Navajo Code Talkers and the Kingman Tours project. Route 66 and the Santa Fe Trail. Book stores, diners where the pie is fresh and the coffee hot, and neon lit nights. Shared adventures, lost highways, and community spirit.

In a nutshell this is Jim Hinckley’s America. This focus is what we build on with the weekly podcast, videos, social media network, books, website, and presentations.

When I bid adios to my ancient Underwood typewriter, moved into th emodern era with the purchase of a Gateway computer, and launched Jim Hinckley’s America, our aim was simple. Share America’s story and inspire road trips by telling people where to go.

Today, with your support and encouragement, that modest mission has blossomed into a thriving community of history lovers, preservationists, and storytellers. Together we wander dusty highways and revive historic districts. And we do it with a spark of fun and a dose of humility.

YouTube Channel: Where Virtual Road Trips Come to Life

Our YouTube channel is the visual shared adventure. It is more than road trips and road trip inspiration. It is a journey through time. With that as an introduction let me take you behind the scenes of some engaging video adventures:

In Search of Lost Highways

We launched this series in early 2024. Unfortunately development has been rather hit and miss, and for that I apologize. Still the videos published to date have provided viewers with a virtual tour through time on faded alignments of old highways, and even along 19th century wagon roads.

The Rest of the Tour

Coffee With Jim – Sunday mornings are made For A Visit With Friends

• Today’s show (August 24, 2025): Navajo code talkers. Route 66 as the quintessential American road trip. Small town America and big cities. The international fascination with Route 66, that highways future, and the endangered small business. Our conversation with Jonathan Bullington, a Chicago Tribune senior reporter, on this episode of Coffee With Jim, the weekly podcast from Jim Hinckley’s America, provides a different perspective on the Route 66 experience. Bullington recently wrote the first articles in a series about his odyssey along Route 66, and the people met along the way.  
• Next week (Aug 31): A fun and exciting UFO & Alien Festival, a 1929 high school, a collection of historic fiberglass advertising giants, a time capsule Twistee Treats Diner, The Mother Road Fudge Factory, a very rare Futuro UFO home, and a 1950s themed candy store. This is the Pink Elephant Antique Mall, a quirky, fun, memory making stop along Route 66 in Livingston, Illinois brought to life by Tonia and Wayne Pickerill. Join us for a road trip inspiring conversation with Wayne as he shares plans for the Route 66 centennial.
• September 7: I’m honored to host Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association and manager of the Preserve Route 66 Initiative at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Rhys, and his wife Samantha Extance have played a big part in the transformation of the Route 66 corridor in Tulsa. Rhys is also a contributor to the centennial anthology, Route 66: 100 Years, now available for preorder on this website.

My 23rd Book & Signed Copies

Ah, yes—my twenty-third book is on the way. Route 66: 100 Years is an anthology written in partnership with some very talented friends. As soon as it is published this fall, I will work to ensure there are signed copies available all along Route 66.

While we wait, signed copies of my other books are waiting for you at Calico’s Restaurant (Kingman, AZ), the Wagon Wheel Motel (Cuba, MO), and a few other locations. My books are also available at most book stores as well as via Amazon.

Before turning to Amazon, I want to encourage you to support the local book store, and mom and pop shops. In either case I would be more than happy to ad a signature if our paths cross on a road trip adventure.

Sponsors Making It Possible

I would be quite remiss if a shout out wasn’t given to the folks that keep the stories and road dust flowing:

• Roadrunner Lodge Motel (Tucumcari, NM)
• Wagon Wheel Motel (Cuba, MO)
• Gilligan’s Route 66 Tours
• Two Lane America
• Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post (Albuquerque)
• Cactus Inn Motel (McLean, TX)
• RouteTrip USA
• Deana Nelson – State Farm Insurance Agent – in Kingman, Arizona
• Jim HInckley’s America on Patreon

Where to Join the adventure

• Facebook—stories, maps, memories
• Instagram—morning walkabouts, neon signs, and glimpses of the road
• YouTube—your visual road trip headquarters
• Patreon—behind-the-scenes, project updates, early peeks
• Become a sponsor—if you would like to become a sponsoring partner, please contact us through the website