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Archive for the ‘transportation’ Category

Crashed HD, tornadoes … must be a road trip

June 12, 2008

A road trip means adventure. On the first trip I took to photograph for my Greetings from the Lincoln Highway book, my trusty camera broke – and this was a PHOTO trip. All I could afford then was a cheap replacement, but I got my photos – along with some great adventures. So it goes for Rick Sebak and his PBS crew as they head out for a second round of filming for A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway, premiering nationally October 29 at 8 pm. Follow his well-written adventures HERE. Click below for a videoblog recap of their first two days.

FIrst day out they ran into fierce storms and tornado warnings at Van Wert, Ohio. Next morning, his laptop died – the thing he’ll depend on for 3 weeks to store his photos, communicate to the world, and write his blog. Like on my camera adventure, where do you get high-priced electronic equipment in rural America? (In this case, a bit tougher than normal since he’s on a Mac – as am I.)

Rick does get a new Mac and heads to Iowa where they hit tornadoes again. And the tornadoes hit them too, or at least hail does, breaking a window in the van filled with their video equipment.

Reminder to us all for the next road trip – bring flashlights. Maybe plastic sheets for emergencies too. And here’s wishing them sunny skies for the rest of their trip!

Tags:filming the Lincoln Highway, PBS special, Rick Sebak, Sebak, tornado adventures
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RAGBRAI dry run a fun reading adventure

June 10, 2008

In anticipation of the 36th annual RAGBRAI®, the “Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa,” Des Moines Register Editorial Cartoonist (and race host) Brian Duffy has been checking out the route the past week. The yearly week-long bicycle ride through Iowa is sponsored by The Des Moines Register; the 2008 route will follow much of the Lincoln Highway from July 20-26. RAGBRAI® is the longest, largest, and oldest touring bicycle ride in the world. Click HERE to see a list of Duffy’s daily posts. For a map you can zoom in on, plus photos and videos, visit Duffy’s blog (screen shot below):

Although Iowa seems flat to outsiders, this year’s day 2 alone has more than 5,000 feet of climb in its 80-mile length. The end of that day will bring riders their first views of Lincoln Highway and Burma Shave signs just west of Jefferson.

RAGBRAI was started in 1973 as a 6-day ride (not a race) across Iowa by two Register columnists; it’s still planned and coordinated by the newspaper. This year will launch from Missouri Valley but not pick up the LH till Jefferson, hit it from Ogden through Boone, again some of it in Ames, Nevada, Colo, and State Center, cross it at points in Le Grand and Tama, then pick it up in Chelsea through Belle Plaine, meet it through Lisbon/Mt. Vernon, and finally cross it at Mechanicsville. The bike route will be nearby or parallel the LH for much of the time, though not always along it.

Tags:bicycle tour, highway history, Iowa, RAGBRAI, Road trip
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Sebak on the road again for summer LH video

June 9, 2008

I met Rick Sebak about 1990 as he was preparing to produce a show about roadside attractions in Pennsylvania. We traveled the Lincoln Highway together, and now almost two decades later (seems like two years!) he’s traveling the Lincoln Highway coast-to-coast for an hour-long show to debut later this summer. We’ve also worked together on programs about diners, Isaly’s, and one called Stuff That’s Gone, but we still talk most about the Lincoln Highway and the places we saw back then that are now gone, most notably the Ship Hotel.

Above: Jarrett, Rick, and Bob at the Western Terminus of the LH.

Last fall Rick and cameraman Bob Lubomski made it to the Pacific and back with Jarrett Buba. This time Rick and Bob are joined in the QED van by sound-and-video man Glenn Syska, who is also helping post their daily blog. They’re leaving early today with a plan of getting as far west ASAP. Of course, that was the plan last time! There’s never enough time or daylight to fit in all the cool places along the way….

The blog for his last long LH trip ended September 1 at San Francisco. Rick just updated it to include the days heading back east — scroll down and you’ll find another entry for that day called No Reservations. Start there and remember the days get more recent as you go up (so the top is the most recent, when they had reached Nebraska). Posts from the trip starting today should start arriving tonight or tomorrow — they have some great stops planned.

Also check out his Video Postcards link, which offer a great daily look at sites along the way.

BTW, note that the web address has changed — it can now be found at http://www.wqed.org/tv/sebak/lincoln_hwy/blog/. So has the name — no longer just Lincoln Highway Postcards, it now carries the name of the show, A Ride Along The Lincoln Highway. You can see when the blog updates by watching the RSS feed on the page in the column to the right.

Tags:highway history, PBS summertime show, Rick Sebak, Road trip, travel
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Cross-country motorcycling the Lincoln Highway

June 5, 2008

The Lewisboro [Connecticut] Ledger reports that Buddy Rosenbaum will leave San Francisco next Friday and follow the Lincoln Highway to Times Square. It’s been done before, but not by a 71-year-old. Rosenbaum approached Piaggio, maker of the popular Vespa, in the hope of altering stereotypes about aging and activity levels. The company responded by offering their new innovative all-terrain bike, the MD3-500, with two wheels in front and one in back. Rosenbaum has biked around the world with his wife, but he will be accompanied on this trip by his friend, Bob Chase of California. They leave June 13 and hope to arrive in NYC on July 14. He had planned to camp along the Lincoln Highway, but has decided to use hotels, in part so they can produce a daily blog with photos. Click the screen shot below for the full story:

Tags:coast-to-coast, cross-country trip, motorcycle
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MVPA to recreate 1919 motor convoy in 2009

June 3, 2008

Next summer, the Military Vehicle Preservation Association will recreate the 1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy, a grueling trip perhaps best known for including young Dwight Eisenhower. The Lincoln Highway Association is working with the group, and one of the stops will be the 2009 LHA conference in South Bend, Indiana—arriving on Thursday, June 18, and joining an LHA parade on Friday.

More than 60 participants hope to drive some of the route, many of them all the way coast-to-coast Departure from Washington DC is Saturday, June 13, with arrival in San Francisco on Saturday, July 4. Here’s a description from the site:

In 1919, the US Army’s Military Transportation Corps (MTC) undertook a transcontinental Convoy to demonstrate the need for a mechanized Army. This “hooves to wheels” plan to modernize America’s fighting force needed an attention-getting event to energize Congress and the citizenry, and parading the Army’s military might from coast-to-coast along the new Lincoln Highway was a great way to get demonstrate new vehicles. As part of its mission to honor our country’s military vehicle history, the MVPA has decided to recreate the famous 1919 convoy in 2009 as a 90th Anniversary celebration of the achievement and in conjunction with the nation’s President Lincoln Bicentennial celebration.

Click HERE for a PDF of the MVPA’s log of the route and overnight stops.

Tags:1919, early truck transport, Military Vehicle Preservation Association, Transcontinental Motor Convoy, transportation history, US Army
Posted in highways, history, transportation, travel | 2 Comments »

Lee Hwy, Willys-Overland, & 1919 Motor Convoy

May 23, 2008

Craig Harmon continues researching the 1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy, which followed the Lincoln Highway for much its course across the U.S. Some of his work lately has focused on the Reverend Samuel Myrtle Johnson, a preacher who combined religion and patriotism, especially when it came to support for Good Roads. Along with being the official speaker for the convoy, Johnson conceived the Zero Milestone in Washington D.C. and was director of the Lee Highway Association (which, like the Lincoln Highway, also connected New York to San Francisco).

The image above shows Johnson’s invitation (on Lee Highway letterhead) to U.S. Bureau of Public Roads Chief T.H. MacDonald to attend the dedication of the Zero Milestone, the launching point for the convoy. He was also being reminded that he would talk for 3 minutes about the routes that radiated from the marker.

Much of the new info came from an 8-page article in the October 6, 1919 issue of The Willys-Overland Starter. On the cover, you can see three cars donated by the Willys Overland Company for use with the convoy: Dr. Johnson traveled in the covered sedan followed by two open-top Willys-Overland 4s used by Army Publicity Officer Lt. William B. Doron and official photographer Sergeant George Lacey. A fourth car was an 88-4 Willys-Knight that was used as the pilot car by LHA vice-president H.C. Osterman, who traveled several days ahead. The article includes the only known photo (below) of Osterman, Doron, Train Commander Captain Bernard S. McMahan, and Expeditionary Commander Lt. Col. Charles W. McClure.

Click Here to download the 5 mb article at 150 dpi. And see my previous post on Harmon’s convoy research here.

Tags:1919, Eisenhower, highway testing, motor truck convoy, Willys automobiles
Posted in highways, history, transportation | 3 Comments »

Lincoln Highway slides onto US 30 in Greensburg

May 13, 2008

Heavy rain over the weekend likely caused a portion of the original Lincoln Highway west of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, to fall onto US 30, closing both eastbound lanes of the 4-lane. A water line also broke but it was not clear what happened first. Here is a view of the LH before the landslide, which occurred to the left:

More that 30 truckloads of debris fell down onto US 30, and though that road is again open, the LH (aka old Route 30 and Tollgate Hill Road) will remain closed for a few weeks. Read the full report in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review by cliking the image below:

Or read about it and view a video on ThePittsburghChannel.com by clicking below:

Tags:Greensburg PA, highways, mud slide, road closed
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Model Ts 100 years old and touring coast-to-coast

May 9, 2008

Above, The 10 Millionth Ford (with Lincoln Highway markings) arrives at San Francisco, California, 1924. Drive Frank Kulick is handing Mayor J. Rolph a letter from Mayor Hylan of New York City. Courtesy University of Michigan, Special Collections Library, lhc3000.

A transcontinental tour of Ford Model Ts was launched on May 5 in honor of the car’s centennial. The “Sea to Sea by T” tour is traveling from Baltimore to Los Angeles via Route 40 and Route 66, missing the Lincoln Highway but nonetheless of note to old car and highway enthusiasts. The cars were shipped to Baltimore last month and the participants flew in May 3rd to start the tour. A sampling of overnight stops includes Springfield MO on May 13; Amarillo TX on May 17; Albuquerque NM on May 21; Williams AZ on May 24-25; and arrive LA on May 28. Details are scarce; the national Model T Club recommends contacting the Model T Ford Club of Southern California c/o Lee Chase (323) 938-4601, though most of what they know is reported here.

Also note that the Model T Ford Club of America and Ford Motor Company will honor the 100 year birthday of the Model T with an official celebration July 21-26, 2008 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds (861 Salisbury Road N) in Richmond, Indiana, which is 60 miles east of Indianapolis & 35 miles west of Dayton, Ohio. Click the logo above for more info.

Henry Ford chose not to align with the Lincoln Highway Association or any road that depended on private funding, but his son Edsel supported their efforts, most famously with a tour of the 10 Millionth Model T along the Lincoln Highway in 1924.

Tags:centennial celebration, Edsel Ford, Ford Model T, Henry Ford, highway travel, old cars on tour, Route 66, San Francisco history
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Abbottstown PA to beautify center square

May 8, 2008

The Abbottstown Beautification Project is a capital campaign to improve the Center Square located in the middle of the Lincoln Highway in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Personalized bricks and other sponsorship opportunities will help fund brick sidewalks, colonial era lighting, crosswalks, and landscaping. Also included is a large, lighted flagpole in the center of the traffic circle and the Abbottstown schoolhouse bell and cupola on the northwest corner. Here are the four corners plus a Lincoln Highway mural. Photos by Becky Fengfish.

Abbottstown is the eastern end of the 200-mile-long Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor in Pennsylvania. Those wanting a brochure can contact Becky Fengfish at bfengfish@comcast.net or (717) 259-7332.

Tags:Abbottstown PA, highway, town beautification project, town square, traffic circle in small town
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Fun and learning at Ohio's 14th annual meeting

May 7, 2008

The 14th annual meeting of Ohio’s chapters of the Lincoln Highway Association met in Galion on Saturday, April 26 at the Elk’s Banquet Room. Ohio League President Mike Buettner of Lima presided; special guest was national LHA President Jan Shupert-Arick. The all-day event included a presentation by Revolutionary War era expert Ted Bruner on the battles of Sandusky and Olentangy, which occurred along the frontier corridor in Crawford County that would later become the Lincoln Highway. Attendees also enjoyed walking tours of Galion. The meeting was reported on in the Bucyrus Telegraph Forum. The next meeting of the Mid-Ohio chapter will be held May 15 at Just Jokin’ in Crestline at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Mike McNaull (419) 281-3064. Also check out Denny Gibson’s always-interesting blog to see photos from his 3 day trip there from Cincinnati and back.

ABOVE: Members and guests of the Ohio Lincoln Highway League listen as Kirk Slusher, Planning Administrator for District One of the Ohio Department of Transportation, explains the history and funding procedure for the construction of aesthetic bridges such as the new Lincoln Highway Bridge at Beaverdam (I-75 interchange at SR 696). Photos © by John Renock, Galion.

ABOVE: Kirk Slusher, P.E., Planning Administration for ODOT District One at Lima, accepts the “Exemplary Friend of the Lincoln Highway Award” on behalf of the Ohio Department of Transportation, given by the Lincoln Highway Association for outstanding contributions to promotion and preservation. ODOT was honored for their role in constructing a Lincoln Highway Bridge at the I-75 interchange with SR 696 at Beaverdam. The bridge features four large Lincoln Highway logo signs facing I-75 and four smaller logos set in brick pillar replicas that face 696 (formerly U.S. 30-North and once part of the Lincoln Highway). The pillars are reminiscent of 20 pillars originally set along the Lincoln Highway in the 1920s.

ABOVE: Ohio Lincoln Highway League President Mike Buettner displays a picture of the new Lincoln Highway Bridge at Beaverdam.

ABOVE: The main speakers at the 14th Annual Business Meeting of the Ohio Lincoln Highway League were, from left: Ted Bruner, local educator and expert historian on the subject of Colonel Crawford; Mike Hocker, chairman of the planning committee for this meeting; Mike Buettner, president of the OLHL; Mike McNaull, president of the Mid-Ohio Chapter; Jeff Lotze, president of the Eastern Ohio Chapter; and Jan Shupert-Arick, president of the Lincoln Highway Association.

ABOVE: Tom Lockard accepts a certificate for a Life Membership in the Lincoln Highway Association from Marie Malernee, outgoing LHA Director for Ohio. Tom’s wife Mary Lou was not able to attend, but is also included in this Life Membership