Pink elephants and aliens, Route 66 centennial postage stamps, and the history of neon signs. These are chapters in the American story. And the sharing of America’s story is what we do at Jim Hinckley’s America. Well, that and telling people where to go.

Sharing the story of Ralph Teetor, the blind prolific inventor best known for cruise control, was a milestone. I was an associate editor at Cars & Parts magazine and wrote the Independent Thinker column every month. This column was my first opportunity to share the story of fascinating and inspirational people like Mr. Teetor.

Our network was never envisioned as a Jim show. As with the Independent Thinker column I wanted to put the spotlight on fascinating people. I wanted to tell the American story with all its rich and colorful diversity through the people that write the chapters.

Coffee With Jim

So, we added the Coffee With Jim podcast to our network. In an interview the reporter said that the podcast was a virtual diner where folks gathered on Sunday mornings to talk road trips. That was an apt descriptor. But it din’t present the entire picture.

On the August 31, 2025 episode we visited with Wayne Pickerill of the Pink Elephant Antique Mall in Livingston, Illinois. Acclaimed photographer David Schwartz whose images were selected for the offical Route 66 centennial postage stamps was a guest on two different programs. And we learned about hte past, present, and future of neon signs in a conversations with Todd Matuszewicz.

The podcast was designated an official Route 66 centennial program. Needless to say, we were honored and humbled. But the reward treasured most are the comments received from listeners.

Coffee With Jim X 2

We are always looking for new ways to share America’s story, and to tell people where to go. Sometimes we are pushed into making changes. Then there are times when we discover a new way to tell a story or two. And once in a while we are able to turn a sows ear into a silk purse.

It felt like we had lost the brakes and stripped our gears on Wolf Creek Pass when Podbean discontinued the live stream option. Well, we were never short of excuses to drink as we made a valiant effort to teach this old dog new tricks.

Then we decided to do what we do best when faced with these type of challenges. I refer to it as the speed bump principle. You have two options, go over or around. And now we have two versions of Coffee With Jim.

Show and Tell

As many of our guests are even more tech challenged that me, I need to keep it simple. But I also need to create an engaging and informative program.

So, I dusted off the skills honed during show and tell back in the third grade. The live stream version of Coffee is now on the Jim Hinckley’s American YouTube channel. Guests simply call in on the phone, and listeners can comment. And I can do a bit of show and tell.

On Podbean we publish a recorded program for our page. That program is then published on Spotify and other podcast platforms as well as on our Facebook page. And it is also available on the embedded players that we provide to website developers.

Shared Adventures

Shared adventures. That is Coffee With Jim. And that is Jim Hinckley’s America.

So, we would like to invite you to share the adventure. Join us on Sunday mornings. Or be a guest and share a story or two.

Become a follower of the Jim Hinckley’s America Facebook page. Our community of folks that are passionate about road trips is nearing 15,000 people! Subscribe to Coffee With Jim on Podbean or the Jim Hinckley’s America YouTube channel. Check out the Instagram account or our Substack pages.

One more. Lots of folks are selling division and discord. Turn off that television and the cell phone. Pick a road (Route 66 would be best) and drive with no destination in mind. Talk to the people met along the way. Discover the magic elixir that is the great American road trip. And feel the stress and tension melt away!