America's Byways®
Bulletin

December 2006 / Vol. 3 No. 4

WHAT'S NEW

The Maps Are IN!

Washington, DC - The new America's Byways map booklets are in the mail. All State byway coordinators and byway leaders should receive them soon. Individual maps are available on byways.org. For multiple copies of the maps (there are 102 copies per box) please send an email to Angel@byways.org. Include the quantity requested and what the maps will be used for, contact name, organization, address, email, and phone number.

FHWA National Scenic Byways Program 2007 Grant Solicitation is Announced

Washington, DC - Grant applications for FY 2007 funding under the National Scenic Byways Program are due from the State Departments of Transportation and Indian tribes to the FHWA division offices by March 19, 2007. Applications are due from the division offices to DC headquarters by April 16, 2007. All applications must be completed online and submitted both electronically and in hard copy. The solicitation memorandum, the FY 2007 Grants Guidance and Information for Grant Applications document, and other important materials are available at www.bywaysonline.org/grants.

A "Thank You" from National Geographic

Washington, DC - Caroline Hickey, Senior Researcher, National Geographic Society Travel Books, writes: "Now that [the Guide to] Scenic Highways [and Byways] is officially and completely out the door, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and all your coordinators for their assistance. It has been a long, hard project. I could not have done it without you. The information from your people was invaluable, and I tried to incorporate as many of their recommendations as possible within the limitations of the project. As you know it is always difficult to take an existing product and try to turn it into another, but I think we managed. Do have a good holiday, and I look forward to consulting with you on other projects."

As soon as we find out when the Guide will be available, we will announce it on bywaysonline.org.

GREAT IDEAS

Capitol Christmas Tree 2006: A Gift From The Evergreen State

Grand Coulee, WA - Tim Alling, Chair of the Coulee Corridor Consortium, was the first to let us know that the Capitol Christmas Tree traveled the byways on its way from Washington State to Washington DC. Attached is a picture of the 2006 Capitol Christmas Tree in Grand Coulee on Nov. 11, 2006. The tree is a gift from the entire state and was selected by Ted Bechtol, Deputy Superintendent of Capitol Grounds, from the Olympic National Forest on Washington's scenic Olympic Peninsula. Learn more at www.capitolchristmastree2006.org.

And more from our friends at Grand Coulee:

Using the Colorado Grassroots Training Program for scenic byway communities, key byway stakeholders worked with community volunteers and businesses to localize the information in the training kits. The training was held September 18-20 in three communities along the byway. The picture is an exercise called "Ears and lips voting." Other exercises include "Are you talking or listening?" and "Byway map orientation." The byway group believes the training kits will be usable for at least three to five years or longer. In October 2006, two byway volunteer trainers were invited to do a 30 minute training session to 180 high school juniors, from Omak and Okanogan High Schools as part of Washington Business Week. For more information, contact Tim at kingsco@bigdam.net

81 Runners Started this Year's Mohawk Towpath Duathlon

Clifton Park, NY - Eric Hamilton, Chairman, Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway Coalition, Inc. reports that each October the Mohawk Towpath Byway hosts an athletic event that an average person in reasonable shape can finish. This event was the brain child of one of the entrepreneurs along the Byway, a health minded chiropractor and his wife who love the Byway concept. It is called the Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon and consists of a 2.2 mile run; a 16 mile bike ride; and a 2.2 mile run to the finish. This year the event was held on Sunday, October 15, and congratulations to the winner - Andy Ruiz from Voorhesville, NY who finished in just under one hour, 10 minutes!

"The whole purpose is to have an event that brings attention to the Byway," says Hamilton. "We have been able to make some money to help implement small projects in our Corridor Management Plan. We have a course that uses a major rural segment of the Byway. Over the last four years we have consistently upgraded the event and this year we featured special cast medals of our Byway logo as age group awards. Local businesses sponsor the event at one of four levels: gold, silver, bronze and award levels. We get good local press coverage so residents along the Byway recognize the event and the Byway route".

81 runners started this year's Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon.

ON THE WEB

BRANDWATCH: California is Strongest U.S. Brand among Travelers

TheTourOperator.com's November 2006 newsletter reports findings from the Anholt State Brands Index on the overall ranking of U.S. State brands by U.S. residents. Find out where your State ranks at thetouroperator.com.

Comments on the New Byways Map?

As you're browsing through the new America's Byways map booklet, please check the accuracy of the contact info for your byway. We can't correct the booklet, but check the byways.org website and if the info there needs corrections, please email Angel@byways.org with updates.

NEWS BRIEFS

National Road for $200

Answer: This National Scenic Byway was mentioned twice on Jeopardy! within a week.
Question: What is The Historic National Road?

Toledo, IL - According to Road Chatter, the Illinois Historic National Road's newsletter, during the week of October 23, the National Road was a question under the category of "Scenic Byways." Later that same week, it was the answer under the "Roads" category. Is the National Road becoming even more famous? YES! Being on Jeopardy is a real boost for this byway!

Here's a note I received from Mark Anderson, Scenic Byways Coordinator for the Minnesota DOT:

Somebody told me that Jeopardy! had a Scenic Byways category of questions last night. One question involved the location of the Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway in Minnesota. So I googled it and got this site where people can suggest clues and locations to their "Clue Crew". Somebody may have done that already. What a way to get the byways name out there!

Read more about Jeopardy's Clue Crew at Jeopardy.com's Clue Crew page

FROM THE ROADS

Happy 1st Anniversary, Flint Hills!

Salina, KS - Deb Divine, Program Manager for the Kansas Scenic Byways Program, reports that the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway celebrated its first anniversary with a very nice program at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (that was celebrating its 10th anniversary at the same time). Here's the cake!

Congratulations A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway!

The Friends of A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway celebrated its designation as a National Scenic Byway on November 4th. On hand for the celebration were such distinguished guest as Congressman John Mica, State Representative William Proctor, St. John's County Commissioner Cyndi Stevenson, Flagler County Commissioner Jim Darby and Mayor of Marineland, Jim Netherton. Congratulations to you, A1A!

From Ashley River Road

Rand Romaine of the SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism sent us this photo from a post-PowWow fam trip last May. The picture is taken at the entrance to Middleton Place, an 18th century rice plantation and National Historic Landmark located in Charleston, SC, on Ashley River Road National Scenic Byway. The fam trip included representatives from tour companies in the US, the UK and Canada.

Lincoln Highway

The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition, together with the City of Dixon and Dixon Tourism, debuted their first Illinois Lincoln Highway Interpretive Exhibit in October at the Dixon Welcome Center/Of the Prairie. Pictured below is Diane Rossiter, Co-director of the Illinois Lincoln Highway Byway.

Happy Holidays from NSBP!

Seems that even Santa takes an America's Byway every now and then! Here he is on Utah's Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway. From all of us at the National Scenic Byways Program, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season! Take care!

January/February Issue:

Coming soon!