aaroads beginnings

[Tom89t]

When did aaroads.com got started?

[NE2]

2000 as a transfer from Xoom (free hosting). The original content included Arkansas and a general sign gallery.

The forum is much newer. Back in my day we walked uphill to carve a message in the snow.

[US71]

2000 as a transfer from Xoom (free hosting). The original content included Arkansas and a general sign gallery.

The forum is much newer. Back in my day we walked uphill to carve a message in the snow.

Must be tough to get old. I don't know what I'll do when I get to be your age. 

[andy3175]

Yeah, AARoads was originally a group of sites on the old Xoom, Tripod, and Geocities accounts starting back in 1997. Originally it was just my work, then Alex jumped in around 1999, and the site really took off. Alex offered me a ton of pictures to add to the original Shield Gallery, and we collaborated closely on getting a new design that resembles what we use today for most roadtrip pages. Jeff Royston was an early contributor at that time and remains active to this day. By 2000,  Alex, Jeremy, and I created the common site name of AARoads. We had the domain name registered and site online soon thereafter. Alex and I kept on adding content and improving site design through most of the 2000s. We briefly split up the page regionally with different domain names (westcoastroads.com, southeastroads.com, etc.) but decided it was better to keep them all under one domain for simplicity and name recognition. That's why you've seen us merging pages lately. You may also see ABRoads used in some citations on the site; that is the moniker for when Alex and Brent take pictures together (it is also part of AARoads). Brent, Jake, Justin, and Kevin each have significant roles in running the site and updating content; each of them has written significant sections of the site (there's no way Alex and I could do it alone). So that's how we got to where we are today. I hope that helps to provide a small glimpse into the history of AARoads.

Cheers,
Andy

[formulanone]

Yeah, AARoads was originally...So that's how we got to where we are today. I hope that helps to provide a small glimpse into the history of AARoads.

Thanks for that info!

Wow, I remember having a XOOM site for about 6 months, and they all disappeared without any warning once NBC took it over.

[kurumi]

I used to think "AA" stood for Alex and Andy, but that is not correct: it's "all about roads".

[empirestate]

I used to think "AA" stood for Alex and Andy, but that is not correct: it's "all about roads".

That what I always thought too. "Alex and Andy" seems to have been a more or less household term back in the early days of online roadgeekery.

And yes, I had my site on xoom for a while too, which then became xmcm.com and nbci.com and what have you. I was also hosted on TWU.net for a time. Never Geocities though...

[NE2]

I used to think "AA" stood for Alex and Andy, but that is not correct: it's "all about roads".

Revisionist history.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I used to think "AA" stood for Alex and Andy, but that is not correct: it's "all about roads".

Revisionist history.

Conspiracy theorist.

[bugo]

I used to think "AA" stood for Alex and Andy, but that is not correct: it's "all about roads".

Revisionist history.

It was supposed to be "aajroads" but miscommunication ensued.  The website was started by me, Alex, and Andy,  I was pushed out of the family later on and haven't attempted to do a website since.

[US71]

I used to think "AA" stood for Alex and Andy, but that is not correct: it's "all about roads".

Revisionist history.

It was supposed to be "aajroads" but miscommunication ensued.  The website was started by me, Alex, and Andy,  I was pushed out of the family later on and haven't attempted to do a website since.

I wish you get your Arkansas Roads site going again.

[hbelkins]

I remember "Bugo's No-Frills Picture Page."

[bugo]

I gave Alex permission to put the No-Frills site back up.  It's not much, but it is some pictures that are more than 10 years old.

[andy3175]

It was supposed to be "aajroads" but miscommunication ensued.  The website was started by me, Alex, and Andy,  I was pushed out of the family later on and haven't attempted to do a website since.

My recollection was "ajaroads.com," but then we figured out that "Aja" was a porn actress, and we simplified it to "AA." NE2 is correct, "All About Roads" is revisionist history that came about in 2006 when one of our contributors asked if AARoads stood for "All About Roads." Alex and I looked at each other and thought wow, we'd never considered that previously. So "All About Roads" became another variation on the moniker, and since AA was supposed to be AJA, it seemed logical at the time to call it "All About Roads" too (as Alex stated on the blog back in 2006).

AARoads was intended to cover Alex, Jeremy, and my roadtrips; it's grown considerably since then. The first "pages" included not just Jeremy's Arkansas page and No Frills page (which I thought was quite cool back in the day) but also my Wyoming/Nevada highways pages, Alex's Delaware highways page, and a license plate gallery. This was in addition to "Andy's Highway Kick-Off" (long since made obsolete by Google) and the old shield gallery, which is now found (along with tons more pictures than we ever had in the good ol' days) on www.aaroads.com/shields. We plan to revise the Wyoming Highways page (needs lot of help and updates, including more photos) and continue to update the Interstate Guide with current information.

Regards,
Andy

[andy3175]

That what I always thought too. "Alex and Andy" seems to have been a more or less household term back in the early days of online roadgeekery.

Thanks for that. We have tried to do the best we can (just like Gribblenation, Kurumi, and many other venerable road webpages) so we have good content. It's been a bit harder to keep up with the updates lately, but that's largely because of "real world" time commitments that have taken hold now that didn't exist in 1999 or 2000. Hopefully we're doing our part to stay relevant with so many prolific road-based webpages out there.

Regards,
Andy

[US71]

I remember "Bugo's No-Frills Picture Page."

There was another (I thought) with the history of US Highways in Arkansas... may have been on GeoCities?  Been so long, I'm not sure anymore.

[NE2]

There was another (I thought) with the history of US Highways in Arkansas... may have been on GeoCities?  Been so long, I'm not sure anymore.

http://www.oocities.org/watuzi/ (Geocities mirror)
The Geocities site is still linked from us-highways.com.

[bugo]

The genesis of aaroads was a conversation between Alex and I on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).  (Remember oxenjacksn?  That screen name ruled.  I still use the same screen name that I used back then and since 1998.)  I don't remember whether it was Alex or I who came up with the idea, but we both came up with ideas that were eventually implemented.  Alex brought Andy aboard, and the trinity was born.  I didn't contribute much: mainly the No-Frills picture page (which needs to go back online...the picture quality is poor (which gives the pictures a vintage look)) but some of them were taken in 1998 or 1999 and some of them are historic pictures (I remember a picture of US 270, AR 9, and US 67 in Malvern splitting, and US 270 has been rerouted to bypass Malvern and this stretch of highway is now signed as US 270B (business)). There were some soon to be historic photos of I-530 signs as well.

[dgolub]

Yeah, AARoads was originally a group of sites on the old Xoom, Tripod, and Geocities accounts starting back in 1997.

Ah yes, the old days when all the personal sites were on Xoom, Tripod, and Geocities and domain names were so expensive that individuals couldn't afford them.  I never had a Xoom account because their TOS required that you at least 13 years old and I wasn't yet back then.

[Alex]

The genesis of aaroads was a conversation between Alex and I on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).  (Remember oxenjacksn?  That screen name ruled.  I still use the same screen name that I used back then and since 1998.)  I don't remember whether it was Alex or I who came up with the idea, but we both came up with ideas that were eventually implemented.  Alex brought Andy aboard, and the trinity was born.  I didn't contribute much: mainly the No-Frills picture page (which needs to go back online...the picture quality is poor (which gives the pictures a vintage look)) but some of them were taken in 1998 or 1999 and some of them are historic pictures (I remember a picture of US 270, AR 9, and US 67 in Malvern splitting, and US 270 has been rerouted to bypass Malvern and this stretch of highway is now signed as US 270B (business)). There were some soon to be historic photos of I-530 signs as well.

I'll never forget that SN, the ode to Jersey City and the Tube Bar...

Took awhile, but I found the old NoFrills web pages/photos on disc.

I also stumbled across the old Lost Highways section, to which you contributed several articles...

Yeah, AARoads was originally a group of sites on the old Xoom, Tripod, and Geocities accounts starting back in 1997.

Ah yes, the old days when all the personal sites were on Xoom, Tripod, and Geocities and domain names were so expensive that individuals couldn't afford them.  I never had a Xoom account because their TOS required that you at least 13 years old and I wasn't yet back then.

And let us not forget the days when most sites had guestbooks and extreme trackers!

[Brandon]

It was supposed to be "aajroads" but miscommunication ensued.  The website was started by me, Alex, and Andy,  I was pushed out of the family later on and haven't attempted to do a website since.

My recollection was "ajaroads.com," but then we figured out that "Aja" was a porn actress, and we simplified it to "AA."

Aja's a porn actress?  I would've thought of the Steely Dan album first.  Good album as well, IMHO.

[formulanone]

I would've thought of the Steely Dan album first.  Good album as well, IMHO.

Ah, my first thought as well. For once my mind's not in the gutter.

[empirestate]

That what I always thought too. "Alex and Andy" seems to have been a more or less household term back in the early days of online roadgeekery.

Thanks for that. We have tried to do the best we can (just like Gribblenation, Kurumi, and many other venerable road webpages) so we have good content.

Remember...

...Zzyzx's 2-digit interstate page?
...James Lin's route marker field guide?
...that list of U.S. Highways that existed before Robert V. Droz's?
...the rise and fall (and rise again) of C. C. Slater?
...Kibo?

[Alps]

...James Lin's route marker field guide?

This was my revelation that really brought me into the fold. I had for years tried to compile them on my own, without the Internet, and I was right on about 32 and wrong on about 4, and missing the others.

[froggie]

Ah yes, the old days when all the personal sites were on Xoom, Tripod, and Geocities and domain names were so expensive that individuals couldn't afford them.

Depends on your definition of "so expensive".  Even in 2000, $35 for domain registration plus $10/mo for hosting wasn't bad.