Been Thinkin’ ’bout the Lincoln

Over the weekend I plucked a book off the shelf that I’ve had for a few years now: Lincoln Highway Companion: A Guide to America’s First Coast-to-Coast Road by Brian Butko. Flipping through its pages, makes me want to hit the road. I wish I could pinpoint what it was that initially sparked my interest in Americana.

Whenever I’ve traveled along the western half of Pennsylvania’s section of the Lincoln Highway, I’ve had a great time. The riding itself can be dull in some places with lots of traffic lights and congestion. But, those population centers lighten up as you go west and the sights overshadow the annoyance.

Some of the things I’ve seen along the way in PA:

haines' shoe house in hellam pa on the lincoln highway

Haines Shoe House – Hellam, PA

maple donuts in york pennsylvania and two triumph tiger motorcycles

Mmmm… donuts… – Maple Donuts in York, PA

maple donuts in york pa
pied piper statue on the lincoln highway

Pied Piper – Schellsburg, PA

dutch haven in ronks, pa on the lincoln highway

Dutch Haven – Where I had my first taste of Shoo Fly Pie – Ronks, PA

shoefly pie at dutch haven in ronks, pa on the lincoln highway
wayne fettro lincoln highway mural near the bison corral

Mural at the Bison Corral – Schellsburg, PA

wayne fettro lincoln highway mural near the bison corral

Mural at the Bison Corral – Schellsburg, PA

mail pouch tobacco and totem pole playhouse barn on the lincoln highway in ortanna pennsylvania

Totem Pole Playhouse / Mail Pouch Barn – Ortanna, PA

mister ed's sign in ortanna pa and two triumph tiger motorcycles on the lincoln highway

Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum – Ortanna, PA

colorful roadside elephant at mr eds in ortanna pennsylvania on the lincoln highway

Ms. Penny Candy at Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum – Ortanna, PA

vincent van gas gas pump on the lincoln highway in pennsylvania

Vincent Van Gas a Lincoln Highway Pump Parade gas pump – Schellsburg, PA

bull durham tobacco ghost ad in bedford pennsylvania

Bull Durham ghost ad – Bedford, PA

dunkle's art deco gulf gas station in bedford pennsylvania

Dunkle’s Gulf – Bedford, PA

bedford coffee pot in bedford, pennsylvania and an orange triumph tiger motorcycle

The Coffee Pot – Bedford, PA

Lincoln Highway Mural by wayne fettro near storestown / jennertown pensylvania

Near Jennertown / Stoyestown, PA

lincoln highway mural by Wayne Fettro - White Flash in Stoyestown, pennsylvania- October 2016

Wayne Fettro mural and a Lincoln Highway Pump Parade gas pump – Stoyestown, PA

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

You may also like...

8 Responses

  1. Ted Kettler says:

    While Lincoln Highway (Route 30) may be the first coast to coast route, Route 20 is the longest. Stretching from Boston to Newport, Oregon. I’ve ridden only a tiny 100 miles of this route and regularly traverse 68 miles of it at least twice a month from Rensselaer, NY to Richfield Springs, NY. It is a beautiful road that continually switches from 4 to 2-lane as it passes through and by farmlands and small towns and of course, roadside oddities that you love so much. Things like a windmill farm, automotive part welded sculptures, hand painted billboards and the Tee-Pee gift shop near Cherry Valley.
    I have this dream of actually doing what I call the “20/30 Tour”, Route 20 west then Route 30 back east. It’s on the bucket list.

  2. Chris says:

    It is a cool ride. I often stop at the site where the ship hotel once stood and take in the view. What I have never been able to figure out is where did they park the cars?

  3. I’ve lived my whole life in Pennsylvania and traveled the Lincoln Highway dozens if not a hundred times. And I’ve seen only two of those places you’ve photographed. I’ve only ridden a small part of it on the scooter though. That could explain it — cage blindness.

  4. Chuck says:

    I remember that elephant on the Void Rally! Thanks again for being there at the right time to stop my bike from taking a nap! My boot got caught in my tail bag and I damn near pulled it over on top of myself. You were able to grab the bars and help me out.

  5. Ry Austin says:

    Dunkle’s Gulf… I think I’m in love.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.