Coffee With Jim

Forgotten Pioneers

This morning on 5 Minutes With Jim we introduce to a few forgotten automotive pioneers. Did you know that there were powerful front-wheel drive cars as early as 1906? Did you know that there were aluminum bodied cars being produced in the 1920s? Did you know that the legendary Ford script was the creation of a man who perfected the V8 engine? 
Join America's storyteller author Jim Hinckley for an adventure of the automotive kind.  

Women With Vision & Gumption

Okay, if you’re a fan of obscure trivia and automotive history, you are going to really enjoy this mornings episode of 5 Minutes With Jim. Here is a peak. Did you know that the first patent for an automobile windshield wiper was issued in 1903? Did you know that the inventor was, are you ready for this, a woman? Did you know that beginning in 1904 this amazing lady spent two years trying to sell the idea to Canadian and American manufacturers but was rejected every single time?

Changing Times

Okay, let’s see a show of hands. Are you unnerved by how fast the world seems to be changing? If the answer is yes, I can imagine how high your stress level is during the current crisis because I am in the same boat. So, this morning I decided to share the fascinating and inspirational story of a fellow that followed the Oregon Trail west with an oxcart and later drove across the United States in an automobile. He assisted his son in building the first service station on the National Old Trails Road in the Cajon Pass and survived the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. He also experienced a bit of cross-country air travel.
Sponsored in part through the magic of crowdfunding. https://www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica

Shootout in Holbrook

Holbrook, Arizona suffered badly with the interstate highway’s bypass of Route 66 in 1981, and it has never fully recovered. Within twelve months of rerouting traffic along I-40 rather than through town, forty-five businesses closed. But this is an old town, and hard times are a part of its history. This is evidenced by a dusty lane, lined with long-closed businesses, signed as Bucket of Blood Street, and the story of an incredible frontier era shootout.
Today's program is sponsored in part by tips, support of our crowdfunding initiative (https://www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica) and by the City of Cuba (visitcubamo.com) 

Louis Chevrolet & The Cactus Derby

Okay, what is the link between Route 66, Barney Oldfield, and Louis Chevrolet? Give up? Well, to make a short answer out of a long story, we step back to the spring of 1908 and a gathering of leading businessmen in Phoenix, Arizona that would end with a motoring spectacle of epic proportions. Now, I am willing to bet that there was a bit of drinking involved as a story of adventure like this never begins with, they were talking and having a salad.
During the current crisis as many businesses are closed and tours are suspended, we are increasingly dependent on tips through PayPal - https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/JamesHinckley - and support of our crowdfunding initiative - https://www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica 
Thank you for the support 

Murder & Mayhem in Glenrio

In the old forlorn ghost town of Glenrio astride the Texas/New Mexico state line there is a non-descript cinder block-fronted building with broken windows and no door. Even though the town is a favored photo stop for Route 66 enthusiasts, this building is often overlooked even though it is one of the most famous buildings in Glenrio. It was here on July 10, 1973, that Dessie Leach was senselessly murdered.
In this weeks episode of 5 Minutes With Jim it's a walk on the dark side in the ghost town of Glenrio, Texas. 
For more stories from the shadows along Route 66, check out my latest book - Murder and Mayhem on The Main Street of America: Tales From Bloody 66. 
Copies available though our website, jimhinckleysamerica.com or from the publisher - https://rionuevo.com/product-category/all-books/
This program is sponsored in part through the magic of crowdfunding - https://www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica
 

Quarantine Survival Mode

Life is full of surprises. In the blink of the eye everything can change.  Just a couple of weeks ago I was planning for a banner year of travel, of presentations, of meeting with tour groups and of visiting with friends. Then this bug known as the Coronavirus popped up on the radar screen in a very big way and the plans were transformed into one great big question mark. So, with that in mind it seemed an opportune time to discuss reading materials, books that should be added to every adventurer’s library. These are books that can inspire a road trip, or if you are stuck in the house for a while, make the time spent in exile bearable.
Sponsored in part by delightful, magical, wonderful Cuba, Missouri - visitcubamo.com 

The Best of Small Town America

Fans of Jim Hinckley’s America and followers of the Five Minutes with Jim audio podcast hear me talk of Cuba often. This delightful little village nestled along Route 66 in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri is more than a major promotional partner of Jim Hinckley’s America. It is our adopted hometown, a very special place that is worthy more than a cursory stop. This morning I would like to share a few of the places that make it special, and that keep us coming back for visits time after time.