From Champlain to Pontchartrain (hard cover)

MMichael McCray

There are over 4,000,000 miles of public roads in the United States, 164,000 of which make up the federal highway system. With its nearly 1,800 miles, U.S. Route 11 doesn't make the top ten. It has no ocean vistas like the Pacific Coast Highway. There is no association of enthusiasts holding yearly reunions in its honor as has the Lincoln Highway. Unlike Route 66, there are no songs or television series immortalizing its history. Route 11 is an overlooked, under-appreciated, misunderstood, and sometimes disrespected old road. Most sources cheat it out of more than 100 miles when recording its length. Still, for many, Route 11 is like an old friend who helps them remember a different time in America. For everyone, it is a road through the ever-changing landscape of history. On its run from the Canadian border in New York, to Lake Pontchartrain, within sight of New Orleans, Route 11 passes through ten states, nearly sixty counties and townships, three hundred villages, towns, and cities, and some of the most beautiful landscapes in America. The path's history begins before humans reached this continent more than 15,000 years ago and spans every era since. Despite its decline as a major artery after the building of the interstates, Route 11 remained relevant, and has even experienced a rebirth in recent years. Lined with great roadside attractions, historic sites, beautiful farms, and some of America's most important cities, the highway offers one of the nation's great road trip options. But even for those who will never cover its miles, traveling through its history is nevertheless worthwhile. It is the story of America, and a story long overdue.

Lot's Wife Publishing Company, 2027 - History - 180 pages, index

Glossy color photos historic and modern

Michael McCray has lived his entire life in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. An educator for forty years, a musician, historian, tour guide, small farmer, and life-long fan of the San Francisco Giants, he lives on the land his grandparents bought in 1925, a year before U.S. Route 11 was born.