Lincoln Highway Conference 2015
Day 1
A Wet Start
Day 2
Brews, Cars, and Neon
Day 3
A Loop of Dixie
Day 4
Following the Feeder
Day 5
A Day at the Henry Ford
Day 6
Detroit Beauties
Day 7
Getting Educated
Day 8
Feeder Finale
Day 9
And a Wet Finish
With the driving of the Holland Loop on this trip, I once again believe I'm within a couple hundred miles of completing a pass over the entire Dixie Highway. The latest scoring map is here. I have plans to cover that last section between Indianapolis and Chicago before the end of July so I can only hope no one discovers more Dixie Highway before then.
June 27, 2015 (day 9)
The Henry B. Joy Tour had a slightly damp launch but it was nothing that
Rain-X and duct tape couldn't handle. Best wishes to all those San
Francisco bound folks. I saw even more rain during the afternoon but I
survived that, too.
June 26, 2015 (day 8)
I returned to the feeder where I'd left in on Monday and followed it as
near to the end as construction allowed. It was then time to check in to
the motel and head to the Packard Proving Grounds.
June 25, 2015 (day 7)
We were treated to interesting talks all morning and entertained with a
fashion show during lunch. Buses then delivered us to a pair of libraries
and the awards banquet ended the day.
June 24, 2015 (day 6)
A bus tour of Detroit filled the day and a two in one museum filled the
evening. That bus tour provided some wonderful history and architecture
lessons.
June 23, 2015 (day 5)
Today was spent at The Henry Ford. Some also took advantage of a tour of
the Rouge plant but I figured the museum and Greenfield Village would be
more than enough. It was.
June 22, 2015 (day 4)
I hooked up with other LHA members to follow the Lincoln Highway Detroit
Feeder from Elkhart to near Ann Arbor. Roadside goodies included towers
and drive-ins and there were some cool bridges, too.
June 21, 2015 (day 3)
What I drove might not be the most exciting bit of Dixie Highway but it
got help from a brewery, a beach, and Michigan's oldest bar.
June 20, 2015 (day 2)
The day started with an unscheduled meeting with a friend and included a
museum I knew about but had not realized was near. It ended with glowing
neon.
June 19, 2015 (day 1)
The drive was pretty rainy but I had an unplanned visit with a friend and
a semi-planned stop at a brewery. And I ate at two old diners, too.
Prelude - May 13, 2015
I once again thought about giving things a rest and skipping this year's
Lincoln
Highway Association Conference but it was only briefly and I don't
think I was ever really serious. The conference is being held in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, and that's close enough that I almost have to go. Of course, the
Lincoln Highway never actually passed through Ann Arbor or any other part
of Michigan for that matter. The Association's headquarters were, however,
always in Detroit.
One of the stimuli for launching the Lincoln Highway in 1913 was the upcoming Panama-Pacific Exhibition in San Francisco planned for 1915. Among those who actually followed the fledgling Lincoln Highway to the Exhibition was Henry B. Joy, President of both the Lincoln Highway Association and the Packard Motor Car Company. Joy naturally started his drive in Detroit and followed a feeder route to the LH mainline in Elkhart, Indiana. Being the centennial of that drive makes this the ideal year to hold the conference in Michigan where it will be followed by something of a recreation of the drive itself. The conference ends on Friday, June 26, and the 2015 Lincoln Highway Henry B. Joy Tour departs the next day. Tour participants include members of The Packard Club and Packards International Motor Car Club. I will not be going on the tour but will be attending the Friday night kick-off dinner.