I started my journey on Route 1 in Cary, NC in March of 2018 on a whim.  I had no idea where it would take me.  My songwriting felt stale.  I thought that a change might shake things up. I’d wanted to do a photo essay of Route 1 since I was in college, late in the 1970’s.  It worked in many ways!  I wrote 3 new songs that week in Cary. I learned that traveling, taking pictures, and creating videos helped to inform and focus my writing.  I became a better photographer.  I uncovered the power of Google Maps.  I originated the Route1Views website, which went live in 2019.

After five years I’ve walked or bicycled or driven the entire route, and I’ve seen many of the auxiliary routes like 1a, Business 1, 1 Bypass, and I’ve traced most of the original 1926 route.  The route used to stop in Miami, and as I describe in the video, after the great hurricane of 1936, Henry Flagler’s railroad line from Miami to Key West was so battered that the railroad abandoned it, conveying the surviving bridges and the right of way to the Florida Highway Department.  In 1938, you could finally drive to Key West, and Route 1 became about 150 miles longer!

So now that I’ve covered all of the miles, I look forward to going back to the places I wished I had stayed longer, or where I should have pulled over and stopped in the first place!  If you’ve gotten this far with me, THANKS for sharing the journey.