American Road Magazine Autumn 2017 Back Issue

We begin with the McKenzie Highway—old, old Oregon Route 15. It’s a road that calculates angles and grades to climb past waterfalls, through the volcanic fields, and up and over the slope of the CascadeRange. How many monuments have you seen constructed entirely of lava rock? The 1935 Dee Wright Observatory is one such edifice, and it’s more than the sum of its parts.

Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway is next. It winds its way along New Mexico State Road 15 around the Gila Cliff Dwellings, seeking an era when a solar calendar was considered the height of high tech. Vermont Route 15 follows, taking its sweetness from the trees and covered bridges that cross gamely into the last century. Our road departments toy with time, too, delving into the 1500s at San Diego, racking up fifteen balls in New York, following author Mark Twain into what became our fifteenth national park, and even playing a little football in Green Bay with Bart Starr—Hall of Famer #15.