The great Heritage Tractor Adventure is taking place again between June 7 and 10th in the rich Illinois farmlands just outside of Chicago. The adventure, with a three-day tractor ride, combines vintage farm tractors and displays with entertainment, great food, and family fun. WGN-720 AM's own Farm Reporter, Max Armstrong, an avid collector himself, will be setting off on the adventure with you. His knowledge of the Midwest farming community, and passion for vintage tractors, makes this an event ...
May 29, 2013•10 min
Erika Nelson has dedicated her life to hunting down the world’s largest attractions along the American Road and then creating The World’s largest collection of the World’s Smallest Replicas of the World’s Largest Attractions. Erika is an artist and regular columnist who journals here trophy finds in the Think Big column of each American Road Magazine. In the spring 2013 issue, the world’s largest Pirate kidnapped her attention outside of Treasure Island, Florida. Erika not only tells how this un...
May 16, 2013•10 min
For most of us the idea of rolling down Route 66 involves a nostalgic trip on 4 wheels powered by a motor. For Virginia Sullivan that’s two wheels too many and her vehicle runs on legs. She is part of Adventure Cycling Association based in Missoula, Montana. I caught up with her on a Skype connection a while back to talk about an ambitious Route 66 mapping project and to learn about the association. In part 1, Ginny talks about the history of the organization and its project. See Privacy Policy ...
May 06, 2013•15 min
For most of us the idea of rolling down Route 66 involves a nostalgic trip on 4 wheels powered by a motor. For Virginia Sullivan that’s two wheels too many and her vehicle runs on legs. She is with Adventure Cycling Association based in remote Missoula, Montana which is in the middle of an ambitious Route 66 mapping project. In part 2 of our conversation, Ginny explains how this great cycling group sprang up in remote Missoula, Montana and the appeal that Route 66 has for international visitors....
May 06, 2013•9 min
The 2013 spring issue of American Road Magazine featured a story about a golf course in northern Michigan with a one-of-a-kind feature to its course. Sweetgrass Golf course is part of the Hannahville Indian Community resort complex just north of Green Bay, Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan. The 18 golf complex benefits from the beautiful wetlands that feed into the traditional tribal hunting grounds and from some unique survivors of nearby highways. Our guest, Scott Herioux, CFO of the Ha...
Apr 14, 2013•13 min
The movie The Help took viewers behind the scenes of a post WWII southern society in the midst of change. It was filled with wit, insight and mouth-watering southern fried dishes. When Hollywood location scouts for the movie found Greenwood, MS, they knew that had struck gold. The architecture, cotton fields, fabulous food, and residents who welcome everyone with open arms were enough to convince producers that Greenwood was the perfect place. Here to give us a guided tour of Greenwood is Paige ...
Apr 04, 2013•12 min
One of the best parts of an American Road adventure is finding interesting and authentically local places to eat along the way. If you are planning a trip down the mid-Atlantic coast, you should take notes on today’s podcast. In Volume 4 of the 10th Anniversary edition of American Road Magazine, our Diner Days column focused on the tiny and unique Ten Top Restaurant in an historic Norfolk Virginia neighborhood. It’s a story of romance and a love of good, homemade food that our guest and co-owner...
Mar 20, 2013•13 min
Legend has it that Napoleon said, “An army marches on its stomach.” Whether that is true or not, it is absolutely true that finding new, interesting and authentically local places to eat is a wonderful part of the American Road adventure. In Volume 4 of the 10th Anniversary edition of American Road Magazine, our Diner Days column focused on the tiny and unique Ten Top Restaurant in Norfolk Virginia’s historic Ghent neighborhood. It’s a story of romance and a love of good, homemade food that our ...
Mar 19, 2013•14 min
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of America’s most influential presidents having brought the country through the Depression and to the brink of victory in WWII. The quaint town of Hyde Park, New York was his hometown and the site of the Roosevelt Inn, the Memory Motel in our Winter 2012 issue. Karen Rudowski runs this family motel along with her mother Raili. In this second part of our conversation with her she shares more about the inn and the rich history that surrounds the city of Hyde Park ...
Mar 05, 2013•12 min
In the colonial days of Ichabod Crain, the Headless Horseman and the Knickerbockers, a stagecoach, post road connected New York City and the state capital of Albany. The little city of Hyde Park along side the mighty Hudson River marked the halfway point in the long journey and was a frequent overnight lodging place. That Post Road still exists as US Route 9. In a recent issue of American Road Magazine the Memory Motel column featured The Roosevelt Inn, a family owned, modern day rest stop for t...
Feb 16, 2013•9 min
For most of us, a road trip is no more strenuous than getting in our vehicles and driving from one destination to another. For our guest, Jamie Summerlin, his 2012 road trip was an extraordinary feat of human endurance that only 40 + other humans have ever accomplished. Starting at Sunset Bay State Park in Oregon, Jamie Summerlin ran 3,452 miles in 100 days until he dipped his 10th pair of worn shoes into the Atlantic at Annapolis, MD. In part two of our conversation this tough ex-Marine talks a...
Jan 23, 2013•10 min
Welcome to the second decade of the American Road Magazine. During the past 10 years we have covered lots of miles with our guests on American Road Trip Talk, but none of those excursions compare with the cross-country journey that today’s guest made in 2012. Starting at Sunset Bay State Park in Oregon, Jamie Summerlin ran 3,452 miles in 100 days until he dipped his 10th pair of worn shoes into the Atlantic at Annapolis, MD. In our conversation with this tough former Marine, Jamie will share the...
Jan 11, 2013•12 min
I confess; I have favorites. After nearly 40 years of hosting talk shows, podcasts and a weekly radio program, I have interviewed an estimated 50,000 people and today’s guest, Erika Nelso, is one of my favorites. This delightful peripatetic artist is the author of the Think Big column that appears in every American Road Magazine. In this podcast, we talk not only about her most recent subject, the world’s largest Dime in a Box, but also telling the stories of the American Road, the passion that ...
Dec 11, 2012•9 min
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...
Dec 03, 2012•14 min
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...
Nov 16, 2012•12 min
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 do...
Oct 24, 2012•11 min
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 sh...
Oct 16, 2012•9 min
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 artic...
Oct 07, 2012•14 min
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, in...
Sep 23, 2012•12 min
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...
Sep 09, 2012•9 min
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 Maga...
Sep 02, 2012•11 min
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. See Privacy Policy at http...
Aug 29, 2012•13 min
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 ...
Aug 22, 2012•13 min
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 w...
Aug 20, 2012•12 min
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 Sis...
Aug 01, 2012•13 min
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 Florid...
Jul 24, 2012•14 min
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 u...
Jul 16, 2012•16 min
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 ...
Jul 02, 2012•11 min
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 S...
Jun 27, 2012•12 min
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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy ...
Jun 18, 2012•8 min
