The prospect of penning a travel guide and history of U.S. 6, and possibly landing an agent at the same time really has the imagination in high gear. Both items are something dreamed of for a very long time.
As to U.S. 6, I can’t help but think that Rod Serling, the creator of the legendary television program Twilight Zone would find this highway most fascinating. It crosses the entire country but really goes no where. For most of its length the highway and the communities through which it passes seem suspended in time.
It is the highest US highway crossing Loveland Pass in Colorado at 11,990 feet. In 1952, it became the last US highway to be fully paved.
Before being truncated in the 1960s this was the longest US highway running from Cape Cod to Long Beach in California. Today it is the second longest with the western terminus being Bishop, California.
As it is about 98% intact US 6 is the ultimate escape for those seeking highways that act as portals to an earlier time. Yet it remains an obscure highway.
At its eastern terminus it is a congested, urban nightmare. At the western end it is one of the most desolate highways with one section of almost 175 miles across the vast deserts of Nevada having no services.
In between are stunning natural attractions. Great Basin National Park and the Grand Canyon Pennsylvania, the Lake Erie shore and the Colorado Rockies to name but a few.
Exploring this highway just may be the ultimate adventure for a road trip junkie. That is until I can find a way to explore the Mackenzie Highway or the Pan American Highway or the …
