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Summary of the 2013 Lincoln Highway Conference

July 25, 2013 by Cece

A Lincoln Highway celebration would not be complete without attending this Lincoln Highway Association’s annual conference this year. This is the 21st conference the Association has held, and it did not disappoint. I wasn’t able to stay for the whole conference this time (just Tuesday and Wednesday), but I had a lot of fun hanging out with old friends and learning new things about the Lincoln.

Our bus tour on Tuesday went back into central Nebraska, and I got to revisit some of the places I had seen the week prior. For me, it was a good chance to get some more pictures (the lighting had changed because of the weather), see old friends and make new ones. The new place I went to on this tour was the Museum of American Speed. I’m not a gear head, so I thought I was going to be bored. I was SO wrong. There were so many exhibits of different auto related things, there really was something for everyone.

Wednesday was seminar day, and all of the presentations that I saw were fantastic. I wasn’t able to stay all day because I was being interviewed for a documentary (more on that in a future post). The evening concluded with me performing for the awards banquet, breaking down my table in the book room (it’s the best way to find me at the conference), and saying my thank yous and goodbyes to everyone before I went back to my hotel room to pack and get ready for the next stage of the tour.

I love going to the conference every year, and I look forward to next year’s conference in Utah! Here’s a few pictures of the conference for your viewing pleasure (Also check out Denny Gibson’s posts about the conference, you’ll learn some random things about me). My next post will be a continuation of Central Nebraska (it’s a pretty big state), focusing from Kearney to North Platte. Until then, have a good weekend everyone!

Another View of Grand Island’s Seedling mile, this time with the LHA tour.

We went back to visit the Pony Truss bridge I was a little freaked out about visiting, and there was a welcoming committee this time! They brought along some of these old cool signs dating back to the 20s.

Here’s another pic of the bridge, as you can see the water went down a little bit!

I could honestly photograph this bridge for an hour, so many cool shadows.

Here’s Russell and Jay near some local “foliage”. To curb deer from getting into places they shouldn’t go, hemp plants grow in/around most ditches in Nebraska. We actually had a cop sitting near us to make sure we wouldn’t procure anything.

The Merrick County Courthouse in Central City, Nebraska is the site of the first proclamation of the Lincoln Highway, on October 8, 1913.

We ate lunch at Duster’s in Gothenburg, NE, the place where I got that awesome root beer at in my previous posts of this area. This is a mural that’s inside the restaurant, which shows people traveling across the country.

Off to Lincoln, Nebraska next! Yes, it’s technically not on the highway, but honestly the Museum of American Speed was much more fun that I thought it was going to be. This whole wing of the museum was dedicated just to albums of racetracks and car noises.

Here’s a record of the first Dodge driving the Andes Mountains in 1923.

Most people remember Thomas Dolby for the song “He Blinded Me with Science”, not “Aliens Ate My Buick”.

Going up the stairwell from the 2nd to the 3rd floor I ran into this Lunch Box collection. It was one of the coolest retro things I’ve ever seen.

If you haven’t heard this song, go to YouTube and listen to it-now. It’s hilarious. I will probably sing it on my next tour.

And I thought my Dad hoarded tools, here’s a wall of Monkey Wrenches.

Inside this massive museum (3 floors), they had a replica of a 1920’s garage, including the “Lincoln Shock Absorbers”.

From the 3rd floor of the museum, you can see the whole view of downtown Lincoln, NE, including its unique state capitol building.

In the song “Preparing for the Lincoln Way” composed by Nolan Stolz, I’ve been singing about a “Motometer”. I finally got to see a sign of one at this museum, pretty cool!

Here’s the view of the replica soda shop in the museum.

There were several dioramas on the 3rd floor, but this one was my favorite.

Sign greeting you at the hotel, painted by Iowa artist and LH enthusiast John Fitzsimmons.

We all gathered for our group picture Wednesday morning wearing our best red, white and blue shirts. I turned around a snapped a pic after we were done with the photo shoot.

I had the honor of singing at the LHA awards banquet this year, and they put me at the head table! What great view.

Never again will my little car be surrounded by two other beautiful cars of completely different periods.

Again, here’s another great photo and sign display.

Lots of people brought out some great Lincoln Highway signs and memorabilia for this year’s conference.

My favorite part of Seminar Day was hearing the panel of the early founders of the Modern LHA, which included Joyce and Bob Ausberger, Brian Butko, Kevin Patrick and Drake Hokanson (first man to write a book about the highway).

Seminar day had a lot of great talks about Lincoln Highway history. From general facts to the Tin Can tourist travel to learning more about the Colorado Loop, it was a great day.

The food for the banquet was excellent, and for my friends who have food issues, the Holiday Inn in Kearney did a great job!

Central Nebraska Highlights, plus the Lincoln Highway turns 100!

July 14, 2013 by Cece

The last few weeks have been non-stop! Between the performances, interviews, and just general merriment, it’s all been amazing! Unfortunately, the road has finally caught up to me almost 4 months later. My immune system crashed, I got sick, and I’m now resting and recovering for the next stage of the tour. I can finally sit down and update you on this exciting time in the Lincoln Highway’s history.

I’m doing the next couple posts slightly out of sequence because there’s so much information to cover. Today’s post will focus on Grand Island and all of the festivities for the Lincoln Highway’s 100th birthday in Kearney. My next post will be about the 2013 Lincoln Highway Association’s annual conference (of which I am a proud member), and then I’ll resume my regular posts which head westward.

Wow, where do I start in regards to all of this? There’s still a mix of honor and disbelief that I was a part of the Lincoln Highway’s birthday. It all went by SO fast! What really accelerated things for me were all of the various TV, newspaper and documentary interviews I did during this time (all media stuff I did was a complete surprise to me). This is the first time on the tour where people walked up to me and knew who I was! Audiences in Grand Island and Kearney overall were very enthusiastic of the project and the music, and the Lincoln Highway pride was in full force everywhere. It was amazing to have so many people from all over the world in one place celebrating America’s first transcontinental road, and to be a part of those festivities was so humbling.

I truly wish I could have had more time to spend in Grand Island. There’s a lot of really wonderful things going on in this town. Originally I was set to perform in the Grand Theatre, but when renovations weren’t complete, I ended up performing at the Liederkranz instead. The universe direct us to places and people that we never thought we’d meet, and I have to say the Liederkranz is one of those places for me. It was an amazing place to sing, and the owners Fred and Gloria are top notch people in the community. The city of Kearney is roughly half way between San Francisco and New York City, so it was a natural choice to host the Centennial celebration. I got to the city before the LHA auto tours, the Tin Can Tourists, and other folks from all over arrived to the town and everything was all abuzz in anticipation of what was on deck for the coming weekend.

Okay, enough yakking. In a blog first, you’ll see a lot of pictures of me in this post, which is thanks to my husband Dan who was my roadie, photographer, and overall awesome guy during this busy time in the project. I couldn’t have done it without him!

The Shady Bend Campground in Grand Island used to provide gas, food and lodging to travelers for many years, and there were extra amenities like a playground and a sandy beach lake. Today it is now a restaurant.

Love this original sign above the main door at Shady Bend!

Not too far down from Shady Bend is Kensinger’s Gas Station, which is still a fully operating gas station for more than 75 years.

Here’s a picture of the gas station interior. Thanks to Richard Grudzinski for letting me take pictures of everything.

You saw the main room in the previous picture, here’s the back room of the gas station.

Located behind Kensinger’s in Grand Island, this is an original seedling mile (paved 1915). You can’t drive on it, but you can walk on it.

Another view of the Seedling Mile, with a few Burma Shave signs this time.

The Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer is a couple miles south of the Lincoln Highway, and definitely a fun must see when in the area.

It’s not fancy, but I’ll take it! The door to my dressing room for my live TV appearance.

Here’s the outside of the building I performed at in Grand Island, the Liederkranz. The club has been around since the 1870’s, but this current building has been in existence since 1911 (it was built along what would become the Lincoln Highway).

The Liederkranz is used for a variety of things from dances to dinners to sing-alongs, acoustically it was a perfect place to sing.

It’s a fuzzy picture, but as you can see this microphone is an old one and has probably been around for a long time.

There is a gentleman counterpart to this tapestry, but I loved these ladies that were awaiting me in at the Liederkranz.

Guess who made front page news in Kearney! What a nice surprise to see when I was checking into the hotel.

Singing for my supper in downtown Kearney.

Will Rogers and I look on at the parade as it goes by.

The Lincoln Highway “Marching Marker” made its debut in Kearney for the parade! I wonder if I’ll see it anywhere else…

Even Smokey the Bear made an appearance!

One of the hundreds of beautiful cars I saw during the parade on Sunday.

I’m not really a car person, but when a Tucker drives by, I pay attention.

These bike riders were so hypnotic to watch.

Officially the most unique car in the parade, this camper/truck made all kinds of fun and crazy noises as well as had some moving parts on the outside too.

Even FDR showed up to the festivities! He really loved my rendition of “God’s Country” (the song mentions the President himself).

My guitar player was Jeff Erpelding, a local Kearney musician who plays in a few bands in the area. Not sure what I’m pointing at, but it must be important!

Kearney’s World Theatre was right across the street from where I was singing. It has been recently restored back to its 1920s glory, and it played a silent movie during the festivities.

Here I am with one of the great old cars that was on the 1910s block.

On Monday, I performed two great shows at the Archway to mark the highway’s centennial. In between sets, I ran over to the hotel to set up my table for the Lincoln Highway’s Annual conference (more on that in the next post).

There was a huge celebration at the Archway Monday evening, where there was a lot of good food, music and Lincoln Highway merriment! One of the things that did happen also was the Brian Butko gave a talk on Monday about the newest book he edited “The Lincoln Highway: Photos Through Time”.

Here’s a picture of Brian and I with my signed copy!

Last but most definitely not least, here’s the picture of me in this new Lincoln Highway book! You can find me on page 21. Thanks to Jamie Ralston (My Lincoln Highway) and Brian for putting this picture in the book. It was truly a wonderful surprise to see, especially on the 100th birthday of the road!

Bricks, bricks and more bricks! Exploring Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska

June 27, 2013 by Cece

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” –Jack Kerouac

With the nearing centennial celebration coming up this weekend in central Nebraska, the highway came to life on a whole other level as soon as I crossed the border. From billboard signs to little Lincoln highway signs taped to telephone poles, the whole state is “Thinkin’ Lincoln” and rightfully so. This past weekend, hundreds of cars of varying ages, makes, and models left both San Francisco and New York City and are heading this way right now. While I’ve certainly longed for this weekend and to see my fellow LHA Members for the conference next week (it will be amazing on so many levels), I have to admit it’s been a little weird to see the metaphorical “wrinkles smoothed over” of the towns I’ve been going through in the last couple days. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to see all of the changes and celebrate the highway, but I also wonder what the towns look like when there are no celebrations going on. Are there many Lincoln Highway signs up, or would one get lost trying to find everything? It’s something to think about.

The photos in today’s post are from Scranton, Iowa all the way to Central City, Nebraska. Landscapes start to change from corn fields to rolling hills. The city of Omaha breaks up the highway’s routine of being sleepy and quaint. You drive parallel to a major train route, and you see trains coming and going constantly. Traffic is busier than you would think as it’s still a major thoroughfare for the area. Roads are narrower (with minimal to no shoulder) to keep their historic integrity in some parts, which makes it tricky to drive when it’s super windy as I experienced. You’ll see a TON of brick roads that have been preserved by various communities that I passed through, and it’s interesting to see how different the bricks look in each place. My favorite finds below are the following (and you’ll see pictures of all of this below):

1) The Village of Boys Town – This place is a must stop for you if you take the original route. They do amazing work, and there are several places that visitors can tour. It’s an important part of the highway’s history (as well as US history) that I fear may be overlooked at times.

2) Elkhorn Brick Road Stretch: You’ll find this west of Boys Town. 3.5 miles of a perfectly preserved brick road including signs, markers, and bridges.

3) The “Avenus of Trees” in Duncan: In the heart of Duncan you’ll see two rows of trees which used to flank the original route.

4) Gardiner Station Section: This can be found in between Duncan and Silver Creek, and here you’ll see an iron truss bridge with a wooden plank floor in amazing condition.

New GPS using world, meet the Old Brick stretch of the highway.

These two Lincoln Busts (fully restored) now look over the corner of the LH in Scranton.

I was struck by this part of the road, and had to pull over to photograph it.

My pictures from Woodbine somehow all ended up being taken in Black and White. Here’s one of them.

This stretch of the Lincoln in downtown Woodbine is fully bricked, and it’s about a mile and a half in total.

Detail of Woodbine bricks. This photo I changed from B&W picture to a more Sepia/Antique finish.

At the intersection of Dodge and Saddle Creek Roads in Omaha, you can see this billboard. Sutter’s Creek Mill is right there, and is one of the oldest buildings on the route.

Here’s a picture of Saddle Creek Bridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Located right off the original route, Boys Town has been changing the lives of children for almost 100 years. This original sign now hangs in the Visitors Center.

This is the biggest ball of stamps, which is also in the Boys Town Visitors Center. Read the next Photo to get the details.

This Sign was used in the movie “Boys Town”, which starred Mickey Rooney and Spencer Tracy.

Spencer Tracy won the Oscar for his portrayal of Father Flanagan in the movie Boys Town, and he gave it to Father Flanagan. There are two inscriptions on the base showing both Tracy’s official inscription, and the one he added for Fr. Flanagan. It’s my first time I’ve ever seen an Oscar in person, and it was truly a sight to behold.

From 1928-1938, Fr. Flanagan and some talented boys toured around in the area giving performances. As time went on their popularity grew, so much so they started to tour nationally, and then were given a weekly radio show.

Here’s a detail of this reproduced trailer. Again, I love taking pictures of the old sheet music!

Just outside of Elkhorn, NE is one of the longest (if not the longest) preserved brick stretch of the highway. It’s about 3.5 miles in total and has several LH markers along the route. There’s A huge plaque in the middle of the stretch, but it was covered in a tarp. I’m guessing it will be unveiled when the car tour comes through. Can someone please send me a photo of this plaque?

Old LH Pole marker that has been repainted along the route.

Detail of this brick again, but this time showing what the curb looked like.

Here’s what the Lincoln Highway signs look like in Nebraska. They do continue on the route from what I’ve seen so far, but are not seem as regularly as in other states.

This Truss Bridge has been reconstructed as well along the route.

Again, more picturesque brick sections that I had to photograph. So beautiful.

Found this folk art right after I was finished driving the brick section in Elkhorn. Everyone’s thinkin’ Lincoln!

Here’s a brick stretch in Fremont, NE, the next town after Elkhorn. Note it’s a little different than the Elkhorn stretch.

This 1921 Statue of Lincoln was made and placed by the Mullins company, and was made by the same people who made the statue in Wilkinsburg, PA (see my Pittsburgh post for that picture).

This Mural of Columbus commemorates the town’s Sesquicentennial (1856 – 2006). It notes pivotal historic points for the town, including Buffalo Bill’s debut in the Wild West Show here, as well the Columbus arch which welcomed Lincoln Highway travelers in the 1940s and 1950s.

I don’t know much about the Columbus theatre, but I do know it was built in 1926 in the art deco style and is on the historic register. If anyone else has any other stories about this theatre let me know!

Built in 1920, the Gottberg building used to assemble and sell Fords. Today it is a restaurant and brewpub, which makes great batches of homemade root beer.

This Lincoln Highway Garage in Columbus was built in 1915, and is part of the Lincoln Highway Garage Associations (along with many others).

Built in 1876, Glur’s Tavern is supposedly the oldest continuously operated tavern west of the Missouri River.

This is the first time I’ve seen this sign on this tour. I know it’s meant for the car tour that’s coming up behind me, but it’s still nice to feel a part of it.

The “Avenue of Trees” is located in midtown Duncan, NE just east of Columbus. These rows of trees show where the original highway used to go.

While walking the Avenue of Trees, I cam upon these flowers growing where the road used to be.

Just outside of Duncan look for the “Historical Landmark” sign and follow it. There you’ll find the 2 mile Gardiner Station section of the original highway as well as this iron truss bridge with a wooden plank floor. This bridge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

View of the bridge from the road. This bridge can hold a maximum weight of 8 tons, but I still felt nervous driving it as you can imagine.

Next down the road from Duncan is Clarks, and this is the first of two murals in the town.

There were more bricks in Clarks! As you can see, they were laid in a different pattern at this intersection. The bricks were laid this way to prevent them from “stacking” as iron wagon wheels would turn corners in the early 1900s.

Here’s the 2nd Mural you can find in Clarks.

I thought this sign was an interesting commentary.

A toad hopped out to say hello while I was photographing in Clarks. My first toad I met on this tour was named “Frank” in Hanna’s town in Pennsylvania, maybe this is Frank’s western cousin?

Biggest welcome sign ever. Central City has an interesting past when it comes to the highway. In the 1916 guidebook (as well as one of the songs I perform on tour) there’s a special warning in the margins noting that Lincoln Highway markers were removed by the “Local antagonistic influence”.

The next week will be crazy for me blogging-wise as I have performances in several places over the next 8 days including: Grand Island, Kearney, North Platte, and Sutherland Nebraska. I will post in real time when I can on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, so if you want to check in to see how things are going until the next blog post you can visit me there. Until then everyone, safe travels wherever you may and have a Happy 4th of July weekend!

The Reed/Niland Corner: One of Best Places to Experience Highway History

June 21, 2013 by Cece

It’s hard to believe this, but I’ve now been on the road touring and performing along the Lincoln Highway for three months. I’ve got three more months to go still, and it’s times like these when you need to regroup and recharge. This is where the historic Reed/Niland Corner comes into play.

I’m a firm believer that history is alive all around us, and appears in so many different ways, not just in books. At this part of the route in Colo, Iowa it’s so alive you really feel it. Built at the intersection of the Lincoln and Jefferson Highways (more on the Jefferson Highway shortly), this corner of the world saw a heavy amount of traffic. So much so, that back in the early 1920’s, Charlie Reed built a gas station. The Reed and Niland families quickly built a lunch stand which turned into a café later, and then also turned a makeshift campground into more permanent lodging for travelers. This area became one of the first if not the first place where you could get everything in “one stop”. It also quickly became one of the first places along the route that was open 24 hours as well!

As noted in my previous post, the Lincoln paved the way for other auto trails to be created throughout the country. The Jefferson Highway was the 14th route to be created after the Lincoln Highway, was the first North-South Transcontinental Route, and was named after founding father Thomas Jefferson. It was built in 1915 and runs from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada all the way to New Orleans, Louisiana (it contains states which were involved in the Louisiana Purchase). To quote a Colo local, “It’s the only place where Lincoln and Jefferson actually do meet!” It is also called the “Palm to Pine Highway” to note the change in the trees along the route.

I still have several states to go on this tour, but I do have to say this part of the highway holds a special place in my heart. It truly feels like a home away from home, and I can’t say that about your average hotel and/or restaurant chain. You can’t get gas here anymore, but you can still stay in the restored Colo Motel and eat at Niland’s Café. If you can swing it in your travels, you should try to stay here at least one night so you can experience what this place is like, eat a meal, walk the grounds, and see all of the interpretive plaques and exhibits so you can learn about this place fully. You won’t regret it.

I again will put up some photos of this place, but know that the photos don’t do justice to how beautifully restored this area is.

Here’s the live musician I saw when I first got into town. His name is David Gray, but plays in a couple bands. I even sang backup vocals on a song!

Every Thursday during the warmer months, there’s a Farmer’s Market held from 5-7pm. Local vendors, live music, and good food, not a bad way to spend an evening!

Here’s a view of the cafe from the gas station on Farmer’s Market day.

Here’s the same windows, but from the other side.

View of the restored gas pumps and the Lincoln/Jefferson Highway. If you look in the distance you can see the Jefferson Highway Sign painted on the telephone pole.

Some things have been left as they were when it closed in 1967.

Here’s the gas station cash register, which was used during its operation until it closed in 1967. Look at the final total – I wish gas cost that amount!

There’s some irony in there somewhere with this picture…

A great fun sign from the Burma Shave company, which was a very popular brand of shaving cream from the 20s-50s.

This is the drawer right under the cash register. Note the old bottle of Four Roses and the Billy Club, perfect for keeping thieves and boredom away on the night shift!

Here’s Charlie Reed’s Desk, which has always been there since it opened in the 1920’s.

One of my favorite pictures taken on this journey so far.

The Lincoln and Jefferson Highways together!

Love the old sign on the back of the cafe, plus check out the old street lights.

This picture was taken while sitting at one of the counter stools.

Another view from the counter, this time on a cloudy day.

I love this quote from Emily Post (click on the photo to magnify the picture).

Inside Niland’s Cafe is a mini-exhibit about Colo and how the highways affected the town. This 1939 Cadillac is a fun thing to see amongst many others.

Here’s a view of more the buildings from early motel days. The one on the right was the old shower areas for the motel guests.

This part of the corner has been turned into a small park where you can picnic and view the Jefferson Highway marker.

This is a great old sign, which drivers on the Jefferson Highway would have been able to see from the road.

Burma Shave signs were also split up along the route like this so travelers would read them as they drove.

Words to remember when the road gets long…

For a more in-depth video of this historic corner, check out this great video on YouTube:

I’ll be hitting the road tomorrow so there will be a couple days where I won’t be writing much, so have a great first weekend of summer everyone and I’ll talk to you soon!

The Jefferson Bell Tower Festival Plus Sightseeing in Greene & Boone County

June 20, 2013 by Cece

There’s a bunch of pictures in this post, so I won’t write much here. What I will say was I had a wonderful time a being a part of Jefferson’s Bell Tower Festival. I performed both at the opening ceremony on Friday night, as well as a regular performance on Saturday afternoon. Another first for this tour was that I performed as part of a church service on Sunday in Grand Junction, Iowa. The minister said a few words, and then let me perform!

I also got a chance to hang out with a lot of great Iowa Lincoln Highway Association folks during this time, including Bob and Joyce Ausberger, Bob and Janet Owens, Dean and Jeannie Parr, John Fitzsimmons and many more! One beautiful day after the festival was done, the two Bob’s and Joyce took me on a driving tour of Greene and Boone Counties, and I learned more about bridges in one day than I had in my lifetime.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but if anyone has any questions about the pictures feel free to ask in the comments below. Thanks!

This statue of Lincoln is right next to the courthouse in Jefferson and he faces the highway. An excerpt from his 2nd inaugural address is inscribed below.

The Jefferson Bell Tower is a Carillon Tower that has an observation deck in which you can view the whole city and a couple nearby towns.

The Jefferson County courthouse is truly one of the most beautiful courthouses I’ve ever been in. What a lovely ceiling!

I was honored to be a part of the Jefferson Bell Tower Opening Ceremonies. Thanks again to Bob and Joyce Ausberger for setting everything up!

Hanging out with some LHA folks after performing for the Opening Ceremonies of the Bell Tower Festival.

I was so happy to have my Mom drive down from Minnesota for the Bell Tower Festival, it was great to have her there. Thanks also to our family friend Leann for coming down and taking this picture as well!

Here’s me in the parade! The car is a 1929 Model A.

Here’s a picture of me and Marty, my accompanist for the Jefferson and Grand Junction performances.

Here’s what the museum looks like from the outside.

Here’s another view of the Grand Junction museum.

A great banner done by local artist John Fitzsimmons. You’ll read more about him later.

This Haynes-Apperson car was built in 1902, and is the 1st car ever owned in Boone county, and the 10th car ever owned in the state of Iowa.

Here’s the back of the Haynes-Apperson Car.

It really is the 10th car owned in the state, and here’s the plate to prove it!

Me with Terry, the Mayor of Grand Junction.

This 1914 newspaper was found when they were renovating the museum in Grand Junction. Definitely click on this photo so you can see all of the detail in the paper.

These recreated Burma Shave ads from the heydays of the highway can bee see randomly all over the state. They all are pretty funny too!

This table at the Lincoln Highway museum in Grand Junction has a table that has been covered and lacquered in old matchbook covers. Pretty neat!

Here’s a detail picture of that cool table.

The Eureka arch bridge was built in 1912 and has five large arches spanning the Raccoon River just west of Jefferson Iowa.

The Hillcrest Motel was opened just outside of Jefferson in the in 50’s. When the route was re-routed a few years later, it fell into ruin quickly. There is discussion to restore it back to its original glory and make it a historic site.

The Lincoln Highway has several incarnations as you all know. There were several places in Greene County like this where it went through a person’s property long ago, and then was re-routed. This farm outside of Jefferson has the original route running on their property, and you can see it here between the trees.

Old motel sign just outside of Grand Junction.

Want to know how the Lincoln Highway is spelled in Chinese Characters? This gas station in Grand Junction has it listed on their station.

This Lion’s Club Tree Park and Lincoln Highway Interpretive site is right outside of Grand Junction. It is is located at the point where the Lincoln Highway splits from the newer US 30 and where four bridges cross West Beaver Creek.

The Lincoln Highway wasn’t the only auto trail that was created in the early 20th century, and you can see what their logos/signs looked like here.

The Marsh Rainbow Arch Bridge is located just outside of Beaver, Iowa on the original Lincoln Highway Route. This bridge was one of the earliest bridges of this type, and it was built in the 1910s.

Bob and Joyce posing with two of the bridges that started it all. In the background you have the 1915 bridge, and in the left foreground you can see the 1920s bridge.

Before signs, the routes were painted on telephone poles. This is a faded Lincoln Highway post from that time.

This is the Little Beaver Creek Lincoln Highway Bridge. Note the “L” on the sides of the bridge.

Here’s a full view of the Lincoln Highway Bridge

I saw the leaning shed with the prairie, and thought this image had to be immortalized.

Another Bridge built over the railroad tracks near the Dragoon Trail. Look at that blue sky!

We got lucky when a train passed by I was photographing the bridge!

The Kate Shelley High Bridge (built 1889-1901) is among the highest double-track railroad bridges in the United States. This is the first bridge to be named after a woman in the US, and rightfully so – she risked her life by crossing a railroad bridge to save passengers from a train that had been derailed by flood waters.

View of the original bridge from under the tracks.

You can see the old and new bridge together in this shot.

The Wagon Wheel Bridge was built in 1909, and is one of the few remaining large-scale wagon trusses in Iowa.

John Fitzsimmons is an artist who lives just outside of Boone, IA. He not only does some great artwork about the highway, he also is trying to recreate an old ghost town on his property. Here’s the Miner’s Inn.

This is a picture of John’s barn on the property.

Here’s the happy couple celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary.

Here’s Bob and Janet Owens, some other great members of the Iowa Chapter. They have been married for 63 years.

This is an excerpt from a 1953 A&W menu. Even back then they had veggie burgers!

Me posing with Bob Owen’s LH Marker in his front yard.

Summary of Eastern Iowa Highlights (Including a Special Trip to Belle Plaine)

June 19, 2013 by Cece

The modern Lincoln Highway Association had its rebirth in Iowa, and for good reason – many of the historic roads and places on the route are still unchanged and/or in use today. Agriculture is still the prominent industry along the route as it would haven been across the nation a century ago. The road has been categorized as a “Heritage Byway” by the state, and the signage here is excellent. You even have the options to take special loop sections along the original gravel routes to really get the old experience of what the route would have been like long ago.

My travels in Iowa thus far on the original route have been tricky. Due to the excessive rain in the state, many low-lying areas and rivers have flooded, and this includes some of the original gravel stretches in Eastern Iowa. Now normally I wouldn’t balk at a little water on the road, but when it has a current running through it, I didn’t want to take the chance. Between the Iowa mud (known as “gumbo”) and the rain travelers faced on the Lincoln Highway 100 years ago, I can see why many travelers turned back at this point.

Before I left Illinois, I received an unexpected but very cool phone call. A 94 year old man by the name of John Schild (known as “Dick” by most), heard of what I was doing. He then asked if we were related, as he had a cousin with the last name of “Otto”. I told him I wasn’t sure, but between us being possibly related, what I was doing for my project, and just exchanging general pleasantries, I had an invitation to visit and tour Belle Plaine, Iowa with John who had spent his whole life in town watching the Lincoln Highway grow and change before his eyes.

I spent about whole day touring the whole city with him, plus I had the pleasure of also having lunch at the Lincoln Cafe and afternoon conversation with him and Bill Sankot, the owner of the Sankot Garage, a place that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The intermittent rain that day facilitated some of the deepest conversations I’ve had on this tour thus far. Back in the heydays of the highway, men would gather at the garage to talk about the news of the day. This particular gloomy Wednesday in June, a 94 year old (Dick), a 60 something year old (Bill), and a 30 something year old (me) sat in the same garage and talked for hours about any and every topic you can think of in society. What did I (Cece) think of the country’s future? Are computers really the downfall of human society? If you could have one modern thing to take back with you a 100 years ago, what would it be? Take these questions and sprinkle in fun stories and anecdotes from our lives (including a few famous people), and you have an amazing, living aural history right in front of you. By the time my day had come to a close my brain was swimming with so much information, I was relieved I had recorded about 80% of our conversations that day.

Before you check out all of the cool photos in the picture gallery below, here’s a couple websites that give more information about the pictures below.

1) Belle Plaine Museum: This museum is quite a find for the area, and has several wonderful collections. A must stop for any Lincoln Highway buff.

2) Youngville Café: Built in 1931, this was a fully functioning gas station, café, and small cabin court along the highway until the late 1960’s. It too is also on the National Register of Historic Places, and now is open a couple days a week for lunch.

And now onto the gallery!

Here’s what both the modern and old Iowa Lincoln Highway Signs looks like.

I’m guessing Lincoln Highway travelers encountered high water like this along the road 100 years ago, but unlike me they didn’t have another route to follow!

Located in Mt Vernon, this is an abandoned stretch of brick road.

Here’s a section of the Mt. Vernon Brick section that has some special details about it.

This abandoned stretch of the Lincoln has a beautiful example of what early an concrete road looks like.

Here’s some detail of the concrete in the abandoned stretch.

Here’s the sign for the Seedling Mile in this part of Iowa which is East of Cedar Rapids.

You can see the change in the pavement in this photo from the original seedling mile pavement to the regular road asphalt that we use today.

This banner on Dick’s barn will greet all of the drivers from a few car tours this summer.

Dick showed me this old picture of what the tourist camp would have looked like along the original route back in the 1920s.

The Lincoln Cafe is another great old stop along the Lincoln, and they’ve got great food.

The Henry Tippie Annex is a great new exhibit in the museum. A prominent businessman, you can see his top ten rules for life.

Some great old sheet music on a piano in the music room of the museum.

Belle Plaine’s piano player reel collection is huge. They have about 200 rolls of music that can still be heard on their player pianos.

This is one of the most beautiful chandeliers I’ve ever seen. On display at the Belle Plaine Museum, this Egerman glass chandelier is a wonderful example of what was the Czech people created with glass in the 1920s. My blue necklace is also made of Czech glass from this period.

Here’s some cool old hotel signs from the Herring Hotel. We’ll see some of the building in later shots.

The Sankot Garage has been a fixture of the Lincoln Highway and Belle Plaine since the 1920s.

Here’s the Neon Sign outside the garage.

Interior shot of the Sankot Garage. Had my father been alive to see this place, I’m guessing he never would have left there! I’ve never seen so many different car parts.

Here’s another view of the front room in the Sankot Garage.

Detail of the Sankot front room’s floor.

Old Clock in the Sankot Garage, which Bill roughly dated to the 40s.

This is an old Edison Trickle Charger. This was used to charge old car batteries.

Here’s a picture of the Model A that Bill is currently restoring. They fired it up, and it runs great!

From Left to Right: Bill Sankot, Me, and John “Dick” Schild

Dick drove me in/around Belle Plaine so I could see some of the original gravel roads of the LH. Here’s the view from the car.

The Herring Hotel was an operating hotel in the heydays of the highway in Belle Plaine. It’s currently under renovation, and hopefully will be restored to its glory.

Dick can around the corner to talk to the owner to see if we could get in so I could take some photos of the area. While I was waiting I took this detail of the original floor.

A few pieces of the hotels’ original ceiling still appear.

Preston’s Garage in Belle Plaine is an important fixture of the highway. It originally was a working gas station on the original route, but when the route was moved in the 20s, the building was pulled by a horse team to the location where it is today.

Anyone who loves old signs will love stopping to view this place.

The Youngville Cafe is one of those place that you wish was open all of time. Open for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays afternoons, as well as on Fridays for pie and the Farmer’s Market. This early 1930s cafe has been restored beautifully from top to bottom, and is run only by volunteers.

View of the Lincoln Highway from inside the Youngville Cafe.

LOVE this sign, and want it in my kitchen!

Listed on the National Historic Register, Tama’s Lincoln Highway Bridge was built in 1915.

There’s more posts about Iowa after this one, so subscribe to read more!

Living Gluten Free While on the Lincoln Highway

June 18, 2013 by Cece

While I post mostly about the sights and experiences along the Lincoln Highway, I want to talk about something that unifies all of us humans, and that’s food. Food defines us as a culture and some of our best memories come through the food we’ve made and eaten over time. For those of us who have food sensitivities, journeys like the one that I’m on can be intimidating. Since 2002, I’ve lived a gluten and dairy free lifestyle for medical reasons (there are more sensitivities than this, but these are the big 2 for me). 11 years in the gluten/dairy free world, and so much has changed. I never thought I’d be able to eat pizza in public again, but there are restaurants that make gluten free pizza with non-dairy cheese! Awareness has grown so much just even in the last couple years, rural America knows more about food allergies than ever before.

I’m currently in Iowa, about halfway time-wise on my tour (three months so far, and three to go), so I feel like I can speak about the pluses and pitfalls about living on the road with multiple food allergies. I’ll be honest, I’ve been sick a few times from food I thought was safe that really wasn’t safe (those places will not be mentioned in this post), BUT there’s a lot of great “mom-and-pop” places along the route that are way more accommodating to food-savvy folks like us than typical chain restaurants. As people are becoming more aware about what’s in their food, local diners (especially in the heartland) will source more and more ingredients from people they know. The retro diner that looks like it will have nothing to eat might actually have something that’s okay for you. The owner or owner’s daughter might have Celiac disease, and whoa, the whole kitchen is dedicated gluten free.

There’s tons of people and bloggers who have written about how to travel safe while on a restricted diet, and there’s a lot of great tips out there. I won’t be overly repetitive about what they’ve said, but I will tell you a few things that have worked for me.

1) Bring your own food

In a future post you’ll see how I packed for a 6 month trip (it’s not as easy as it looks), but I can tell you I packed and re-packed my “safe food” stash to have with me when I wouldn’t have access to food. Having food that’s shelf-stable is key for a six-month journey, and then supplementing with local produce/deli is crucial.

A huge plus with a growth in gluten free awareness is that I’ve been able to find and buy loaves of GF bread from reputable companies in grocery stores that were in the middle of nowhere. Amish and Mennonite areas even have gluten free sections now in their stores, as people in their populations have Celiac disease as well. Brands like The Gluten Free Bar, Schar, and Kinnikinnick make shelf stable products (many with non-GMO ingredients), and GFree Connect provides care packs that have sample sizes which are perfect for travel.

2) Bring extra supplements

Those of you who have a specialized diet probably have a supplement routine to keep yourself healthy, including vitamins and digestive enzymes. I am NOT a medical or health professional, so this section can and should be tailored to what’s best for you. If you eat something that makes you sick, remember your body needs an extra “nudge” to get better, especially while dealing with the stress of traveling. When I did get sick from food, the key was hydration, rest, and taking extra supplements. I am happy to report that after three months on the road, I’ve been food sick only and not other types of sick (knocks on wood). I realize getting sick from food is not great, but I feel the need to celebrate small victories where I can. My supplements have helped me cope with the changes in climate, time zones, and weird schedules without getting even a single head cold. Either way, follow the advice of your health care practitioner no matter what I’ve written here, and if your symptoms are severe while on the road seek medical attention immediately.

3) Do Your Homework Before, During and After Your Trip

Anyone who lives this way knows your work is never done in regards to keeping optimum health. You’re always reading labels, looking at menus online, and calling restaurants in advance of your arrival to make sure everything is safe. If you have a smartphone, use those apps that will help you find what you need. For me, Find Me Gluten Free and Yelp have been a godsend and extremely crucial for my trip so far. I’ve been able to locate and read reviews of restaurants and grocery stores (again I like to give my money to local communities, not chains if possible) and use them to my benefit. When in doubt, don’t eat there!

4) Consider Alternative Housing Arrangements While on the Road

This tour has been a grassroots tour from the get-go, and that means I’ve relied on the kindness of strangers to give me a couch/bed to sleep on. One of those components of finding people to stay with is through CouchSurfing. With CouchSurfing, you can create a profile and note your food allergies. You can either be a host to people, or people can host you. Depending on where you are going, you can find people who can accommodate your lodging and dietary needs (i.e. cross-contamination free kitchens) plus get a local’s perspective of the community you are traveling through. Air Bnb also has affordable accommodations as well that might have kitchens where you can cook your own food as well.

Below is a few snapshots of some of my positive food experiences. I couldn’t put the web links to the restaurants in the pictures, so click below on the name of the place if you want to learn more about them.

Grandma’s Grotto

Little E’s Pizzeria

Mad Mex

After my first performance I celebrated with Gluten and Dairy Free piece of Chocolate Cake!

My CouchSurfing host in suburban Philadelphia introduced me to Elderflower Liqueur, yum! Tie it in with bonfire, and it was a great way to unwind on a non-performance day.

For Gluten Free Folks, there’s tons of quick “instant” noodles made out of rice or tofu that are ready within minutes. I picked up a few things at the Asian Market in this case.

You can see my write up about the General Warren Inne in an earlier post, but seeing a menu like this makes me happy.

I found this place through Instagram. I posted a picture with the hashtag #glutenfree and within 20 minutes one of the family members of Grandma’s Grotto had reached out to me to tell about who they are and what they do. Their whole family is GF, and the food was amazing.

This their Gluten Free Menu, and they have a dessert case and freezer full of items that are all gluten free (many are also dairy, corn and nut free too).

Grandma’s Grotto made me this special Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake, and it was gluten and dairy free.

As I said earlier, I’ve been able to find bread pretty easily. These french bread loaves were from Grandma’s Grotto, and I was able to use them in rural Pennsylvania where gluten free items were not readily available.

Little E’s Pizzeria was heaven. Great gluten free pizza, beer, and cider, plus they had organic and vegan options as well.

I had this meal at Mad Mex in Pittsburgh (can you believe it was a lunch portion?), and again everything was gluten free and dairy free.

This meal comes from one of my CouchSurfing hosts in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This Salmon was caught, flash frozen and shipped from Alaska by the host’s brother. We made up a homemade glaze with some items I had in my food stash and voila! With rice, vegetables, and good conversation, it was a great culinary experience.

Okay, this shows that not everyone knows what you’ll find in a small town cafe. This is a Scotcheroo (new to me until two days ago), which is a rice krispy treat made with peanut butter and butterscotch instead of marshmallows. Cover it with chocolate, and you’re done! I found these in NIland’s Cafe in Colo, Iowa (more about them in a future post).

*I was not compensated by any places or companies above to endorse their product(s). Please read all labels and menus before consuming any food to make sure it’s right for you.

Illinois Lincoln Highway Highlights (outside Chicagoland)

June 17, 2013 by Cece

I’ve lived in Illinois for several years, and have driven the Lincoln Highway in these parts a few times. As noted in the previous post, navigating the highway is very easy to do in this state thanks to its excellent signage. There’s some memorable points along the route that one should check out once the traffic of Chicago is far behind you, and these are my personal highlights of this last trip in Western Illinois.

1) The Loveland Community House

George and Emma Loveland lived in Dixon, Illinois their whole lives, but traveled extensively. When they both passed away, they noted in their will and testament that all of their estate funds and belongings from their travels would be donated to the city of Dixon. With this endowment, a museum and community center was built that has continued to serve the community in a number of ways. The museum has one of the most eclectic but fun collections I’ve ever seen (it also includes donations from other Dixon Locals too), as well as meeting rooms and a huge auditorium. I performed my 3rd Illinois concert here and it was a fantastic show. You can see video of some of the songs from this performance on my new YouTube page.

2) The John Deere Historic Site

While this site is not on the Lincoln Highway (it’s about 5 miles from Dixon in Grand Detour), make the journey to visit this place. Between the Archeological Site, the resident Blacksmith doing demonstrations, the gardens, and the original home, you will really get a wonderful, interactive glimpse into life in Grand Detour in the early to mid 1800s.

3) City of Dixon, Illinois

For a population of 16,000, Dixon has a lot going on! The biggest claim to fame is that Ronald Reagan spent his boyhood here, and you can tour this home as well as follow the Reagan Trail. There’s a lot of Lincoln Highway sights here too (see in pictures below), plus there’s five gorgeous state parks all within a short driving distance of the highway.

4) De Immigrant Windmill, Fulton Illinois

Who knew an operating Windmill was in Western Illinois? Originally built in the Netherlands, disassembled and shipped to Fulton. They process 5 different grains in this mill (depending on how the wind is that day), and you can buy it on site. Check out the Windmill Cultural Center next door too, you can see really intricate models of dozens of different types of windmills from all over the world.

Other Lincoln Highway related sites include the Lincoln Highway Association Headquarters in Franklin Grove, IL (they’ve got so much cool stuff there, make sure you have a whole afternoon to check it out), plus the seedling mile in Malta, IL (right in front of the community college). There’s plenty of things to see and do along the route in the “Land of Lincoln”, you easily could do multiple trips.

Here’s a few snapshots of all of the places that I’ve mentioned, plus a couple extra surprises :-) – Enjoy!