For his summer drive, Paul Gilger set out for Kearney, Neb., with 40 pages of directions. Gilger, 58,was in a Ford Mustang convertible, with 65 or 70 cars behind him, leading a tour halfway across the Lincoln Highway to mark 100 years of the "Main Street Across America." Gilger's own main street is in Santa Rosa.
On background: The Lincoln Highway was the first improved highway across America for the automobile. It was started in 1913 by two gentlemen from the automotive world, Carl G. Fisher, head of a headlight company, and Henry B. Joy, the head of Packard. They decided to map out roads so people could drive from town to town. It was graveled in the 1920s but was not fully paved until the 1930s.
On infatuation: I was born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio, and I drove the road every day. It was a very important road for the people in the middle of the country. There were towns that didn't exist before the Lincoln Highway went through.
On route: It goes from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park here in San Francisco.
The original route to San Francisco, you came to what is now Jack London Square and took the ferry to the Ferry Building. Then there are three routes across San Francisco. All three routes end up at Lincoln Park. The western terminus marker is out in front of the Palace of the Legion of Honor.
On inspiration: I love the open road and love the thinking I can do behind the wheel. I'm a big fan of the Lincoln Highway. I've dedicated 10 years of my life to it.
On ascension: When I moved to California I found the Lincoln Highway Association ( www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org). One of the reasons I joined was that there was no cohesive Lincoln Highway map all the way across the country. At my first meeting, I was elected chair of the California Mapping Committee. Later that year I went to the national conference and was elected chair of the National Mapping Committee. Being an architect I've always loved cartography.
On distance: The map is never really done because we are already finding out new sections. Just two days ago somebody called me about a new section of Wyoming. There is the 1913 route, 3,389 miles. As road improvement started, they would straighten the road and it got shorter and shorter. They got it down to about 3,100 miles. If you count all the alignments, there are almost 5,900 miles of Lincoln Highway.
On driving it: It was the 100th anniversary of the road and we decided to have the celebration at the mid-point, Kearney, Neb. The New York crowd on the east tour started on June 22 in Times Square. I led the tour from Lincoln Park on June 23. It took one week. We traveled about 250 miles a day.
On style: We had two Packards, a Tucker, Model A Fords, Model T Fords, Porsches, Lincoln Continental convertibles. We had campers. We had home-built vehicles. We had Volkswagen Bugs. I almost bought a 1958 DeSoto but somebody said, 'Paul, you are the tour leader. You'd better be in something reliable.' So I took a 2012 Mustang convertible.
On support: There were five or six cars that gave us trouble, but at least two cars broke down six or seven times. We had four mechanics. We would never leave anybody behind. I'd get a call when someone broke down and turn around and go back.
On atmosphere: When we went from Ely, Nev., to Tooele, Utah, there is no cell phone reception. We went 250 miles between gas stations and 210 miles on gravel roads. You break down out there and you can be stranded for two days. You really feel like you are back in 1913. The cars get spaced out and you'd come over a mountain and all you saw was the tufts of dust going up in the air.
On getting lost: Nobody got lost as far as we never found them again. I probably made one or two wrong turns. Even in California you try to follow the Lincoln Highway up the I-80 corridor to Truckee and the road is bifurcated. Just getting through the city of Auburn there are probably 10 turns.
On getting found: What's wonderful about the Lincoln is that when it was first mapped out, it was to speed things up. Now when you take the Lincoln, it is about slowing down. It does the opposite of what was intended. We went no faster than 55.
On taking the two-lane: We have a Slow Food movement. We have a Slow Money movement. I hope the Lincoln Highway inspires a Slow Travel movement.
- Sam Whiting; swhiting@sfchronicle.com
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