Home at Last

I made it home on Wednesday around 17:00.

The first thing to notice upon leaving Fort Wayne was that the skies were gray... very gray and the air had the feeling that said rain. Over one hour on the road heading East towards Pittsburgh and no rain yet... I was beginning to think that I might luck out. No such luck.... the rain started and continued at a good pace for the rest of the trip.

Once the rain started I exited route 30 and hit the LH to avoid some of the heavier traffic. I decided that I would stop for lunch at the Steel Trolley Diner that is located in Lisbon Ohio since I stopped at Nicole's Diner (further West on the LH) on the way out. I cannot remember the name of the town where Nicole's is located but they had some of the tastiest broasted chicken!

The Steel Trolley Diner is without a doubt the best diner I have ever visited.




The Steel Trolley Diner, is a 1956 O'Mahony Diner located in Lisbon, Ohio on the corner of Route 30 and Jefferson St.

I had a bowl of Chili, a grilled cheese sandwich and a piece of their World Famous Governors Pie which was so good I would have bought one to take home if I couldf have carried it on my motorcycle.

This is worth checking out if you are in the Eastern Ohio, South Western PA area.

Thanks for following my travels.

Chris

The ride home

The trip on the LH is on its last leg.

On a road trip I go in tour mode as long as possible and then when it is time to go home I hit the highway and burn it home. Today I was on East 80 by Chicago and decided to revisit Rt 30 through Indiana. Less trucks and free.

The final leg will be on the LH but going back to Pittsburgh through Ohio.

Overall it was a great trip that allowed me to meet some great people, eat at some
great local dinners and see some fantastic sights.


Thanks for taking the time to visiting my blog.

Chris

Hot Springs to Wall South Dakota

Day 6 Hot Springs to Wall South Dakota

The day started in Hot Springs with a trip to Mt Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monuments. Both are what I would call a must see. Out of Hot Springs I went to Custard State Park drove on Wildlife Loop Road. As you can see by the pictures this road puts you ride in the middle of some great wild life ranging from Prairie Dogs to Bison and a bunch of stuff in between. The Bison will stand on the road. That's not to bad if you are in a car but on a bike I felt a bit exposed.

The Needles Highway winds its way through the pine tree forest gaining elevation along the way with some great switchbacks.When you reach the top the rock formations are something to see. Also impressive are the cuts made through the stone to make way for the roadway.

A quick stop at a lodge by Sylvan Lake allowed me to meet a man who called himself "On the Road Jack" . Actually I met Jack, up on the mountain when he showed me the proper way to position my bike prior to going into a one way tunnel. Jack is a Vietnam Vet who did three tours flying piper type planes for reconnaissance. Jake also has a son who is currently serving in Afghanistan. He joked that he is being paid back for what he put his parents through when he served active duty. I spoke to an employee and it turns out that Jack is a self appointed biker helper. When any biker in the area is stranded you can be certain Jack will be around to help. Unfortunately I did not get an image of Jack. He provided me a few good tips for places to go and see and roads to ride. A good guy indeed.

I first stopped at the Crazy Horse monument and was blown away by the size of this project. The Museum/welcome center is top shelf. My next stop was at the Mt Rushmore monument although I did not go into the welcome center. I was able to get a good view from the road. I sort of felt like Chevy Chase in the movie "Vacation" when he stops to see the Grand Canyon .

The ride to Sturgis was pleasant and the town turned out to be a larger than what I expected. Things are starting to pick up according to one local business owner I spoke to. In fact, he said that the hotels and camp grounds are reporting a higher occupancy rate at this time than they had last year. As soon as I arrived in Sturgis, a woman came up to me and asked me about my Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball cap thinking I was from Pennsylvania. It turns out that Terri (if I remember he name correctly) went to Langley High School and grew up around Crafton, PA. She and her husband now live in Minnesota. They will be spending the entire week at Sturgis.



From Sturgis the final stop of the day brought me to Wall South Dakota, the home of Wall Drug Store. The Drug Store is beyond belief. They still give away free ice water like they did during the depression and coffee (which was very good) sells for 5 cents a cup on the honor system. There's a box by the coffee pot.

The final duty of the day was to do laundry at a local laundromat. I met a nice lady from Minnesota and we talked about our travels. I also met an exchange student who is working in town. Her name was Gaukhar Tokmurzina and she was from Kazakhstan and lives in a town by the Caspian Sea. She will be here for a total of three months and then will go back home. She gets to visit three major cities and she is excited to see NYC, and LA. She is currently studying engineering at a university. I exchanged email addresses with her and asked her to send me a picture of her since I did not have my camera with me when I was doing my laundry, See the pictures below to see the image she sent.

Tomorrow I will make a quick visit to the Badlands and then will begin my trip East.

Day 5

Today I made an executive decision....I decided to leave the LH and head North West on Nebraska State Highway 2 and then North to Hot Springs South Dakota. After the great day I had in Iowa I do not believe the LH could get much better. :)

Seriously, I wanted to see the Black Hills , Rushmore and visit Sturgis. Since my time was cut back I knew eventually I would have to decide where to leave the LH. State Highway 2 is a scenic route that goes through the the Sand Hill portion of Nebraska. http://www.sandhillsjourney.com/

This is a must see. Coming out of Grand Island the elevation increases while the hills go from gentle rolling hills to some pretty big hills. The amazing part was at one time these were all dunes that have since been covered with grass and have been used for grazing cattle since the late 1800's At one point in Nebraska I went over one hour without seeing one car.

If you look carefully you can see sand bleeding from the hillside in one of the images.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Hills_(Nebraska)
The Wiki article said that some of these dunes exceed 330 feet ad occupy more than one quarter of the entire state. Who knew????

These are some great roads that are worth visiting. Tomorrow... Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Walls Drug Store.

I am staying the night in Hot Springs South Dakota.

Day Four on the Lincoln Highway

Day Four

Today's portion of this adventure started in Ames Iowa, home of Iowa State University. After finding the LH I quickly made my way West moving towards Ogden. This portion of the LH will give you three things to loom forward to:

1 Cool Bridges
2. Dirt Roads Galore
3. Corn... actually the entire trip. More about this later.

Ogden is your typical small mid-west town but you will notice that as you move west the towns look the same but they start getting smaller not just in size but in scale. The next thing is that the LH becomes a dirt road as it leaves Ogden. The roads seem well maintained but if it was raining I would not dare to ride them on a motorcycle. If you are the type of Harley owner who just cannot deal with dust, dirt and flying rocks... Route 30 is a better choice for you.




a very dirty bike



Between Ogden and Grand Jefferson, you run into to some really nice original Cement bridges. One of the three is rather plain but the other two are significant because they are different than any other bridge I crossed all day in Iowa and there were quite a few. One has the letter "L" on each end post and the other is a cement arch bridge.







East of Grand Junction there's a trio of bridges that demonstrate the growth of the LH over the years. In the distance was an very old unused bridge that according to Brian Butko has been purchased and is being preserved. The next bridge is a railway bridge and then the current LH bridge that the image was shot from. If you turn around 180 degrees you will see another bridge that carries Rt 30 traffic. Look closely for the third bridge in the image.

Three bridges across on the LH

Jefferson has a great statue of Lincoln and a Bell Tower that is really impressive to say the least. It was a gift to the residents of Jefferson. Unfortunately the tower did not open until 12 noon so I was not able to go to the top to enjoy the vista that it would provide. I wondered around the town and entered their local Radio Shack to purchase a memory card for my camera... I soon found out they no longer make this type of card. The sales Clerk Stephanie (see picture) was very nice and very helpful. Turns out she was originally from the Jersey Shore and has made Jefferson her home. Thanks for the nice conversation Steph.








Just outside of Jefferson four little entrepreneurs were selling lemonade at a roadside stand. Even though I just purchased a bottle of water I stopped for a delicious cup of premixed powered lemonade but I passed on the Skittles

.




Just past Westside while traveling on the Lincolnway (DIRT ROAD) I stopped to snap a picture from the highest point on the LH according to Brian Butko.



In case you do not know who Brian is, he is the author of The Lincoln Highway Companion. The Companion is great to have while making your way across the LH. He provides some great facts, ideas for places to eat and just good stuff to know. The best part is that it is small enough to tuck in my jacket while riding my bike. My main complaint about the book is that it reads from the West to the East so if you are traveling East to West you need to read the book backwards. Non the less a very good book to have.


The final stop for the day was at the Higgins Historical Marker in Columbus. Higgins was the inventor, designer and manufacturer of the Higgins boat. The Higgins boats were used to land troops on beaches during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. If you have ever seen the first five minutes of the movie Saving Private Ryan than you know what a Higgins boat is. The memorial features a real Higgins boat in a simulated beach landing with bronze troops making their way onto a beach. A very nice tribute.



After the memorial, the day ended with a visit to Columbus Harley Davidson. They were real nice and pointed me to a great local dive bar restaurant for dinner. The place is called TK's and they know how to make a good steak.


The trip from Columbus to Grand Island was about 70 miles. It started off okay but the skies started darkening and the winds picking up. The temperature dropped from the mid 90's down to the point that I was very cold riding with my t shirt and vest with no jacket. As I moved towards Grand Island the rain started and on went the rain gear. Being between two towns there was no other real choice for me but to trudge on. The last ten minutes brought heavy rain and then some hail. OUCH. I was a bit concerned but I made it no problem.

As for the corn... my suggestion would be to make the trip when the corn is not as high as an elephants eye. It cuts down your view... nothing too major... just a thought. Also, make certain you know what you want to see. Time is the limiting factor so certain things I elected to bypass. A bit of research will help you figure these things out.


The dirt roads were the highlight of the day. There is something to be found on these roads. For me it was just the opportunity to experience and to appreciate what the early cross country travelers on the LH experienced as they made their way west in their motorcars.






Back out to the LH for another day...

Day Three

Day three

It has been said that the Lincoln Highway begins after Chicago... and I could not agree more. Gone are the busy streets.

After going through Chicago and Route 31 The drive to Dekalb was a pure delight. Blue skies and great two lane roads lead you west. After Dekalb, I found the town of Rochelle and its restored Standard Oil Gas Station that had what I believe to be are reproduction cement LH markers. After the town of Rochelle on rt 38 you will find the 1950's Iconic Cadillac that watches over the fields by an old barn. There have been many posted images of the Caddy but I felt that a few more would not hurt. Yep... that's my Pirate hat on the hood.

Franklin Grove is the base for the current Lincoln Highway Association. Their headquarters is a fabulous old building that is administrated and staffed by Lyn Asp. Super nice lady who is willing to tell the story of the LH and the headquarter building itself. I bought a nice hat and a few other small items. Need to keep things to a minimum since I am on a bike, After that I went across the street to the Lincoln Way Cafe for a great lunch.

After Franklin I took an alternate route of the LH... alternate routes seem to be unpaved. Great fun on a motorcycle. I soon found much of the LH in Iowa is not paved.

Dixon Illinois brought me to the childhood home of our great conservative president, Ronald W. Reagan. NICE.

Fulton Illinois sits right on the Mississippi river and is home to a authentic working windmill. It's not LH related but man was it cool.

Once over the Big river I went through Clinton Iowa and drove on some really authentic alignments of the LH that were very narrow. You can imagine what it might have been like driving these roads in an ol Tin Lizzie.

Tama Iowa is home to the bridge that spells out Lincoln Highway beneath the railing. It's the only one on the entire highway. A neighborhood kid took my picture while the neighbors were really nice people who shared some stories about living next to the bridge.

All in all it was a great day... Blue skies and not too hot. What really matters is that the LH is alive and well and is waiting to be experienced. The roads from West of Chicago through Tama are spectacular. Not having a GPS with the programmed routes has not been too much of a problem. Illinois was marked all the way to its Western border. Iowa is not marked quite as well but the roads are easy to distinguish in most areas. The GPS has been useful locating routes.

And finally... The Lincoln Highway News has posted a link to my blog. Thanks Brian. Lyn said hello.
http://brianbutko.wordpress.com/

Sorry for the lack of details but I am bit tired tonight.

More to see on the LH... tomorrow.

Day Two on the Lincoln Highway

Day 2 started in Fort Wayne Indiana. The trip out of Fort Wayne on Rt 33 (Goshin Road) was awesome. Rolling hills and smooth road conditions with nice gentle curves. At one point I was listening to my new Ipod player (a birthday gift from my dear friends Christine and Shawn) and the song 40 Hour Work Week came on and it seemed so fitting seeing the farmers working away with little recognition for all that they do.

Along the way I stopped in Churubusco to take a picture of a cool little hamburger stand mainly because of its sign. Magic Wand Burgers (see pic)

The first real stop of the day was in the town of Goshin. Goshin is a typical mid-west town but it is famous for some reason for its Police booth located in the middle of town. The police booth was built to protect the citizen of Goshins from Gangsters from an earlier time. See the images below.

After Goshin, I stopped in Elkhart because I was lost. Being a musician I quickly realized that Elkhart was the home of some of the best wind instruments ever made. I play a vintage saxophone that was built there in 1946. To me it was a bit like visiting somewhere important. Like many other things production has been shifted elsewhere and a USA made sax is not available. : (


The signs for the LH in Indiana were as bad as they were good in Ohio. The funny thing is that if you pay attention and sniff you way through it you can still find the route. The route I decided to take was established in 1913 and took a more northern route. The Lincoln Highway association change to more southern, straighter and shorter route in the mid 1920's. This was very common. As better roads become available the LH Association made changes to the route.

After Elkhart the next stop was at South Bend. Upon hearing I was visiting South Bend my brother insisted that I visit the campus to see Touch Down Jesus and then visit the College Football Hall of Fame. Like any good brother should, I listened to his advice and then decided to go to the Studebaker Automobile Museum instead! I HAVE TO SAY IT IS A MUST SEE FOR ANY AUTO ENTHUSIAST. Upon hearing the name Studebaker I always remember the one used by the Muppets... a Studebaker Commander and to my surprise what do they have...yep one of the two cars used in the movie from 1979. It is in very poor condition with the paint almost all faded away but they are raising funds to restore it to its movie condition. The car is equipped to be driven by a stunt man who sat in the trunk portion of the car so the Muppets could drive!

The last portion of the LH in Indiana brought what was called "The Ideal Section " of the Lincoln Highway. The Ideal Section was built around 1923 and was to be the highway of the future... a thick cement road surface, wide enough for two cars, curbs, sidewalks, lighting, good drainage and landscaping. It was one of the first if not the first lighted road anywhere. People used to drive to the Ideal Section in the evening so they could turn off their car lights and drive the road. Because of heavy traffic I did not stop for pictures. Sorry.

As I moved into Illinois it was quickly evident there was something different...SIGNS for the LH were placed to guide you. Not like Ohio but close enough that if you started to worry that you have not seen a sign... one would appear to let you know you were still on the right path. The pace through this area was quite slow due to rain and traffic. Chicago Heights had some rather seedy sections but I was urged by fellow Sax On The Wb Member Ed Zentera to stop at a certain hamburger joint. Ed is an expert saxophone mouthpiece refinisher who has supported my efforts with Sax-O-Thon (www.saxothon.org) by providing a hand finished mouthpiece for each saxophone I place! Visit him on the web by going to http://www.ezmpc.com/ I trust his judgment.

So I stopped for lunch at Schoops. Ed was right...these things were incredible. Best Burger ever! Thanks Ed. I posted an image of a half eaten burger. I was starving.

Joliett brought the best item of the day... The Lincoln Highway and Route 66 on the same small section overlapping each other. See pic below.

I ended up making it just past Geneva Illinois. and posted over 30 miles for the day despite the rain and the stop at the Studebaker museum. By the way... they have carriage that Abe Lincoln used while serving as president. It seems that one of the Studebakers had the opportunity to purchase it years ago and it has been part of their collection ever since.

See you next time... from the LH!

Day One on the Lincoln Highway (LH)

When I pulled out of Cranberry Township just after nine AM I anticipated a long day due to what looked like poor weather. One look at the picture of downtown from the West End Bridge will confirm my story. Much to my surprise and to my delight I avoided rain showers all day and actually had some good sun. A dry day on the bike is a good day.

As I mentioned the trip officially started in Pittsburgh. The LH originally ran out of Pittsburgh towards Avalon on California Ave which turns into Lincoln Ave in Bellevue. Due to congestion and poor roads the LH was rerouted up Steuben St and onto Route 60 which eventually picked up 30 out in the Imperial area. Remember, many of these roads were not paved or if they were they were paved poorly. I stopped by the turn on to 30 in Imperial to snap an image and a guy on a motor scooter passed me by, turned around and came back to check to see if I was okay. Bikers no matter what they ride have a genuine concern for their fellow bikers. Good to know.

The first individual Rt 30 sign was spotted by Imperial. Once into Chester WV I spotted the gigantic T pot that they are famous for but I did not stop due to construction.


Ohio has embraced the entire LH idea. I am happy they did since my GPS did not have the planned route programmed due to a GPS technical failure. All of the turns were properly marked with LH Byway Signs... nice. Ohio landscape quickly flattens out as you move Westward but their enthusiasm for the LH is constant from start to finish. There are so many signs and businesses named after Lincoln... more than you can imagine.

I have attached a few images... the highlight of the day was a very long brick section that is just west of Minerva, Ohio. It is the longest section of original brick pavement from the LH that is still in use and is still in great condition. FYI... Pittsburgh has a nice section just east of Sewickley off of Rt 65 where the 79 intersection is. There isa small community down by the river whose name escapes me right now. If you go there you will find a nice section of yellow bricks which were original paving bricks from back in the day.

The day ended in Fort Wayne Indiana, which is where the Lincoln Highway originally started.


More from thhe Licoln Highway... tomorrow