Back When Highways Had Names…
Lots of people remember the period of history before the
Interstate Highway System was created to move masses of humanity long distances
across the United States quickly and safely. In those days before Interstates, numbered highways
such as US-66, US-20, and US-1 moved cars from state to state, but at a much
slower, more congested pace.
Far fewer people remember a time before the numbered U.S.
highways came into existence in 1926. But there
was a time when roads, loosely termed “highways”, existed with names rather
than numbers. Hundreds of them, with names like the Dixie Highway, the Bankhead
Highway, the Jefferson Highway, the Lee Highway, the Dixie Overland Highway, the
Old Spanish Trail and the Yellowstone Trail were utilized by adventurous
motorists to travel from one place to another; sometimes thousands of miles in
the process.
The most famous of these roads was the Lincoln Highway.
Created in 1913, the Lincoln Highway route traversed the entire country,
beginning in Times Square in New York City and ending in Lincoln Park in San
Francisco. It wasn't the first highway created but it was the most well-known.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of this famous highway, which
brings me to our latest adventure.
This week Sharon and I, as well as a bunch of other adventurous people,
are leaving New York and heading west along the Lincoln. Some will be driving very old cars, while others will be driving modern vehicles. We will be in our "trusty" 1972 Monte Carlo. Another like-sized group
is leaving from San Francisco and heading east. We will all meet on June 30th
at the midpoint in Kearney, Nebraska, where a 100th anniversary
celebration will ensue.
The trip has been organized by the modern incarnation
of the Lincoln Highway Association. The journey begins Saturday morning at
7:00 am at the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway in Times Square. We
will follow the original route as closely as possible, which means we will be
driving on US-30 in some cases, smaller highways and roadways in others, and
even the occasional stretches of brick or gravel. Sometimes the original road
no longer exists so we have to connect the existing stretches as best we can. Other
times there are different alignments because the route changed over the years.
In those cases we had to choose which alignment we would take; often it was
simply based on the fact that one alternative is more interesting than another.
Sharon and I arrived in Secaucus, NJ today and checked in to
our hotel where we and the other participants are staging the start of the event. We got here early so we could visit Manhattan, and we spent the day wandering the
city. Sharon shopped, I toted bags, and we both ate way too much at the
Carnegie Deli. We ordered the “Woody Allen” sandwich and split it. Without
exaggeration, we could have split it with two more people. It was the largest
sandwich I have ever seen. Also the best pastrami and corned beef I have ever
tasted. Definitely worth the 16 pounds I gained as a result.
I took a few pictures today but didn't upload them, so you’ll
have to wait until tomorrow to see what we find. We’ll be in Manhattan for only
about a mile; then we’ll cross into New Jersey and head toward Philadelphia. We
will cross into Pennsylvania near Philadelphia and spend tomorrow night in
Malvern.
Until then...
Ciao!
Comments