Sunday, July 7, 2013

US Route 6 Roadtrip on GetawayMavens.com

There's a new Getaway website in town; or at least in the towns of New England and the Mid-Atlantic States.  Getaway Mavens "brings you the best offbeat escapes in the Northeast."  As such, as you might imagine, many great Route 6 cities and towns are highlighted.  Naturally, many of these were covered in my book Stay On Route 6; Your Guide to All 3,652 Miles of Transcontinental US Route 6.

Who are the Getaway Mavens, you may ask?  Well, here's the photo - and one may look familiar.

The Getaway Mavens; Bringing You the Best Offbeat Escapes in the Northeast USA
Enjoy the Route 6 Getaway Mavens post - and get out there on the road, people!
Posted by Malerie Yolen-Cohen at 8:08 AM 0 comments

Friday, May 31, 2013

Los Angeles Rocks and Roads Blog Features US Route 6 in California


Geologist Michael Ballard writes about the history of both the landscape and roadways in Southern California.  This time, he takes on US Route 6 in a blog post on Los Angeles Rocks and Roads. I present the Intro, but to read the complete post, Click Here.

               Virtual Tour of US 6
grand_army_highwayIntroduction
History
The road that was to become US 6 in the Santa Clarita area was first constructed as the Mint Canyon Road in 1921. To travel to the Antelope Valley from Los Angeles then one would to have traveled via San Fernando Road to Saugus, Soledad Canyon Road to Solemint and then onto the Mint Canyon Road. During this time, the road from Mojave to Bishop was known as El Camino Sierra, or The Sierra Highway. It was also known as the Midland Trail. In 1938, a bypass around Newhall and Saugus was built from San Fernando Road to Soledad Canyon Road. Also during the same year, the Newhall Tunnel, originally built in 1910, was removed and the road through Newhall Pass was widened to four lanes. This route would remain the main highway to the north from Los Angeles to the Antelope Valley and beyond until 1963.

Posted by Malerie Yolen-Cohen at 3:19 PM 2 comments

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

News From Across the USA on US Route 6; Facebook Updates



  • Woodbury Pewter Gift & Gourmet - CONNECTICUT
    From my good friend, Danbury Asst. Fire Chief, Bernie Meehan:
    4 hours ago
    Story of the pewter flag. On 9/11/01 our world changed. For me, I lost a good friend, a firefighter, and along with all Americans we struggled to find our new path. Everyone was scrambling to find American Flags for their houses, cars, and uniforms. With the lack of patriotism over the previous few years, there was actually a shortage of flags to go around. I found a small pewter flag at Woodbury Pewter and pinned it to my uniform. Over the years, I generally have some small pin on my uniform; the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, or something. After the Boston Bombing, I knew there'd be another surge of patriotism, even if only for a short while, so I pinned that little pewter flag back on my duty uniform.
    Like ·  ·  · April 26 at 6:52am · 

  • Mizpah Hotel - NEVADA
    Mizpah Fun Fact: In the 1950s and 1960s, "Mizpah Andy" Anderson greeted visitors at the Mizpah and Tonopah, spinning tales of the past. He walked with his burro in local parades, becoming a symbol of the hotel and the town, until his death in 1971.
    Like ·  ·  · April 25 at 12:45pm · 

  • Cornfield 500 - PENNSYLVANIA
    Putting the finishing touches on the 13th Annual Cornfield 500 Show, and its gonna be a Big One! Will be posting information every day, and announcing a chance to win FREE Admission tickets weekly!
    Like ·  ·  · Yesterday at 12:10pm · 

  • Runza Restaurants - NEBRASKA
    Snow in May? This calls for a warm Runza® Sandwich, Frings and an Onion Ring Dip. Runzatics® are resilient, we will survive this last blast of winter. Bring it on!
    Like ·  ·  · about an hour ago · 

  • Living History Farms - IOWA
    Beautiful morning here at Living History Farms! We're open and ready for you to visit!
    Like ·  ·  · 3 hours ago · 

  • Boys Town - NEBRASKA
    “It costs so little to teach a child to love, and so much to teach him to hate.” -- Father Flanagan
    Like ·  ·  · April 25 at 4:00pm · 

  • The Amana Colonies - IOWA
    Taste of the World food fair, Kinderplatz, Maipole dancing, strolling yodelers, what does this all mean? FUN! Join us for Maifest this weekend!
    Like ·  ·  · 3 hours ago · 
Posted by Malerie Yolen-Cohen at 1:37 PM 1 comments

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Historical US Route 6 Markers to be Planted in Iowa; Written By Josh O'Leary For the Iowa City Press-Citizen



Written by
Josh O’Leary
Iowa City Press-Citizen

  • FILED UNDER
As a kid, Rex Brandstatter’s parents would send him out of the house with one simple instruction.“They would tell me, ‘You can go anywhere, but you can’t cross the highway,’” said Brandstatter, a lifelong Coralville resident.
The highway was U.S. Route 6, at that time a major conduit bringing cars from all corners of the U.S. through Brandstatter’s small town in the 50's.
Rex Brandstatter, Coralville, IA
Today, Brandstatter, 63, is among a group of Iowans and other preservationists nationally working to plant historical markers along the original Route 6, which cut through Iowa City and Coralville when it was completed in the 1930s as the nation’s longest highway.
The U.S. Route 6 Tourist Association’s Iowa Division — one of 14 states along the highway’s path from Massachusetts to California — has begun marking segments of the old route, and it hopes to soon add Johnson County’s stretch.
The idea is to commemorate that golden age of two-lane travel and bolster tourism in towns the interstate bypassed decades ago.
Read the rest of the Iowa-City Press Citizen article HERE.
Read my original story about Rex, Route 6 and Coralville HERE. 

Posted by Malerie Yolen-Cohen at 7:08 AM 0 comments

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Tragedy on US Route 6

About 30 miles West of Denver, CO, Loveland Pass is the highest and one of the most thrilling stretches of transcontinental US Route 6.  Now, it's one of the most deadly.

Loveland Pass, US Route 6, Colorado
Yesterday, five snowboarders were killed when an avalanche swept over Route 6 near the Continental Divide, necessitating closure of the road for hours.  My prayers go out to their families.



To all of my readers, please be careful, when driving, when skiing and particularly when snowboarding in backcountry areas  As you can see, even "Avalanche Beacons" and preparation will not help in all cases.

Photo Is Video Still from Gannett Media
In case anyone missed the news, according to the Associated Press;


The Colorado Department of Transportation closed U.S. Route 6, which crosses the Continental Divide near the scene of the avalanche, to facilitate the search. The pass is heavily traveled by skiers visiting nearby Arapahoe Basin ski resort.
The bodies were taken to the Clear Creek coroner’s office. The victims’ identities weren’t immediately known.
Krueger said authorities were “pretty sure” the snowboarders triggered the avalanche, which he said traveled about 1,000 feet some 100 yards off Route 6.






Posted by Malerie Yolen-Cohen at 7:56 AM 0 comments

Monday, April 1, 2013

National Geographic Recognizes a US Route 6 Icon

National Geographic Magazine just ran a photo series of "The Best US Road Trips" and included US Route 6's own Bear Mountain Bridge among the illustrious list.  The bridge spans the magnificent Hudson River, and, if you've been following my blog (and have read my guidebook), you'll know that the portion of Route 6 leading up to the Bear Mountain Bridge - known affectionately as "The Goat Trail" - is one of the most fun drives of the whole 3,652 miles of the transcontinental route.

Bear Mountain Bridge; US Route 6 New York
Photo c/o Flickr

Posted by Malerie Yolen-Cohen at 7:20 AM 0 comments

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Look What's New On US Route 6; More Facebook Snippets from US Route 6 Communities


Posted by Malerie Yolen-Cohen at 4:05 PM 0 comments
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