Faded Highway

From Pete Zarria:

With this post, the Backside Gang welcomes Pete Zarria. Pete, who I met through Flickr, lives in Iowa. While I don't expect he'll cover the entire Midwest, he'll help this blog spread out from its usual East Coast focus. Welcome Pete! -- Dave Brigham.

A long lost site on the forgotten Lincoln Highway in Chelsea, Iowa. My own family started here in the 1860's. Its just down the road from one of the oldest farms we held.

The name Lincoln Highway stems from the very early days of the automobile. In the early 1900s, highways were known by names; numbers were not used. The Lincoln eventually became US 30, the first transcontinental highway in America. Not as famous as Route 66, but she still has that American charm.

I guess having a song sung by Nat King Cole helps. Still, the old road is here for the wandering but much of that great and quirky American Roadside has disappeared with our growing "sophistication." Gone are the great drive-ins and car-hops, neon-lit motels and tourist traps like the many "Mystery Spots." It all contributes to a bland, cookie cutter style that stunts imagination and entrepreneurship. I, for one, am sorry to see it pass since I grew up on it.