Americans love of their automobile travel in general is legendary and globally acknowledged. And so many extraordinary sights to see; the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, and The Great Plains to name a few. In fact, we've been traveling since before we were even a young nation as our settlements expanded from the East Coast to the West Coast. It was difficult than, and now it would be far too hazardous a trip to make without roadside assistance.
After the colonies were established exploration revealed that the nation to the west was enormous and people could not rein in their curiosity or their desire to find a place to live free of persecution. Gradually the civilization expanded into the West and made it as far as St. Joseph Missouri by railway. Any travel further west has to be undertaken on horseback or in a wagon train.
Travel was, however, a dramatic and yet cumbersome proposition in those early days. There were a plethora of difficulties to conquer, especially since the travel was accomplished by wagon train or horseback. It was a slow, uncomfortable and difficult endeavor undertaken by hardy individuals with a true lust for adventure or that had nothing to lose and everything to gain by starting over in a new and unfinished place.
The pioneers persevered, however, and despite many losses along the way, settlements were established throughout the country. Travel generally followed the designated postal routes of waterways and railways, with that mostly ending in Saint Joseph, Missouri, where further travel became truly an adventure. This explains why there are so many antique shops in that city, as the westward journey found unprepared settlers having to part with many of their belongings at the end of the railway system. They just could not get everything in a wagon.
The years from 1863 to 1869 saw a Herculean effort come to fruition as a railway line was completed traversing the nation. Fifty years later our first highway would cross from New York to California and the US was connected, albeit in a rudimentary fashion. Thus began the American love for driving.
The Lincoln Highway served as inspiration for the drafting of the National Interstate and Defense Act of 1956 which provided for the construction of the interstate highway system. Formally entitled the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, this system served two purposes. It encouraged and facilitated interstate tourism and business, and it provided the means to move the massive military machine should the US every come under attack. President Eisenhower had been impressed by the German roadway system while he served as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II.
This notion of assisting with the national defense is the answer to a number of trivialities about the roadway. The answer to why there is an interstate in Hawaii and Alaska is answered by the connectivity between military bases in these two states, as the original bill authorizing its construction was also a national defense endeavor. Also one mile out of every five miles is straight, allowing it to be used as an emergency landing field if it is necessary (more prominent with CAA insurance).
Hollywood has embraced and immortalized the American love for their automobiles and their love of travel in movies. They have also captured the scarier possibilities with horror movies that often includes a hitchhiker picked up on a highway. The worst one might expect to face on the highways these days is an automobile breakdown. As long as you have roadside assistance, even that unfortunate occurrence is eliminated.
After the colonies were established exploration revealed that the nation to the west was enormous and people could not rein in their curiosity or their desire to find a place to live free of persecution. Gradually the civilization expanded into the West and made it as far as St. Joseph Missouri by railway. Any travel further west has to be undertaken on horseback or in a wagon train.
Travel was, however, a dramatic and yet cumbersome proposition in those early days. There were a plethora of difficulties to conquer, especially since the travel was accomplished by wagon train or horseback. It was a slow, uncomfortable and difficult endeavor undertaken by hardy individuals with a true lust for adventure or that had nothing to lose and everything to gain by starting over in a new and unfinished place.
The pioneers persevered, however, and despite many losses along the way, settlements were established throughout the country. Travel generally followed the designated postal routes of waterways and railways, with that mostly ending in Saint Joseph, Missouri, where further travel became truly an adventure. This explains why there are so many antique shops in that city, as the westward journey found unprepared settlers having to part with many of their belongings at the end of the railway system. They just could not get everything in a wagon.
The years from 1863 to 1869 saw a Herculean effort come to fruition as a railway line was completed traversing the nation. Fifty years later our first highway would cross from New York to California and the US was connected, albeit in a rudimentary fashion. Thus began the American love for driving.
The Lincoln Highway served as inspiration for the drafting of the National Interstate and Defense Act of 1956 which provided for the construction of the interstate highway system. Formally entitled the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, this system served two purposes. It encouraged and facilitated interstate tourism and business, and it provided the means to move the massive military machine should the US every come under attack. President Eisenhower had been impressed by the German roadway system while he served as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II.
This notion of assisting with the national defense is the answer to a number of trivialities about the roadway. The answer to why there is an interstate in Hawaii and Alaska is answered by the connectivity between military bases in these two states, as the original bill authorizing its construction was also a national defense endeavor. Also one mile out of every five miles is straight, allowing it to be used as an emergency landing field if it is necessary (more prominent with CAA insurance).
Hollywood has embraced and immortalized the American love for their automobiles and their love of travel in movies. They have also captured the scarier possibilities with horror movies that often includes a hitchhiker picked up on a highway. The worst one might expect to face on the highways these days is an automobile breakdown. As long as you have roadside assistance, even that unfortunate occurrence is eliminated.
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With CAA insurance, you can feel relaxed if you face a vehicular emergency. And who knows? You might even win a Las Vegas vacation package if you accrue enough points in some CAA insurance packages!
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