"Before it was a modern freeway, California's State Highway 99 was the main street of California, a simple two-lane road that passed through the downtowns of every city between the Mexican border and the Oregon state line. [This book] turns back the clock to those days when a narrow ribbon of asphalt tied the state's communities together, with classic roadside attractions and plenty of fun along the way. Illustrated throughout with historical photographs, [this book] documents the birth, growth, and transformation of Highway 99 and the communities, personalities, and historical events that made their mark along the highway. Highway 99 is also the birthplace of classic American roadside culture--the motor court motel, the drive-thru window, the theme park, and the truck stop. [This book] unearths detailed histories of the innumerable gas stations, hotels, restaurants, amusements, and whole communities that developed to cater to the motorist. Full of fascinating details and memories of old-fashioned road trip fun, Highway 99 brilliantly depicts a lost era of classic Americana."--Back cover.