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Great Road Trips of America
Producer: Janson Media Introduction: Ever since the automobile was introduced in the early 1900s, Americans have experienced a love affair with "The Road." The two-lane highways and interstates that cross the country provide endless adventure and a feeling of freedom. But in the last two decades of the century the growth of commercial airline travel and the shrinking planet have turned our attention to other continents and faraway places, exotic tropical islands and mysterious third-world cultures and cities. But when we travel by car, we are in control, not the airlines. We map out our route, we choose the highways and the destinations, we decide when to vary from the plan, when to spend more time along the way, when and where - if we wish - to follow the road less traveled. In the wake of the terror of September 11th and in the subsequent surge of patriotism, the great American family driving vacation - the Road Trip - has been re-discovered. We not only instinctively feel that the roads are safer than the skies, but we also know that America is an incredibly beautiful and bountiful country, from its great cities to its small country towns, from its varied seacoasts to its endless plains and soaring mountains. Travelling our great roads and highways by car is a way for us to re-connect with our own culture and history - it's a way to re-discover this great nation, from sea to shining sea. In Great Road Trips of America, a documentary series for television, video and DVD, we will explore and experience many of the historic, incredibly scenic, and ultimately important roadways that have contributed to the foundation of American automobile travel. We will dust off the old creased and dog-eared maps and access them anew in the form of internet mapping websites, and we will re-create with fond nostalgia the classic road trips of the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and 70s. We will talk to people in all walks of life along the way, especially in the hospitality industry, those who have seen the times change over the last fifty or sixty years, and younger Americans who don't remember the glory days, but are discovering them anew for themselves and their families. Join us as we get behind the wheel for a journey into the heart of America. The following are short synopses of sample episodes. For a complete treatment, please contact the Janson Media office. LINCOLN HIGHWAY: America's Main Street Lincoln Highway was the first paved transcontinental highway, the route running from New York to San Francisco. Back in 1912, if you wanted to get out of town, roads connecting the cities were not yet built. It was Carl Fisher who decided to build a paved road that would run from one coast to the other. Strawberry, California, now a scenic Highway 50, is where we will begin the story. Reno, Salt Lake City, Chicago, South Bend, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia are just a few of the cities you will pass through when you take the old Lincoln Highway route. To journey on the Lincoln Highway is to step into the past and see how this roadway brought our country together state by state. NORTH SHORE DRIVE Driving along Minnesota's North Shore Drive is truly an outdoorsman's paradise, colorful and vibrant, with a mountain backdrop and unspoiled wilderness. Duluth, Minnesota, is the result of molten rock erupting from the mid-continental gap a billion years ago. We will explore the Split Rock Lighthouse, built to protect ships from Lake Superior's unpredictable storms. Bluefin Bay, now a resort, is where people return year after year to experience the beauty and excitement of the North Shore. The town of Grand Marais, home to the North House Folk School, an institution dedicated to teaching and preserving the North Shore way of life. We travel further up the byway into Grand Portage, which is now an Indian reserve. North Shore Drive, 122 miles of scenic country, allows its visitors to experience an American landscape that has seen little change from its original state. HELLS CANYON DRIVE This 225-mile journey traverses through some of the most incredible scenery in the country, taking us from the edge of the Snake River, up into and through the Wallowa Mountains, then back down into the Valley floor. Our drive can begin in several places, in Joseph, Oregon. by taking Little Sheep Creek highway to the Imnaha River, then onto Forest Service Road, which will lead us to the ultimate view from Hat Point, the site of a campground and Lookout Tower. Another approach to take on the drive into Hells Canyon is I-86 from Baker City, Oregon. The magnificent Wallowa Mountains which serve as a backdrop are some of the oldest and most dramatic in the Northwest. We will reach landmarks, such as the Columbia River Basalt, Hells Canyon Overlook, McGraw Creek, and Seven Devils Mountains. The Hells Canyon episode ends in the Grande Rhonde Valley, the largest completely enclosed circular valley in the world. NATCHEZ-TRACE PARKWAY The Natchez-Trace Parkway, which runs over 443 miles, provides the most direct route a pathway from Natchez, MS. to Nashville, Tennessee, and is filled with the rich heritage of those that lived here and passed through - American Indians, French and Spanish settlers, and modern American explorers. Archeological sites date from the Paleo-Indian period (12,000 BC-8,000BC) through the Natchez, Choctaw, and Chicksaw Indian settlements (AD 1540-1837) are proof that the Indians who created the trail were here long ago. The Emerald Mound, the second largest Indian burial mound in the US., was used during the period AD 1250-1600; it covers 8 acres, measures 770 ft. by 435 ft. and is approximately 35 ft. high. US 80: THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC Old US 80 crosses 8 states, and takes you over 3,000 miles of diverse scenery and cultural landscapes, from San Diego to Savannah. As we head into the desert, we pass landmarks such as Jacumba, a former resort town, Hot Springs Spa, and the Desert View Tower, and the Anza-Borrego State Park, the largest and wildest desert park in the country. We then pass through Arizona and New Mexico, eventually stopping when we reach Texas. Next, we encounter the lush, rolling hills of the South - the "Bible Belt" heartland, Louisiana, which is the transition between Texas and the Deep South. Out of Louisiana, and through Mississippi, our route cuts across the rural midsection of Alabama and ends in Savannah, the South's "Grandest Little City". There is much to see and absorb on US 80, and is a drive that reveals layer upon layer of American history Possible additional road trips to explore in the series: SAN JUAN SKYWAY, Colorado loops through the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado. 236 miles of towering mountains, rolling vistas and ancient Indian ruins, as well as the Mesa Verde National Park - the only park dedicated entirely to Archeology. CREOLE NATURE TRAIL, Louisiana, is a 180-mile trail that cuts through the marshlands of the Gulf of Mexico. THE GREAT RIVER ROAD along the Mississippi River, is a road that crosses the river when it can and dallies in towns other roads have forgotten. This trip offers a perfect parallel to floating downstream. SEAWAY TRAIL, New York, with its historic lighthouses and quaint villages, is a 454 mile scenic byway that parallels the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, and Lake Erie. OHIO RIVER SCENIC ROUTE, Indiana and Illinois, the winding and hilly road that follows the Ohio River, is a pleasant escape from suburban concerns, passing well-kept barns, small towns, vineyards, orchards, and historic architecture. I-95: COASTAL EAST COAST, 1500 miles of two lane country roads traversing from Atlantic City, NJ. to Key West, FL., alternates between wildly differing beach resort towns and pristine coastal stretches, is within earshot of the Atlantic Ocean the entire way. ROUTE 190: DEATH VALLEY SCENIC DRIVE, California runs directly through Death Valley National Park, which consists of over 3.3 million acres of rare desert wildlife, complex geology, undisturbed wilderness, and historic sites, and is one of the most dramatic and unique routes in the western United States.
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