American Road Trip Talk

You only have to mention the words “Route 66” and people all over the world begin to conjure up their own visions of this nostalgic ribbon of American highway. I seriously doubt, however, that many if any of you would identify pigeons with that same stretch of asphalt. However, for our guest in this two-part American Road Trip Talk podcast, Route 66 is a feathery racetrack. Randy Goodpasture is th...

You only have to mention the words “Route 66” and people all over the world begin to conjure up their own visions of this nostalgic ribbon of American highway. I seriously doubt, however, that many if any of you would identify pigeons with that same stretch of asphalt. However, for our guest in this two-part American Road Trip Talk podcast, Route 66 is a feathery racetrack. Randy Goodpasture is th...

Like any good fish story, the tale of the National Freshwater Fishing Museum located in the wooded Lakeland of northwest Wisconsin is about a big one…that didn’t get away. In this second of two parts, Emmett Brown, the museum director, gives some of the vision and mission behind the Hall of fame. It is very much about protecting our valuable fish stocks and educating the public about ways to keep...

Like any good fish story, the tale of the National Freshwater Fishing Museum located in the wooded Lakeland of northwest Wisconsin is about a big one…that didn’t get away. Emmett Brown, the current director of the Museum, takes us on a two part tour of this remarkable and growing collection of freshwater fishing memorabilia, hall of fame for the greatest fishermen and women and even home to over 1...

The movie The Help took viewers behind the scenes of a post WWII southern society in the midst of change. It was filled with wit, insight and mouth-watering southern fried dishes. When Hollywood location scouts for the movie found Greenwood, MS, they knew that had struck gold. The architecture, cotton fields, fabulous food, and residents who welcome everyone with open arms were enough to convince...

For many of us this has been a hard winter that has kept us cooped up. Good news, there is an event taking place during the first two weeks of February that is guaranteed to get you out of the house. The scenic Hocking Hills area of Ohio just 40 Miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio is hosting a Comfort Food Cruise Feb. 1-2 and 8-9. Karen Raymore, the Executive Director of the Hocking Hills Tourism As...

If you have been a frequent listener to these podcasts you will know me as the host of American Road Trip Talk but most of the time I wear an entirely different hat. For 40 years I have been a radio broadcaster in the Detroit Metropolitan area and for the last 16 of them I have hosted a weekly show called the Internet Advisor where we help people with their computer problems and introduce them to...

For many years now Erika Nelson has been like a big game hunter stalking her elusive prey all over the continental United States. The major difference is not the size of her quarry but that they stand still so patiently waiting to be captured. I am referring of course to the World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World Largest Things. Erika is a peripatetic artist who h...

Collinsville is a little town in southwest Illinois with a big roadside attraction that’s hard to miss and that will be even harder to miss this Christmas season. Towering over a hundred feet above the town’s main road stands the world’s largest catsup bottle, a symbol of both the town’s proud past and valiant efforts to save the landmark during the 1990’s. In this podcast Mike Gassman, President,...

Sometimes the best visits you make during a vacation are those unique, hidden attractions that aren't on the big maps. It's a special little cafe, a unique overlook or a remarkable museum that is full of extraordinary displays. Such was my experience when I visited the Indiana Medical History Museum off US 40, the National Highway, just outside downtown Indianapolis. There I met Mary Ellen Henness...

Nothing evokes the magic, the tainted/painted history of the showplace of the west Las Vegas, Nevada like the gaudy brilliance of its brash neon signs. Our summer 2013 issue was entitled Electric Avenue and dedicated to the neon signs that pointed the way to lodging, lunch and lots of roadside attractions but none could quite match Las Vegas for pure size and scope of magnificent displays of gas a...

In Tacoma, WA, summer 2013 ended with a Blast From The Past at the LeMay Family Collection. What began, as a personal collection of vintage cars more than 40 years ago is now the largest private collection in the world with 2,200 vehicles according to the Guiness Book of World Records. The Blast from the Past annually raises funds to help local charities and serves as a showcase for the highlight...

The summer 2013 issue of American Road Magazine focused on: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. Dave Hutson, our guest in this podcast, is the man who brings the warmth of yesterday back to those glowing gas sentinels. He is the owner of Neon Time, a company in suburban St. Louis, MO that specializes in restoring neon signs. He is also part of the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee that was...

Our summer 2013 issue of American Road Magazine is focused around: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. In this podcast we meet Dave Hutson, the man who brings the warmth of yesterday back to those glowing gas sentinels that once beckoned us to spent the night or to enjoy some homemade comfort food along the American Highway. Dave is the owner of Neon Time, a company that specializes in restori...

The summer 2013 issue of our magazine features the theme: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. In the Motoring the Mother Road column, I wrote about an ambitious Neon Heritage Preservation program led by Jim Thole, a member of the board of the Missouri Route 66 Association. Be sure to check out the magazine issue for great photos and more details. In 2008, a terrible windstorm blew through St....

The summer 2013 issue of our magazine features the theme: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. In the Motoring the Mother Road column, I wrote an article about an ambitious Neon Heritage Preservation program led by Jim Thole, a member of the board of the Missouri Route 66 Association. Be sure to check out the magazine issue for great photos and more details. In 2008, a terrible windstorm in St....

The summer 2013 issue of our magazine features the theme: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. In the Motoring the Mother Road column, I wrote an article about an ambitious Neon Heritage Preservation program led by Jim Thole, a member of the board of the Missouri Route 66 Association. Be sure to check out the magazine issue for great photos and more details. In 2008, a terrible windstorm in St....

The last weekend of June 2013 in Kearney, NE marks the 100th Birthday Party for the Lincoln Highway, one of the first transcontinental highways for automobiles across the United States of America. In Part 1 of our Centennial Celebration for the Lincoln Highway, Sarah Focke, of the Kearney Convention and Visitors Bureau gives some of the background on why her fair city of 30,000 was chosen to host...

The last weekend of June 2013 in Kearney, NE marks the 100th Birthday Party for the Lincoln Highway, one of the first transcontinental highways for automobiles across the United States of America. In Part 2 of our Centennial Celebration for the Lincoln Highway, Sarah Focke, of the Kearney Convention and Visitors Bureau gives you all the details on the upcoming celebration. Car buffs, Lincoln Highw...

Perhaps no other roadside attraction is as closely identified with the American Road as the neighborhood drive in movie theatres that once dotted the US map. Sadly the ritual of warm summer evenings with the family piled in the car to watch the latest blockbuster has gone the way of the Edsel in most places. But the good news is that people like Jim Kopp of Stephens City, VA are hard at work keepi...

The rich earth of the Mississippi River bottom just east of St. Louis has long been a place to grow some of the best produce in the country. In particular, it was something of the tomato capital of the Midwest for many decades. What better monument to that juicy history than a massive catsup bottle, masquerading as the city water tower for Collinsville, Ilinois? In this podcast you’ll meet the Big...

The great Heritage Tractor Adventure is taking place again between June 7 and 10th in the rich Illinois farmlands just outside of Chicago. The adventure, with a three-day tractor ride, combines vintage farm tractors and displays with entertainment, great food, and family fun. WGN-720 AM's own Farm Reporter, Max Armstrong, an avid collector himself, will be setting off on the adventure with you. Hi...

Erika Nelson has dedicated her life to hunting down the world’s largest attractions along the American Road and then creating The World’s largest collection of the World’s Smallest Replicas of the World’s Largest Attractions. Erika is an artist and regular columnist who journals here trophy finds in the Think Big column of each American Road Magazine. In the spring 2013 issue, the world’s largest...

For most of us the idea of rolling down Route 66 involves a nostalgic trip on 4 wheels powered by a motor. For Virginia Sullivan that’s two wheels too many and her vehicle runs on legs. She is with Adventure Cycling Association based in remote Missoula, Montana which is in the middle of an ambitious Route 66 mapping project. In part 2 of our conversation, Ginny explains how this great cycling grou...

For most of us the idea of rolling down Route 66 involves a nostalgic trip on 4 wheels powered by a motor. For Virginia Sullivan that’s two wheels too many and her vehicle runs on legs. She is part of Adventure Cycling Association based in Missoula, Montana. I caught up with her on a Skype connection a while back to talk about an ambitious Route 66 mapping project and to learn about the associatio...