Lincoln
Highway Companion: A Guide to America's First Coast-to-Coast
Road ,
by Brian Butko
I've read Brain Butko's classic Greetings
From The Lincoln Highway: America's First Coast-to Coast
Road cover-to-cover several times in the last
three years. Tracing the route of this first transcontinental
highway remains one of my fondest road trip dreams.
I've given copies of the hardback book to many fellow
road trip enthusiasts, and I know of a few copies that
have been enjoyed so much that the binding is falling
apart.
Because hardback books don't make very
good traveling companions, it was wonderful to learn
about Butko's new companion piece to the original volume.
The Lincoln Highway Companion: A Guide to America's
First Coast-to-Coast Road is a perfect size and
format for riding shotgun on road trips. With 190 pages
packed with color photographs and detailed maps, road
trip aficionados can easily follow this historic highway.
Actually, the Lincoln Highway is not a
single road, but rather a chain of routes that link
San Francisco and New York City. Butko's original book
starts in New York City and works its way west. The
new book starts in San Francisco and heads east. Since
I'm closer to the west coast than the east, I now have
even less of an excuse than before for not grabbing
this excellent book and following those sections of
the Lincoln Highway that are within a few hours of my
house.
A particularly engaging feature of this
new book is that the author has used commentary from
fellow highway enthusiasts to describe attractions,
motels, diners, etc. Reading the book is like sitting
in at a "round-table" and listening to people
share their favorite discoveries. The technique also
allowed the author to include recent updates. I was
amazed at how many new places have cropped up along
this century-old highway in the last few years. Phone
numbers and Web site addresses are listed, making it
easy to make a reservation at a historic motel or to
find a unique diner while on the road.
For most sections of the Highway, the author
has created excellent lists of "must-see spots."
Who could pass up a stop at Boot Hill cemetery in Ogalla,
Nebraska or the Studebaker National Museum in South
Bend, Indiana? And when you reach Lisbon, Ohio, you'll
know you should sample a deep-fried cheese ball at the
Steel Trolley Diner. Even if you aren't planning a real-life
road trip, this book is great fun to "random page."
One interesting feature of the Lincoln
Highway is that it was never entirely paved. Some sections
are still dirt roads, and some stretches in the east
have brick surfaces. Few locals, however, are familiar
with the highway and its interesting history. That relative
obscurity makes this wonderful new book an essential
tool for anyone interested in discovering the Lincoln
Highway, whether by armchair, on short excursions, or
on an extended coast-to-coast exploration. I recommend
it highly.
Mark
Sedenquist
6/26/09
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