New Travels and Stats Discussion

[dave1693]

January was a very quiet month for me, with a return trip from our New Year's family visit yielding only a little new mileage and the only other trip using all previously-traveled roads. February's main trip so far has been to New England where I was able to add more miles and clinch a few highways.

New clinches:
I-395 in MA, I-291 in CT, MA 131, MA 197, CT 74, CT 118, CT 197, WilBroCon in CT, NY 312, NY 301, NY 284, NJ 284. Those last two mean I've clinched the entirety of NJ/NY 284, which along with CT/MA 197 that are also on this list, are I think the first two "two-state multistate same-numbered state routes" I've clinched.

New segments of roads not clinched:
MA 12, MA 16, MA 193, I-395 in CT, US 44 in CT, US 202 in CT, CT 4, CT 39, CT 63, CT 131, CT 169, CT 171, CT 190, CT 320, US 6 in NY, US 9 in NY, NY 17M, NY 52, US 206 in NJ, PA 611.

Automotive troubles seem to indicate that I may not be adding much new mileage for the next few months. Sigh.

[Bickendan]

Travels in India turned out to be far fewer mileage than anticipated but still fruitful.
About 110 km of AH 1, 170 km of NH, and 50 km of West Bengal SH.
More importantly, in field signage, aside for AH 1 and SH 13, reflects the old numbering and not the current assignments.

OSM coverage of India is not ideal, and GSV is non-existent.

I expect to get mileage around Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi in a future trip.

[Jim]

I'm en route home from Portland, Oregon, where I attended a tiny portion of the SIGCSE 2020 conference.  After the first day, the conference was cancelled when the governor of Oregon banned gatherings of over 500 people.  Fortunately, the session I participated in was on the first day, and took place best as we could with those who were able to travel.  I also got in a great day of skiing at Mount Hood Meadows the day before.  Still, the trip was disrupted quite a bit.  My original plan to fly into Seattle seemed like a bad idea, so I flew directing into PDX a day later.  And once the conference was cancelled, I decided it was best to move up my trip home by a couple days in case travel gets disrupted any further.

Anyway, the way it ended up meant I was able to do some driving around before and after the conference.  After arrival on Monday, I took a ride out US 30 to Astoria, then down US 101 to Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock, and US 26 back to Portland.  That was almost all new mileage for me.  Tuesday was ski day, so I drove a chunk of US 26 out and back I'd never done before, and did all of OR 173 to take a peek at Timberline Lodge.  Wednesday was the one day the conference actually took place.  And then Thursday, after spending the morning dealing with travel changes, a bad chip in my credit card, and my iPad's data plan acting up, I took an afternoon ride up the Columbia River.  I went out on the north side on Washington 14 to US 97, crossed, then returned back to Portland on combinations of I-84, US 30, and Historic US 30, with a brief side trip back across into Washington to get my first miles on US 197.  All except the segments of I-84 west of Hood River were new miles for me.

Overall, I added about 400 miles to my TM totals, passing 90,000 miles in active systems, about 100 in Washington and 300 in Oregon.  I picked up only 40 miles of usai, including finishing off OR I-405 (my 197th usai connected route clinched) and adding to I-84.  Most new mileage was in usaus, adding to US 30 and US 26 primarily (100+ new miles in each), while adding a short segment of US 97 and my first-ever miles on US 197.  WA 14 was a big new stretch.  Then, bits and pieces of a few usaor routes, and the US 30 Historic route through the falls area.

Hopefully the travel disruptions won't last too long, and potential late spring and summer trips can take place.

[oscar]

I just got back from a two-week road trip, snuck in just before Covid 19-related travel restrictions and inconveniences escalated this week. My travels crisscrossed Georgia and the western Carolinas, but also some of northern Florida and far eastern Tennessee. The focus was adding to my U.S. routes mileage (both mainline and bannered routes), especially routes which I was closest to overall clinches.

My overall clinches from this trip were US 19 (including its 19W and 19E branches), US 123, US 129, US 176, US 178, US 221, US 276, US 319, US 441, and US 341 (the HB will show that clinch once it reflects the mainline's relocation onto what had been US 341 Bypass in Perry GA). I also clinched US 23 in North Carolina and most of Georgia (two construction closure gaps), US 25 (including its 25W and 25E branches) in all states except Kentucky, and US 278 in South Carolina.

My total coverage of the mainline US routes is over 80%. For mainline and bannered routes combined, I'm about 100 miles short of 80%. Future road trips are on hold for now (got a lot of other stuff to catch up on, anyway), so I'm not sure when I'll rack up those additional ~100 miles.

[cl94]

Last week saw me in the United Kingdom for a road trip around the British countryside. Scotland was added to my tally in substantial fashion and Wales made a brief appearance as my planned route was only a mile from the Welsh border. 11 motorways were clinched in full (7 M, 4 A(M)), as well as a couple of motorway spurs. I had over 1000 miles of A route mileage and a little B route. Overall, an excellent trip with 1,800 miles in my rental Vauxhall Mokka (I reserved something smaller, but was "upgraded" and couldn't downgrade back to my original choice) and some amazing sights along the way.

[si404]

some amazing sights along the way.

That's a quality route. I'm jealous!

But, given how epicly researched this all looked - driving masses each day but still taking in quality sights en-route without going out of your way too much (The Lakes, Hadrian's Wall, Neptune's Staircase, Falkirk Wheel, presumably Cadbury World as why else would one drive that route through Birmingham!) - you then, near the end of your journey pull off a quality move to take a scenic route through the Chilterns (including going on the road via Butler's Cross rather than taking the signed through route - as a local, that's a nice touch) rather than the motorway then go and ruin everything by ending up on Slough Trading Estate! Cheap accommodation I know (but not much cheaper than some of the other alternatives), but there's a reason why The Office was set there - it's the by-word for soullessness: it is, in the words of a then-future Poet Laureate, "not fit for humans now" (written with the creation of the Trading Estate in mind).

Also, how did you travel on the A9000? Private motor vehicles are prohibited!

The Mokka doesn't look too big - I mean it is sold as an SUV (because it's that little bit taller and you sit higher), but the rentals have it as a 'standard' sized car (second-smallest class).

Hopefully you managed to avoid forced quarantine on return!

[cl94]

Thanks. Quite a bit of research went into this to determine the most scenic routes and avoid backtracking. I had a set of "must-see" destinations (Ironbridge, Hadrian's Wall, Loch Ness, Dunnet Head, the Forth Bridges, the National Railway Museum), then looked at what I could see along the way. The A686 (which I remembered reading about somewhere) was a last-minute addition, but it was only a few minutes longer than hopping on the motorway. The last day was actually thought up on the fly, as I decided I wanted to do a couple of hill walks in the Chilterns and stick to numbered roads in the process. Cadbury World was indeed a stop (just so I could visit the store), but something I would have cut out were my flight late/the passport control line long.

Slough Trading Estate is indeed a bit soulless, but at that point in the trip, I was more concerned about being able to get the car back to Heathrow. That hotel was the best value I could find within 20-30 minutes of the airport.

The A9000? I walked it! Parked at the Forth Bridges parking lot and walked the entire path. Got some amazing pictures of the bridges from out there. Didn't get the southernmost section, but I got the bridge. I count walking clinches and the workout was nice.

As far as car class, I booked a compact/intermediate. I would have been much more comfortable driving the Octavia I booked (cheapest option) than an SUV, because a few inches matter on stuff like the A592. I think I had an inch or two of clearance passing another car in one place. Hertz had it as an "intermediate SUV", which is several classes above what I booked (at least in the US, they upgrade through cars first, then go into SUVs). Next time, I'm definitely booking the tiniest thing I can get, as clearances were by far the biggest "issue" I dealt with driving in the UK.

[si404]

The last day was actually thought up on the fly, as I decided I wanted to do a couple of hill walks in the Chilterns

Good call! That will be my outdoor time away from home during these next few weeks of social distancing.

What walks did you do? Coombe Hill I presume?

stick to numbered roads in the process.

Well the former B4010 isn't numbered anymore - and that's the road I'm saying was a good choice to take (the B4009 route is still good though). It's just a bit more Chilterny running at the ankle of the scarp slope rather than right down at the foot in the Vale. I presume you took it rather than your car teleporting! Unless you went a convoluted way that used part of the A413, but not a segment (in which case I can add points to give credit).

A 'bit' soulless? I guess the mythos about it being a life-sucking hellhole have helped give it some soul - in a desire to get away from the reputation! And the actual main road (A355) has quite a bit of soul - it's just the warehouses and faceless office buildings that are characterless. Fully understand about it being the cheapest place around - both your desire to seek that, and why it is so.

I thought you might have got a bus or taxi over the bridge as walking might not be the most pleasant somewhere as exposed as that - I imagine it was rather windy (thankfully we've had a dry couple of weeks compared to the last 6 gloomy months - there's a joke that now we have all right weather for the first time in ages we don't get to enjoy it due to coronavirus - however it has been windy, even without storms), but with stunning views - of both the old rail bridge, and the brand new road bridge, as well as the Firth of Forth.

Next time, I'm definitely booking the tiniest thing I can get, as clearances were by far the biggest "issue" I dealt with driving in the UK.

Car parks, especially. Spaces are designed for 1960s cars without side-impact protection systems, crumple zones, etc and so are tight fits with even small modern cars.

The Mokka takes up less space than the Octavia - so you actually lucked out by being given an 'SUV'.
Mokka Length: 4278mm Width: 1777mm
Octavia Length‎: ‎4659mm Width‎: ‎1814mm

[cl94]

Coombe Hill and a loop around Wendover Woods. Wendover Woods has the "county top" for Buckinghamshire, so I was able to tie in another one of my hobbies. Beautiful views up there. I did take the former B4010 between the B4009 and A4010 (plus the Coombe Hill detour). That was probably the largest section of unnumbered road (well, unsigned, at least, since it's still a C road) I drove that day and one of the longest of the trip period.

It was a tad windy along the bridge, but nothing compared to what I had along the A836 south of Tongue or up at Dunnet Head the day before. Thankfully, I had plenty of experience with wind from my university years in Buffalo, so I didn't think much of it. The views made it all worthwhile.

Heh, the Mokka is smaller. That's actually a tad surprising, but the Mokka did feel smaller than most SUVs I had driven over here. Still going to try and get a Corsa or something similar the next time I'm across the pond. I drive a Honda Fit (or "Jazz", as it's branded in Europe) here and I'm quite used to getting that in tight spaces and up single-track roads, but larger vehicles are another story. Speaking of which, it was very weird driving on a paved single-track road. We have quite a few dirt ones here in New York, but nothing paved.

[si404]

Coombe Hill and a loop around Wendover Woods. Wendover Woods has the "county top" for Buckinghamshire, so I was able to tie in another one of my hobbies. Beautiful views up there.

Yep (was up the trees in the woods about a month ago - highest person in the county briefly before I went down a zip wire), though the woods make it hard to see through the trees. Coombe Hill (the Coombe Hill that people actually call Coombe Hill, rather than the one that's part of Wendover Woods 4km away) isn't a Marilyn (prominent peak) and 7m shorter than the one the other side of Wendover feels more like the high point due to the unwooded downland giving longer vistas and much larger monument marking the summit.

It's hard to find a public unpaved road in the UK. There might be some in really remote areas. I guess various tracks might be public, but people don't think of them as roads.

[Jim]

Not my most exciting update, but in the current situation, I'll take what I can get.  We had to go to Syracuse this morning, were done early and ended up having a couple hours to kill before our planned Chick-fil-A takeout in North Syracuse before heading home.  So I made my first (brief) visit to Oswego, heading there via New York 690 (went from never traveled to clinched) and New York 48 (first mileage).  Checked out the lake for a few minutes but with a stiff wind off the lake and a little drizzle that mixed with snow soon after we left, it wasn't a day to linger.  Then back to Syracuse on New York 481 (went from barely traveled to clinched) to get CFA curbside pickup.  Only 60 miles new, but better than nothing, and accomplished with no violations of social distancing.

[jayhawkco]

Did a little bit of traveling in Colorado (not leaving the car) and clinched CO 22, 66, 72, and 7 Business.  I also finally got around to logging all of my travels, domestic and international.  Previously on here I had only cared about interstates.  Then I decided I wanted to do CO State Highways.  Then I realized if I didn't put the U.S. highways on there, it looked weird, so then I just did everything for the entire U.S.  Then I realized I shouldn't leave out my Canadian travels.  But then I figured I might as well see what I could get for international travels.  So, I'm likely the only user here with mileage logged for the U.S., Canada, Armenia, Belize, Brunei, Cambodia, Georgia, Iceland, Indonesia, Mauritius, Morocco, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, and the U.K. 

Chris

[kjslaughter]

Been going stir crazy with work and school for son, so took a solo 400+ mile loop through southwest Georgia to visit more courthouses for my photo project as well as clinch a big chunk of US19 I had missed through previous zig-zags as I was driving  between county seats.

Was supposed to have gone to SE Georgia with my dad the last 4 days and would have finished visiting every county in Georgia.  Had to cancel that with him being in high-risk group (among other reasons).  Who knows when that trip will get to happen now.  :-(

[mikeandkristie]

Well we've used the last four weekends to start a new Saturday drive tradition.  We've gone out for a drive, stopped for custard and eaten it in the car in the parking lot, and just stopped at interstate rest areas.  Been concentrating on filling in gaps in a hour to two hour range radius from us that we haven't managed to work into a real trip yet.  Gotten a bunch more NC state route mileage, some US route mileage on US 158, 401, and 701, as well as the new part of I-840 in Greensboro that opened at the end of 2019 to get us back to 100% interstates in NC.  We only have the westernmost 11 miles to finish on US 158 past Winston-Salem once we can go on a real trip again.  Planning on Fayetteville this Saturday to complete US 301 and 401 in the state.  So far, we've picked up 37, 76, 34, and 59 new miles.

Mike

[US 89]

Did a little bit of clinching in southwest Wyoming yesterday, so I now have most of Uinta County's mileage covered. Also visited Daggett County, Utah for the first time, which finishes off Utah's counties for me.