Impressionistic travel. A blend of music & video playlists, maps & history. The stories, pictures and videos of people, places, and songs along famous routes. Currently travelling virtually on Route 66, Highway 101, Interstate 95, the Pan-American, Trans-Canadian, Lincoln, & Al-Can Highways.
It was 1914. Cars had been around for a few years. Lately they had become a national craze. Henry Ford began producing the Model T in 1908. This made car ownership a reality for hundreds of thousands of Americans.
People loved the new cars, but there was a problem. The roads were awful. Larger cities had paved sections. A few early paved connector roads between cities existed. People wanted to use there cars to explore the country outside of the cities. That became difficult when the pavement ended.
Motorists in those early days in rural areas had to contend with muddy roads and deep wagon ruts. Railroad bridges were sometimes the only available river crossings. Horses still using the old dirt roads would get spooked by the automobiles. It was a difficult and often dangerous situation. Something needed to change.
Groups of early automotive boosters organized themselves. Their goal: establishing a paved road linking the east and west coast of the United States. They urged Congress to oppropriate funding for a national highway. They argued benefits to shipping. More important, the mobility of US troops within the nation would improve. The benefits to the average citizen were also stressed. Congress approved the Lincoln Highway. Construction began.
Opening in 1914, the highway was not one paved route throughout the country. It was a network of existing paved roads. New paving now connected these pre-existing roads. Together they would form one long, paved Lincoln Highway.
Lincoln Highway near Pennsylvania Tunnel-September 1922 Wikipedia
The Lincoln Highway was America's first national highway. The road was legendary long before Route 66 gained its infamy. This highway was at the birth of our modern road trip culture. It saw the rise of motor touring and the development of the car camp. Those old car camps sometimes added cabins and the motel was born.
Old Highway Notes asks you to join us. We will explore the Lincoln Highway in our usual style. A handpicked blend of YouTube video clips and music with a touch of history and tourism.
Before we hit the road here are some songs about cars from the Golden age of the highway 1914-1940.
1In My Merry OldsmobileBilly Murray3:01
2He'd Have To Get Out And Get Under (To Fix Up His Automobile)Billy Murray3:19
3The Little Ford Rambled Right AlongBilly Murray2:21
4Uncle Josh Buys An AutomobileCal Stewart3:17
5I'm Wild About Horns On AutomobilesJack Dalton and The 7 Blue Babies5:09
6Steppin' On The GasSam Morgan's Jazz Band3:23
7Get 'Em In A Rumble SeatBilly Jones & Ernest Hare3:28
8Henry's Made A Lady Out Of LizzieClicquot Club Eskimos2:40
9The Chevrolet SixFrank Hutchison3:10
10A Race Between a Ford and a ChevroletOscar Ford3:20
11Henry Ford BluesRoosevelt Sykes3:11
12Chevrolet CarSam McGee3:11
13Car SongWoody Guthrie1:53
14Hard Travelin'Woody Guthrie2:40
15This Land Is Your LandWoody Guthrie4:31
16Lost HighwayHank Williams3:13
17Terraplane BluesRobert Johnson3:02
18My Little MachineSonny Boy Williamson I3:03
19Mean Old HighwaySonny Boy Williamson I3:25
20Hard Driving BluesAmos Milburn2:43
Here is a bonus I found.
An American Songline: A Musical Journey Along the Lincoln Highway
Cecelia Otto
1It's a Long Way to California3:49
2Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life1:22
3Second Hand Rose0:42
4Beautiful Ohio2:30
5[Preparing for The] Lincoln Way5:40
6Along the Way6:34
7Goin' Home5:03
8In My Merry Oldsmobile3:10
9Let Me Stray3:02
10I Always Wear My Amber Shades (Even On a Cloudy Day)3:23
11Out Where the West Begins1:49
12I'm Always Chasing Rainbows3:13
13Land Of Lincoln2:53
Lincoln Highway: 0 Miles/0 States/0 Counties/33 Videos/1 Post
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Viera, Florida. Before the town's construction in 1990, this area that Interstate 95 passed through was known as Cocoa Ranch. The owners decided to break up the ranch for development. Viera is a master planned community that adjacent to Melbourne, Florida. Viera seems to be about suburban as you can get with 58 individual neighborhoods.
Space Coast Stadium was built in 1994 to act as the Spring Training facilities for the then new Florida Marlins.
You may remember from my post about Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, the Marlins now have Spring Training in Jupiter. Why aren't they still in Viera? In 2002 the Montreal Expos were sold. As part of the deal it was required that Marlins switch stadiums with the Expos putting the Marlins in Jupiter and the Expos in Viera.
Expos? Not the Nationals. Actually they are the same team having been reformed and renamed in 2004 as the Washington Nationals. Which catches us up to the current day, The park seats 8100 fans and takes its name, like the rest of the region, from the history of NASA on the Central Florida Coast. When Spring training is over the park becomes home to the minor league Brevard County Manatees as well as occasionally serving as home field for the Nationals of the Gulf Coast League.
Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans. As I suspected, Space Coast Park hosts a Fourth of July Fireworks Show. Lets go!
Our musical selections this week are all songs related to fireworks. In many ways, fireworks are like Americans: so fun, so dangerous, so loud, and so colorful!
Our set begins with a classical piece that hearkens back to Colonial Era England. In 1749, George Handel was contracted to compose a musical score to accompany a firework show that was being put on for King George II. The show was held on April 27, 1749 in London's Green Park. celebrating the end of the War of the Austrian Succession and the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.
Interestingly, Music for Fireworks, whose overture we feature here was originally written to include violins.The producer of the fireworks show, Duke John Mantagu insisted that the strings be removed as the King had a preference for wind instruments and drums. Handel argued the point, but ultimately complied. Regardless, the piece entered the classical canon as one of Handel's most famous pieces, often paired with his other famous outdoor composition, Water Music, in recordings.
Indoor Fireworks by Elvis Costello shares a similar tempo to Handel's piece so it bridges the musical transition from classical to more modern music. The song itself is a classic bit of the Elvis Costello wordplay that makes him one of my favorite songwriters. Indoor Fireworks symbolize a burning out of a fiery relationship, that still enjoys a spark in the bedroom.
Going back to 1929, our next track is a song recorded only once by Louis Armstrong and his Hot 5. The rocord was made in Chicago and it is the the uptempo number Firecracker.
Louis Armstrong gets followed up by an obscure track from an obscure album. Chet Bolin was a little known Philadelphia musician who recorded an album in the 1980's that went largely unnoticed. It was yeas later, in 2007, when community radio station WFMU ran a series called The 365 Project on their blog that showcased obscure audio track every day, Frequently these were thrift store LPs available for free download. Chet Bolin's album All American Masher was posted on October 11 and on it was the song Boom Boom, our next track.
The Chet Bolin track gets followed by an even more obscure track. When mash ups were first happening, a collection called Divas Of Joy was posted online. Our next track is a mash up from that collection between Joy Division and Katy Perry called joy division vs katy perry-Means To A Firework. Good luck finding a copy of this one, as it looks like it has been pulled down from most hosting sites.
Our next cut is far more readily available. It is also one of the most famous blues songs of all time. John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom. It is followed by another song from England. This time it the song Rocket from a Bottle, from the XTC album Black Sea. It would be an oversight to have a list of firework songs without including one of the most iconic songs to mention fireworks. The title of this Starland Vocal Band hit also gave the world a new phrase for an midday sexual tryst, Afternoon Delight.
A metal firecracker is a slang term for a musician's tour bus. Alt-Country favorite Lucinda Williams sings of a love affair that is now over but was consummated on the bus with her song Metal Firecracker.
Keep Sending Me Black Fireworkscomes to us from the band Of Montreal, who are not of Montreal at all, but rather from Athens Georgia. The song is a psychedelic love song from the bonus disc on the band's 7th album, Sunlandic Twins It compares love to black fireworks, you can feel the energy, but you cannot see it.
The next track randomly appeared on my music player. I am not sure where it came from, but I like it. Laura Cantrell gives us a torchy folk cover of the Elvis Costello song Indoor Fireworks that appears as a sort of reprise on the playlist.
Finally this week we have a song that was offered on the music blog Cover Lay Down. It is another folky female cover. This time it is the Ryan Adam song Firecracker being performed by Janelle Daddona.
Overture From The Royal Fireworks - Strings&Trumpet (Handel)Classical RequestsBMP Classical Grand Entrance1:22
Indoor FireworksThe Very Best Of Elvis CostelloElvis Costello4:09
FireworksThe Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven RecordingsLouis Armstrong3:10
joy division vs katy perry-Means To A FireworkDivas Of JoyOki4:14
Boom BoomMartin Scorsese Presents: The BluesJohn Lee Hooker2:32
Rocket From A BottleBlack SeaXTC3:31
Afternoon DelightHave A Nice Decade- The '70s Pop Culture Box Starland Vocal Band3:50
Metal FirecrackerCar Wheels On A Gravel RoadLucinda Williams3:30
Keep Sending Me Black FireworksThe Sunlandic TwinsOf Montreal3:28
Indoor Fireworks Laura Cantrell4:19
FirecrackerJanelle Daddona2:45
Watching the fireworks, I remember the that America was founded as a bunch of rebels and traitors, but we showed the world that a nation can survive by the rule of the common man.That is pretty cool and it IS something to be proud of. Have great 4th, everyone! Enjoy!
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On Memorial Day weekend in the United States, and it only seems appropriate that since this road trip based blog we spend a day just driving. For much of America, that is what Memorial Day Weekend is all about-hitting the road and driving to somewhere.
Accident statistics are aways published after a holiday weekend reporting on fatal highway collisions. It is a tragedy. Please road trippers, be careful on the highways. Luckily, by taking a road trip with Old Highway Notes you can avoid some of the risks of the road. So let's hit it...
Leaving Vero Beach and the McKee Jungle Gardens, our drive North on Interstate 95 continues as we return to the highway leaving Vero Beach. The scenery turns a bit wild through the windshield as the Interstate slices through the St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park. Eager to make tracks we drive past this beautiful natural area rather than stopping to enjoy the scenery.
Thanks to the courtesy of CrossCountryRoads.com we have dash cams of the drive as the interstate makes its way through the park.
As we exit the State Park Interstate 95 moves into a more urban environment, as we enter the city of Palm Bay, Florida.
Palm Bay, Floridais the largest city in Brevard County, Florida. It has a strong tech presence and and a mixed age population with lots of golfing and typical Florida Coastal life. Honestly it looks like a fairly pleasant suburban type of community. I could not find much at all in the way of interesting stories or places to visit here however.
I found a tour of haunted places, and there were also a site here and here that had nothing nice to say about the city. I can see no reason to to keep driving North on our imaginary journey, In the spirit of fairness, I will let Brevard County make their pitch about Palm Bay.
It is not the questionable online reviews of Palm Bay that keeps us moving. We are nearing the end of today's drive. Our destination is Space Coast Stadium in the development of Viera in northern Melbourne, Florida. The city borders Palm Bay to the North, so we are almost there.
A look into Melbourne reveals it to be a historic destination among the sport fishing and boating crowd and a well known stop on Florida Coastal tourist trail. Here are some images of the city from the days before the interstate pushed through and changed everything.
We end the days travel as we reach Viera, Florida and arrive at Space Coast Stadium. Its time to get out and stretch our legs, our trip is done for the day. In our next post we'll visit the stadium as we continue our series on Spring Training Ballparks on Florida.
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Driving is popular activity for Americans celebrating a three day weekend. This particular three day weekend though, should also include a dose of solemnity. Memorial Day exists to honor American fighting men and women who have died in military service.
It is my passionate wish that every person serving in the military can be relieved of duty because humanity has evolved to make their job's obsolete. Until that day comes though, I thank them for their service and bow my head to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their families and communities,
We begin with set of songs from each of the America's military actions. This set is dedicated to those who have given their all, in the hopes that somehow man can find a way to evolve past the need for men and women to give so much.
Perhaps the most well known song of the Revolutionary War would Yankee Doodle. However, I chose another well known song of the era that seems to fit in more with the theme of sacrifice that is Memorial Day. From the Edgar Meyer, Yo-Yo Ma & Mark O' Conner album Heartland, we have James Taylor with a heartfelt rendition of Johnny's Gone Off To A Soldier.
The War of 1812 gave us The Star Spangled Banner which is the best choice for this list. Although the Battle Of New Orleans by Johnny Horton was strongly considered.
It surprised me just a bit to find a song of the Mexican War in my collection, but I did find one.Surprisingly, it is by and Irish group, The Chieftains. They give us March To Battle (Across The Rio Grande).
The Civil War gave us the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Maybe I should have used that song, but instead I indulged my more peaceful side by choosing the touching story of Two Little Boys performed Old and In the Grey, a recent incarnation of famous 70's hippy bluegrass band Old and In The Way.
Bob Marley gave us our next song. It is perhaps the most well known song about the Indian Wars, Buffalo Soldier.
John Philip Sousa was known as the March king for the many well known marches he composed around the turn of the twentieth century, the same era as the Spanish American War. I am sure you will all recognize Stars And Stripes Forever, the next addition to our playlist. The performance is by the H.M. Grenadier Guards from the England.
World War I gave us many songs of patriotism and gung ho Americanism, but there were those who wanted peace and isolation. The song I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier represents that viewpoint.
World War II began in the heart of the swing era. Our next track is by a performer who is among the ranks of Americans lost at war. In 1942 Glenn Miller was at the height of his career, however the drums of war called as he decided to postpone his civilian career to serve in the military,
Initially serving in the Army as a Band Director he worked at modernizing the sound of the Army Band, He was then transferred to the Air Force where he led a band that served as both pro-American propaganda and was important in maintaining troop moral as well.
On December 15, 1944, Miller was aboard a small single engine plane flying from the UK to Paris, France where he was to perform some shows. He never arrived. The plane was missing and no explanation was certain. Mechanical problems as well as airborne bombs have both been suspected. Regardless, this flight stripped the world of swing music great Glenn Miller. It also left the world another name to remember and mourn on Memorial Day. Glenn Miller's American Patrol musically represent the Second World War on our musical playlist.
I did not have very much in my collection to reference Korea, but I did find an Ernest Tubb hit, A Heartsick Soldier on a Heartbreak Ridge. Vietnam was another matter. So much of the music about that war is critical of the soldiers that risked so much at the request of their country that I wanted to include something positive. Perhaps the most positive, if also the most corny, pro military song from the era was The Ballad Of The Green Berets by SSgt. Barry Sadler, U.S. Army Special Forces.
Starting in the 1980's, the United States entered into a series of military actions around the world that continue to this day. There are songs about the Gulf War and songs about 9/11, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I am sure of that, but my musical knowledge starts getting thinner the more recent the performer. So I will let Merl Haggard make the case, in 1969, for so many of these situations and against those who don't respect our troops The Fightin' Side Of Me.
Johnny Has Gone For A SoldierHeartland - An Appalachian AnthologyMark O'Connor, James Taylor, John Mock2:57
Star Spangled Banner (The National Anthem)Veterans Day HonorUS Coast Guard Band1:29
March To Battle (Across The Rio Grande)San PatricioThe Chieftains With Banda De Gaitas Del Batallón De San Patricio, Liam Neeson, Los Cenzontles & L.A. Juvenil4:12
Two Little BoysOld And In The GrayOld And In The Gray3:57
Buffalo SoldierLegendBob Marley & The Wailers 4:19
Stars and Stripes ForeverMark Twain's AmericaJohn Philip Sousa3:33
I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A SoldierPeerless Quartet3:05 DOWNLOAD HERE
American PatrolThe Best of the Lost Recordings & the Secret BroadcastsGlenn Miller3:25
A Heartsick Soldier on a Heartbreak Ridge Let's Say Goodbye Like We Said HelloErnest Tubb3:05
The Ballad Of The Green BeretsNext Stop Is Vietnam SSgt. Barry Sadler, U.S. Army Special Forces2:31
The Fightin' Side Of MeHAG: The Best Of Merle HaggardMerle Haggard2:54
Taps (with Orchestration)Veterans Day HonorUS Marine Band1:21
I close our music tribute with Taps in arrangement performed by the US Marine Corps Band.
If you like what you have read here I'd like to ask you a favor. If you purchase any item on Amazon after you link to them in the Amazon banner below, I will get a little something from them. It doesn't cost you any extra and I cannot see what you have purchased. With your help, I can keep the show on the road for you.
You Can Give me a Karma Donation Via PayPal
Keep Traveling!
To read more Old Highway Notes, choose an off ramp and click on the highway sign:
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