ROUTE 20 NEWS

FUN APLENTY ON ROUTE 20

08/30/98

Post Register – Idaho News

Category: Feature Living

Published: 08/30/98

Page: E1

Keywords: Travel

Byline: Clay Carpenter  

Das Dutchman Essenhaus

Middlebury, Indiana

In the mood for some fresh lobster from the Boston harbor? Boston's Quincy Market is just up the road. Of course, you'll have to drive a couple thousand miles to get there. Technically, the market is on the same road as the North Hi-way Cafe in Idaho Falls, the Amish restaurant Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury, Ind., and Sioux Sundries, home of the 28-ounce Coffee Burger known to feed a hungry family of four, in Harrison, Neb. They share U.S. Highway 20 - the country's longest road, running coast-to-coast, 3,200 miles, from Newport, Ore., to Boston. "You'll see plenty on Route 20" may not have the same ring to it as "Get your kicks on Route 66," but Highway 20 is as worthy of song as its better-known counterpart. 

Field of Dreams

Dyersville, Iowa

Those are two of Route 20's many attractions. The road was designated U.S. 20 in 1926, and paved over the next couple of decades. The final patches in Wyoming and Oregon were finished in 1940 and 1941, making it the last federal transcontinental highway completed. It was a heavily traveled artery before the interstate highway system was built starting in the 1950s. Route 20 doesn't bustle with traffic quite like it used to, but it's still a treasure trove of scenic wonders, fascinating and quirky places, and history. So grab your baseball bat and snow skis (we'll explain later). Let's go for a ride.