RoadsideOnline

It was a hot day behind the dirty windshield today. But I do love summer. You get to drive around all day with the windows down, getting a tan on your left arm, feeling the wind in your hair; well if I had hair I would feel it anyway. Cranking up the radio, listening to whatever moves you.

On these hot summer days I like to listen to the oldies, especially if they play surfing music or car tunes, you know The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean. And I like it when I hear the Beatles, the old songs remind me of summers when we were kids, heading to the beach, tooling along in the old station wagon, a 65 Mercury, sky blue and white with those real plastic wood panels on the side. My sister and I would sit in the back seat, the pull up one which faced backwards. I learned a lot about the world by looking out that window. Maybe that is why I always know where I have been but never where I’m going. Hmm.

When driving behind the dirty windshield all day you do begin to wonder about some things. Lately I have been musing over street and road names and wondering on their origins.

Now, some are obvious and pretty common. You have your Main Street, Central Street, North Street, South Street. All pretty common I guess. And you have the normal grove of tree streets, Elm, Chestnut, Cherry, Oak, Maple, Sycamore, Willow.  And there are your place names like Park, River, Mountain, Valley and Brook.

If a town ever had a railroad through it there may be a Railroad Avenue or a Depot Street. In the northeast we have many old mill towns which come with Mill Street, Mechanic Street, Brewery Street, Water Tower Road and Worcester MA now has a Wal-Mart way.

No, it's not that museum.

Museum revives historic diner

By Bob Culp 

Wednesday, 16 June 2010 04:44

AUBURN, INDIANA — A historic Angola-area diner lay as a rusted scrap heap in the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United State's basement three months ago.

Now, almost fully restored, it's the museum's newest attraction.

Its original four walls, stools, bar and other scattered pieces were remnants of the post-war era — and Don Siegla's memories.

Simply called 'Diner' on its facade, it sat at 405 W. Maumee St. in Angola from 1947 to 1984. Siegla and his friends at what then was known as Tri-State University ate at the diner most Sundays between 1955 and 1959, since the campus cafeteria wasn't open.

Siegla recognized the pieces of the diner on a visit to the museum more than 50 years later, which prompted a donation to restore the piece of local history.

"It looks better than I remember it," Siegla said Tuesday.

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Report Looks at Efforts to Increase Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released new data from the Federal Highway Administration's 2009 National Household Travel Survey which shows that both bicycling and walking trips have increased by 25 percent since 2001. The FHWA funded Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center included this data in The National Bicycling and Walking Study: A 15-Year Status Report. The report details trends and changes in bicycling and walking since 1994.

"This report demonstrates what we've been saying here at the Department," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Americans want and need safe alternatives to driving. And by making biking and walking safer and more accessible, we'll be able to provide Americans with more choices and help foster more active, livable communities."