American Road Trip Talk

Nothing says Christmas like sparkling lights, mistletoe and leg lamps. That is, of course, if you are a fan of the 1983 holiday movie, A Christmas Story. The film chronicles a hilarious holiday season during the late 1950’s through the eyes of a child. In one classic scene the father proudly displays his sweepstakes prize, a lamp in the shape of a woman’s leg. The story is pure fiction but not the house. It still exists in a Cleveland, Ohio working class neighborhood. Our guest is Steve Sidlecki, the executive director of The Christmas Story House and Museum and he will fill us in on more of the details. You can visit The Christmas Story House in Cleveland or online at their homepage to find the times for visiting and some of the merchandise from the movie. Just imagine how you'd look in one of those pink bunny pajamas!

Believe it or not, covered bridges are as American as apple pie. According to Robert Huttinger, web designer and covered bridge aficionado, what we might consider quaint rural river crossings are very particular to North America. Robert is not only knowledgeable about these architectural wonders but he also wants to make sure that the rest of us can find them. That is why he developed a covered bridges app or program for the iPhone or iPad, a portable tablet in the hands of millions of users. We reviewed the application in detail in the fall 2012 issue of American Road Magazine. Robert will share his enthusiasm for covered bridges and tell how you can use his application to find one near you or even plan a vacation route to see a bunch of these beauties.

Margaret Dunning may be 102 years old, but most of us might find it hard to keep up with her. In a recent issue of our magazine this remarkable woman was featured for her participation in a classic car event with her 1930 Packard 740 Roadster. In this second part of our interview, Margaret relates what it was like to travel on the original American Highways when there were more horses than horseless carriages. But her most incredible journey was the one she took when she was 12 years old; you don’t want to miss that story.

Margaret Dunning may be 102 years old, but most of us might find it hard to keep up with her. In a recent issue of our magazine this remarkable woman was featured for her participation in a classic car event with her 1930 Packard 740 Roadster. During an extended interview with Margaret, she shared about her love for cars and told some fascinating stores about the beginnings of motor travel in America. In this first of a two-part interview, Mrs. Dunning tells how she first learned to drive and shares her fascination with the motor car. Part 2 will focus on her travels on the early American roads.

It's not the kind of thing that you can miss if you are headed through the heart of the land of Lincoln. An enormous crucifix rises nearly 200' out of the corn and soybean fields of central Illinois and can be seen for miles away coming from any point of the compass on the flat landscape. It towers above the convergence of two major freeway systems: I 70 between Terre Haute, IN and St. Louis MO and I 57 between Chicago and Memphis, TN. In our Fall issue of American Road Magazine I wrote an article for the National Road column based on a visit I made to that monument and a discussion I had with Christy Hackman, spokesperson for the Cross Foundation. You're invited to join me for the conversation, which inspired the article that appeared in the magazine, and to find out more about this remarkable beacon of hope.

From Biblical times the name Goshen has been synonymous with a promised land of plenty. That is exactly what the little community by the same name in Northwest Indiana’s Amish country became for Care Anderson’s relatives. His great-grandfather brought European candy making skills from Greece to Goshen where folks have come to count on those handmade delicacies and his corner restaurant, the Olympia Candy Kitchen. During a recent trip through Indiana American Road Trip Talk host, Foster Braun, interviewed Care in a quiet moment between customers to talk about the family tradition of good food and friendship that they have been serving for almost a century.

Beautiful photography has been a key part of the magic of American Road Magazine right from the start. How fitting, then, that we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the magazine with the Take 10 Photo Contest to find the best "ten themed" images of the American byways! In this interview Becky Repp tells you how to help the magazine celebrate their tenth anniversary year by sending them your favorite “ten” themed road trip photo! You could win $250 and have your photograph published in an upcoming issue of American Road® magazine.

American Road Magazine is not just another a beautiful, glossy magazine, it has also developed an excellent digital presence with its Internet homepage. Readers can now view their full magazines online if they prefer and enjoy all the information and beautiful pictures on the device of their choice. They can even work the crossword puzzle electronically, find special sales and enter sweepstakes online! On this podcast magazine co-founder Becky Repp describes itineraries on the American Road Magazine homepage that visitors can use to plan trips all over the country.

Foster Braun has not only been the host of this podcast he has also been the co-host of The Internet Advisor radio program on WJR 760-AM in Detroit since 1998. It was there that he met Thomas and Becky Repp, the co-founders of American Road Magazine. In this interview Foster and his co-host Gary baker chatted with Becky in 2011 about a summer issue that featured classic drive-ins and they discussed the best things about traveling the great two lane highways of America.

America’s love of games was the theme of American Road Magazine’s Spring 2012 issue. A feature article by Terri Cook traced the Pinball Route down the east coast from New Jersey to the National Pinball Museum in Baltimore. Along the way we met, Todd Tuckey, the Pinball Wizard and proprietor of TNT Amusements. His Pennsylvania showroom specializes in the acquisition, restoration and sale of old, coin-operated video game machines. In Part 2 of our conversation Todd focuses on a reality TV show he is developing about restoring those classics called, "High Score". Think of it as Storage Wars meets American Pickers but this time the prize is a valuable classic video arcade game.

America’s love of games is the theme of American Road Magazine’s Spring 2012 issue. A feature article by Terri Cook traced the Pinball Route down the east coast and along the way we met, Todd Tuckey, the Pinball Wizard and proprietor of TNT Amusement. His Pennsylvania showroom specializes in the acquisition, restoration and sale of old, coin-operated video game machines. In part one of our conversation Todd shares the rich history of classic video arcade games that he lovingly restores. Part 2 will focus on a reality show that he is developing that is based on his passion for video games.

The 2012 summer edition of American Road Magazine celebrates some of the best columns, trips, interviews and stunning photographs presented during its first decade. This podcast brings back a favorite conversation with ARM Editors Thomas and Becky Repp as they interviewed Judy Bushy from Happy Camp, CA. The subject was a bashful fellow named Big Foot and California's Bigfoot Scenic Byway, a breathtaking Northern California stretch running 89-miles on a portion of Highway 96 surrounded by the Siskiyou and the Klamath Mountains.

In 2002 Thomas and Becky Repp took their dreams and turned them into American Road Magazine, a nationally syndicated travel publication celebrating our nation’s two lane highways. Its 2012 summer edition celebrates some of the best columns, trips, interviews and stunning photographs presented during that first decade. To mark this milestone, this podcast brings back one of Thomas and Becky’s first and favorite interviews with a mermaid, Barbara Wynn, one of the early piscine princesses at Florida’s Weekee Watchee Springs. This was also the inaugural podcast of American Road Trip Talk and one of our most listened to shows.

We all have a trusted steed that carries across the American Road whether it’s a vintage VW Campervan or the latest hybrid. But there is group of travelers with a peculiarly deep passion for an historic American Road transport: The GMC Motorhome. From 1974-1978 GMC made the only RV produced by a major automaker. Of the 12,000 made, 8000 are believed to still be on the road. The GMC motorhome was not a home stuck on top of a truck frame; it was intentionally built as a motorhome from the ground up. In addition the community of devoted fans who keep these vintage RV’s going are unique among car groups. According to our guest, Dave Silva who is also an avid RV fan and ersatz chronicler, “There is a cottage industry of specialized vendors, all on a first name basis. They drive these 40 year old coaches all over the country under the protection of the 'Blacklist'."” This is a story not only of a remarkable house on wheels but also of the passionate people who have kept them running on the American Road.

Normally our podcasts introduce you to the people behind the places along the American Road that we visit in our magazine. In this interview, however, we are going to focus on a different kind of celebrity: a toy! Not just any toy, but Slinky, the All American Toy born during the battles of WWII and still internationally popular after more than half a century. The 2012 spring issue of American Road Magazine focused on games so it seemed fitting to talk with Ray Dallaveccia Jr. the President and CEO of Poof-Slinky, the Plymouth, Michigan based company that manufactures the Slinky in Pennsylvania. Like many popular inventions, Slinky began its life with quite a different purpose than entertainment but has maintained its popularity through generations precisely because of its simplicity.

200 years ago this summer the War of 1812 secured Detroit for the United States and gave us our national anthem, the Star Spangled, among many other historic milestones. Its battles were fought from the steamy bayous of Louisiana, to the expanse of Baltimore’s harbor and the inland seas of the Great Lakes where we pick up our story. In the spring edition of American Road Magazine, a Tunnel Vision article entitled Walking the War of 1812, described the Walking Tours developed by the Great Lakes Seaway Trail association in Sackets Harbor, New York. My guest today is Kurt Schumacher, the Director of Business Relations for the group. He has lots of details about the unique walking tours developed for the nearly 500 mile-long area bordering the St. Lawrence Seaway and other special events that you will want to put on your summer travel calendar.

The American Road is home to some of the most unique landmarks in the world from the Largest Catsup Bottle to Biggest Ball of String. In each issue of our magazine artist and educator Erika Nelson trains her gifted eye on one of these unique sentinels. This time it’s Babe’s Big Bat that is on deck; the world’s largest baseball bat that leans up against the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory in old downtown Louisville, KY.

For many years the designation of an American Byway meant the recognition of a very special route and a very special history of the American Road. In the Spring 2012 issue of American Road Magazine, we caught a quick glimpse of a brand new byway in the birthing, The Quaker Heritage Scenic Byway in southern Ohio. On this TripTalk our guest Ruth Dobyns, curator of the Quaker Heritage Center on the campus of Wilmington College of Ohio shares the fascinating history of the Quakers, a group of American founders who were not only pioneer but also dedicated warriors in the battle against slavery. She then outlines the path the byway will take and the history it will visit. (You can get trip information, brochures and maps of the coming Quaker Byway by visiting http://www.wilmington.edu/qhc .) Thanks to Springfield, Illinois for sponsoring this American Road Trip Talk.

It’s loud, it’s funky and definitely a whole lot of fun. It’s The Heritage Tractor Adventure in Morris, Illinois held this year from June 8-11, 2012. Nearly 200 vintage tractors that have been lovingly restored and carefully tended take to the road with a roar to celebrate the farmer’s iron work horse and best friend. To give you some of the history of the Heritage Tractor Adventure we spoke with Max Armstrong, the Voice of Agriculture on WGN Radio for the best part of 40 years. Max's agricultural reports are now heard on a network of smaller stations throughout the Midwest and on the Internet. Max Armstrong is as colorful as the festival that he has organized and you won’t need to be a farmer to catch his enthusiasm for this great family adventure on the American Road.

For the last two years we have followed the progress of one of the most eccentric art projects on the American Road: Bowl Plaza in Lucas, KS. And now the moment of truth has arrived: June 2, 2012 The First Flush. We met Rosslyn Schultz, the curator of the Grassroots Museum in Lucas, back in 2010. At that point she was midway through the construction of Bowl Plaza, a public restroom/ art project behind the museum built in the shape of an actual toilet. You really need see the photo album attached to our interview at the American Road Magazine blogsite. While laughter may be one of Rosslyn’s gifts, she and her fellow artists are deadly serious about this artsy outhouse, as you will hear in this interview.