New Book Celebrates History, Culture Of Highway 99, California's "Main Street"

The highway plays an important part in the mystique of the American West. From the so-called "Mother Road" of Route 66 that wound from Chicago to LA, to the picturesque beauty of the California coast along Highway 1, our highways are more than just transportation infrastructure, they are a part of our culture. That’s certainly the case here in the middle of the state, where a ribbon of concrete and asphalt has stitched together towns big and small for decades – Highway 99. A new book celebrates the history and culture of the road – it’s by author Steven Provost, and it’s called Highway 99: The History of California’s Main Street. Provost joined us on Valley Edition to talk about the road's origins and some of the stories that surround it, from the Grapes of Wrath to memories of old roadside attractions.