I am working on a project on roads and highways in this country. What are some of everone's favorite historic trails/roads in the nation?
Roads/Highways in U.S.
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Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Natchez Trace Parkway (run by the National Park Service); the northern entry is a couple of miles from my house.
The Natchez Trace Parkway (run by the National Park Service); the northern entry is a couple of miles from my house.
I always wanted to ride the Trail, along with the Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail and National Road, the Natchez is a legendary road in this country. Where in Mississippi does it start?
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El Camino Real in California, and the the drive along the coast from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco.
Never drove on it, but the one time I went to Cali. I was in Anaheim and Long Beach. Have you driven the 101, 66 or 99?
Boston Post Road or The King's Highway was the first postal road created by the colonists. It was also a significant road that Gen. Washington used after the Battle of Manhattan
Someone did a book ten or so years back on the best scenic byways in America. I can't remember the name of it now. Possibly Blue Highways.
Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway are hard to beat. I also like the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier Park, US101 in Oregon, California 1, US 14 from Cody, Wyoming into Yellowstone Park ... there are really too many to mention.
ETA: I just noticed you said historic - how about route 40 - the National Trail? Puma
Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway are hard to beat. I also like the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier Park, US101 in Oregon, California 1, US 14 from Cody, Wyoming into Yellowstone Park ... there are really too many to mention.
ETA: I just noticed you said historic - how about route 40 - the National Trail? Puma
No, Blue Highways is a book about a guy taking a random drive around the country. Mostly he found oddballs places (like Nameless, Tennessee) and learned the true meaning of life (or something like that). It's an enjoyable book if you're in the mood for something like that.
Blue Highways was excellent. US 40 definitely counts, it is the National or Cumberland Road, the first to be officially financed by the US. It originally was supposed to end in St. Louis, but due to financial and consititutional constraints and arguments it was only paved (and funded) to Vandalia, IL.
They are a lot of northwest roads I would love to travel on, since I have never been there.
They are a lot of northwest roads I would love to travel on, since I have never been there.
There used to be a famous road called the Dixie Highway. It ran from up around Chicago (or possibly further north) to Florida. The Interstates and other federal highways replaced it sometime probably in the late 1940s or 1950s. I'm not exactly sure. I know Al Capone used to use it when he went on vacation (he would stay at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville).
Edited to add, here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Highway
Edited to add, here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Highway
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A portion of the Dixie Highway ran south from Cincinnati (I remember from the greydog days when I was in college). Puma
Highways were trails for Buffalo, American Indians, Europeans then Americans. The road system in the early 20th Century were named roads, i.e. Dixie Highway. After 1926, the roads featured numbers and after another Federal Highway Act of 1956, the Interstate came about and replaced many of the US and state routes.
I love driving the 101 where it runs along the coast, especially in Northern California from Eureka to Crescent City. The scenery is spectacular, and the ocean breeze feels great. Farther down south, the drive from Ventura to Santa Barbara is also very nice.
I've only been on Route 66 as far east as San Bernardino. The problem with the Southern California section of 66 is that it runs through a lot of run-down seedy towns, especially in the Inland Empire region. (Although Santa Monica, where the road ends, is an amazing place).
I actually started a story one time using the Dixie Highway as the main setting. Then I decided the story was just a little too similar to Road to Perdition, so I never finished it.
I heard about Santa Monica, I need to drive there, preferable from AZ and Needles area. 101 is the California version of 66, in terms of its popularity.
It's not a major road, but state highway 49 (in Tennessee, it has another number when it crosses into Kentucky) is the road through the Land Between the Lakes area. LBL is about as big as a national park, but is owned by TVA. There are things like a 1950 farm with people dressed in period costumes, but mostly it's just the scenery.
It's a quiet and scenic road for the most part, except during the height of the tourist season, and even then it's not crowded. Kentucky Lake is on one side, and Lake Barkley is on the other. We used to visit the area a lot when I was a kid. I grew up about an hour's drive from there.
It's a quiet and scenic road for the most part, except during the height of the tourist season, and even then it's not crowded. Kentucky Lake is on one side, and Lake Barkley is on the other. We used to visit the area a lot when I was a kid. I grew up about an hour's drive from there.
State roads are great, many were created before 1920. People take the state and US routes for granted but when you drive out in the country, it can get real pretty. Some cities are pretty scenery, but it depends where you are.
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I want to drive 50 in Nevada, only part of 50 I rode was in Dodge City, KS. How long did it take you to cross 50?
There's a scenic road over in the mountain of Tennessee that is somewhat famous (or infamous). It's a very curvy, dangerous road. You have to drive something like 90 miles to go 10 miles as the crow flies (or something like that; I've forgotten exactly). At one time they closed it because of all the accidents. If the signs say 35 mph, do 35 mph!