That Ribbon of Highway I : Highway 99 from the Oregon Border to the State Capital [Paperback]

Kathryn Golden Maloof (Author), Jill Livingston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Travel the Main Street of California, from your armchair or behind the wheel of your car, with this illustrated regional history and road guide. The author evokes an earlier era when life was seemingly less complicated, when parents packed the kids into the station wagon and took to the two-lane highways.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...written by someone who cares.....We really enjoyed this book." -- Out West Newspaper

"If you can't drive Highway 99 yourself this year, these books are a good second-best experience." -- travelthesideroads.com

"The photos capture many of the remaining landmarks as well as hidden treasures now forgotten." -- The Claremont Courier

"Their attention to detail is truely impressive." -- Fresno Bee

"Your work obviously represents many, many hours of extensive research on the old highway." -- Charles Smith, Editor , Action Era Vehicle

From the Publisher

Comments from the Media about Ribbon I and Ribbon II

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Living Gold Pr (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965137732
• ISBN-13: 978-0965137737
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,553,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the Ticket, September 5, 2000

By 

Bert Bedeau (Carson City, NV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: That Ribbon of Highway I : Highway 99 from the Oregon Border to the State Capital (Paperback)

"Society for Commercial Archeology Journal," Spring 2000. For those of you unfamiliar with the West Coast, Highway 99 is the principal historic highway that knitted together the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Portions of it were known early on as the Pacific Highway or the Valley Route or the Golden State Highway. However, in 1928 these various bits were sewn together and given federal designation as US 99. Despite de-designation as a US highway in 1964, Highway 99 continued to play a prominent role in western transportation. Jill Livingston and Kathryn Maloof have compiled a two-volume guide to the history and sights of Highway 99 in California. Each book, half-sheet size and paperbound, provides a general summary of the road's history and a detailed description of features along the existing road organized geographically from north to south. Both offer an extensive photographic tour of the respective route sections, as well as sections devoted to detailed maps that outline the route and provide directions on how to access often-bypassed elements or road alignments. There are generous graphics and photos throughout. I may be a biased reviewer of this topic. I grew up on Highway 99 just south of Sacramento and enjoy mostly fond and entirely vivid memories of this road. I have muddled memories of passing objects from car to car while careening down the Grapevine toward Metler, CA to rescue a friends' stranded vehicle. I also remember with fresh horror as I watched my record collection of 250 albums melt in 100+ degree heat while broken down on that same wretched hill in 1983. Livingston and Maloof have brought it all back for me. I pine for chicken dinner at Pollardville and an orange freeze at the Mammoth Orange. I mourn the passing of the Blueberry Hill Café in Chowchilla, and am startled to see a picture of the theater where I saw my first genuine rock concert in 1975. The authors have peppered their text with sidebars of interest to one and all. The evolution of the Ridge Route and disappearing/reappearing highway under Shasta Reservoir are two of my favorites. The organization of the books is clear and easy to follow; the photos are beautiful and plenty. The text is well written and enjoyable, not bogging down in non-essential detail or excess verbiage. These books are just the ticket for roadside exploration off the beaten track in the Golden State.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Armchair time-travel, May 19, 2000

By 

H. Johnson "Hal Johnson" (Bella Vista, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: That Ribbon of Highway I : Highway 99 from the Oregon Border to the State Capital (Paperback)

"That Ribbon of Highway" wonderfully captures the memory of those times when travel along "the Main Street of California" was indeed an adventure. It takes the reader back to a time before Interstate 5 made travel through the state a matter of speeding from origin to destination, with the only experience with the outside world involving, say, a quick stop at the drive-through window at yet another stamped-out McDonald's. As the author points out, of the three major north/south highways in California, Highway 101 may have been more romantic, Highway 395 more mysterious, but it was Highway 99 that truly served as "the peoples' highway," and thus is arguably more important in a historical scope.

I like this book a lot. The author and photographer have lovingly captured the historical spirit of Highway 99. I give it four stars instead of five only because I don't want to build the expectations of this book too much. It isn't a big, coffee table-sized tome filled with large glossy full-color photos and expansive essays. Rather, it's more a small, "night stand" sized volume, with black and while photos and brief treatments of the various points of interest along the stretch of the highway between the Oregon border and Sacramento. However, the modest format of the book compliments memories of those pre-Interstate 5 days more adeptly than would a Time/Life version of the subject; it goes gentle on the memories of our hearts by bringing them to the fore, rather than revising them with someone else's vision.

For those readers who treasure the memories of a time when travel by road seemed a richer, more colorful experience, I heartily recommend "That Ribbon of Highway." It's a little book with lots of heart and soul. HJ

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Nostalgia, March 29, 2010

By 

Ginger Russell (Castro Valley CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: That Ribbon of Highway I : Highway 99 from the Oregon Border to the State Capital (Paperback)

Especially if you grew up in California's Central Valley, this book has a lot of interesting history and a nostalgic look at some landmarks that may or may not be there any more. The only "minor" thing that I wish was different is the size of the book. It's my fault for not looking at the dimensions, but for some reason I was expecting it to be bigger. In any event, I am not sorry I got it, and I am looking forward to Part II, which is Hwy. 99 south of Sacramento. When I was a kid, my dad took us on many trips up and down the State, stopping at some of the touristy places and just sightseeing, and that's what this book recalls. So if you want to take a look back, or if you want to forge your own trail today, this is a good book to start with.