What’s Inside: 

Roadside Reflections . . . . . 2
 
Capital Corner . . . . . . . . . .3
 
Dear Kate Bolder . . . . . . . .5
 
Roadside Assistance . . . . .6
 
A Conversation With... 
Floyd Thompson, 
National Program Leader,
USDA Forest Service . . . . . .8

Rock and Road 2005 . . . .11
 
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 


Published in cooperation 
with the Federal Highway 
Administration by: 

America’s Byways
Resource Center 

Arrowhead Regional 
Development Commission 
227 West First Street 
Suite 610 
Duluth, MN 55802 
1-800-4BYWAYS, Ext. 5 



THE CORRIDOR
MANAGEMENT PLAN: YOUR TOOL TO SPARK CONTINUED PROGRESS

At their roots, byways are 
inherently a transportation 
function. Obviously, other activities 
are crucial to the success of byways, 
including tourism, natural resources, 
interpretation, fundraising and 
marketing, to name a few. But it is 
the very roadway carrying visitors 
to, through and between the communities that 
creates the byway corridor. And, in most cases, 
it is the very roadway that defines the byway’s 
character and essence. Because many people 
in the grassroots byway community did 
not come from the transportation world 
and probably did not study transportation planning 
and engineering principles, their unique 
insights from non-transportation perspectives help 
make the National Scenic Byways Program a truly 
one-of-a-kind endeavor. 

A corridor management plan (CMP) is a major 
prerequisite to joining the America’s Byways 
community, and it’s frequently 
the byway volunteer’s first exposure 
to the world of transportation 
planning. For previously designated 
byways, your group has already 
created a CMP and, most likely, 
has begun implementing the 
strategies contained within those 
plans. If your group is right in the 
middle of the nomination process 
to achieve national designation 
for your byway, you probably have 
just completed the CMP. 

Either way, the CMP should outline the 
strategies you wish to undertake 
along your byway. If you created 
your CMP awhile ago, hopefully 
your planning efforts have not 
fallen by the wayside. In the byway 
community, you wear many 
different hats and often spend 
a lot of time putting out fires and 
juggling day-to-day activities. 
You may have other responsibilities 
that require immediate attention. 
That is the inherent difficulty in 
any planning process. The goals and 
objectives tend to be long-term and 
often get put on the back burner. 
However, as you are likely part of 
a byway organization, implicitly 
that means you are also a leader. 
As a leader it is your responsibility 
to make sure your organization is 
making progress toward your vision, 
which should be highlighted in your
CMP. If ithas indeed been awhile since you 
last dug into your CMP, don't fret; it is never
too late to stoke the fires of your planning 
process.

CMP Refresher 

In case it has been awhile, or you 
are new to the byway community, 
let’s review the components 
and the reasoning behind 
doing a corridor management 
plan. A corridor management plan 
developed for a byway is substantially 
different from one created for a 
non-byway corridor. For instance, 
DOT may create a CMP for a very 
busy metropolitan area where the 
main focus is to alleviate traffic 
congestion. Or a CMP could be 
created for a highly residential 
area to deal with safety concerns 
from traffic not appropriate for 
neighborhood areas. Often, other 
transportation modes are included 
in a non-byway CMP, such as 
transit bus, bike/pedestrian and 
rail, making the plan multi-modal. 

Below is a summary of the official 
guidelines, so please consult the 
Federal Register on www.bywaysonline.org 
to see the actual language of the federal policy. 
In general, though, a CMP should answer the following 
five basic questions: 

• What are the byway’s current 
conditions? 
• What are the goals for 
the byway? 
• What concrete objectives and 
strategies will move you toward 
achieving those goals? 
• Who will be responsible for 
carrying out the strategies and 
objectives? 
• When will each of the strategies 
and objectives be implemented? 

But first things first: you should 
have a vision of what you want 
or don’t want your byway to be 
in the future. Once your vision is 
established, you can answer the 
questions above by defining 
the current conditions and 
situation of your byway regarding 
the roadway itself, the local 
management and regulations 
(i.e., zoning ordinances), 
the intrinsic qualities and 
the tourism and marketing 
development efforts. 

After you record the current 
conditions, your organization 
should establish goals for those 
same conditions and any other 
relevant topics. Specific strategies, 
listing who is responsible, when 
tactics need to be implemented 
and cost estimates finally make 
up the actual ‘plan’ section of 
the corridor management plan. 
Most of you probably know 
these things, but it never hurts 
to review, especially when 
dealing with a topic that is so 
important to a byway. 

Why did you create a CMP? 

Logically, the most obvious 
answer to why you would create a 
CMP is to fulfill the requirements 
outlined in the Federal Register 
to become nationally designated. 
But are the federal requirements 
the only reasons why you created 
a CMP? If the answer is yes, 
then your byway organization 
may have missed the point. 

One of the unique features of 
the National Scenic Byways 
Program is that, although it’s a 
federal program, it seeks to give 
implementation and decision-
making power to local people 
and organizations. The CMP is 
the tool that allows your byway 
organization to become a local 
grassroots effort. Aside from 
meeting the 14 planning elements 
(see below), your group and 
its stakeholders define and 
develop the details and direction 
of your CMP. 

The very nature of a CMP implies 
that your final product is a shiny 
and glossy document that you are 
proud to display and show to all. 
However, we often get hung up 
on the final document that 
manifests itself as a ‘plan’. 

In reality, the best plans are those 
that have torn covers, scribbled 
notes, ripped pages and are 
generally inviting to the reader. 
Similar to a well-shared favorite 
novel, a compelling plan is far 
more than a collection of papers. 

Think of your plan as a hammer 
or wrench—a tool to use over 
and over to take care of the 
resources that are so near and 
dear to your heart. You certainly 
need a hammer to build your 
house. Likewise, your organization 
should use the CMP to build your 
byway’s success. 

The CMP is your means to define 
the future of your byway. You may 
have an idea of what you want 
that future to be, but unless you 
have it documented and supported 
by your stakeholders (via the CMP), 
that future may never come to 
fruition. In fact, it is entirely 
possible that a future that directly 
conflicts with your vision may 
transpire. Even though the CMP 
and the 14 components are required 
by the federal government, the 
CMP is your chance to exert local 
influence onto your treasured 
resources. However, having that 
CMP will not alone guarantee 
success. You need to use it, 
implement it and adapt it as time 
goes on. So open it up! 

Implementation Strategies 

Take your CMP off the shelf and 
read through it. Re-familiarize 
yourself with the conditions 
and situations that faced your 
byway when the CMP was written. 

In most cases, your vision and 
mission should not have changed. 
Remember that the CMP should 
reflect your vision. Make copies of 
the important sections and make a 
point to talk about it at your next 
byway meeting. Some byways have 
the CMP as an ongoing agenda 
item so all organization members 
can see it progressing. 

People in the transportation world 
often produce implementation 
reports to show the stakeholders how 
the planning process is evolving. 
Think about documenting how 
you’ve progressed with your byway’s 
efforts through an implementation 
report. An implementation report 
doesn’t have to be a shiny, glossy, 
long-winded, or difficult effort. 

Here are some steps for preparing 
an implementation report. 

1. Take your CMP off the shelf 
and read through it. 
2. Note what has changed 
(specifically regarding the 
roadway, intrinsic qualities, 
marketing/tourism efforts). 
3. Identify recommendations that 
have been implemented. 
4. Identify recommendations that 
-a. Are they still worthy? 
-b. Do they need to be changed 
or eliminated? 
-c. Who was responsible? 
Are they still stakeholders? 
5. Identify strategies that need to 
be created because of changes: 
-a. Identify new issues. 
-b. Identify new players. 
6. Summarize the changes in a 
short Word or Excel file. 

You can see that it’s not complicated, 
but it’s important. By going through 
the process above, you can re-connect 
with organization members, 
stakeholders and projects. This 
doesn’t have to be an intimidating 
or pointing-the-fingers process. 
Simply talking with people 
proactively about what has and 
hasn’t been accomplished may 
very well rekindle the fire that will 
allow you to fulfill your vision.

BOX:

Because byways have unique characteristics, the FHWA requires that a byway seeking national designation 
develop a CMP that addresses other issues not directly related to transportation. Even if you aren’t intending 
to seek national designation, you cannot go wrong by including these 14 necessary components in your plan. 
If you have already completed your plan, you are familiar with these: 

1. Corridor map 
2. Assessment of the intrinsic 
qualities 
3. Strategies to maintain 
those qualities 
4. A list of the players who will 
carry out the plan 
5. Strategies to address 
development along your byway 
6. Strategies to maximize 
public participation 
7. A general overview of 
safety issues 
8. A plan to accommodate 
commercial traffic and its 
impact on other users 
9. Strategies to minimize 
anomalous intrusions to 
visitor experiences 
10. Documentation of 
compliance with laws 
regarding outdoor advertising 
11. A highway signage plan 
12. Marketing plans 
and strategies 
13. Proposals for modifying 
the roadway 
14. Interpretation strategies 


ROADSIDE REFLECTIONS - EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD: 
TOP FIVE REASONS FOR A GOOD ROAD TRIP 
By Michelle Johnson, Deputy Director, America’s Byways Resource Center 

My family and I just returned from a weekend trip. Four and a half hours one way, with three little kids. 
And surprisingly, it went OK. No screaming fits, no drama, no crying. (And the kids were really good, too.) 
When I travel by car for any distances at all, I start to think about taking an even longer road trip. I imagine 
what I would pack, and what I would snack on, and what music I’d bring to pass the time. I imagine the 
wind in my hair (‘course I drive a van, so not much hair-blowing there). I think about the route (do I need a 
map or do I know the way by heart?). And lastly, the destination (I can’t wait to get there!). 
Sometimes it’s the journey – not the destination – that calls to us. If that’s the case, I make sure I have 
plenty of film aboard to document the joys and events of the journey to save for all eternity. Or something 
like that. So why do we love road trips? Here are some reasons that come to mind: 

#5 MEMORIES 
When I asked my colleagues for road trip stories, the response 
was sort of half-hearted and difficult to understand. Mumbled 
comments about college or something like that. I’m not sure what 
that means. Many of you probably have memories of special times 
with family or friends that occurred on your way to a destination. 
And sometimes, the events that didn’t seem all that great at the 
time are what we most often remember. 

It was July many years ago when just my parents and I headed 
to all parts of the West. On the third night of a two-week trip, 
we finished a campfire dinner and took a walk around the 
campgrounds. I pulled out my brand-new in-line skates and 
prepared to take a spin. My Dad told me to put “Safety First” 
and wear wrist and knee guards. I said “Dad, I’ve been ice skating 
my whole life, and ‘blading is no different than ice skating.” 
Yeah, right. Ten minutes later, as I was lying on the pavement, 
I gained a rather unpleasant education on blading safety measures. 
Thankfully, the operation to set my broken wrist went pretty 
smoothly. I spent the entire trip sporting a neon pink cast (hey, 
I was in pain!). All we have to do is say “Grand Island, Nebraska” 
and the memories come flooding back. 

#4 FREEDOM 
That’s the reason Thelma and Louise hit the road. They were in 
a rut, tired of their current situations, and needed a quick fix. 
A weekend getaway sounded like the perfect solution. Remember 
what they wore? Big straw hats and scarves that billowed in the 
wind. (No van for them.) Unfortunately, various activities turned 
them into fugitives, and their trip had a rather unexpected— 
and quite permanent—ending. 

My parents take a little less drastic approach to trip planning. They 
usually have ideas and destinations in mind before they gas up. 
Sometimes, they just pack and go. When I ask them where they are 
going, my Dad will say, “We’re heading west on Highway 2 and 
turning left somewhere.” Now that’s freedom! 

Regardless of your planning style, the desire to change, mix things 
up, and see different landscapes exists in most of us. The lure of 
the open road is undeniable and it will get to us sooner or later, 
whether you plan it or not. 

#3 MUSIC 
Music is one of the first things I pack in the car for trips. (OK, so it’s 
really the last thing. Mostly, I’m just glad I remembered it at all!) 
There is music about driving and the open road, and then there is 
music to hit the road with. Several years ago I attended a byway 
meeting, and one of the participants told me it took him four 
Jimmy Buffett CDs to get between his byway and the meeting 
location. Do you measure time and distance with music? 

Music can be a part of a journey or a memory of an event. I remember 
a family vacation from my childhood when it seemed like all of 
the radio stations were playing the same hit song—all day long. 
None of us could stand the song, but there was just no escaping it. 
Now, years later, whenever I hear that horrible song on the radio, 
it brings back fond memories of a great family trip. Go figure! 

#2 SUMMER 
What better time to travel than in summer? The kids are out of 
school, the weather is great, and you can take a scenic route around 
the road construction. I’m already looking forward to our annual 
trip to Michigan to visit my brother and his family. The memories 
make the 1,000 miles roundtrip with three little kids worthwhile. 

We all know that the visitors really come out and experience the 
byways during these months. You’ve spent all winter planning 
events, sites and stories to share with your visitors. Make sure your 
byway information is up to date on www.byways.org, and get 
ready to welcome the summer travelers! 

#1 
ALL ROADS LEAD TO 
CLEVELAND, OHIO!
How did that get on the list? It’s the location for 
the 2005 National Scenic Byway Conference! 
Safe travels! 



CAPITAL CORNER 
By Helen Sramek, Director of Government Relations, American Automobile Association (AAA) 

Over sixty years ago, one of America's premier
folklorists penned a song in tribute to the vast 
scenic beauty of our nation. Reading the familiar lyrics
of that Woody Guthrie song calls to mind the images of
America's scenic byways. Lush forests, dramatic cliffs,
diamond deserts, rolling prairies covered with wildflowers
as far as the eye can see, and a long stretch of meandering 
road known as a byway.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) 
grasped the importance of scenic byways almost from 
its beginning. As early as 1906, AAA began 
recognizing the scenic and aesthetic qualities that 
were woven among the then-primitive system of 
roads developing across this vast land. The automobile 
gave people an opportunity to see the best of America up 
close and personal. 

The AAA Pathfinders Group became our earliest road reporters.
These brave individuals lived on the roads, reporting on the
route conditions and communicating valuable information 
to eager travelers. The landscape may have been void of
the sophisticated transportation systems we know today,
but Americans were eager to see and experience it all. 
That was true a century ago, and remains true today.

For every traveler hwo needs to rush from Point A to 
Point B, there is another who wants to pause and enjoy the
more serene and scenic route that allows time for 
reflection, adventure, education and enjoyment. These
latter travelers like to ramble, roam and embrace the
natural beauty that is found on our scenic byways.
And, thanks to the National Scenic Byways Program, 
we have preserved and enhanced a valuable collection of 
these roads for the benefit of all Americans.

North America is home to an incredibly diverse and beautiful
landscape. Every region of the country offers innumberable
opportunties that can be found along America's Byways.

Whether the scenery highlights natural, traditional, cultural 
or historical elements, byways allow the traveling public to 
experience America in all its glory. America's Byways do
more than just move cars; they tell stories ab out the American
experience.

These American treasures are here for the enjoyment of the 
traveling public. The good news is that the post-9/11 travel slump 
has lifted, and Americans have returned to one of their favorite 
pastimes—driving for pleasure. Millions come to AAA to help 
them with their travel plans. 

Not even several summers of record high gas prices have 
been able to keep Americans from hitting the 
road. Driving trips, both near and far, remain a welcome respite from 
Americans’ hectic lives. That’s why many AAA magazines 
and websites feature stories on scenic byways. 

Early forecasts by the Travel Industry Association of America 
show that we can look forward to another robust travel season. 


TIA predicted nearly 281 million person-trips from March to 
May 2005—up 1.2 percent from last spring. Barring unforeseen 
circumstances, AAA has every reason to believe that summer 
travel will hit record levels this year. And, scenic byways can 
expect they will see a fair amount of that traffic. 

AAA was among the very first partners that helped create the 
National Scenic Byway Program. We’ve been proud to be a partner 
ever since. Some of our clubs are active at the local level in promoting 
individual byways. At the national level, we have joined our colleagues 
in the byway and recreation communities to support an 
even stronger National Scenic Byways Program in this year’s 
transportation bill. 

It is in the motoring public’s best their partners must continue to 
interest that high standards be maintained in designating scenic 
byways. Federal agencies and work together to ensure that the 
scenic byway program remains an outstanding example of 
public-private partnership. Providing safe driving 
tips in and around environmentally sensitive designations 
and encouraging respect for fellow travelers, no matter 
what their final destination, remain worthy goals.

The locally based nature of the Natoinal Scenic Byways Program
gets citizens, groups, businesses and governments working
together to preserve their byways. The partners to this endeavor
take their hats off to the countless individual efforts that have grown
the Program over the years. Our goal is to ensure its viability
long into the future. The American traveler expects that of us.

Let’s hope that sixty years from now Mr. Guthrie’s lyrics still 
resonate with new generations of travelers setting forth to 
experience new adventures along America’s Byways. 



DEAR KATE BOLDER
E-mail your questions for Kate to center@byways.org with 
the words “Be Bold” in the subject line. 

Dear Kate:
Our byway organizatoin's memebers have a
problem with our byway leader. She doesn't 
allow participation at meetings! She does all 
the talking and makes all the decisions.
 
The board has a range of skills and experiences, 
but we feel like our current leader doesn’t see 
our value. I'm afraid we are losing interest 
and support for the byway organization. 

Signed,
Smart (but no one knows!) 

Dear Whiz Kid, 

It’s frustrating isn’t it? While there are several 
ways to tackle this issue, here is one 
approach… 

It may be helpful for the group to ask the 
byway leader about the role of the board and 
the responsibilities associated with being a 
member. What are the byway leader’s specific 
responsibilities and accountabilities? You may 
ask her about what has gone well and what 
has gone wrong with members in the past. 
Be careful not to take it personally—it’s about 
events in the past, not the present members. 
Listen to her concerns, and then quickly move 
on to discuss specific ways you can be more 
involved. It will be clear to her that you 
want to move ahead with action and not 
dwell on the past. Listen for the “what,” 
not the “who.” 

You may find out that the board is really just 
a “rubber stamp” committee—nothing more, 
nothing less. You should be able to figure 
this out during the discussion about roles 
and responsibilities. If this is a formal Board 
of Directors, there are legal implicatoins of being
a member.

It often helps to boldly ask questions about 
desired results, but avoid questions that put 
people on the defense. After all, you won’t 
truly understand what your byway leader is 
thinking unless you ask. She may appreciate 
help and gladly share the glory. Maybe some 
shared work and successfully completed 
projects over the next several months will 
build trust and confidence in the team 
process you want to create. 

A helpful resource for byway organizations 
is Making the Grassroots Grow: Building and 
Maintaining Effective Byway Organizations, 
a publication from the America’s Byways 
Resource Center (available for download on 
www.bywaysonline.org). Sometimes it helps 
to bring in a concerned outside facilitator to 
get to the core of the problem and help the 
group agree on next steps. And don’t forget 
to call on your Byways Resource Specialist— 
they’re itchin’ to help local byway groups 
be effective and achieve their goals. 

URSMRT, 
Kate



ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE:
ALPHABET SOUP: A LAYPERSON'S GUIDE TO 
THE WORLD OF TRANSPORTATOIN ACRONYMS
By Curt Pianalto, Byways Resource Specialist 

BOX:
ROADSIDE 
ASSISTANCE 
is a regular column designed 
to provide working tools that byway 
groups can use to solve problems 
and be more effective. 
Send topic ideas to 
center@byways.org. 

Recently I attended a Byway 
meeting where I listened to a 
presentation on the differences 
of bridge railing classification 
lingo between two official 
transportation agencies, 
AASHTO and NCHRP. 
(Not sure what these two 
stand for? Don’t worry! 
They are explained on the 
accompanying table.) On this 
particular Byway, bridges are an 
inherent part of the visitor’s 
experience. The presentation 
was direct, easy to understand, 
and included references to the 
agencies that created the bridge 
classifications. What amazed me 
about the presentation was the 
fact that it was not given by a 
transportation planner or engineer 
from a DOT, nor a professional 
transportation consultant. The 
presentation was succinctly 
delivered by a Byway grassroots 
volunteer who, on her own 
time, researched the material 
and consulted representatives 
from each of the agencies. She also 
developed a one-page handout 
“compiled for grassroots folk 
who normally don’t speak 
bridge language” to help 
non-transportation people 
understand transportation jargon. 
Kudos to the Indiana National 
Road Association for its efforts 
to soften the transportation lingo 
for the layperson, as the group’s 
efforts inspired this article. 

In transportation, acronyms 
(words formed from the initial 
letters of a series of words) 
are used for government agencies, 
independent organizations, 
measurements, plans and 
technologies. You are probably 
already familiar with the DOT and 
FHWA acronyms. As someone 
who has spent a good deal of his 
life in transportation, I can tell 
you that the list of transportation 
acronyms is overwhelming. I can 
only imagine how daunting it must
be for someone being exposed to
them for the first time. And while it 
is a good idea to have a general 
understanding of transportation lingo, 
it is not important to memorize every
transportation acronym out there.

This guide is intended to be a resource
for you as you work with byways, so keep it
handy. But remember: this list is not exhaustive.
You are encouraged to visit the organizations' 
official websites to ensure accuracy. To find a specific 
website, try typing in the acronym or organization
name on an Internet search engine. For a more 
extensive list of transportation acronyms, visit the
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (alas, another transportation
acronym - BTS) at http://www.bts.gov/publications/transportation_acronym_guide/.


BOX:
Our Byways Resource 
Specialists are here to 
assist you. Find the Resource 
Center contact for your state 
on the Community Web site 
at www.bywaysonline.org/ 
contacts/rc_contacts.html. Call 
us toll-free at 1-800-4BYWAYS, 
Ext. 5., or contact your Byways 
Resource Specialist directly: 

Chel Ethun 
Direct: (218) 625-3303 
methun@byways.org 

Susan Koschak 
Direct: (218) 625-3307 
skoschak@byways.org 

Curt Pianalto 
Direct: (218) 625-3304 
cpianalto@byways.org 

TABLE:
ACRONYMS SPELLED OUT

BTS - Bureau of Transportation Statistics 
Compiles, analyzes and makes accessible information on the nation's transportation systems; collects information on 
intermodal transportation and other areas; and enhances the quality and effectiveness of DOTs’ statistical programs through 
research, the development of guidelines and the promotion of improvements in data acquisition and use 

U.S. DOT - U.S. Department of Transportation 
Serves the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system 
that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future. 
The U.S. DOT has 13 main administrative programs, including the FHWA, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal 
Aviation Administration (FAA), National Traffic Highway Safety Adiministration (NTHSA), and others dealing with rail, 
pipeline, motor carriers, etc. 

HTF - Highway Trust Fund 
Ensures a dependable source of financing for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways; a source of funding 
for the remainder of the Federal-aid Highway Program 

FHWA - Federal Highway Administration 
Coordinates highway transportation programs in cooperation with states and other partners to enhance the country's safety, 
economic vitality, quality of life, and the environment; a major administrative division of the U.S. DOT; National Scenic Byways 
is a discretionary program of the FHWA 

ISTEA /TEA 21 - Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiciency Act 
Federal legislation authorizing highway, highway safety, transit and other surface transportation programs from 1991-1997; 
followed by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), from 1998 to 2003 

NHI - National Highway Institute 
Training arm of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); provides leadership and resources for the development and 
delivery of training and education programs to improve the quality of our nation's highway system and its intermodal 
connections 

STP - Surface Transportation Program 
Federal program providing funds to states and localities for projects concerning the National Highway System, federal-aid 
roads or public roads with regard to bridges, safety, car pools and bicycle/pedestrian issues 

MUTCD - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 
Document issued by the U.S. DOT to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road markings and signals are designed and 
installed, including shapes, colors and fonts; all U.S. traffic control devices must generally conform to these standards 

MPO / COG - Metropolitan Planning Organization / Council of Governments 
Regional transportation planning and policy agency for urban areas with populations larger than 50,000; sometimes locally 
referred to as a COG 

RDC / RPC - Regional Development (Planning) Commission 
Regional multi-county planning and development organizations established by the federal government; many byways coexist 
with RDC/RPC organizations 

ADT / AADT - Average Daily Traffic / Average Annual Daily Traffic 
Regional multi-county planning and development organizations established by the federal government; many byways coexist 
with RDC/RPC organizations 

LOS - Level of Service Describes both intersection and free-flow traffic that indicates how traffic is moving; usually given a level A-F, with “A” being ideal and “F” being very poor or stand-still traffic 

PCI / PQI - Pavement Condition/Quaility 
Index Measurement system used by engineers to determine the condition of pavement on specific roads 
ROW Right of Way Usually wider than the roadway itself to allow for buffers between the road and adjacent land uses; sidewalks, trees, signs, swales and utilities are often placed here; every road has a right of way 

V/C - Volume to Capacity Ratio Measure of traffic on a road (expressed as volume) compared to its designed traffic-carrying capacity; a V/C ratio above 1.0 generally means there is too much traffic for that specific roadway 

AASHTO - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 
Nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments; represents all five transportation 
modes; fosters the development, operation and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system 

TRB - Transportation Research Board Serves as an independent advisor to the federal government and others on scientific and technical questions of national importance; has several research divisions, including the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) 

TCM / TDM / TSM - Transportation Control Measures / Transportation Demand Management / Transportation Systems Management 
TCM - strategies to achieve local carbon monoxide standards; TDM - stragegies to reduce the number of single-occupantvehicles on local roads; TSM - strategies to increase efficiency, safety and capacity (LOS) of a road without widening the road 

TIP / RTP / STIP - Transportation Improvement Program / Regional (TIP) / Statewide (TIP) 
TIP - document prepared by an MPO that lists projects to be funded with FHWA/FTA funds for the next one- to three-year 
period; STIP (STP) - statewide staged, multi-year, multimodal/intermodal listing of transportation projects that includes 
projects included in TIPs and RTPs 

NHS - National Highway System Approximately 160,000 miles (256,000 kilometers) of roadway important to the nation's economy, defense and mobility 



A CONVERSATION WITH...FLOYD THOMPSON, 
NATIONAL PROGRAM LEADER, USDA FOREST SERVICE

1. What is your background, 
and what led you to 
your current position as 
National Program Leader for 
the USDA Forest Service? 

From birth to my advanced studies 
at the University of Massachusetts 
and then Conway School of 
Landscape Design, I’ve been a 
product of central and western 
New England landscapes. I am an 
artist and a planner who finds great 
inspiration from freshly mowed 
green pastures rolling beyond 
rock-maple-framed vistas and old 
rock walls, piled there by some 
hopeful farmer in the mid 1800s. 

I consider Frederick Law Omsted 
one of America’s greatest minds 
and a creative genius. His legacy 
inspired me to know and value 
a wild primitive landscape as 
well as the century-toiled 
cultural landscapes of my 
New England youth. Like 
many New Englanders, my 
family roots go back through the 
local landscape to early 1700. 
Many early family properties 
in the town I grew up in are 
still used as bed-and-breakfasts, 
family farm resorts or new business 
establishments. I have a volunteer 
spirit and have not only served 
as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 
Chile’s National Parks in 
Temuco, Torres Del Paines and 
Easter Island, but also in the 
National Volunteer Project in 
New Mexico and in my local 
church choir. 

I am a landscape architect and 
recreation planner by training. This year 
I become a 30-year veteran of government 
service and proudly serve as the 
USDA Forest Service National 
Tourism and Byways Program 
Leader. I was led to the National 
Scenic Byways Program because 
of its potential to inspire people 
about the landscapes they 
experience while driving or during 
their short hikes off the roads 
set amongst cultural and natural 
history legacies. I have served 
18 years in New Mexico 
landscapes, in leadership roles at 
the forest, region and as a District 
Ranger. I helped champion one of 
the Forest Service Chief’s first 
National Forest Scenic Byways, 
Sandia Crest and Turquoise Trail 
Byway. I see the National Scenic 
Byways Program as a program 
that builds up America and 
rekindles a spirit of awe. 

We are a nation that has discovered 
itself in tandem with a love 
affair for individual freedom 
expressed in an automobile and 
the open road. Even with the 
gridlock world of our metropolitan 
areas, the open road and personal 
experiences with the land through 
a scenic drive are still possible. 
The challenge is how to keep 
the cultural landscape practices 
alive so the land is preserved for 
farming, wood lots, maple sugaring 
and open spaces. 

in communities surrounding 
National Forests, where land 
subdivisions and second-home 
ranches are consuming our byway 
landscapes and gateway portals. 
The challenge is about geo-tourism: 
conserving places, peoples and 
cultural geography. Byways address 
that challenge. Landscape corridor 
thinking and collaborative work 
is needed now more than ever, 
and the National Scenic Byways 
Program gives us this opportunity 
to work with communities to offer 
alternatives and adjust policies 
to conserve our “special places.” 
It combines tourism economics 
with landscape conservation. 

2. Tell us about the overall 
mission of the USDA 
Forest Service and the 
history of the USDA Forest 
Service's National Forest 
Scenic Byways Program. 

The U.S. Department of 
Agriculture Forest Service is 
a federal agency that manages 
federal public lands in 155 
national forests, 20 grasslands 
and one tall-grass prairie. 
The mission of the USDA Forest 
Service is to sustain the health, 
diversity and productivity of the 
nation’s forests and 
grasslands to meet the 
needs of present and future 
generations. As set forth in 
law, the mission is to achieve 
quality land management under 
the sustainable multiple-use 
management concept to meet 
the diverse needs of all people. 
The Forest Service motto, “Caring 
for the Land and Serving People,” 
captures the spirit of our mission, 
which we accomplish through five 
main activities: 

• Protection and management 
of natural resources on 
National Forest System lands. 
• Research on all aspects of 
forestry, rangeland management 
and forest resource utilization. 
• Community assistance and 
cooperation with state and local 
governments, forest industries 
and private landowners to help 
protect and manage non-federal 
forest and associated range and 
watershed lands to improve 
conditions in rural areas. 
• Achieving and supporting 
an effective workforce that 
reflects the full range of 
diversity of the American people. 
• International assistance in 
formulating policy and 
coordinating U.S. support 
for the protection and sound 
management of the world’s 
forest resources. 

National forests are America’s 
great outdoors. They encompass 
191 million acres (77.3 million 
hectares) of land, which is an 
area equivalent to the size of 
Texas. National forests provide 
opportunities for recreation in open 
spaces and natural environments. 
With greater numbers of people 
living in urban areas, national 
forests are becoming more 
important and valuable to 
Americans. A visitor can enjoy 
a wide variety of activities on 
national forests, including 
backpacking in remote wilderness 
areas, mastering an all-terrain 
vehicle over a challenging trail, 
finding spectacular views along 
a scenic byway or just relaxing 
along the banks of a stream. 
The National Forest Scenic 
Byways Program is an integral 
part of delivering the USDA 
Forest Service mission. 
Professionals in the agency 
(primarily landscape architects 
and recreation planners) have 
been perfecting the art of 
landscape view-shed corridor 
planning for vegetation 
management since the 1970s. 
Activities then reflected 
a growing concern for 
the aesthetic and 
environmental quality 
of entire landscapes, 
which have come to 
also include the 
cultural practices and 
the historic context of 
these landscapes. 

Research in the 1980s 
showed that driving for 
pleasure was the number one 
activity for recreational use of the 
these public lands, and what 
better way to meet and cooperate 
with our community partners 
than through serving this 
recreational activity? 

Concurrently, in the late 1980s 
Congress was working on a 
major restructuring of how 
transportation planning would be 
organized for the Highway Trust 
Funds. The idea for highways as 
recreational tourism corridors 
helped develop the concept for 
a National Scenic Byways 
Program, iterated in 1991 ISTEA 
legislation under the Department 
of Transportation (DOT). The 
Forest Service had already 
developed a similar concept 
for “forest highways” corridors, 
which were state-maintained 
or county roads traversing 
the National Forests System. 
The Chief of the Forest Service 
uses an administrative authority 
delegated from the Secretary 
of Agriculture to designate 
National Forest System lands 
along byway corridors. 

Certainly, both the USDA Forest 
Service and the National Scenic 
Byways Program have had close 
mission alignment from the 
inception of their programs. 

Today, the Forest Service is 
participating with the DOT 
in over a third of the National 
Scenic Byways in the system with 
technical expertise, community 
grants or as a tourism member 
of a destination marketing 
organization. The byways act as 
marketing themes for a whole 
landscape of communities and 
scenic attractions. 

The interpretive planning that accompanies
many byways' development efforts
provides a special opportunity for the 
agency to deliver important conservation
stewardship messages that inform visitors
about ecosystem sustainability, historical 
and cultural landscapes, wildlife connectivity
and even global warming. Exhibits, signing, 
auto tours, and the like all bring the stewardship
messages to the scenic-driving markets as these 
visitors actively enjoy their byway experiences.
The benefits are
economic as well as social, 
enriching the tourism product of 
local communities while instilling 
knowledge about the unique 
heritage of the places people are 
driving through. Byways are a key 
part of delivering our mission to 
all people. 

3. How does the USDA 
Forest Service (and the 
National Forest Scenic 
Byways Program) work 
with America’s Byways™ 
at either the local, state or 
national level to provide a 
seamless traveler experience? 

Nationally, the USDA Forest 
Service works with DOT byways, 
participating in travel shows and 
joint conference workshops, 
creating marketing efforts with 
Travel Industry Association of 
America (TIA) and others, sharing 
research, securing extra funding 
through DOT Federal Lands 
Highways and participating in 
many other activities. In particular, 
we are currently enhancing our 
National Forest Scenic Byways 
Program content on www.byways.org to 
improve visitor travel planning 
activities to all National Forest 
Scenic Byways, which are those 
designated by the Chief 
(some are also state byways). 
We are also working with DOT 
Federal Lands Highways 
to secure funds for recreation 
and tourism planning 
activities with states for 
existing and new byways 
networks, emphasizing access 
to backcountry scenic drives. 
We will be partnering with DOT 
and Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) on a new federal liaison 
support position at the America’s 
Byways Resource Center in the 
near future. 

Regionally, our byway program 
coordinators are working with 
individual state byway leaders 
and DOTs in a variety of ways. 
We support new byway feasibility 
studies for designation, corridor 
planning and grant requests 
for byways funds, work with 
individual projects that are 
within National Forest boundaries 
(also on “forest highways”) as 
well as general help on highway 
signing efforts. Our agency makes 
a strong effort to link visitors to 
the America’s Byways™ website 
at all our visitor information 
centers, ranger stations and on 
our regional/forest homepages. 
In addition to working with 
state DOT byways people, 
our staff works with other federal 
aid projects in Enhancements 
and also Federal Lands Highways’ 
three division offices 
(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/flh/ 
index.htm). 

Locally, we offer varying degrees 
of staff resources, depending 
on the level of involvement by 
each unit in National Scenic 
Byways designated within its 
zone of influence. In some 
cases, such as the West Cascades 
or the Volcanic Legacy Scenic 
Byways, we have had major 
involvement in the development 
of the byway from inception. 
In other cases, such as the 
Historic National Road, we 
may only be an interested party. 
In cases where the Chief has 
designated the byway, such as 
in the Northern California area, 
we work directly with byway 
groups and local destination 
marketing organizations, like 
Shasta Cascades Wonderlands. 

4. How is the USDA Forest 
Service organized? What 
is the best approach for 
local communities and byway 
leaders to work with the 
USDA Forest Service? 

The USDA Forest Service is 
headquartered in Washington, 
D.C., and has three primary 
branches: the National Forest 
System, Forest Research, and 
State and Private Forestry. 

National Forest System 

The National Forest System 
operates through nine geographical 
regions from Alaska to Puerto Rico. 
Most of the byways’ contacts will 
be through these nine regions and 
their respective National Forest 
administrative offices. Primary staff 
contacts will be with the National 
Forest unit byway leader, who is 
usually a landscape architect, 
recreation planner, engineer or 
public affairs professional. Contacts 
should be requested through 
the Forest Supervisor if multiple 
districts are involved, or through a 
District Ranger for shorter byways 
in one locale. As an example, if a 
byway group is working on a byway 
designation near a National Forest 
unit, it is best to contact the Forest 
Supervisor directly and request 
support and possible active planning 
involvement in the byway’s 
proposal at the start of the effort. 

Forest Research 

Forest Research is divided into the 
Northeast Area, Five Research 
Stations, the Forest Products 
lab and the institute for tropical 
forestry. It has four primary 
functional areas, two of which may 
be important to byway groups. 
First, the Forest Inventory and 
Analysis (FIA) Program reports 
on trends and status of all forest 
conditions for both public and 
private forests. Since many of the 
byway corridors are forested lands, 
this program’s data is of value to 
understand changing conditions 
in landscape health and 
conservation efforts needed to 
maintain scenic quality. 

The program is managed by the 
Research & Development 
organization within the USDA 
Forest Service in cooperation with 
State and Private Forestry and 
National Forest System. Visit FIA 
(http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/). 

An example might include a byway 
group with diseased or dying trees in 
the corridor that need treatments 
or inventory for monitoring and 
evaluation. In these cases you 
should work with the State Forester 
in that state. 

Second, Resource Evaluation and 
Use Research is where there is 
some good potential for more 
involvement from byway groups. 
Some evidence of this has been in 
work with scenic driving surveys 
through Ken Cordell’s research 
at the Southern Research Station 
in Athens, Georgia. He is in 
charge of the National Survey on 
Recreation and the Environment 
(NSRE). His site is an excellent 
one for recreation participation 
trend data and he has the ability 
to work with other groups to fund 
specific research on scenic 
byway participation. His website is 
http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/trends/. 
An example might include surveys 
of byway corridors statewide, where 
leveraged funds could be greatly 
expanded by use of existing expertise 
from NSRE ongoing survey work. 

State and Private Forestry 

State and Private Forestry division 
(S&PF) is where the Economic 
Action and Rural Community 
Assistance grant programs are 
housed, which have been of great 
value to many byways in the 
past—especially when combined 
with Resource and Development 
Council (RC&D) support. 

For more information on 
these programs and other 
partnership resources, consult 
the National Forest Foundation 
partnership resources website: 
www.partnershipresourcecenter.org. 

S&PF is a great group for technical 
help, but most technical requests 
will need to be made at the regional 
office level, since many forest staff 
resources have been depleted over 
recent years. Current work in 
Northern California is an example 
of leveraging local tourism industry 
efforts for a backcountry byway 
forest network with a regional 
rural community assistance grant 
and Federal Lands Highways 
planning support. 

5. What services does 
the USDA Forest 
Service offer that 
byways can tap into? 

In addition to the resources listed 
above we do have some excellent 
agency-prepared guides. Under 
“landscape management issues 
for road viewing-corridors,” 
there is a good process inventory and evaluation 
of scenery known as the Scenery 
Management System (SMS) and 
a series of official Handbooks on 
Landscape Management. These 
can be obtained from the regional 
agency contacts or by calling the 
Washington, D.C., office for 
information on sources. We also 
have good baseline information on 
overall visitation to the National 
Forests, visitor zip code data and 
economic spending profiles for 
use by any byway group needing 
information for marketing plans. 
This National Visitor Use 
Monitoring (NVUM) survey is 
not as reliable at the county level, 
but can be helpful for forest and 
statewide planning considerations. 
The Forest Service also appreciates 
any byway group that might like to 
help with volunteers to conduct 
the next round of NVUM survey 
work. See the Web link for more 
information at http://www.fs.fed.us/ 
recreation/programs/nvum/. 

Another good resource (if one is 
in the vicinity of a byway) is the 
staff in the form of interpretive 
specialists and planners at major 
visitor centers. Put them on your 
team if you have not already 
done so. If no Landscape Architect 
exists on a Forest, the Forest 
Engineer can also be an excellent 
resource for byway groups working 
with state transportation officials 
and looking to leverage funds with 
other federal programs. Roads are 
their primary focus and they have 
a wealth of technical resources of 
value to byway groups. 

6. If you could send one 
message to National 
Scenic Byways, what 
would it be? 

We are excited to work with our 
byway partners. Developing and 
maintaining a relationship with 
the local or regional Forest Service 
byway will generate the greatest 
results. The outstanding work on 
the San Juan Skyway in Colorado 
would not have happened without 
such a relationship formed 
with Forest Service employee 
Dick Ostergaard. The fantastic 
interpretive portals and exhibits 
developed along the Logan 
Canyon Scenic Byway would not 
be the award-winning products 
they are today without that 
relationship with employee 
Nancy Brunswick. Community 
support could not have happened 
to the same degree without 
Stacey Smith on West Cascades 
Scenic Byway in Oregon. 
I mention just a few for example, 
and you need to know there are 
many equally deserving Forest 
Service employees whose successful 
byway relationships resulted from 
byway groups taking the time to 
get to know them. You just cannot 
match that for making things 
happen along byways. If you need 
a national contact, please contact 
me here in D.C. at (202) 205-1423 
or fthompson02@fs.fed.us; 
however, your best bet is the local 
National Forest employee with 
a passion for community service 
and byways. 




BOX: 
CATCH YOUR INFORMATION STATION 
Tune in! 
CLEVELAND, OHIO • OCTOBER 16-19 

Make plans now for the 
National Scenic Byways 
Conference! For those of you who have 
attended in the past, this is a 
time to see old friends and 
reconnect about byway 
projects. For those attending 
for the first time, it will 
be an opportunity to meet 
folks from other byways 
from throughout the 
country and learn what they 
have in common with your 
byway and how you fit into this 
larger byway community. 

Throughout the history of 
hosting National Scenic Byways 
Conferences, we have asked 
you, the byway community, 
what you want to hear, see and 
do. Networking with byways, 
exposure to national experts 
and a chance to expand your 
knowledge are up at the top. We 
also can’t forget some downtime 
and a little fun. 

This year’s conference is shaping 
up to offer just that. We have 
put together four dynamic days 
that should leave everyone filled 
to the brim. 

We started with networking. 
The popular poster sessions will be 
back. In addition, expect to find 
some fun and creative ways to 
meet and talk with new byways, 
including trading conference 
memorabilia and a 
little friendly competition. 

Next we tackled exposure to 
new ideas and national experts. 
When our staff sat down for 
the brainstorming session 
to determine speakers and 
presentations, we started 
with one premise: this is an 
information-expanding 
conference. We aimed for 
exposure to a multitude of new 
ideas and top-notch speakers. 

Participants can expect to have 
direct contact with national 
leaders in the fields of funding, 
visitor experience, organizations 
and corridor management. 
We are even bringing you 
representatives from the 
program’s major partners to talk 
directly to you about how and 
when your byway can tap their 
organizations. Bring your pad 
and pencil, and look forward to 
exchanging business cards. 

The Cleveland area provided us 
with a fantastic canvas for creating 
“how-do-I-do-it” examples. 
Day-long and partial-day Applied 
Learning Workshops are aimed 
to give you an in-depth look at 
subjects you heard about in the 
classroom sessions and a chance 
to talk directly to byway people 
in the field. From urban byway 
issues to rural marketing and to 
GIS and GPS, there is something 
for everyone. The hardest part 
will be figuring out which Applied 
Learning Workshop to take! 

This year, we will have the 
extra-special honor of welcoming 
the newest America’s BywaysTM 
into the byway community. 
The national designation will 
happen just a month prior to the 
conference and many of those 
designees will be attending. It is a 
fantastic time to celebrate new 
additions to the national collection 
and explore the roles we all play 
in the success of the National 
Scenic Byways Program. 

A conference would not be a 
conference without some 
downtime. Ohio and Cleveland 
have given us a rich backdrop 
for celebrating Americana and 
savoring a little fun along the way. 
Rich revitalization, hip culture and 
great attractions like the Rock 
and Roll Hall of Fame will give 
everyone an opportunity to see 
Cleveland at its best. 
So, please join us October 16-19 
as we cruise the road to 
your success. 

BOX:
ROCK AND ROAD 2005: NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYS CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Official 2005 Rock and Road Tour Shirt! 

Don’t miss out on the first-ever National 
Scenic Byways Conference T-shirt, complete 
with a list of Ohio byways and conference 
sponsors. Purchase yours for only $13 when 
you register, and pick up your shirt in the 
Exhibit Hall at the conference. 
All proceeds from T-shirt sales benefit the 
Ohio Canal Corridor. Supplies are 
limited, so order now! 

Keynote Speaker Announced 

We are pleased to 
announce that Rudy Maxa, 
one of America’s premier 
travel experts and host of 
the public television series, 
“Smart Travels: Europe 
with Rudy Maxa,” will 
deliver the keynote 
speech at Rock and Road 2005! 

Rudy Maxa hosted the first four years of 
the public radio show “The Savvy Traveler.” 
He is also an award-winning contributing 
editor for National Geographic Traveler, 
the author of two nonfiction books, 
and has contributed travel articles 
to publications such as GQ, Forbes, 
USAToday.com, MSNBC.com and ABC.com. 

Thank you to our early sponsors! 
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
• Forest City Enterprises, Inc. 
• Ohio Canal Corridor 
• Ohio & Erie Canalway Association 
• Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition 
• American Road Magazine 
• USDA Forest Service 
Thank you to our 
early exhibitor! 
• Tour-Mate Systems Canada, Ltd. 
• National Scenic Byway Foundation 

Register online at www.bywaysonline.org 

CALLOUT: Poster SessionsBACK BYPOPULAR DEMAND!
See you there! 


America’s Byways Resource Center 
Arrowhead Regional Development Commission 
227 West First Street, Suite 610 
Duluth, MN 55802 

Presorted First 
Class Mail 
US Postage


PAID 

Permit No. 3395
Minneapolis, MN


2005 Calendar
Send calendar entries by the 5th of each month to center@byways.org 

JUNE 

June 2005 
Great Outdoors Month 
Nationwide 
For more information, please visit: 
www.greatoutdoorsmonth.org 

June 10-12, 2005 
Second Annual Greenway Days Festival 
Seattle, Washington 
Mountains to Sound Greenway 
For more information, please visit: 
www.mtsgreenway.org 

June 30, 2005 
Rural Heritage Development Initiative 
Deadline for application: June 30, 2005 
National Trust for Historic Preservation 
For more information, please visit: 
www.nationaltrust.org 

JULY 

July 20-23, 2005 
2005 Midwest Environmental 
Education Conference 

Mason City, Iowa 
For more information, 
contact Carol Schutte 
schutcar@miacc.edu or (641) 422-4319 

July 27-30, 2005 
TrailLink 2005 
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy 
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota 
For more information, please visit: 
www.railtrails.org 

AUGUST 

August 27-30, 2005 
NADO Annual Training Conference 
Seattle, Washington 
NADO Research Foundation 
For more information, please visit: 
www.nado.org/meetings 

SEPTEMBER 

September 26-28, 2005 
7th Annual American Indian 
Alaska Native Tourism Conference 
Hollywood, Florida
GLITC, Inc. 
For more information, please visit:
www.aianta.org

September 27-October 2, 2005 
National Preservation Conference 2005 
Portland, Oregon
For more information, please visit:
https://www.nthpconference.org/
GeneralInfo/

OCTOBER 

October 6-8, 2005 
U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Summit 
Washington, D.C. 
For more information, please visit:
www.uscht.com

October 7, 2005 
Walk to School Day 
Nationwide 
For more information, please visit: 
www.walktoschool-usa.org 

October 9-12, 2005 
43rd URISA Annual Conference 
Kansas City, Missouri 
Urban and Regional Information 
Systems Association 
For more information, please visit: 
www.urisa.org 

October 14-17, 2005 
Land Trust Alliance Rally 
Madison, Wisconsin 
For more information, please visit: 
www.lta.org/training/rally.htm 

October 15, 2005 
2005 Rock and Road Car Cruise 
Cleveland, Ohio 
For more information, please contact 
Tim Donovan at (216) 520-1825 

October 16-19, 2005 
2005 National Scenic Byways Conference 
Cleveland, Ohio 
For more information, please E-mail 
center@byways.org 

October 20, 2005 
State/FHWA Coordinator Workshop 
Renaissance Cleveland Hotel 
Cleveland, Ohio 
For more information, contact 
Bethaney Bacher at 
bethaney.bacher@fhwa.dot.gov. 

October 26-28, 2005 
TIA Marketing Outlook Forum 
Seattle, Washington 
For more information, please visit: 
www.tia.org 

NOVEMBER 

November 4-8, 2005 
CrossSphere Annual Convention 
Detroit, Michigan 
For more information, please visit: 
www.crosssphere.com 

November 8-12, 2005 
National Interpreters’ Workshop 
Mobile, Alabama
For more information, please visit:
www.interpnet.com/niw2005/

November 29-December 1, 2005 
RVIA 43rd National RV Trade Show 
Louisville, Kentucky 
For more information, please visit: 
www.rvia.org 

VISTAS is printed on 
100% post-consumer 
recycled paper, processed 
chlorine free. 

SHARE YOUR 
NEWS! 
Contact Vistas Editor: 
Leah Kohlts 
Communications Specialist/ 
Event Planner 
Direct: (218) 625-3301 
lkohlts@byways.org 


BOX:
Get Revved Up: 2005 Rock and Road Car Cruise
Cleveland, Ohio - October 15, 2005 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
If you’re planning to attend the National Scenic Byways Conference, then come 
to Cleveland a day early for the 2005 Rock and Road Car Cruise! This 50s-themed 
car cruise, hosted and organized by Ohio Canal Corridor and the Ohio & Erie 
Canalway Coalition, will kick off at various Cleveland locations on Saturday, 
October 15. Classic cars will cruise the Ohio & Erie Canalway and meet for a final 
rally in Canal Basin Park, just minutes away from the conference hotel. Car enthusiasts 
will enjoy special events and photo opportunities along the route. For more information 
about the 2005 Rock and Road Car Cruise, contact Tim Donovan at (216) 520-1825.