By Ken Drenten

This is the third in the series of YouTube videos, “Dusty Tires on the Road.” The first two took us east from Zanesville to Cambridge and Guernsey County on U.S. 40 and the National Road.

This one takes us west from Zanesville into Licking County to the outskirts of Reynoldsburg.

Although a quick drive along U.S. 40 gives the impression of a tired old road that’s been largely forgotten and gone to seed, we’ll discover taverns, motels, bridges and many more interesting features.

As I’ve said before, I’ve kind of grown up around U.S. 40. I remember many landmarks that are no longer there, such as the 40 East Twin Drive-In, where the State Fire Academy is now, just outside of Reynoldsburg. And just to the west of Etna is a building once used as Lynd Fruit Farm’s farm market, where my family and I used to go to buy apples and cider.

The road — particularly between Zanesville and Reynoldsburg — is the poster child for second, third and fourth business uses. Buildings that began as motels and restaurants are now multi-storage units, cheap apartments, used car lots and construction firms.

But if you look more closely, you’ll find the road still holds much valuable history. I hope the glimpse provided in this video does just that.

View previous Dusty Tires on the Road videos about the National Road:

Dusty Tires on the Road: Somewhere in Guernsey County

Dusty Tires on the Road: US 40 Zanesville to Cambridge

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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