US Route 6 is the longest contiguous transcontinental route in the USA. Running from Provincetown, MA to Bishop, CA (and before 1964 to Long Beach, CA), Route 6 goes through 14 states. This is your guide along all of its original 3,652 miles. From Revolutionary War sites to pioneer settlements and western mining towns, Route 6 offers an in-depth lesson in US History, charms of yesteryear and comforts of modern times.
Today, I opened my New York Times to read this op-ed post by Frank Bruni; Iowa Caucuses' Bitter Harvest. To me, the piece was not so notable for its content (a rather standard NY Times position on outside-of-mainstream, sometimes nutty sometimes self-defeating Republican campaign antics), but for its dateline; Coralville, IA.
My very friendly 7:30AM Audience in Coralville, IA
Most raised their hands when asked if they'd like to come along with
me on the remainder of my US Route 6 Cross-Country Trip
An Ideal Meal; the Perfect Steak Salad
Iowa River Power Restaurant
Coralville, IA
CORALVILLE!! Not only do I know where Coralville is (adjacent to Iowa City) - but I have some newfound friends there - all because that's where US Route 6 took me on my journey across the country. Newton, IA, former home of Maytag Appliance Co., and where the Maytag Dairy still churns out phenomenal Maytag Blue Cheese -was also mentioned by Bruni. It, too, is a Route 6 town.
Hand-Wrapping Maytag Blue Cheese - The Way it's Always Been Done
Newton, Iowa
First Maytag Washing Machines
Jasper County Museum
Newton, IA
Between election years, to those who live on the coasts of the US, Iowa is just that flat place in the middle of the country, studded with barns and silos, where farmers grow corn and pigs. But every four years, our nation is fixated on this Midwestern state. Iowa makes headlines in major newspapers, media flock there to follow the candidates, and it becomes a focal point of the national political scene.
Drew's Chocolates, Always Individually "Fork-Dipped"
Dexter, IA
The Friendly Gas Station Man Greets Visitors
to Menlo, IA
But as I discovered on my transcontinental road-trip, Iowa is so much more than just corn, pigs and even politics. It is a hardworking, sometimes surprisingly sophisticated state full of friendly people. I never would have discovered this had I not traveled the longest contiguous federal highway in the country - US Route 6 - from end to end.
Downtown Atlantic, IA
Stay tuned for my book: Stay on US Route 6; Your Complete Guide to All 3,652 Historic Miles of The Country's Longest Road, which will be available in late winter/early spring.
Many small towns in America seem to have that one place where everyone shows up in the morning for coffee, conversation and a perfect, signature baked item. On my road trip across America, I asked locals in every town to point me to that special bakery. Here are five of the best on US Route 6:
1. PB Boulangerie Bistro, South Wellfleet, MA; A 22 mile bike ride on the Cape Cod Rail Trail deserves a reward, and there's no better treat than an authentic, flakey croissant or French pastry. This newcomer has become an instant hit on "The Cape."
PB Boulangerie
S. Wellfleet, MA
2. Buckie's Underground Bakery, Dennis, MA; Grab a signature “Nutmeg Muffin;" dipped in
butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar, it will undermine your diet for
sure. No wonder the place is packed every morning.
"Nutmeg Muffin" at Buckie's Underground Bakery
Dennis, MA
3. Danish Maid Bakery, Grinnell, IA; Do what the locals do and buy a “Coney” –
a whipped-cream filled éclair glazed with icing; The Des Moines Register
named eating a Coney from Danish Maid “one of the 100 things you must do before
you die."
Coney @ Danish Maid Bakery
Grinnell, IA
4. Sehnert’s Bakery and Bieroc Café, McCook, NE; www.bieroccafe.com; You can't leave town without trying a Bieroc - a
hot calzone-like meat and cabbage pocket - or anything else that comes out of the oven in this 50 plus year old Nebraska institution.
Sehnert's Bakery and Bieroc Cafe
McCook, NE
5. Erick Schat’s Bakery, Bishop, CA,
www.erickschatsbakery.com“Home of the Original Sheepherder Bread" since 1938, Schat's is an "artisanal" bakery in the foothills of the Eastern Sierras.
Thanks to the techies who developed "Google Alerts" - I can keep up to date with my favorite US Route 6/ US Highway 6/ Grand Army of the Republic Highway/ Roosevelt Highway; all the names that US Route 6 goes by from Massachusetts to California.
Of late, there have been several fatalities on the road - a few pedestrians and some car accidents - most likely due to early darkness on a busy highway.
On Route 6/202 Approaching Bear Mountain Bridge Photo from Journal News
Yesterday, however, an accident on one of my very favorite stretches of US Route 6 - the few miles out of Peekskill, NY where it pairs with Rt. 202 as it follows the wide Hudson River on curves and switchbacks through bluffs before winding down to the scenic Bear Mountain Bridge - closed the road down in both directions for a few hours. Click on here for the newspaper and video. A gravel truck just missed negotiating one of those turns and fell over, spewing crushed rock all over the road. Fortunately, the driver was OK and no other vehicles were involved.
Having done that drive many times, I'm surprised that this kind of thing doesn't happen more often. It is a breathtaking section of Route 6, but can be dangerous with lots of truck traffic. I'm including the video I took of that section of the drive below. It begins in Newtown, CT and ends just over the Bear Mountain Bridge....
These days, jaded travelers might drive past a certain type of lodging - low slung, modest, parking space at the front door - believing that it's probably a no-tell-motel sleazy pay-by-the-hour type establishment. But long ago, these roadside motels were downright luxurious compared to the tents that road trippers would set up in ubiquitous Travel Camps.
In its heyday, you couldn't drive far on the 3,652 miles of US Route 6 without seeing one or a cluster of these motels, usually owned by a husband and wife who would do everything from make the coffee to clean the rooms. Now, though, many of these motels have fallen into disrepair, were abandoned or have deteriorated into these pay-by-the-hour love motels. You can see the sad ruins as you drive across the country.
But some of these Mom and Pop motels have not only hung on, they have thrived. Owned by couples who offer an inexpensive and clean option, the following motels go the "extra mile" with great service, perfect location, friendliness and amenities you'd find in higher end hotels at twice the price.
1. Sandusky, OH. If you want a CHEAP place to stay within a few miles of
Cedar Point, book a room starting at $30 at the Maples Motel, 4409 Cleveland Rd. (Route 6), Sandusky, OH (1/4 mile
from east entrance of Cedar Point), 419-626-1575. Brick and not much to look
at, this 24-unit motel is clean and cool and gets plenty of kudos and press for
its affordability. With pool, air conditioning, cable TV, and a stones throw
from one of the largest amusement parks in the US, the MaplesMotel is,
according to a recent Lake Erie Living article, “ a sliver of Americana capped
with an orange and blue neon sign.”
The Maples Motel
Sandusky, OH
2. Glenwood Springs, CO; For budget-conscious
travelers, the best bang for the buck here is The Red Mountain Inn, 51637 U.S. Highway 6, Glenwood Springs, CO, 800-748-2565, www.redmountaininn.com, $66-$120 - a
charming courtyard motel of a former era with clean, comfy, cute rooms and the
friendliest owners around. Cottages cluster around a central driveway, creating
an intimate atmosphere and low rates include free wi-fi, heated pool, hot tub,
guest laundry, and a continental breakfast. All less than 2 miles from
downtown.
Red Mountain Inn
Glenwood Springs, CO
3. Tonopah, NV; For wallet-watchers, Jim Butler Inn & Suites, 100 South
Main St., Tonopah, NV, 775-482-3577, www.jimbutlerinn.com,
$70-$95 looks like your typical roadside motel. But inside the room, there’s a sitting area, a gas
fireplace, a flat screen TV, and comfy bed with nice bedding. The bathroom is the basic sink outside,
toilet and shower behind a door kind of thing, but it's clean, very friendly and centally
located to all Tonopah attractions.
Jim Butler Inn and Suites
Tonopah, NV
4. Lancaster, CA; The budget minded will be ecstatic at the Inn at Lancaster, 44131 Sierra Hwy,
Lancaster, CA 661-945-8771, www.innoflandcaster.com,
$77-$87. Lancaster identifies
strongly with the what used to be Route 6, the Sierra Highway, and though most
people travel through on the parallel and faster Highway 14, the
Inn at Lancaster is actually ON Sierra Highway. The Inn
at Lancaster is a wonderful, clean, comfortable and pretty place with lots to
offer; a nicely landscaped outdoor
pool, a complementary dinner in the early evening (ie, pizza,hamburgers), a complimentary continental breakfast, complimentary movie, fitness
center, flat-screen TV’s and free Wi-Fi (always a plus). The Mom and Pop of
record, Andy and Jeannie Holnberg, have a place to be proud of.
Inn of Lancaster
Lancaster, CA
Honorable Mention;
5. Coralville, IA; This motel no longer exists but was inextricably linked to Historic Route 6 and so I have to include it on this list. Blue Top Motor
Court sat proudly on old Route 6 from 1952 – 1996. Twelve tiny
cottages were arranged in a semi-circle around a swath of lawn that contained a
grill, picnic tables and swing sets.
It was spotless, comfortable, and each cabin had a walk-in closet
“larger than my room at the Jefferson Hotel!,” according to one celebrity
guest, Bob Hope. Generation after generation of University of Iowa students and
professors, families of Medical Center patients and road-trippers returned time
and time again – the Blue Top was a touchstone for many. Poet Laureate of the State
of Iowa, Mary Swander, then an Iowa Writer’s Workshop
student, stayed for months in The Penthouse – the dormer apartment above the
motel garages and later wrote an homage to the Blue Top.
Replica of Cabin #1 at Blue Top Motel
Coralville, IA
We've all known about US Route 6 for awhile now, but The Grand Army of the Republic Highway is gaining notice far from its northern transcontinental route.
Notable East Coast restauranteur Stephen Starr wanted to include a seafood place among his other hotspots in Philly, New York, DC and Florida, and the name Route 6 came to mind because "Route 6 is the main road through Cape Cod." Little did he (or his PR people) know that the Route 6 in Cape Cod extends all the way to California, and ironically runs 440 miles along the northern border of Pennsylvania.
No matter. They will soon. Meanwhile, when you're in town, try a lobsta or fried clam with a swig of specially brewed, unfiltered Rye ESB called Route 6 Ale, at the one and only Route 6 in Philadelphia!
I wish it many successful years!
Todays New York Times featured a National Section Front Page piece titled "Gas Drillers Invade Hunters' Pennsylvania Paradise." Embedded within the story is a map magnifying Potter County, and specifically Coudersport, highlighting also a nice, clear Route 6 shield. That natural gas drillers have taken over this area of PA's Route 6 should come as no surprise to my readers. I wrote about the hydraulic fracturing controversy, and spoke to those it effected both before and during my trip with inconclusive results.
As I made my way across country on US Route 6, I took daily videos through my windshield. As you can see from the last few minutes (around 4:45 mark) of these snippets of the Hawley to Wellsboro segment, natural gas extraction might be an economic boon to "G-d's Country," PA, but it is also a dirty, dusty business (at least while clearing and drilling).
I am often asked to give a one minute commentary on my 3,602 mile trip across country. Most people want to know "What's the highlight?" Well, there were many highlights - but the highest light came more than midway through my journey in a town outside of Denver, CO. I wrote the following about this amazing youth group and hope everyone who reads this gets a chance to see The Westernaires in action:
Westernaires Practice At the Foot of the Rockies Lakewood, CO
If you happen to hit Lakewood, Colorado on a weekday evening around
sunset, you must make time to watch The
Westernaires practice precision riding at break-neck speeds. These
impressive 9-19 year olds, will give you goose-bumps, get you teary-eyed and
make you proud of our Country’s youth.
Westernaires Tack Room Lakewood, CO
The Westernaires, 15200 W. 6th Avenue, Lakewood, Colorado
Westernaires "Tenderfoot Board Meeting" Lakewood, CO
(303) 279-3767 learn and practice drills at Fort Westernaire-a complex of indoor and outdoor arenas
(7 in all), classrooms, and a phenomenal museum – the Orrin C. Curtiss Westernaire Museum of Western and Riding History -
that you can enter if you happen to come through on a Saturday (also a practice day throughout
the year) between 10am and 2pm.Based on the notion that “The Old West had values worth learning,” says
The Westernaire’s director, Glenn Keller, “all Westernaires must visit the
museum when they first sign up.”Inside, there’s a library filled with Western and Colorado History books
– among them an 1867 Revised Statues of
Colorado.The kids begin their
training by first learning about the anatomy of the horse, the history of the
region, including Native American History, the origins of the US Cavalry (the
Westernaires portray this old branch of the military in shows), and the
progression of the saddle. There are branding irons, various kinds of barbed
wire, bits, bridles, stirrups and spurs and, incredibly, the carriage that
brought Abraham Lincoln to the train in Springfield, IL as he set off for
Washington DC to serve as US President.This was the same carriage used by Buffalo Bill Cody in his Wild West
Show, and its not by happenstance that Buffalo
Bill’s Wild West Show and the Westernaire’s
Horsecapades are so similar.“We are the West Incarnate,” Keller says.
The Westernaires have had just two directors in the
organization’s 62 years; E.E. Wyland who, in 1949 was asked by the Lakewood
Youth Council to “start something for kids,” and Keller who, in 1983, grew the
Westernaires into the 1,000-strong organization it is today. When Keller took
over the reins, only 5% of the Westernaires went on to college.Today, 95% do. Keller feels that for
some of these kids who are at-risk and from broken homes, this program is so
important they stay in school just so they can continue to be Westernaires (a
requirement). Along with the obvious riding skills, kids learn perseverance,
personal responsibility, leadership and respect for adults; all the ingredients
of good citizenship.
Westernaires practice at sunset in the Rockies Lakewood, CO
Children as young as nine years old start out in the
“Tenderfoot” division and must learn the very basics even before getting on a
horse.After nine or ten years of
practice, drills, diagramming, and bonding with their horse and like-minded
colleagues, each Westernaire hopes to be called upon to join the elite Varsity Big Red Team, earning the
coveted and prestigious “Red Sweater.”
Westernaires Varsity Big Red Team Member wearing coveted red sweater Lakewood, CO
“It’s a real family – you really get addicted,” says one
parent/volunteer, Debbie Koop, who has two Westernaires daughters and is an
instructor herself.The program is
so important to participants, many return as volunteers; there are 350 – 500
graduates and parents who just can’t let go and want to give back.They sew the costumes, teach kids at
all levels, and take care of the 30 acres of property. “We’re a totally
self-supporting organization,” Keller explained. “We believe in doing for
ourselves.” For the most part, the Westernaires are funded by ticket
sales.They put on a Wild
West-like show – called Horsecapades - in Denver every year, selling over
42,000 tickets at $7 each. Participants in the program pay a nominal fee for
training and costumes.Excelling
at precision riding, rough riding, authentic Cavalry Riding and Liberty Riding
(no saddle or harness), the Westernaires are one of the best (if not the best)
trick-riding teams in the United States, and merit the slogan “Best At Speed.”
It takes determination, tenacity, attention to detail and
teamwork, plus lots of heart, sweat and tears to pull off effectively. If you
hit it just right, watch a Westernaires drill against the backdrop of the Rocky
Mountains and the setting sun, you will be touched. Practice is most weekday evenings in the summer.
