The Great Gatsby Cross Continental Roadtrip (2023)
In 2023, The Great Gatsby Cross Continental Roadtrip set out to honor Horatio Nelson Jackson’s daring feat of 1903; the first cross-country automobile journey in the United States. Where Jackson battled muddy tracks, broken wheels, and a patchwork of unpaved roads in his Winton touring car, we carried the spirit of that adventure into the 21st century, driving coast-to-coast in celebration of 120 years of motoring freedom.
Our route wound through some of America’s most iconic landscapes and byways: the endless straights of the Great Plains, the dramatic switchbacks of the Rockies, and the golden sweep of the Pacific Coast Highway. Along the way, we traced pieces of history; crossing the Lincoln Highway, pausing at roadside diners that still echo the golden age of travel, and stopping in towns where the automobile first connected remote communities to the wider world.
Highlights of the trip included sunrise over the desert in Nevada, cresting the Continental Divide with Gatsby perched in the passenger seat, 3 presendtial libaries, and finally rolling into San Francisco where the ocean breeze marked journey’s end. More than just a drive, it became a rolling celebration of innovation, resilience, and the shared joy of the open road; linking Jackson’s pioneering century-old adventure to the timeless thrill of discovery today.
