Wilmington, North Carolina

I-40 essentially begins in the lovely, coastal town of Wilmington, NC. Although this is the newest stretch of the interstate to be completed, the road heads west from one of the earliest coastal settlements on the Atlantic sea-board. European explorers visited the area as early as 1524, when Giovanni da Verrazano reported to the French King Francis I that the Wilmington and Cape Fear area were “as pleasant and delectable to behold, as is possible to imagine…”

 

The love affair with this beautiful coastal site was just beginning. The English settled permanently in the 1720s and the charming port city became incorporated in 1739. Wilmington continued to play an important port role along the eastern coast, and even served as the entry point for the bulk of supplies for the Confederate States during the Civil War. Cotton, tobacco and the shipbuilding industry have each played a significant role in the economic success of Wilmington. When Interstate 40 opened at the western edge of Wilmington in 1990, tourism became the main bread-winner for the sleepy, little town. A growing movie industry has earned Wilmington the nickname “Hollywood East.” In fact, over 180 movies have been filmed here including the recent blockbuster “Nights in Rodanthe.”

Visit today and you will find quiet streets lined with beautifully restored mansions and inns; a plethora of antique shops, art galleries and coffee shops; and a thriving river walk front where you can stroll, eat and shop. Cool ocean breezes and sandy forest floors mark this historic coastal vacation spot, enticing you to frolic on her beaches and hike her historic trails.

Market Square, the main thoroughfare into downtown Wilmington, narrows to a tree-lined boulevard with lovely old homes and Spanish moss draping the branches that hang out over the road. Ornate churches and fountains border the street, some dating back several centuries. Get out and take a look for yourself; most of the buildings have placards telling their unique stories.

On the Trail Again

Growing up, I loved driving from our home in Mississippi out to visit family in southern Utah. Landscapes were embedded in my mind at an early age—from wide open flat spaces where the sky was one massive expanse of blue to “purple mountain majesties” as we approached and crossed the glorious Rockies. Everything seemed so big and open out on the range compared to the world I knew in Mississippi where tall pines, broad oaks and waxy, green magnolias filled the sky and blocked out the sun.

Crossing the Great Plains, I loved to recall the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder that had captivated my imagination at a very young age. Riding in the back of our family van, I would picture Laura in the big covered wagon with her family as they crossed the Midwestern frontier in search of a new home. Her colorful tales of everyday life and pioneer adventure made what I’m sure was an incredibly hard and sometimes harsh existence seem wonderfully intriguing to me as a child.

On our long family road trips, I also made up stories in my mind of cowboys as they sat around the campfire, drinking strong coffee and singing softly to the cattle under the stars. Their lives seemed so carefree, so exciting, and following the interstate west gave me the sense of being with them out on the trail. The sensation never gets old!

 

The Amazing Edward Fitzgerald Beale

As I began to research I-40, it quickly became apparent that this interstate followed a rather historic path. Several specific events led to the popularization of this westward-leading route, but the man who deserves the credit for making it the road it is today would have to be E.F. Beale.

A heroic figure from the 1800s, this man did more in his lifetime than anyone I have ever read about. The son of a War of 1812 “Medal for Valor” recipient, Beale followed in his father's footsteps--leading a life marked by adventure, impressive undertakings and unstoppable courage.

Beale himself was a military man, risking his life more than once to seek information while undercover behind enemy lines. During the Mexican-American War--in the battle of San Pasqual-- he and his friend Kit Carson snuck past the Mexican troops that surrounded them to go after reinforcements. It was heroic acts like these that proved him to be the stuff legends are made of.

Prominent men sought Beale out; friendships with the likes of Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill Cody and Ulysses S. Grant gave him an air of 19th century significance. In fact, rubbing elbows with American presidents became the norm for Beale. In the late 1830s, President Andrew Jackson appointed him to Naval School in Philadelphia. After graduating, he sailed for several years with Robert F. Stockton, another prominent mid-19th century figure and a man of great wealth and power.

 

Following the Mexican-American War, Beale became a resident of San Francisco. It was here that he received his next presidential appointment: Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California and Nevada by President Fillmore. Under this title, he was able to improved native conditions and negotiate peace treaties between the U.S. Army and Native Americans.

In 1848, Beale carried the first gold samples, as proof of gold in California, to the federal government. With the rush of gold-seekers that followed, a new demand for a trans-continental road developed. Beale was the right man for the job. When President James Buchanan appointed him to survey a wagon road from New Mexico to California in 1857, Beale used a creative strategy: camels as pack animals. Because they could travel for days without water and carry heavier loads than mules, camels seemed to be the perfect answer to developing the 1000 mile wagon road that crawled through the deserts of New Mexico, Arizona and California. 25 camels from Tunis, Tunisia were led by Beale's camel driver--Hadji Ali, a very colorful and animated individual who is now buried under a pyramid built from local stones topped with a copper camel in Quartzsite, Arizona. President Lincoln later appointed Beale to complete the roadway by incorporating a portion of known trails from Ft. Smith, Arkansas to the Colorado River.

 

The resulting Beale Wagon Road technically became the first interstate highway and the general route of U.S. Route 66, the Santa Fe Railway and Interstate 40.

Edward Fitzgerald Beale did finally settle down to build his Tejon Ranch (the brand is a single cross on a hill) after he purchased a large parcel of Mexican land. Tejon Ranch remains the largest private land holding in California.

A colorful leader in many prominent ways, this 1800s explorer, frontiersman and diplomat--of both Native American affairs and later as the ambassador to Austria-Hungary (appointed by President Grant in 1876)--changed the face of the West by building a road.

BEALE WAGON ROAD & THE CAMEL CORPS

In 1857, Beale was called upon by President James Buchanan to survey and build a 1000 mile road across the southwestern desert of the United States. The Gold Rush of 1849 had sparked a huge westward migration, and the highway would follow original postal routes from Oklahoma to Amarillo, TX, as well as the Trans-Continental National Trails Road from St. Louis, Missouri—“The Gateway to the West"—all the way to Los Angeles, CA.

In 1858-59, the Beale Wagon Road was constructed using a corps of camels. E.F. Beale claimed that the idea (presented in a book he had been reading by E.R. Hue) came to him while exploring Death Valley with his friend Kit Carson. After presenting the idea to current Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, Beale received authorization to send for a team of camels from the northern coast of Africa.

While most people scoffed at the idea, Beale found the camels to be "the most docile, patient and easily managed creatures in the world, and infinitely more easily worked than mules... Kneeling down to receive his load, it may be put on without hurry at the convenience of the master..." He noted that camels weren't prone to panicking or kicking the way mules were, and their ability to travel for days without water in blistering desert heat made them ideal. Most surprisingly, camels were able to carry up to 1000 pounds; some special hybrids (a cross between the camel and the dromedary) could carry 2200 pounds!

After completing the Beale Wagon Road--which eventually ran from Ft. Smith, Arkansas to the Colorado River (on the border between Arizona and California), Beale's camel team was disbanded. He personally kept several camels for his Tejon Ranch, while his camel driver Hadji Ali (or Hi Jolly) began a freight business using a few remaining camels. He released the remaining camels into the Arizona desert, which popped up from time to time, surprising local settlers.

Keep an eye out as you cross the Mojave Desert. You just never know what you might see along I-40!

  

The Intriguing Interstate 40

Interstate 40, though not the longest interstate running east to west, is a stunning cross-country roadway spanning eight states and incorporating famous highways such as Route 66 and the Beale Wagon Road. Over 2500 miles long, the interstate is known for its sprawling desert landscapes and mountain beauty.

Route 66 (decommissioned in 1985), one of the original U.S. highways, was lovingly dubbed the "Mother Road" and "Main Street of America." The route connected Los Angeles to Chicago and was memorialized in song and writing by such as Nat King Cole, John Steinbeck, the Rolling Stones, and The Eagles (to name a few).

Beale Wagon Road was built in 1857-59 by a team led by Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale using camels as pack animals. I-40 now follows about 1000 miles of the route Beale carved out from Arkansas to California.

Stretching from The Golden State of California to the Atlantic seaboard, I-40 introduces the traveler to majestic views:

 

·       In Arizona, The Grand Canyon State, I-40 passes just south of one of the most famous canyons in the world.

·       The huge, open-sky views of Oklahoma, once the final frontier state to the Wild West.

·       The contrasts of flat, fertile Texas plains in The Lone Star State with the stark beauty of California's Mojave Desert and the colorful, low mountains of Arizona and New Mexico.

·       The smoky, blue ridges of the Smoky Mountains along the North Carolina-Tennessee border.

I-40 truly personifies the famous opening lyrics of the song America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates:

O beautiful for spacious skies,                                 America! America!

For amber waves of grain,                                       God shed His grace on thee,

For purple mountain majesties                               And crown thy good with brotherhood

Above the fruited plain!                                           From sea to shining sea!

 

 

The United States Interstate Highway System

The United States Interstate Highway System

At the close of World War II, the United States' economy hit an all time high. Hyper-productivity in commerce and trade forced the country to find a new way to connect its cities. President Eisenhower himself decided to travel across the nation to see what could be done; the early 1950s explorative roadtrip took him over 60 days. A bold vision to create an interstate system began to take hold. The goal? To help people, ideas and goods travel about more efficiently.

 

It was the largest engineering feat ever taken on in U.S. history. A price tag of 29 billion dollars would allow the American people the freedom to travel where they wanted and a lifestyle that celebrated that freedom. It was the golden era of the automobile!

Some believed that the interstate system would destroy communities, bypassing them altogether. "Death by interstate" did become a reality for many towns, but the American passion for travel by car only drove the country to further invest in its roads. The interstate system has proven to be a huge economic success, carrying half of all heavy truck travel. It has also made travel much safer; in fact, safety requirements have made the U.S. Interstate Highway System the safest in the world. As for convenience, travelers can now cross the United States in about four days.

The ultimate interstate challenge?

                                       Slowing down long enough to enjoy the trip!
 

Chill Travels I-40

Chill Travels I-40:

The purpose of this blog is to highlight the most memorable Adventures & Inns Along I-40

“an unforgettable experience—from start to finish”

By:  C.Hill

Enjoy the journey!