New Travels and Stats Discussion

[mapcat]

The US 212 construction zone looked non-walkable, with both carriageways and sidewalks torn up. But it's close to I-29, and the project might be completed (or at least two-way traffic allowed on one carriageway) next time I'm up there, which could be as soon as late October.

You’re much more cautious than I would be. Last month in some Maine town I will likely never visit again, I parked on one side of a closure on US 2, walked straight through the barriers and past the workers, turned around at the other side and walked back to my car. No one said anything. A few years ago a Michigan highway being fully rebuilt was nothing but sand when I walked the 5-6 blocks between the orange fences. Always bring flip flops because you never know when you’ll need them.

[oscar]

Always bring flip flops because you never know when you’ll need them.

I almost always wear flip-flops when I'm on the road, unless I'll have to walk through snow (sub-freezing air temps I'm OK with -- my toes hate shoes more than they do cold).

[mapmikey]

Got to take a 19-hr ride yesterday covering about 1050 miles...

Went to Akron OH via Morganotwn WV and Brockway PA and back...

New clinches:
Maryland: MD 49, MD 658
Pennsylvania: I-80, I-376, US 40 Bus Uniontown, US 119, US 224, PA 28
Ohio: I-76, I-80, US 224

This gives me all interstate mileage in Pennsylvania and a full clinch of the eastern I-76.  It would've also been a full clinch of US 224 except last summer Indiana had it closed west of IN 1.  US 119 would also be a full clinch except Kentucky has had the nerve to rebuild it in numerous locations north of Jenkins KY since I drove the whole Kentucky portion in 1988.

[bejacob]

Just back from South Dakota as well, though didn't get to the Corn Palace this time. I was there two years ago this week (8/19/17). This trip was was just a weekend RT from MSP with an overnight in Sioux Falls.

I did manage to clinch the last stretch of I-494 (between exits 5 and 11). Added bits and pieces of several US routes (12,14,59,71,75, and 212) plus some MN, IA, and SD routes. A few clinches, mostly on BL or short state routes. Not a ton of added mileage, but much of it was new. Also collected the last 4 counties in Iowa.

And because I was so close, I stopped to see the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota (tip of the hat to Weird Al).

[dave1693]

Two trips between the FedroSplat and eastern PA (one including a side trip to northwest NJ), plus the annual Pennsic War excursion to western PA, this time extended out to SE Ohio right after the end of Pennsic. I could have posted all this last week but I got sick and wasn't very coherent for several days.

New clinches: I-80 in PA (finally!), PA 117, PA 830, PA 914, WV 618

Non-clinch new mileage: I-77 in OH, I-80 in OH, US 11 in PA, US 19 in PA, US 30 in PA, US 50 in WV, US 62 in OH and PA, US 206 in NJ, US 219 in PA, US 224 in OH, US 50 Business in Belpre OH, PA 18, PA 191, PA 230, PA 233, PA 241, PA 441, PA 487, PA 743, PA 760, WV 68, OH 7, OH 32, OH 60, OH 173, OH 183, OH 225 (almost a clinch but it was after midnight and I was following Waze pretty literally), OH 618, OH 821.

Observations:
0. I'm a little disappointed at how little new mileage all this added to my log, but for a large portion of the trip speed was more important and so I ended up taking fast highways I'd already traveled before.
1. I am amused that I clinched eastern I-76 years before mapmikey (and I-80 in PA just about a week ahead of him). How did that happen?
2. I am far less amused at signage in Belpre OH, and at the fact that ODOT apparently decided that OH 618 did NOT need to connect to WV 618 despite the very close proximity. WV 618 turns into OH 32 (and vice versa) on the free bridge across the Ohio, 1/4 mile east of where OH 618 eastbound makes a left to AVOID going over that bridge, and instead goes up to the western foot of the four-bit toll bridge. Where it apparently stops, for no discernible reason.

[dave1693]

Raton Pass almost killed my engine, but I made it 600 miles (without cruise control...across Kansas)

"OHHHH Kansas is flat and I hate it, and this is the flat Kansas sooooongg..." (from the very last Queen of Wands strip: http://www.queenofwands.net/)

My first experience driving in Kansas outside of the KC/Overland Park area was on the ride 5 years ago that clinched I-70. We drove I-70 from I-15 in Cove Fort UT to I-270 in Frederick MD, and even when we got off we doubled back an exit to get back on. This was in a 30-foot RV. Kansas was 420+ miles of 40-50 mph crosswind blowing south to north, holding the steering wheel at a 45 degree angle just to stay in my own lane, except going under overpasses when I suddenly had to staighten the wheel out for 15 feet and then wrench it back to 45 degrees as we came back out into the wind. Would Not Recommend.

[Markkos1992]

1. I am amused that I clinched eastern I-76 years before mapmikey (and I-80 in PA just about a week ahead of him). How did that happen?

I am surprised that I clinched I-80 in PA before both of you.  (It was completed in February when I drove I-80 from I-57 in Illinois all the way to PA 147.  Everything east of US 15 was done on or before July 4th last year.)

In my PA highlights, I finished US 219 (just in PA), PA 533, and PA 54 last week.  I also drove all of PA 120, PA 433, and MD 57 (used to get down to US 40 to follow it and I-68 west to US 219).

[mapmikey]

Being based in Northern Virginia means there is no natural reason to take much of any part of I-80 in Pennsylvania or I-76 east of Breezewood.

Until recently, my clinching trips were mostly not as far out that way as NE Ohio (just 1 other one where I rode US 322 from I-99 to Cleveland, then I-77 south to clinch that) so I'm just now getting around to doing some more out that way.  In fact, the short I-76 in Ohio was done in 3 segments:
The Ohio Tpk part in 2000 (part of a return trip from Yellowstone and Montana)
I-71 to I-277 (last summer when I had a business trip to Cleveland and spent a day in Columbus first)
I-277 to I-80 (last week)

I am also at a disadvantage in that up to now I do not spend the night anywhere on my clinching rides...

[Jim]

Today was my chance to do some exploring based out of Minneapolis before attending State of the Map for the next few days.  I decided to go pretty big and drove almost 600 miles over 12 hours.  It's not often I can drive that far and hit nearly all new mileage, but I did.  Other than a few miles of I-229 and I-90 near Sioux Falls, it's all new.

Starting and ending at my hotel in Eden Prairie, my route was US 212 -> US 71 -> US 14 -> US 75 -> IA 9 -> SD 42 -> I-229 -> I-90 -> I-29 -> US 12 -> I-494.

So it's mostly new usaus mileage, where I added about 470 miles.  In usai, adding the 125 new miles of I-29 put me over 40,000 for the system.

I think I touched 8 (connected) routes for the first time anywhere, but didn't add any new clinches.  I thought about continuing up to Fargo to finish off I-29, but the day was getting a little long considering it was following a day of work and air travel and I have the days at the conference upcoming.

It was also one of my best county-counting days in a long time, with 20 added.

I made stops at Redwood Falls, Pipestone NM, and the ball of twine in Darwin made famous by Weird Al, plus lunch and a fillup, and a takeout dinner to bring back to the room.

I'm also within striking distance of finishing the Minnesota interstates, missing only parts of I-394, I-494, and I-694 all in the TC area.  Whatever I don't get going back and forth to Minneapolis the next few days, I'll go get between the end of the conference and my flight home.

[Jim]

In my few hours between leaving State of the Map US and arrival at MSP, I was able to take another much shorter clinching ride.  I finished up I-694, completing the Interstate system in Minnesota.  Then I went from St. Paul to the northern terminus of US 61, so I have all of that north of Red Wing.  Added 50+ more miles overall today.  All in all a very successful trip as far as expanding my TM stats as well as the conference itself.  I was lucky that the extensive construction closures did not affect any of the routes I needed.

[clong]

Had a fun weekend of travel.

Finished off US82 and US431 in Alabama on my route to pick up my final Alabama county - Henry.
Also clinched all the US Business routes (84, 231, 431) in Dothan, AL.
Drove from there to Port St Joe, FL and followed US98 along the coast to Crystal River, FL. Headed over to I-75 to pickup a couple of missing segments and also clinched I-175, I-275 and I-375 in Tampa/St Pete. Picked up some I-4 mileage for the first time from I-275 to Lakeland. Added 17 Florida counties in the process.
Headed back home Sunday morning and took US84 from Valdosta, GA to Enterprise, AL and picked up 7 new GA counties (including a short out and back on GA91 to Miller County.
Also added a chunk of AL167 from Enterprise to Troy.

I've submitted the update and will see exactly how many miles added as much of the Florida portion of my trip was 2-3 US routes multiplexed.

EDIT: Added in AL - 160 Active, 193 including Preview
Added in GA - 115 (both)
Added in FL - 500 Active, 590 including Preview

[Eth]

Flew out to Dallas for the weekend and put myself on the board in two new states: ~220 miles in Texas (pending me fixing a typo in my .list file) and another 74 in Oklahoma. Clinched I-345 and Texas' northern segment of unified I-35, along with all but about 4 miles of TX US75, plus the majority of I-635 and significant bits (10% or more) of TX US81, I-35E, TX26, TX121, and OK32.

[si404]

Late last night around London there were a bucket load of roadworks. One involved closing the M25 (rather than just all but one lane, or a slip road, like some of the other bits) between two junctions. The diversion was about 6 miles longer than the motorway, 93% new mileage for me, and meant over 10 miles of new mileage. I didn't like the extra half-hour on a journey that started late and took over an hour longer than it should have without the roadworks, but it's nice to get some bonus unexpected mileage on a route I've travelled hundreds of times. If it was a diversion on roads I'd already taken, it would have been a different story!

[yakra]

Clinched: ME232, ME5, ME120, ME108, ME219.
ME232 & ME120 from 0% to 100% in one go.
ME108 previously had only one mile, on the ME4 overlap.
Passed through: Poland, Oxford, Norway, Paris, Mexico, Peru, and finally, Hartford 3 separate times.
75.49 new miles. One more trip this size (71.91 mi) and I'll have the most mileage in usame.

[dave1693]

Most of my trips down to the FedroSplat and back to eastern PA this month have been on already traveled routes due to time considerations. I did get a few new miles though.

New clinch: WV 51. (Which I had already driven half of, but I clinched it by driving all of it in one fell swoop.) I will note that WV 51 in Inwood has been rerouted, though the new route is not shown on OSM yet; one can see the new route as being under construction in Esri WorldImagery. I'll make a new post about it.

New almost-clinch: PA 995. (Bridge out; I'll have to wait for the actual clinch until it's replaced.)

New segments: WV 45, US 30 in PA.