Review the Route 6 Association web site. http://www.route6tour.com/ They have lots of links to sites and sights along the way (and a Michele on the front page).

 

Pick up roadside history books for each state.

 

Pick up a used copy of the Midland Trail Tour Guide 1916. US 6 follows the Midland in several areas of the west and it will be fun to match old and new.

 

I hope you will have a laptop & WiFi, because we would enjoy progress reports here on the forum as you travel.

 

I am probably biased, but I think one of the most interesting sections of Route 6 is between Bishop, California and Mohave, California. I have driven that road many times, most recently last year.

 

This is the quintessential movie view of the west, with the highest mountains and driest desert within eyesight of each other. If you have ever seen a cowboy western, you have probably seen the Alabama Hills outside Lone Pine. So many stage coach robberies and shoot um ups took place there, Lone Pine now has a wonderful film museum.

 

Another evocative site is the WWII Manzanar Internment Camp for Americans of Japanese decent, located between Independence and Lone Pine. Some of my Japanese grade school classmates in the Santa Clara valley were captives in these camps. I have stood on the site as the sun set over the Sierra, and in the gathering darkness wondered if we have learned from our mistakes.

 

The entire area has the magnificent east face of the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. Side trips to Mono Lake, Yosemite, Owens Valley, Death Valley and the like are in order.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Dave

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Regarding your US 6 trip, I doubt you need this advice, but since it is free...here tis.

 

If I were planning a trip along Route 6, I would do at least the following...

 

Dave,

Thanks for all of your wonderful suggestions. It looks like I have quite a bit of reading ahead of me. :) I had already stumbled across Joe Hurley's site as well as route6tour.com (that is actually how I found out about American Road.) The books you suggested will be of great help in my research.

 

I do intend to take my laptop on the trip and am planning to upload photos, videos and other misc. anecdotes from our travels to my blog. I will try to stop in here and give everyone updates as well.

 

Michele

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mmarkley:

This has nothing to do with Route 6 and is posted here only because it's less inappropriate than some other possibilities. I stopped by splittingthe6.com and noticed your "Recommended Books" list. I've only read two of them (Charlie & On the Road) but that's enough to recognize the books as "getting in the mood" books and not guide books. Another one has been on my "the read" list for a long time and I appreciate the reminder. I've read (actually listened to) Bryson's "Walk in the Woods" and have been meaning to read his "...Small Town..." ever since. In exchange for reminding me how far behind I am in my reading, I'll suggest another "get in the mood" book. William Least Heat-Moon's "Blue Highways" could be compared to "Travels with Charlie" but, in my opinion, John would get the worst of the comparison.

 

I'm looking forward to following your trip.

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mmarkley:

I'll suggest another "get in the mood" book. William Least Heat-Moon's "Blue Highways" could be compared to "Travels with Charlie" but, in my opinion, John would get the worst of the comparison.

 

I'm looking forward to following your trip.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. I actually had picked up a copy of "Blue Highways" a while back but can't seem to find all the time that I would like to read my giant stack of books. Unfortunately work has a way of getting in the way. :) Yes, my recommended books are "getting in the mood" books but also in a way market research for me because I'm planning on writing a book about the trip. I am working on adding more guide books to the list. I just picked up a used copy of the "Midland Trail Tour Guide 1916" but to this point the only guide books I had were AAA books. I'm always open to recommendations.

 

Michele

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Thanks for the recommendation. I actually had picked up a copy of "Blue Highways" a while back but can't seem to find all the time that I would like to read my giant stack of books. Unfortunately work has a way of getting in the way. :) Yes, my recommended books are "getting in the mood" books but also in a way market research for me because I'm planning on writing a book about the trip. I am working on adding more guide books to the list. I just picked up a used copy of the "Midland Trail Tour Guide 1916" but to this point the only guide books I had were AAA books. I'm always open to recommendations.

 

Michele

 

Michele,

 

So you are planning a book! Great!

 

And I’m glad you got the Midland Trail Guide.

 

Perhaps a couple of items on top my stack of road “stuff” would be helpful. All I had time to do was scan a sample page from each.

 

The Route 6 guide brochure is pretty, but not much more than a map of the route, with pictures of highlights along the way. I can scan it on the bigger flatbed and make copies if you like.

 

The TravelMat item is probably mid 50’s to mid 60’s. I could look closer for a date if you like. It tracks Route 6 (and many other routes) from coast to coast. You are probably too young to remember when just about every mom and pop restaurant along the two lane roads seemed to use Travel Mat paper place mats on the table under the “blue plate special.” It was always fun to read them. If you want to visit some places along 6 that were around mid last century, the several Route 6 pages in the guide might be helpful.

 

Gousha (and Hobbs before) produced grade and surface guides for major routes in the 20’s and 30’s. They included places to stay and eat. Each covers a region of the country. This sample is a page showing Route 6 between Ely, NV and Bishop, CA. I only have the western states, but keep an eye on Ebay for others.

 

If any of them are useful, I can scan them.

 

I’m confident I also have detailed auto trail era (1913-26) road descriptions and maps for the route out of period Automobile Blue Books, Rand McNally Auto Trails maps and period atlases, but those obviously predate the numbered highways and present lots of detail that you probably don’t need or want.

 

I have several of the WPA state guides from the 1939-41 period, which probably would help, and some 30’s and 40’s AAA tour books, and several 1927 – 1955 road atlases.

 

I guess the message is, tell me what do you need, and I’ll try to help.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Dave

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Dave,

Thanks for all of your wonderful suggestions. It looks like I have quite a bit of reading ahead of me. :) I had already stumbled across Joe Hurley's site as well as route6tour.com (that is actually how I found out about American Road.) The books you suggested will be of great help in my research.

 

I do intend to take my laptop on the trip and am planning to upload photos, videos and other misc. anecdotes from our travels to my blog. I will try to stop in here and give everyone updates as well.

 

Michele

 

Hi Michelle,

 

We're actually publishing Joe Hurley's book on Route 6 this year. Looks like US 6 is becoming quite popular!

 

Safe travels!

Becky

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Hi Michelle,

 

We're actually publishing Joe Hurley's book on Route 6 this year. Looks like US 6 is becoming quite popular!

 

Safe travels!

Becky

 

I was wondering about that. I've been keeping an eye on his site but hadn't seen any updates. I'll keep an eye out for the book. Thanks.

 

Michele

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I was wondering about that. I've been keeping an eye on his site but hadn't seen any updates. I'll keep an eye out for the book. Thanks.

 

Michele

 

He hasn't posted any updates because he's finishing the book! We're keeping him a wee-bit busy!

:D

 

Best,

Becky

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