{"product_id":"american-road-the-story-of-an-epic-transcontinental-journey-at-the-dawn-of-the-motor-age-9780805068832","title":"American Road: The Story of an Epic Transcontinental Journey at the Dawn of the Motor Age","description":"\u003cp\u003eA fascinating account of the greatest road trip in American history.  On July 7  1919  an extraordinary cavalcade of sixty-nine military motor vehicles set off from the White House on an epic journey. Their goal was California  and ahead of them lay 3 250 miles of dirt  mud  rock  and sand. Sixty-two days later they arrived in San Francisco  having averaged just five miles an hour. Known as the First Transcontinental Motor Train  this trip was an adventure  a circus  a public relations coup  and a war game all rolled into one. As road conditions worsened  it also became a daily battle of sweat and labor  of guts and determination.  American Road is the story of this incredible journey. Pete Davies takes us from east to west  bringing to life the men on the trip  their trials with uncooperative equipment and weather  and the punishing landscape they encountered. Ironically one of the participants was a young soldier named Dwight Eisenhower  who  four decades later  as President  launched the building of the interstate highway system. Davies also provides a colorful history of transcontinental car travel in this country  including the first cross-country trips and the building of the Lincoln Highway. This richly detailed book offers a slice of Americana  a piece of history unknown to many  and a celebration of our love affair with the road.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647896739893,"sku":"ByrdShop_080506883X","price":21.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780805068832.jpg?v=1781699385","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/american-road-the-story-of-an-epic-transcontinental-journey-at-the-dawn-of-the-motor-age-9780805068832","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}