Jim Hinckley’s America, an epic adventure that is shared with the world. We didn’t know exactly what would sprout when my dearest friend and I planted the seeds for this crazy adventure way back in 1990. But with the luxury of hindsight I can see that the ground was plowed more than fifty years ago.

That first article, Myloe’s Marvelous Mechanical Menagerie, published in 1990 was a glimpse of the future. And it was a manifestation of my passion for the American story and an apparent gift for telling people where to go.

An argument could easily be made that I was born to tell stories and inspire road trips. I just needed some gentle encouragement from my dearest friend to get the wheels rolling. And they haven’t stopped turning for 36 years. Jim Hinckley’s America has evolved into a community of folks that are passionate about road trips, and that are inspired by the American story.

For Fun and Profit

Looking back over the past few years it is obvious that I wasn’t dreaming big enough. And apparently that is something that plagues most folks. As a result, folks that chase their rainbows seem larger than life. That is a thought that has really been dominating thoughts as this months reading list include Jack Rittenhouse by David R Farmer.

This whole thing started as a hobby, something that I enjoyed doing and that provided an extra buck or two. I never imagined that this would lead to incredible friendships in a dozen countries. And we never could have imagined that Route 66 and road trips would take us to Slovakia, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany as well as throughout the United States.

And I never imagined that chasing the childhood dream of being an author would result in the publication of hundreds of feature articles, and 23 books.

A Shared Adventure

From its inception we envisioned this enterprise as a shared adventure. We have shared our failures, road trips, battles with what seems to be a never ending learning curve, and obscure chapters in the American story. And, hopefully, we have inspired a road trip or two, and encouraged folks to chase the dream.

The theme song for this wild ride that is Jim Hinckley’s America changes often, but it is usually a tune from Chris LeDoux that is running through my head.

This past few days I have been hearing lines from the song Photo Finish. “At seven this morning I got on the phone and said to hold my Bronc as long as you can . My car broke down in Billings and they just got it back together. I’ll be photo finishing in to old Cheyenne. We’ll here I am in Sheridan and its 9 o’clock in the morning and times a going fast. I just pulled her over had some coffee and a donut and I bought the car a brand new tank of gas. Well I don’t know if I’m gonna make it, its nine-fifteen. I’ll be lucky if I ever get there.”

In a nutshell that sums up the past few weeks quite nicely. A road trip and tight schedule, presentations, book signings, meeting with tour companies, media interviews, presentations, and project developmet. To this was added a doctors appointment, a dentist appointment, and the daily business of life. But I have no complaints.

Jim Hinckley’s America

Before taking the plunge about ten years ago I had a day job or two to support the writing habit. I wrote articles, a few books, overcame the fear of public speaking, and honed my storytelling skills. But it was just a side job, an opportunity to encourage people to discover America with road trips. And then there was a collision.

We launched Jim Hinckley’s America primarily as a platform for getting attention for books written, and for picking up some related work so I could tell people where to go. Much to our surprise the project began picking up speed rather quickly. At the same time the primary day job that supported the writing habit and paid the bills was going to hell in a handbasket.

Simply put, I developed eye trouble. I couldn’t see any reason to put up with the company’s bs. And they seemed to have issues with my increasingly poor attitude. And so we parted ways. That was about the time that reality hit me between the eyes.

Jim Hinckley’s America was growing in popularity but we had yet to really decide what it was and what we wanted it to become. Still there was ample evidence that we had tapped into a passion for road trips and the American story.

But it wasn’t exactly a profitable venture as of yet. I can’t say that it wasn’t making money, but on most days if steamboats were being sold for ten cents a piece, all I could do was tell folks how cheap they were. I still joke about running a nonprofit. But not all rewards are monetary.

An Epic Adventure

So, here we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. And like many people, we are also having a bit of fun with the Route 66 centennial.

But my dearest friend and I are also celebrating 36 years of chasing the dream on an epic adventure that we have been privileged to share with the world. Jim Hinckley’s America has evolved into a multifaceted platform that includes Instagram, Facebook, a livestream podcast on our YouTube channel, and the Coffee With Jim podcast on Podbean.

So, what is the future of Jim Hinckley’s America? That, my friends, is a good question.

We want to add some polish to the livestream program. And, after many false starts, we would like to launch a regular video series. We also want to explore ways to use our network of partners, as well as Jim Hinckley’s America, to enhance road trips.

But as this is a shared adventure, what you would you like to see from Jim Hinckley’s America? Drop a comment, and consider becoming a subscriber and follower. Let’s build a bigger and better road trip inspiring community.