Back to alt! Madness with its several variations of the Destiny Road. This might wind up being a monster. Lots of world building.
A Lonesome Road: Connecting the South
A picture of Carolina Highway 1801, 1964
The Southron nations control, collectively as a group of similar nations, a vast swathe of territory. Stretching from Maryland in the north essentially all the way down to the border with Gran Colombia in the south, this domain is truly epic in scale. To make governance, trade, and travel more efficient, vast highway systems were constructed by the Southron nations. These road systems all connected with one another because even if the Southrons don't like one another, they value their economies more. However, this system does not connect to Yankeeland, as the Virginians and Marylanders have no interest in dealing with Yankees. There are four main road systems that form this great network; Virginia's Liberty Route, Carolina's Highway System, Georgia's Freedom Thoroughfares, and the Texas Cattle Trail. Although construction began in the 1920's, the network wouldn't truly be completed until around 1960, although one could argue it was never fully finished as there were constant additions and repairs.
Virginia began construction first, in roughly 1920. The nation, having won the Race to the West, was now legitimately gigantic, stretching from Atlantic to Pacific. To facilitate settlement and patriotic pride, the McConnell Administration began construction of the Liberty Route, a road stretching from Newport News all the way to Mason City, Oregon (OTL Seattle) and Yakama, Tillamook (OTL Portland). The project inspired the nation, and soon calls were being made for a true network of roads to be built. Funding was approved by the House of Burgess fairly quickly, as many members recognized the utility of such a road. As construction proceeded, the other Southron nations got caught up in the craze and began building. Deals were struck between the nations to connect their roads, in a rare display of pan-Southron cooperation. Admittedly, Georgia only agreed to it in order to facilitate invasions of their neighbors later on. Nonetheless, the roads were built, and had huge impacts on Southron life. Before we evaluate these various impacts, let's examine the whole sprawling network, starting with Virginia and Maryland.
The initial Liberty Route, now dubbed Liberty Route Prime, is the spine of the Liberty Route system. It goes through many major urban centers in Virginia, starting in Newport News, going straight through the nation's capital of Richmond, Louisville, capital of Columbiana and Horse Country alike, the thriving industrial hub of New Jamestown (OTL Chicago) where one can branch off into Carolina, Altoona in Iowai (state capital, roughly OTL Des Moines), Marytown, Dakota (OTL Bismarck, state capital), Meriwether, Madison (OTL Helena, state capital). Roughly 70 miles before one reaches Meriwether, Liberty Route Prime branches off into Liberty Route Victory. The LRV hits the major points in Navajo and Wyoming, these being Copperburg, capital of Navajo and a huge center of mining and gambling (OTL Salt Lake City) and Alexandria, formerly known as Alexander (OTL Denver). From Copperburg, one can take the LRV to Goldville (OTL Sacramento) and from Alexandria one can head on to Texas or Carolina. Circling back to Liberty Route Prime, if one goes on through Meriwether, the Route will once again branch off and then terminate in Mason City or Yakama. In either of these cities, one can pick up the Liberty Route Pacifica, which runs down from the very northern part of Oregon all the way down the Pacific coast, hitting Goldville (OTL Sacramento) where you can pick up the LRV as mentioned, and San Francisco before turning into the Cattle Trail further south. Back in the east, Richmond is the hub for two other major Liberty Routes, Liberty Route Tidewater and Liberty Route Washington. Liberty Route Tidewater heads north into Maryland, branching off into two main roads in Annapolis which terminate in Baltimore and Ocean City respectively. Liberty Route Washington is the main highway south into Carolina, branching into three routes that can take one to the Appalachians, Charlotte, and Wilmington respectively. Further South in the Caribbean and Mexico, there are several more Routes worth mentioning. On the island of Albemarle (Hispaniola) there is Liberty Route Hispania, which snakes across the island and has focal points in Santo Domingo and Port Berkeley (OTL Port au Prince). In the Central American states of Randolph and Jefferson, Liberty Route Jefferson connects the states to the URCA, which has an interstate system maintained by Texas. The LRJ runs from Jefferson City (OTL Panama City) through San Jose, and goes on into the URCA. Finally, the Mexican territories are connected by Liberty Route Mexico, which begins in Mexico City, and runs in three different directions. One can either take it to the Pacific coast via New Williamsburg (OTL Morelia), where it hooks up with the Cattle Trail, go straight north into Texas, or head south running through the middle of Virginian Mexico, hitting the cities of Puebla, Acapulco, and Oxacre (OTL Oaxaca) before running into the URCA. Truly, the Liberty Route System is a gargantuan achievement, and helps connect the vast and disparate Empire of Liberty. Now, let's turn our attentions to Carolina.
The Cokie Highway system, like all of the Southron road systems, is heavily inspired by the Virginian one, although one ought not say this in the presence of other Southrons. The spine of the Carolinian Highway System is Highway 1801, which runs from Wilmington to the border with Virginia. Highway 1801 goes through Charlotte, Asheville, Knoxville and Nashville, fairly efficiently, then snakes up north to Jackson City (OTL St. Louis), then goes through Knox state capital St. Andrew (OTL Jefferson City), Kansa (OTL Kansas City), and the Jackson state capital Topeka (Different location from OTL, straddling Kansas-Nebraska border) before heading on into Virginia. There are several other large highways which branch off of or intersect with the 1801. Flat out at the beginning, Highway 85 goes from north of Wilmington on down through Charleston and Myrtle Beach, before meeting up with the Freedom Thoroughfare in Savannah. Charleston is also the starting point for Highway 14, which merges into the greater system in Columbia. Charlotte is a major hub of the network, with multiple Highways centered there. Highway 76 picks up where Liberty Route Washington leaves off, going straight through Raleigh and Durham towards Charlotte, and from Charlotte on down to Columbia and eventually Georgia. Highway 50 heads straight from Charlotte to NC's border with Georgia, where it once again transitions to Georgian roads. Moving out of the Mainland, Carolina-Upon-Essex is serviced by Highway 42, "The Donut" which begins and ends in Georgetown and then makes what is, essentially a giant loop around the colony. Africa is also home to several large highways, which connect the various centers of white settlement in that vast domain. Highway 98 begins in New Edinburgh (OTL Luanda) and works its way down the coast before turning eastwards towards New Charlotte (OTL Windhoek). From New Charlotte, travelers pick up Highway 27, which technically begins on the coast of East Carolina before going through New Charlotte, then continuing east through Wallaceburg (OTL Gaborone) and New Salisbury (OTL Harare) before making a southern turn and terminating in Yorkburg (OTL Maputo). From Yorkburg, travelers will pick up Highway 30 which meanders up the long coastline with the Indian Ocean and hits Rutledge (OTL Dar es-Salaam) before making a westward turn and terminating in Davis City (OTL Dodoma). These are all the major highways of Carolina, so we can now head on down to Georgia.
The Freedom Thoroughfare system is defined by Freedom Thoroughfare West, which picks up in Savannah, goes south for a ways, and then makes a western turn towards Athens and Atlanta before continuing on through McMullen (OTL Montgomery) and Birmingham, into Townsend (OTL Jackson) before turning northward slightly and hitting Texas. Aside from the FTW, the other major Freedom Thoroughfares are Freedom Thoroughfare South and Freedom Thoroughfare Coastal. The FTS runs from the Georgian border with North Carolina through Atlanta and south into Kissimmee, Seminole City (OTL Orlando) before terminating in Miami. Freedom Thoroughfare Coastal hugs the coastline of the whole nation, starting in Savannah, going down through Ogelthorpe Beach (OTL Daytona) and Cocoa Beach, wrapping around Florida in Miami, heading back north through Miccosukee (OTL Tampa) and St. Petersburg, up into Tallahassee and then runs through Tuscaloosa (OTL Orange Beach and Gulf Shores), Gulfport, and Mississippi City (OTL Biloxi) before meeting the Texan Cattle Trail and terminating in New Orleans. There are other roads that are technically part of the FT system, but they're relatively unimportant. Finally, let's mosey on over to Texas to see how the Cattle Trail has taken shape.
New Orleans is one of the main hubs for the network nowadays. Picking up where the Georgians left off, the Coastal Cattle Trail goes on down into Galveston, before continuing along the Texas coast all the way down the Gulf Coast of Old Mexico and the coast of the URCA, in essence a Texan colony, until it meets the Liberty Route Jefferson again, which can take one all the way to Jefferson City. Also originating out of New Orleans is the Edward Teach Memorial Cattle Trail, which goes from New Orleans straight through Little Rock, before veering west towards Oklahoma City, and from there to Los Angeles. However, before the Edward Teach reaches Little Rock, it splits off into the Lone Star Cattle Trail, which veers west and connects to Custer City (OTL Dallas) before going south into Houston and then San Antonio. In Custer City, drivers can also pick up the Custer Memorial Cattle Trail and head straight to Oklahoma City and go north into Virginia. San Antonio is another major hub, with the Capital Cattle Trail starting in the city and extending southwest to Saltillo before sweeping back east to Monterrey, then heading south to Sasparilla (OTL San Luis Potosi) before driving south into Virginian Mexico. The other major road coming out of San Antonio, the Samuel Colt Memorial Cattle Trail, goes through Juarez (OTL Ciudad Juarez) and Drakeville (OTL Phoenix) before heading through to Los Angeles. Speaking of LA, that city has its own Cattle Trail, the California Cattle Trail which picks up where the Liberty Route left off, goes south to Tijuana, loops around Baja California through La Paz and into Hermosillo, where it branches into two distinct routes. One heads towards Starrburg (OTL Chihuahua) and into Durango City before going on into Virginia. The other route goes down into Nuevo Madrid (OTL Culiacan) and Waynesville (OTL Tepic) before again meeting up with Virginian Mexico. Freedonia has the Freedonian Cattle Trail, which starts in Tana (OTL Antananarivo) and heads to the coast in both directions, then looping the island. This is the last major route we need to cover. Now the more interesting part, how the roads have affected the Southrons, can be explored.
The California Cattle Trail heading into Hermosillo (1966)
Liberty Route Prime, 1972
A narrow part of the Freedom Thoroughfare South, 1968
The creation of all these roads, when combined with plummeting oil prices thanks to the sheer quantity of the stuff the Southrons were able to get their hands on, allowed for the rise of a truly auto based culture. Every nation except Maryland saw the rise of auto manufacturers, and they were turning them out like hotcakes. Each nation's main manufacturer had a unique flair, which reflected the culture of their beloved homeland. The Virginians had McCarthy Automotive, whose sedans, trucks, and muscle cars had relatively simple stylings, yet managed to still look incredible. The Cokies loved their Supremo Autos, which were typically less focused on power and more on comfort, although the Supremo Thoroughbred is widely regarded as one of the best muscle cars ever made. Supremo autos were also world famous for their space age chrome stylings and fun colors, which made them a hit in the Free World, and saw them give serious competition to other Southron and Fascist manufacturers. Georgia was the home of Athenian Motorworks. Their cars weren't very modern, harkening back to the pre-GSW days, partially out of their lack of resources, partially out of nostalgia for a time before the GSW. The company is propped up by heavy tariffs, as auto manufacturing is the one industry Georgia is allowed to do anything protectionist in. Finally, Texas's very own Harland Automotive is infamous for its overpowered, large, flashy, luxurious cars that probably have enough steel in em to build a cannon.
Aside from new auto manufacturers, there was an explosion in fast food, a uniquely Southron and American invention. The first was Freeman's Grub n' Go. Founded in 1920 by Czech-Virginian Alexander Freeman, Freeman's served traditional Virginian fare alongside Virginianized Bohemian cuisine like schnitzel, smoked meats, and bratwurst. Although Freeman's would eventually get a serious contender in the form of Kelly's Irish Motor Pub, Freeman's remained the dominant chain in Virginia, although Kelly's had a little more success in Maryland. Freeman's also spread to Texas, Georgia, and in time, even Japan, Europa, and the Carolinas. Freeman's had more limited success in foreign markets due to local competition, but was still very successful overseas. Freeman's would remain one of the most dominant fast food chains on Earth. In Carolina, Smithfield's Stop n' Serve rose up in 1933, serving cheap BBQ, fried fish, hotdogs, and burgers. This was quickly followed by Corean Fried Chicken. Although Smithfield's remained an impressive force, it was CFC that took Carolina by storm. Serving buckets of fried chicken seasoned with a patented blend of Corean style spices and fried in the finest, fattiest Cackalacky lard, CFC was so good that Chancellor Gamble gave founder Jimmy Park the Confederate Order of Freedom, the highest civilian decoration in the Carolinas. The Cokies weren't alone in loving CFC. Southern Virginia had a love affair with the chain, and CFC would be the only foreign fast food chain allowed to operate on American soil. Later on, CFC took Corea by storm and became insanely, weirdly, popular in Israel. As in, eventually 7 in 10 chickens consumed by Israelis would be bought at CFC. Georgia had Uncle Vlad's Road Diner, which served traditional Georgian food and Georgianized Slavic food with aplomb. They were especially famous for their pierogis, which were legitimately some of the best in the Western Hemisphere. Uncle Vlad's also experienced a little foreign success, mainly in Texas. Speaking of Texas, the rootinest, tootinest, by God shootinest nation on Earth became the home of two famous fast food chains. The oldest in Texas, and actually one of the oldest on Earth, was Lone Star Slop Trough, founded in 1921 by Dick Alvarez. The Slop Trough served traditional Texan BBQ (beef opposed to pork or chicken), "Frontier Sandwiches" (Willy Wayne's Meat Slop on a bun), burgers, hotdogs, steaks and steak sandwiches, and their infamous Freedom Fries. Freedom Fries are like regular Potato Fries, but they're slathered in Willy Wayne's Frontier Style Chili, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and topped with sour cream. On the one hand, they're a delicious side, and a basket is included in every meal deal. On the other hand, health experts think they might be the least healthy food item on offer at any fast food joint (a hell of an accomplishment) and it isn't unheard of for the chili to give one the runs. Still, a truly remarkable trip to flavor town. Lone Star is not only a Texan staple, but has established a healthy presence in Virginia, Maryland, and strangely enough, Dutch and Germanian Africa. The white populations in these regions are enamored with the cowboy image, and see parallels to themselves, so they really enjoy Lone Star. The other Texan staple of fast food is Ricardo's TexMex Pit Stop, founded by Johnny Ricardo in 1949, which serves traditional Mexican food with a Texan twist. The "Custer Burrito" a 2.5 lb monstrosity of a burrito is especially famous. Ricardo's has locations across Texas, the URCA, Gran Colombia, and Japan. Needless to say, all these restaurant chains, which shaped the cuisine of the nations they arose in, wouldn't have existed without the various highway systems of the South.
Aside from enabling one to cram thousands of calories down their gullet in 10 minutes or less, the Southron highway systems were huge in facilitating travel. This drastically altered settlement patterns across the Southron nations. Thousands upon thousands of people in the super dense old cities, places like Richmond and Atlanta, left for wider pastures. Various governments actually encouraged the urban poor to settle the West, with Virginia's promise of "
60 acres and an auto" being the most famous. This allowed for the true rise of many western cities, and boosted settlement in Old Mexico as well. Just as dramatically, suburbs began cropping up across the South, being especially popular in Carolina. This again fundamentally altered the way people lived, and was a direct result of the highway system. Various supermarket chains arose to feed these new suburbs, including Virginia's DominionMart and Texas's Frontier Supply and Sustenance. Fresh produce and canned goods were brought in from across North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe and laid at the feet of Southron consumers for incredible prices. Even the Georgians ate better than many Europeans and Fascists. This helped improve life expectancy and reduced extreme poverty drastically. Now, all but the poorest could get at least a little something in their bellies.
More than settlement and shopping, these roads created a nigh unending golden age for tourism. It was now possible to drive from Ocean City, Maryland to Jefferson City, Jefferson, in Central America. If one wanted efficiency, this would take about 85 hours, or roughly 7-10 days of driving. If you wanted to take the scenic coastal routes (as many did) you were looking at something getting close to 120-140 hours, or 10-18 days depending on how much you drove in a given day. Beyond this truly epic road trip, one could see the sights of places as disparate as Charlotte, New Orleans, Copperburg, and LA if they were willing to drive. Predictably, the freedom and ease this brought enthralled people. Road tripping became a huge part of Southron culture, and made them the envy of much of the world. The biggest travel destinations depended on where one was from. Virginians enjoyed going to Yakama, Mason City, Copperburg, Goldville, San Francisco, LA, Baltimore, Jefferson City, Charlotte, and New Orleans. Cokies tended to be more insular and went to domestic locations, although they loved Savannah to the point that they practically colonized the place. Another unusual quirk of the Cokies was a special package vacation offered by the Carolinian government in conjunction with private partners, dubbed the Grand Imperial Tour. The GIT was a package vacation that involved flying or taking a cruise to New Edinburgh, where the guests would then pick up a rental car, and drive the length of the CHS in Cokie Africa, stopping at various resorts along the way before flying out of Davis City. To ensure the government made money, it cost the equivalent of 4 years salary. It was all the rage. Families would pinch pennies to go, and your average middle class family could afford it about once a decade as long as they didn't take any big vacations in the meantime. This also helped to speed settlement in the region, which was hugely beneficial. When Cokies did go to foreign locales, Richmond, Savannah, Baltimore, Copperburg, and Yakama tended to be the favorites. Georgians also stuck close to home, although this was mostly a product of poverty as opposed to xenophobia. Nonetheless, road trips to New Orleans, San Antonio, and Tijuana were fairly common. Texans loved seeing their Mexican domain, Mexico City, and Jefferson City, not to mention LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Copperburg, Newport News, and New Jamestown. Predictably with all this traveling going on, motel chains popped up, each with a unique flavor. Virginia had the Nightaway Lodge, a Columbiana themed hotel founded in Louisville in 1926 by Billy O'Connor, that featured complimentary sweet tea, lemonade, and BBQ sandwiches. There was famously a Nightaway Lodge every 120 miles on the Liberty Route, and the chain also extended into Texas, Maryland, and very slightly into Carolina. The Cokies however, preferred their nation's favorite, Hampton Inn. Founded by Wade Hampton VI, a direct line descendant of Chancellor Wade Hampton III, in Nashville in 1930, Hampton Inn became the choice of middle class and more well-heeled road trippers. Hampton Inn was a touch more expensive than other motor lodges, partially due to the fact that it was more comfortable and well run, featuring big beds and a free breakfast buffet, and partially to keep the "riffraff" out. Nightaway and others gained a reputation for having no small number of delinquents, crazed college kids, criminals, junkies, and other such types frequent them. Hampton Inn was the choice of the respectable middle class family. The chain expanded first into Cokie Africa, where it opened more luxurious locations as part of the GIT program, then into Georgia, Virginia, and eventually Corea and the Union. Maryland surprisingly got in on the game with Baltimore Motor Lodge, founded in Baltimore in 1937 by Aidan Ronaldo, which heavily replicated Nightaway's business model, but featured complimentary rum and crab cakes instead of BBQ and sweet tea. The Baltimore Motor Lodge kept a decent hold on the domestic market, and also put down roots in Virginia, Texas, and weirdly, Europa, where people loved the ardently Catholic founder and the exotic Maryland feel. Rounding out this collection of interestingly themed motor homes is Texas's very own Longhorn Stop n' Saddle, founded in 1943 by Brazilian immigrant/refugee Marty Barboza, which had a heavy cowboy theme (even the staff were dressed as cowboys and cowgirls) and had famously massive room service steaks. Longhorn Stop n' Saddle became a staple in Texas, URCA, Virginia, and later caught on a bit in Japan and Dutch Africa. These roadside inns were massive hits, and would soon dominate the Southron highways alongside gas stations and fast food joints.
Another interesting development that can be largely attributed to the Southron highways is an idea of Southron Exceptionalism. All the Southron nations took pride in their Southron identity, even as they fiercely competed over who was more purely Southron. However, with the rise in tourism and economic growth that accompanied the highways, this competition actually took a little bit of a backseat to general pride in being Southron. You can drive from the Yankee-Maryland border wall down to Gran Colombia and never leave Southron civilization (the URCA was heavily Southronized after decades of imperialism). There were some extreme differences between parts of Southron civilization, but at the end of the day it was all recognizably Southron. This group of nations was, as a bloc, arguably the most powerful on Earth. If the Cokies joined the LSS and more fully cooperated with their neighbors, it probably would be. With the exception of Europe and Australia, they had a foothold on every continent. Wealth and goods flowed from all over the world into their nations. They invented the atomic bomb. Despite issues with authoritarianism, by global standards they were fairly free too. Is it any wonder then that the Southrons started to think that God blessed the South? If you ever take a road trip on these long, winding paths of asphalt, you might feel the same.
The 1967 Supremo Thoroughbred, nicknamed "The Tyrant of the Road" for its surprising speed
A standard room at Nightaway Lodge
A Texan supermarket, 1975