tonight on a second look, america's lost highways. we'll tell you what's become of america's first coast to coast roadway. the lincoln highway and show you the famous san francisco exposition it was built to promote. we'll take you to by gone days. imagine driving from argentina to alaska in an antique car. and this highway inspired a

song and a tv show. remembering route 66. and the little towns that all but disappeared when it was replaced by the big interstate. all straight ahead tonight on a second look. good evening i'm julie haener and this is a second look. these days we pretty much take the interstate highway system for granted. you can drive across the country nonstop on broad well paveed roads. and take your time and stop to eat and sleep all along the way. but a century ago when the automobile was young there was no central route until someone decided to create one in 1913. they would call it the lincoln highway and it would stretch in new york to san francisco. a journey that could be completed in 40 days, but only if you could hit the top speed of 18 miles per hour. >> do you know what that l

there stands for? it stands for everything we have come to stand for. in this nation of highways, the lincoln highway came first. it was a wildly audacious idea of 1913 to widen and straighten and pave and then to link the main streets of america and the little trails that went nowhere. to make a path for the motor car from new york to california. how did they do it frank rosa in your part of nebraska? >> by hand. >> brick by brick. but hardly any of lincoln highway remains. the way west has fallen by the waist side. >> this 70-year-old guide book to the lincoln highway recommends taking supplies along on your drive from coast

to coast. loaves of bread, dozens of eggs. but diners would spring up soon enough and billboards and gas stations. modern america itself would spring up soon enough. we are a roadside nation now. the lincoln highway was the road that made us one. >> the people who built the lincoln highway worked to make sure it was done in time for the panama pacific international exposition. it opened in san francisco in 1915. this is film of the dedication in 1915 of the terminus of the lincoln highway. it ended on the corner of san francisco. and it brought people to one of the greatest events in the nation's history. a world's fair of where the newly invented automobile was a innovatety and auto race a source of fascination. craig heath has our report. >> reporter: it covered 635 acres, stretching from van nuys

in the east to fort plain on the west. from lombard street to the bay on the north. covering all of what is now the marina district and beyond. and all of the 10 months that it ran, the pacific expo drew 18 million people. everyone though it cost 50- cents a person to go in about half a days wages. civic leaders found it a way to show the world that san francisco has recovered after the recession and was once again open for business. president woodrow wilson pushed a button that sent a message to san francisco. flipping a switch that turned on a light. the gate swung open. california governor and san francisco mayor led the throng into the grounds. what awaited them was stunning. the first thing they saw coming

through the main entrance was the tower of jewels. 43 stories tall. hung with 100,000 shimmering gloss bobbles. shimmering light to the patrons. through the tower of jewels led the courtyard. it was a fairyland. there were exposition palaces. each devoted to a certain topic. and philadelphia sent the liberty bell.

the real liberty bell not a replica. the first exposition to include auto racing. top speed 60 miles per hour. for the first time an airplane flew in an exposition and for many people it was the first time they had seen an airplane. it was also the first time an airplane crashed at an exposition. three weeks after the fair opened, a dangerous stunt went wrong. san francisco's famed savuation pioneer lincoln beachy died when his plane spun into the bay. another pioneer flier art smith age 21 took up the work and dazzled the crowd. >> when i judged the momentum

was high enough, i would have looped my first loop. >> reporter: so a variety of motor cars were available to help people get around. people could take an electric car, a tram or a miniature railroad. the destinations seemed never to end. the favorite was the great toyland built by fredrick thompson. the same man who helped build coney island a few years ago. with a pinnacle of games and rides, it was a great attraction. a submarine journey or the aeroscope which lifted 150 people at time high in the air and swung them around. and there were amazing shows. ma'am ellis the mind reader or

captain sisby the educated horse. and whether they were there to watch the camel races -- or the dutch sailors demonstrate their boating. the show didn't stop when the sun went down. in fact, in some ways it had only just begun. every building was softly bathed in a candecent glow. what designers called a direct light grow. >> they were on two tiers manned by a condrey of marines that showed lights.

when there wasn't a fog boat they used steam. >> reporter: today only two buildings remain in san francisco from the exposition. the palace of fine arts and what is now the bill graham civic auditorium. but even for those of us who were born long afterwards and hear the story about the city of jewels and think of people just like ourselves who came to see one of the biggest show on earth, it remains truly an affair to remember. in san francisco, craig heap, for a second look. still to come on a second look, crank up the engine and strap down the luggage. we're headed to yosemite in a model t. and then, it's not a

commitment, it was an adventure. meet the couple that drove from canada to alaska in an antique. our planes start flying when it's dark. and they don't stop flying until it's dark again. flying all day, every day. you deserve our best. that's why there's so many flight options. [ webber ] southwest airlines has seven daily nonstop flights from the bay area to chicago midway

to fit your schedule. ♪ hey, we're on your schedule, not ours. there will be another one back here in a second, just watch. what did i tell you -- there's another one. [ ding ] these days there's a lot of

controversy about how many cars should be allowed to yosemite national park. but there was one time when there were hardly any cars at all. >> reporter: good old horsepower was still a valued method of transportation. eight shorts years later, henry ford would take the horses out of horsepower and put 12 of them in a block of iron under his new model t. ford brought his automobile into the masses. by putting people on the road in his tim lizzies he was putting the car before the road sort to speak. in 1900 there were only 144 miles of concrete paveed roads in the whole country. so almost all of america's automotive journeys were by necessity an adventure of the back road variety. in california one of the most

challenging of those adventures came here to to yosemite. to the valleys of granite domes. everywhere americans drove their model t was a challenge. a test of their reborn spirit of independence. >> coming to yosemite was the same kind of adventure. you would have blow outs, you would have engine problems. one of the great things about these cars was that they were easily if i easily fixed. >> reporter: these were the dusty days. most people were born and died of 50 miles of their place of birth. these times were changing quickly. by 1913 the same year cars were allowed to enter yosemite valley, henry ford sold 248,000 model ts almost half of all the cars sold in america. this automobile was slowly but

surely becoming part of the fabric of american life. but that was a long time ago. what would you think about someone grabbing back into the past and grabbing a model t and bringing it into the present. a man is offering just that. he is offering fancy hotels, fancy food and the chance to drive the model t over the roads that they were years ago. >> we use fords and people get a feel of what it was for grandpa to start driving the back roads of america. >> reporter: some people might have to relearn the transcribes of driving a model t. others like myself have to learn it from scratch. >> now this is your gas, so you can raise it up and down.

release the hand break just a little bit. and then step on the little pedal which is on your left side. >> and so we begin gently enough on the parking lot of the tenia lodge. one of the stop overs of the model t tours. but the adventure lies not here but out there on the back roads of yosemite. >> this car is 90 years old and this is original equipment. you have to keep in mind this replaced literally the horse and buggie. people went from horse and bugie to this car so this was a big step for folks 90 years ago. horses could pull a buggy at about 10-miles-an-hour for a couple of hours. model ts could run at 30 miles per hour all day long. stories of old days traveling in a t abound.

times of tall tales that in time went into history. >> the breaks not being very good, they tie a chain to it and drag the tree down the hill to help slow them down. >> reporter: and model ts gave way to a new way of measuring time and distance to yosemite. especially when traveled on the old merced road. ♪ jury >> i had a friend that used to come down to road from fresno. and i asked him how long it took and he said i'll tell you how long it took, three flat tires. >> reporter: whether it was the

time of history or this one, it's not the time that it takes to travel yosemite, just being there is what counts. a couple traveling from canada to alaska at their own pace. route 66 and one of the little towns that went up for sale when route 66 faded into history.

tonight on a second look, we remember the nation's love affair with the automobile in days gone by. and nothing sold cars like a catchy song about the open road and a great songstress to sing it. >> ♪ on a highway or a road along a levee, we promise is

sweeter, nothing can beat her. life is completer in a chevy. so make a date today to see the u.s., and see it in your chevrolet ♪ >> a lot of people dream of hitting the road and living a life of adventure never knowing what might come left but few really actually do it. in 2003, bob mackenzie met a couple who not only lived on the open road but did it on two continents. >> reporter: few people describe themselves as totally happy. these two people do. herman sap and his wife candelario decided to live their dream and drive their antique car from their native argentina to alaska. they thought the trip would last six months. but every time they saw an

interesting side road they would take down it and explore it. when one took them down the amazon, they made a barge to accommodate their car. they have criss crossed the u.s. a couple of times. >> we said the only way to make a dream come true, is to start it. >> reporter: while on the road the saps had a baby. conceived in nicaragua and was born in the u.s. a. it didn't even slow them down. strangers began inviting the travelers into their own homes. >> a little scared because the people would say, follow me, follow me to my house. i want to, for you to sleep in my home. so we started to follow them

and we were thinking, where are we going. and they were all great people. so we love them. we are not scared anymore. >> the hot dogs and the eggs are ready. let's go. they're ready. >> you cook in that? >> yes, yes. >> no kidding. >> that's hot dogs. >> how do you know when the eggs are done? >> depends on the miles that we drive. 30miles we can make hot eggs and 15 miles we can make a soft boiled. >> herman and candelaria will be taking off for alaska sometime soon but not in any great hurry. as they say it's not the destination that counts but the journey. when we come back on a second look, we will take you to the little california town that once thrived along route 66. and now tries to build a future to match its rich history. follow second look on facebook and twitter.

one of the american highways that has virtually disappeared is route 66. it ran from chicago to los angeles through the main streets of countless small towns along the way. lined with hotel, diners and gas stations it was a major artery through much of the united states for three decades. in the 1930s it was the main route for farmers as they escaped the dust bowl and made their way to california. just the kind of farmer john stinedeck profiled in his novel. head out to route 66 and you will find the remnants of once thriving towns. one of them was emroy 145 miles in san bernardino county. bruce berkhart brought us this report in april 2004. >> reporter: maybe it was the peeling paint.

maybe it was the old cafe frozen in another time. or the roadside motel and cabins, a road stop on legendary route 66. whatever it was walt wilson fell in love with this place, he and a friend bought the town. >> it looked like they were going to close it is what they were going to do. and it's too nice a place to you know just to let it go. >> reporter: that was in 1995. now amboy population seven is up for sale once again. >> it's time to let somebody else take over i've been here almost 10 years now. it's a lot of work. it's time for somebody to come in and finish up what we started. >> reporter: route 66 came through here in 1927 it was the beginning of amboy's golden age which peaked in the early 70s with the population of nearly 800. before the interstate slowly choked off life. but then it was a booming oasis

in 1966 where beckburg named in his novel. >> matt mcguire and millton drove over here every couple of months. sometimes they just need a doze of amboy. >> most people bypass this looking for something better and they miss this. they totally miss this. >> reporter: at 60, 70-miles- per-hour it is easy to miss. if you happen to slow down you can breathe in a different time in america. the musty cabins of roy's motel still open for the occasional

guest. and that distintive roy sign when it went up. roy's son buster ran the place and the town until the early 90s. that's when walt and his partner took over. the next owner of amboy will need more than just the asking price of almost $1.4 million. it has to be the right person. >> the right person is the one that wants to keep the history going. doesn't want to change it. doesn't want to put a wal-mart in. >> bruce berkhart, amboy california. and juan torre bought the town, he is the owner of buen pollo. he has plans to restore it but doesn't seem like he has done

so. and that is a second look. thank you for joining us. de-web. found this do. what are you wearing? dope, right? it's got a hood. want one? boom. done. [ ding! ] [ boy ] lookin' good mr. g. thanks, bro-seph. are you video chatting? with my boyfriend? yeah! hey, tessa! mom! [ mocking tone ] mom. [ male announcer ] now everyone's up to speed. high speed internet is more affordable than ever with no home phone required. only in the network of possibilities. at&t.