Archive for the ‘roadside’ Category
August 21, 2009
The 2nd Annual Iowa Lincoln Highway Motor Tour will cross the midwestern state on August 28–30. The Friday-to-Sunday trip begins in the west at Desoto Bend and heads eastward with stops in Carroll, Jefferson, Boone, Nevada, Marshalltown, Tama, Youngville, Cedar Rapids, Mechanicsville, Lowden, and ending at Clinton. Here are some photos from the 2008 tour by Bryan Osberg.
ABOVE: Approaching the Union Pacific Bridge via old brick section of Lincoln Highway, just past Cornell College in Mt. Vernon.
ABOVE: The first stop on the second day was Youngville Cafe.
ABOVE: Lunch day 3 at the Brickstreet Station in Woodbine.
Visit the Iowa LHA page for a full itinerary and more info.
Tags:antique cars, fun weekend trip, historic highway, Iowa, Lincoln Highway, motor tour, Road trip, roads in Iowa, roadside, vacation, vintage cars on tour
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August 20, 2009
From the Tracy Press, a story that more Historic Lincoln Highway signs are being placed in Tracy, California.
On Wednesday morning, city employee affixed a Lincoln Highway sign to a metal post on westbound Byron Road just west of Corral Hollow Road, joining three signs were on 11th Street. A second new sign was placed just east of Civic Center Drive on eastbound 11th Street. LHA member Mike Kaelin said signs will soon be placed on the Old Altamont Road between Tracy and Livermore.
LHA president Bob Dieterich adds, “The credit for this belongs to Mike. He has gotten signs installed on Mountain House, Summit Garage at Altamont Pass, and Banta Inn. He has been working with local politicians and is close to agreement for signing the entire Altamont Pass Road.”
Tags:California, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, marking an old road, signs for old road, Tracy CA
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, roadside, signs, transportation, travel | 1 Comment »
August 18, 2009
From 250 yard sales the first year, to over 1,000 individual pull-off yard sale events this (fifth) year, this seemed to be the biggest BUY-WAY Yard Sale ever. Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway Director Mike Hocker noted everyone said sales were up, traffic was up, and the money was up. Small communities like Leesville, Gomer, Oceola, and Robertsville were almost wall-to-wall yard sales. Many included the wonderful aroma of hot dogs and sausages on the grill, and many had coolers of bottled water…many free for the asking. There are 39 communities across Ohio’s portion of the Lincoln Highway.
Hocker said “his year’s BUY-WAY poster child was Van Wert. They have both the Route 127 sale AND the Lincoln Highway sale in town for three days. And, it was they, themselves, who extended the invitation to the Rt. 127 folks (who had never even thought of extending their yard sale that far north before), and added fairgrounds activities–flea markets, a rib cook-off, a free concert, a cruise-in, a car show, a tractor drive, making for full hotels, happily “slammed” restaurants, busy gas stations and other retails, over 300 yard sales (many as big as 30 vendors in one stop), and called it a CROSSROADS Festival.”
Next year’s dates will be determined and announced at the end of the month. For more information, go to:www.historicbyway.com.
Tags:Buy-Way, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, Ohio, yard sale
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August 17, 2009
At least three Lincoln Highway travelers have asked recently about the operating hours at the restored Niland’s Cafe in Colo, Iowa. I reported in my new Lincoln Highway Companion book that they were closed Monday — they are, and Tuesday too.
The cool cafe is open:
Wed thru Sat, 6:30 a.m – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Check www.colo-iowa.org for current hours by clicking the Reed/Niland Corner link at left, and then the cafe link. Don’t forget there are newly restored overnight rooms too.
Tags:2-lane America, blue highway cafe, Colo IA, cool cafe, highway hangout, highway history, Iowa, Lincoln Highway, restored cafe and motel, Road trip, travel, vacation stop
Posted in food, highways, history, Lincoln Highway, lodging, Road trip, roadside, travel | 4 Comments »
August 14, 2009
Dedicated 2-lane traveler Denny Gibson leaves tomorrow to travel the Lincoln Highway in his 2006 Corvette for the next couple weeks, then hook up with other Corvettes heading back east. That growing caravan will depart San Jose on August 29 heading to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for the museum’s 15th anniversary party planned for Labor Day weekend. They will follow the Lincoln Highway to Denver if not literally at least in spirit, though Denny will be back on the 2-lane. That’s him below last year at the Lincoln Highway’s Western Terminus marker.
There are only five overnight stops for the Corvettes:
Aug 29 — 250 miles Reno, Nevada
Aug 30 — 520 miles Salt Lake City, Utah
Aug 31 — 528 miles Denver, Colorado
Sep 1 — 540 miles Topeka, Kansas
Sep 2 — 480 miles Evansville, Indiana
Follow along at dennygibson.com, where Denny always posts tons of great photos and info to go with them, or check out Denny’s experiment into the world of Tweeting at twitter.com/dennygibson/.
Tags:Corvette on the road, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, vacation
Posted in highways, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, roadside, travel | 3 Comments »
August 11, 2009
The blog 42N Observations comments about life near the 42N Latitude, particularly around Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This post from a while back has four photos of Lincoln Highway segments and monuments in Linn County. Click HERE to visit, and click the photos there to see them larger.
Tags:Cedar Rapids IA, highway history, Iowa, Lincoln Highway, Linn COunty IA, markers, road monuments
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August 3, 2009
Loungelistener, as 2-lane road traveler Gary is known on Flickr, is following the Lincoln Highway from Clinton, Iowa, to its western terminus in San Francisco, California. He and his wife are taking their little Kia Sportage, which they call the “Trucklet” since “it’s too big to be a car, but it’s too small to be a truck.” By now they’re hurtling towards their launch point:
Geez, so much to do in only a few days. Sunday evening is when we leave, powering across Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the dark, to arrive in the morning light on the Lincoln Hwy at the Iowa/Illinois border and start west. Sunday evening looms like an stampeding elephant.
Follow along at loungelistener.wordpress.com and see all his amazing roadside photos at www.flickr.com/.
Tags:Flickr, Iowa, Kia Sportage, Lincoln Highway, Loungelistener, Road trip, roadside, travel, vacation
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July 29, 2009
Anyone who has driven the Lincoln Highway near Lancaster, Pa. — especially east of the city on US 30 — knows that traffic congestion makes it near impossible to enjoy the road’s heritage. Now the Lancaster County Planning Commission has released an enhancement plan to address traffic, signage, and accessibility. You can view the PDF HERE.
The report states:
This project is the first step in implementing the Lancaster County Strategic Tourism Development Plan, adopted by the County Commissioners in 2005….
The Lincoln Highway is a high priority because:
• It’s a highly visible gateway into the city and surrounding countryside
• It’s an important part of the county’s economy
• It plays a key role in the county’s tourism “mix”
The publication lists the many problems and potential solutions. One challenge is that the area is known for rural and Amish attractions, but the crush of tourists and modern businesses has pushed out many farms and even the mid-century fabricated attractions.
In the 1990s, local officials cited tourist complaints that there was nothing to do after dark, when Amish-themed attractions closed. The response led to outlet malls, which have spawed more chain stores and wide highways, resulting in the disappearance of almost all vintage businesses and buildings. Accessing any of it is frustrating for tourists and commuters, not to mention horse-drawn buggies. It will be interesting to see if such growth can now be reined in.
Tags:Amish-themed businesses, Gateway Enhancement Plan, historic highway, Lancaster PA, Lincoln Highway, PA, road challenges
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July 28, 2009
LHA director Mike Buettner sent info and images from a Mid-Ohio Chapter/Lincoln Highway Association work day a few weeks ago. The original brick pillar that is one mile east of Oceola (Crawford County) was in dire need of repair. Saturday, led by Richard Taylor, members of the chapter did those repairs.
According to my road guide research, this pillar “was set in 1921 to commemorate the completion of the bricking of this part of the highway, and is the only survivor of what may have been eight pillars in Crawford County west of Bucyrus. Past-president Esther Oyster has determined that these brick pillars were set at one-mile intervals, in a span of seven miles from Bucyrus to the Wyandot County Line, and has thus far been able to verify the construction of six of these pillars.”
Tags:brick memorial pillar, Bucyrus OH, historic road, Lincoln Highway, Ohio, road history, road nostalgia, roadside
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July 24, 2009
Mike Hocker, Executive Director of the Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway, reports that while delivering Lincoln Highway travelers guides, he met Mike Van Doren and his wife Dawn, new owners of the old Dutch Mill east of Van Wert, Ohio. The couple did not at first realize the building’s historical significance but it, and the coast-to-coast road it’s on, now has them excited. The place was a “one-stop” for gas, food, and lodging in the 1920s, and a short section of original road remains on property from when the curve outr front was straightened.
The roof is leaking and needs about $25,000 to repair but the “bar” is still in there, and that’s one of the reasons they bought it. They will be having the BUY-WAY yard sale activities there (August 6-8). It surely is great to see someone wanting to preserve this stuff.
The Old Dutch Mill is at the junction of Middlepoint Road and old Lincoln Highway just east of Van Wert.
Tags:1920s roadhouse, Buy Way yard sale, Dutch mill building, Lincoln Highway, Ohio, Van Wert OH, yard sale across states
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, roadside, travel | 2 Comments »
Lincoln Highway News 