RV 55, a national tourist road on the west coast of Norway, leading you through a spectacular landscape from Lom in the Oppland county to Gaupne in the county of Sogn og Fjordane. Being 110 km (67 mi) long, the road will take you over the highest pass in Nothern Europe at 1434 m (4700 ft) The traffic on the road is susceptible to climatic conditions. Due to an incoming storm, it was closed only few hours after we came through in October 2011. You may notice the tall poles alongside the road. They are put down so that the snow clearers can find the road when they start to clear it after it has been closed during the winter.

Between 1730 and 1736, lava from massive eruptions ended up covering 200 square km of the island of Lanzarote.
Part of this has now become Timanfaya National Park, also referred to as “Mountains of Fire” due to the underground activity that continues today. A nice asphalt road now goes through this almost lunar landscape for an amazing drive.

When asked how his love affair with classic cars began, he explains that while he was in the Air Force in San Antonio, Texas he purchased a 1923 Model T Ford. He liked the way it looked. His young wife was not so impressed with his purchase and remarked to the previous owner’s wife “I hope this gets it out of his system.” The owner’s wife smiled and replied, “Oh honey, this is only the beginning.” He loved that Model T and raced it up and down Broadway Street in San Antonio on a regular basis. When he moved his family back to Sioux City, Iowa the model T made the journey too. There he and his young family continued driving the car, most often with daughter Mia. The model T had a similar body style to the Rolls Royce and he remembers getting out of his car one day and thinking “A Rolls Royce might be nice”… the rest is history.

As much as Irving loves his classic cars, he is quick to point out that he collects trucks also and was a founding member of the American Truck Historical Society (ATHS). He has a 1919 Packard Truck, two Ahrens-Fox fire trucks, a B-30 Mack stakebody truck , and a B-75 dump truck, to name a few. Several of his cars and trucks have been on loan in many of America’s automobile museums (Crawford Aviation, Sioux City Museum, Gilmore Museum, America on Wheels Museum).  His others reside at his home which he fondly refers to as “a six car garage with an attached house”.

Irving’s passion for classic cars and trucks began with the family business. He is third generation in a road construction business started by his grandfather in 1896. His son, Irving III (a Favorite Road fan, Woot!) continues in his tradition as President of Jebro Inc., a liquid asphalt manufacturing business. Irving Jr. firmly believes that “trucks are the backbone of the construction business”.

Irving’s favorite road is the patch of Highway 6 that runs to Chicago and then on to Des Moines. He loves it because he spent so much of his life driving up and down it to run his multi-state business.

Ursula Andress, Swiss bombshell and quintessential James Bond girl from the movie “Dr. No” explains her love of collecting things in this manner;

“Collecting is my joy; it gives me great satisfaction…Everything is a piece of me, a moment of my life.”

It is obvious, from the affectionate and detailed description of his many collector vehicles that Irving understands and agrees with Ms. Andress. He’s a true classic, both in his great taste in automobiles and in his love of the road.  And he’s been an incremental part of the paved road industry since its inception.

Thanks, Irving, for sharing your story with Favorite Road.

In reality, however, it is A LOT more complex. You might be surprised how much of your day is the direct result of the asphalt under your tires. Our roads are our history. They have made us who we are today. From dirt roads to paved roads, small towns were connected. From paved local roads to the birth of the Interstate System in 1956, towns were connected across the nation. Roads changed everything. America’s commerce skyrocketed, local culture became regional culture and regional culture met national culture. And we grew. And grew. And before we knew it, closing the geographical distance became a way of life, an everyday occurrence. It sort of “just happened” and I believe over time we began to forget HOW it happened. Flash forward 90 years, and most of us non-industry folks are not even really sure how it all works anymore. It sort of just does, just like it always has, right? Wrong.

So-Who pays for those roads to be built anyway? Who pays for that repaving and maintenance? Where does the funding come from? Why does it even matter to me?

Well it all starts with this thing called the Highway Trust Fund.  Federal money is deposited into this account and allocated out for various services, such as highway maintenance and repair, public transit and new road construction. That money comes from YOU. You put into that account every time you fill up at the gas station by way of the gas tax. That sounds easy enough, right? Nope. We aren’t done yet.

In the 1970’s automobiles averaged around 15 miles per gallon. Today the average car may get as much as 35 miles per gallon. Additionally with the birth of hybrid and electric cars, fewer people are stopping to fill up. These factors bring down the trust funds value and so we have less to spend on fixing roads. As all of this is going on, we are moving more and more freight across the nation in our tractor trailers. While we are closing the geographic distance, we are also wearing down our highways at a much faster rate than before.  With the interstate system and just in time inventory, you can live in Alabama and have Maine lobster delivered right to your house in only a day or two. We are at an all time record high for road usage.

So with maximum usage and minimum funding, we find ourselves in a bind. Our roads are in disrepair.  Safety is at risk and you are spending a lot more money fixing the road damage to your vehicle.

Pete Grass, Asphalt Institute President drills it down further;

“In the 1950′s, the US spent 3% of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on infrastructure. Today it is 2.4%. Europe spends 5% and China 9%… each with fewer paved miles than the US.”

It is so critical to understand the urgency of this issue. In fact, in 2011the American Civil Service Engineers gave our infrastructure system a grade of “D”. A D?!  Seriously? YES, seriously. America’s roads and bridges need to maintained and repaired. It is a matter of personal safety, personal financial risk, and economic growth. It’s also a matter of politics.

Now here at Favorite Road, we don’t “go there” with regard to politics, except to say this; there are many ideas out there on how to fix this critical issue and everyone has different opinions on what will work and what will not. But on one thing we ALL agree… and that is that something must be done. If you are curious about some of the funding ideas out there, check out this article on the Terralogics site, “The Lack of Infrastructure Funding for Highway Maintenance and Equipment.” You can also explore the “American Highway Users Alliance” and the “American Trucking Association” for ongoing updates in the Highway Bill process. There are many groups out there pushing road repair and enhancement funding, most started as grass roots movements, just like Favorite Road did in 2008. And we are all concerned.

Our Highway Bill has been sitting in limbo since 2009. Each year the road issue gets more critical. The only grade that follows D…. Is F, failure.  It is hard to imagine how awful it would it be if our infrastructure system failed us. How would it alter our history?

SO- What can you do? Well I asked my personal “asphalt engineer pro” buddy, Dwight Walker (Asphalt Institute), and here’s what he says …

“Layne, the most important thing to do is to start educating people about road matters. It’s so easy for the public to assume life goes on as always when it comes to roads. But the truth is, it doesn’t “just happen” for free. In fact, it’s a cumbersome process and highly political. After the public understands the real issue, then they can move on to step two which is talking with their congressman, sharing concerns with friends, and doing what they can to keep the political process on task. Like it or not, it’s here and we have to do something before our infrastructure crumbles further.”

Now that you “get it” are you feeling a little nervous like the rest of us? Yeh, we thought so.

See? THE ROAD MATTERS.  It changes your life.

We need you to help us save our Favorite Roads.

If you are ready to hop on board right now and help us out, here’s what to do. Click here or here to send a note your congressman. It’s easy- takes about 2 minutes…. Time it if you don’t believe me.  Our friends at AHUA and The Road Connection have fixed it so that it is a quick, simple task. You can send a note to your congressman quicker than you can read this article. So just do it.

Come back and visit us for Part II of The Road Matters… Asphalt 101. Once I “break it down” for you, you’ll totally get why I am such a huge fan of the velvety “black stuff” under your tires and why it matters to you, your wallet, and your environment.

The 55-68 mile route (depends on who you ask) is pretty much an all-day excursion; 2-3 hours in and 2-3 hours out. If you really want to check out what lies behind each mile marker, you’ll need to spend the night. The road starts out smooth and wide, but within 3 miles it narrows and eventually becomes a “rain gouged windward side” road (Fodor’s “Maui” 2012). The further in you go, the more road character you will find; dirt roads, roads with occasional landfalls and flash flooding, and fewer cars. The view never ceases to amaze- waterfalls, lush rain forests, desert sands, salt and pepper beaches, and ocean views. Ginger shoots, eucalyptus and bamboo abound. If you go looking, you will even find lava tubes around about mile marker 31.

Somewhere around mile marker 19, is an 1860′s church made of coral (Lady of Fatima Shrine). MM22 boasts the best falls (Wai Kani Falls). Just pass the small town of Hana around mile marker 42, Haleakala National Park enters the scene with its “Seven Sacred Pools”. In several spots, you will even find some of the worlds best body surfers and windsurfers… just off the road and down a short path to the breath taking beaches.

Our roadie buddies, Cathy and Bobby H, decided to take the tour taxi through the area. “It was great. The driver knew the road so well and he would periodically check the skies to make sure he had us out of there before the heavy rains came in. He had it all planned out. We even had a picnic lunch at a scenic spot of his choosing. He also stopped at the road side markets for us to check out the banana bread, tropical flowers,  and tropical fruits for sale. The view was intense, amazing really.” Cathy boasts that she only “white knuckled it once or twice on the narrow bridges.” Good job, Cathy. We’ll make you a hairpin roadie yet.

For generations past and even continuing today, Hawaiian families steadfastly protect and care for this national treasure. The Road to Hana is on the National Register of Historic Places. If you are exploring past the pavement, you might even find a temple platform built for a 16th century Maui king. Even beyond the beauty and character of the road, that is what impresses us most; that history and roads have always been connected.

Thanks Cathy and Bobby for sharing your Road to Hana experience with FavoriteRoad. As always, we are grateful.

We found a story about that online this week, “The Hog Highway; Chasing Cues Across Eastern North Carolina”, by Sandy Lange, a writer for Guns & Gardens Magazine. To wet your appetite for the story, here’s the a portion of the opening paragraph.

“The whole adventure was a lark, a two-day open-road bender. There was little planning. We unfolded a map during a visit with family down east in North Carolina and stitched a looping route from Wayne County southeast of Raleigh to Beaufort County in the east, to as far west as Chapel Hill—and back again. Our guide would be pork, specifically the vinegar-pepper whole-hog variety that gives the eastern part of the state its reputation for serving up some of the best ’cue in the country. We’d stay off major highways when possible, following two-lane asphalt lined with farmhouses and pine tree rows, tobacco barns and railroad crossings.”

With an intro like that, you KNOW you gotta go read it right now. We promise you’ll enjoy it.

(Incidentally, the timing is great because Layne has been hanging on to this cool pic she took of a roadside barbecue in KY over Christmas. She’s been waiting for the chance to use it ever since. )

Ever notice that some states seem to have a lot more vanity plates than others? California highways are filled with vanity plates. Virginia is the same way. Having spent much time on the roads in Virginia, it seems like every 5^th car has some attempt at bumper side tomfoolery. Granted, it may just seem like that because the state requires every car to have plates on both the front and back of each car. So it’s double the message. At any rate,  it amazes us how much creativity can flow from just 6-8 letters.

Even Scrabble pros have nothing on vanity plate owners. Heck- instead of that license plate state game you play on road trips, let’s up the ante and give extra points for vanity plates: especially the ones that can make 7 whole words out of just 7 letters- the crème de la crème of the vanity plate world. Ingenuity at its most efficient… for example, ICUNIYQ – “I See You And I Like You”-(try it with the Elmer Fudd accent, it works better.)

Also in Virginia, you will find the world largest license plate collector’s association. Located in Hampton, the Automobile License Plate Collector’s Association (ALPCA) has been around since 1954. They boast having well over 3,000 members from all around the world. They even have regional conferences/swap meets. We tried to contact them for an interview, but were unable to do so. They were probably out collecting license plates. If you are a fan of license plates, too, visit their web page (linked above).

We found another site too that is partially dedicated to vanity plates, www-chaos.umd.edu/misc. This is a fun space online with quips, quotes, and funny license plates stories. They have over 1,000 vanity plates listed online too, which is great fodder for late night boredom. You’ll laugh quite a bit.

From the site, we chose a few favorites; “BAA BAA” (on a Black Jeep),  “IBJAMEN”,  “IAML8” (Oh that should totally belong to Layne), “OJDIDIT”, “O2B39” (on a middle aged woman’s car), “CME4DK” (on a dentist’s license plate), “GSNDHT” (Gesundheit, on an Isuzu), “YY2WRY” (Too wise to worry), “WIZBYU” (Whiz by you), and “WOHORSY” (on a Mustang).

We did an informal poll of several of our FVR Roadies and they sent in some great ones, too. Here’s what you shared with us;  “ASFLT ROX” (Asphalt Rocks.) “4RCEBWU” inside a frame that said “ May the..”  Someone also found “FSHWHSPR” on a plate up in Maine. We know of a nurse with a plate that said “1BZ RN”. Some others include; “OK2NV” ( on a sports car), “PB4WEGO” (on a minivan), “M10 BKR” (mountain biker) and Layne’s favorite… “BRTQUL8”.  Also “ASUWISH”  came in from a Princess Bride fan, and “ITYP175″ from the back of a medical transcriptionist’s car. Thanks for sharing your plates!

Editors love word plays so vanity plates are totally our thing, though we aren’t sure it is fair to call them “Vanity Plates”. These folks RNT VAIN, they R WIT E.

Well it’s TM4ME2GO.. .but if you are just getting started and craving more, check out this license plate translation of the epic classic, Oedipus the King… told solely in license plate-anese.

And, as usual, if you find some fun zippy plates on the road, snap a pic and send them in. We are always looking for a few good laughs from the road!

Most of these street side architectural pieces were constructed in the 1920’s and 1930’s and were a common way of marketing to the folks driving around in this relatively new invention, the automobile. With the automobile comes the need for more roads, right? You got it. Streets and highways sprung up and a uniform numbering system was introduced in 1925.

Once the Depression hit, these roadside attractions became vital to the survival of the local businesses owners trying to catch the eye of a passerby. The businesses that survived the rough times were the ones that were able pull in the tourists from off the street to get some gas at their store or to sample whatever local tasty goodness the town happened to specialize in; sort of  an “If you build it, they will come” mindset. And so, witty, wacky roadside architecture was born.

Of course today, there are so many it is hard to count, and impossible to cover completely in a story. But here are a few of my favorites.

Dinosaur Park

Rapid City, South Dakota

Dinosaur Park, located in South Dakota, displays five dinosaurs made from black iron pipe, and a steel skeleton surrounded in wire mesh with a concrete skin. The creatures are built to scale and symbolic of the prehistoric dinosaur remains found in the badlands of South Dakota. The Triceratops measures 27 feet long, 11 feet high and sports 40-inch horns. The T-Rex is 35 feet long, 16 feet high and has a 4 foot head. There is also a Brontosaurus (80 feet long), a Stegosaurus (11 feet long) and a Trachodon (33 feet long). Emmitt A. Sullivan is the sculptor and he also created “Christ of the Ozarks” mentioned previously. Kids are free to climb on the dinosaurs and their bold green paint makes them easy to spot from the road.

Superman

Metropolis, Illinois

Just across the river between Western Kentucky and Illinois, you will find the famous Superman sculpture outside Metropolis’ Massac County Courthouse. I saw this one for the first time a few years ago. Metropolis, self-proclaimed Superman’s small hometown, hosts a huge super hero festival each year. For one weekend in June each year, the town is maxed out on tourists from all over the map. Parking spaces are limited so I recommend going another weekend but it’s a fun trip when you go. Be sure to stop inside the “Superman Museum” just down the block from the 30 foot sculpture and take a quick tour. There have been plenty of famous pics snapped beneath the giant sculpture including one I saw of President Obama during his pre-election days.

Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox

Bemidji, Minnesota

Like many of the other towns with roadside attractions, the City of Bemidji, had these works of art constructed in 1937 as a way to boost tourism. They were built in conjunction with the Winter Carnival begun that same year. The carnival’s theme promoted their former prominence as a lumbering center. Paul Bunyon and Blue Ox served as mascots for the carnival and were actually some of the earliest roadside attention-getters constructed. Paul is 18 feet high with a three foot shoe and his behemoth partner is around 10 feet tall, eight feet across. It’s quite a bovine spectacle.

Speaking of bovines…maybe you think this article is cheesy. Well read on….

Let’s Eat!

I found a mouse eating cheese in Black River, Wisconsin and Sissy the Cow in DeForest. And there’s another rat (this one is named Igor) eating cheese in Fennimore and Bessie the Cow in Janesville (You’d think they made cheese in Wisconsin or something). Now if I could just find some giant macaroni, I’d be set for dinner.  Oh LOOK! There’s a giant noodle in Chicago, Illinois. Oh see- now I have your attention and you are wondering, “What else is for dinner, Layne?”

I should advise you that you can find the following giant fruits and vegetables roadside (and in alphabetical order no less, for all or our OCD Roadies out there); apple, artichoke, corn, garlic, lemon, orange, peach strawberry, watermelon and zucchini. Your mother would be proud. Now, how about dessert?

There is a pretty delicious sounding dessert sculpture, the “It’s It” in Burlingame, California. Best guess says it’s an ice cream sandwich encased in an oatmeal cookie and covered in chocolate. Yum!

900 words later, you are hungry. So I’ll finish up with this…

Basically, if you want to see it in giant size, it’s out there somewhere along a road in America. To ease your online search, you can find them all in one spot. Check out www.roadsideamerica.com.

Once you find them, what do I want you to do with them? Put a pic on the site for me, www.favoriteroad.com. I’d love to see what you run across out there because I will never get to see them all. I’ll even give a free Favorite Road t-shirt or cap to the first 25 people that send in pics and info on some of your favorite “Windshield Wonders” from the road (while supplies last).

Load them on the site under “Submit a Road” or send them in an email to  editor@favoriteroad.com.

Come on, it’s January and you know your ears are cold. You could really use that hat, huh?

(Some of this info comes from www.nps.gov and roadsideamerica.com. Photographers; Beth Boland, Martin Ince, and RoadsideAmerica)