New Travels and Stats Discussion

[Markkos1992]

While I tried hard to avoid bad weather in the Midwest, I overlooked the torrential rains and thunderstorms awaiting me back home late yesterday evening. That made the last 30 miles of my trip really slow and unpleasant.

Yeah, that affected me and the other road enthusiasts that met up with corco and his wife at the Nats game yesterday.  Thankfully no weather issues during the game itself.  However, it literally started raining on me the moment I walked out of the Shady Grove Metro Station around 8 PM so I sheltered at the Royal Farms on Watkins Mill Rd (eventually should be signed as MD 114).

[kjslaughter]

When the roads were first numbered, 101 years ago, the counties/boroughs maintained everything and classification was about how much money they'd get from the national government to look after them (Class I 'A' roads getting more per mile than Class II 'B' roads which in turn get more than other roads - and it's still somewhat the case, though isn't quite the case anymore). As such a very large and dense network formed across the country*, and continued to do so after a limited amount were 'trunked' (ie national government took over the maintenance and improvement of).

Thanks!  That was quite informative.  I know next to nothing about road networks in Europe as cut my teeth looking at Rand McNally Road Atlas of North America growing up.  I just use site to map where I've been and sometimes surprised to find more roads than I expected.

[cl94]

Just got home from a work trip to Idaho for a conference. By taking a couple of extra days to loop through Oregon on the way home, I racked up quite a bit of new mileage. Nevada is over 75% complete, Oregon is just shy of 19%, and Idaho is at 17.5%.

New clinches: I-184, ID 16, ID 51, ID 71, NV 225, NV 226, OR 7, OR 31, OR 52, OR 86, OR 86S, OR 410, OR 414, US 97 Business in Bend, OR.
Additional new mileage obtained along: western I-84, I-84 BL Mountain Home, US 20, US 26, US 30, US 395, CA 299, ID 21, ID 52, OR 19, OR 126, OR 201

[Markkos1992]

Last weekend I took a drive down to Delaware to focus on looking at the DE 1/DE 16 interchange, the recent realignments of DE 1D and DE 23 and the new connector road to both from DE 1 SB at Five Points, and to reclinch US 9 TRUCK in Georgetown, DE.  I basically spent a lot of time on DE 1, and even went to Philly to see the permanent construction on I-95 at PA 73 before taking PA 73 all the way west to PA 61.

Yesterday I did another round in northern PA/southern NY.  After taking US 11/US 15 NB to PA 147 NB to I-180 WB to US 220 SB again, this time I took PA 120 WB to PA 872 NB (splitting off in Austin for a quick clinch of PA 607, not to be confused with the capital of Texas AKA my sister's new home state).  After clinching PA 872, I went west to Coudersport for a Sheetz bathroom break, and then took US 6 EB to PA 449 NB clinching it in order to get slightly up the lowest route number game (next for me is 455, which the best candidate I found was on the north side of the Nashville Metropolitan Area somewhere).  I continued north on NY 19 turning around at NY 417 in Wellsville then taking NY 248 EB to Whitesville then NY 248A SB to PA 244 WB to PA 44 SB to PA 49 EB.  Then I took PA 249 NB to NY 36 NB back to NY 248 WB finishing the latter clinch when I got back to NY 248A.  I then took CR 19 to CR 19A to CR 124 to North Fork Rd back to PA 49 EB then took PA 249 SB (finishing the clinch) to PA 287 SB to US 6 EB.  After another Sheetz stop in Mansfield, I took US 15 SB to I-180 EB to PA 147 SB to PA 225 SB to visit a friend near Halifax, PA, before heading back to Harrisburg via PA 225 SB across Peters Mountain to US 22/US 322 EB in Dauphin.

Clinched:  PA 872, PA 607, PA 449, NY 248, NY 248A, PA 244, PA 49, PA 249

New Mileage: NY 19, NY 36

[Bruce]

On Saturday, I completed a life-long goal of driving all 7,000 miles of Washington's surface highways.

And then I promptly got secondaried at the Canadian border checkpoint. Maybe I should have left something easier for last.

Will be eager to fill out my ferry clinches next, which will mark the actual completion of the state highway system (as they are part of the legislative definitions).

[rickmastfan67]

And then I promptly got secondaried at the Canadian border checkpoint. Maybe I should have left something easier for last.

Did they give you the free 48h accommodations bonus with that? LOL!

[Jim]

A driving trip to a conference in DC this week gave me an opportunity to take some new routes through otherwise very familiar territory.

On the way south, I had time constraints but was able to take a couple hours longer than the fastest routes and still get to the start of the event on time.  I took my usual Thruway to I-287 route, then took I-78 and US 22 west past Allentown to Hamburg.  New travels started there: PA 61, Business US 222 (with a quick lunch stop), PA 12, US 422, I-176, and part of I-76 back to US 222 were all new.  US 222 and US 30 over to York are roads I'd traveled once before but were still interesting to see.  Just before I-83, I cut a little corner on PA 24 and PA 462.  I-83 to I-695 to I-70 were all previously-traveled but not ones I take often.  At US 29, I finished off the tiny piece north of I-70 before turning back around to head south to the beltway.  My destination was in the Woodley Park area of DC, so I took MD 185 and Connecticut Ave in.  A little confusion about where to turn as I approached my hotel resulted in me on the Rock Creek Parkway (about a mile out and back) for a little bonus TM mileage there at the end.

I was able to take more time going home.  The event ended at 12:30, followed by a lunch in the nearby neighborhood. It was about 1:30, I was going only as far as the Harrisburg area for a baseball game and had about double the needed time to do it.  A more ambitious plan to start by finishing off I-66 and US 1 in DC looked like a Very Bad Idea in afternoon traffic, so I left DC via Massachusetts Ave, and took some MD 396 and MD 190 back out to the beltway.  It was the beltway around to US 1, where I filled in a bit of that route up to MD 32, which I took over to US 29.  US 29/I-70/I-695 (including a lengthy delay on the I-70 to I-695 ramp) took me to I-795 for my first ride up that route.  At its northern end, I cut over to MD 30 and took that and PA 94 all the way up into Carlisle.  This ride was slow at times, and is a route I won't need to take again.  I went through Carlise on US 11 to my hotel right near the turnpike exit.  I checked in then went right back out to get to the Harrisburg Senators game on City Island.  I was able to fill in a couple gaps on the rides out and back, taking the turnpike for one exit to fill in an I-76 gap, and US 11 back to Carlisle to fill that in.

The next day, I again took about double the needed time to make my ride.  The new travels started on US 22 and US 322 west.  I had been as far as Dauphin, but continued on this trip to PA 147, which allowed me to drive up the eastern side of the Susquehanna (I'd done US 11/15 on the other side quite a while ago).  It was a scenic and pleasant ride.  I stopped for a bit to check out the ferry in Millersburg (it wasn't running).  I crossed the river on PA 61 at Shamokin Dam, then took US 15 up to Williamsport (lunch stop on the north side of Lewisburg). This filled a gap and completed all of US 15 north of Farmville, VA.  There, I picked up US 220 (at first, concurrently with I-180).  Once I left I-180, it was all new US 220 until just south of the NY border.  This ride was also scenic and pleasant but with a few more bouts of slow drivers that I couldn't pass.  Fortunately I wasn't in much of a rush.  On the way, I picked up my one new county on this trip: Sullivan, PA.  I picked up a couple miles of US 6 as well with a side trip into Towanda for gas.  When I reached NY, that finished off all of US 220 north of I-68.  I took NY 17 east for just one exit then cut up NY 34 to NY 17C for something different, and NY 282 back to NY 17.  I left NY 17 again at Endwell to take NY 17C to head for the Wegman's in Johnson City.  From there, it was fastest way home: NY 17/I-81/I-88/NY 30A/NY 7/NY 30.  As usual, I-88 was filled with lengthy construction zones.  I passed through a pretty nasty thunderstorm with a lot of lightning, rain, wind, and a little hail around Cobleskill, of course, part of the time while in a construction zone.

For TM, I added 330 miles, 262 of which were in PA.  My new NY travels pushed me over 9000 miles overall in the state.  I only added about 40 new usai miles, but that included clinching two routes I had never previously traveled (I-176, I-795).  I got 140 new miles in usaus, with US 220 being the biggest mover.  For other systems, I traveled 5 usamd highways, 2 usany highways, and 8 usapa highways for the first time. 

[cl94]

Got back from a half-week work trip to Monterey last night. I'll always accept an all expenses paid trip to the Pacific coast, especially if I can get new miles out of it. And new miles I did obtain.

On the drive down, I finally closed a gap along US 101 between Prunedale and Gilroy that was necessitated by crash-related congestion back in April. I also clinched CA 108, CA 183, and 3 CA 1 BRs in full, along with additional new mileage along CA 33, 132, 152, 156, and 165.

During my travels around Monterey, both for work and on my free time, I clinched CA 213, and the 17 Mile Tourist Trap...er, 17 Mile Drive and got some mileage along CA 68.

On the way home, I finished off CA 68, clinched CA 156, 25, 130, and 4 in that order, and got additional mileage along CA 33. CA 130 is fun because that has a county-maintained eastern extension that is not on the state highway system, but is legislatively part of the route. Santa Clara County signs this extension and it is a worthy drive, even if you don't think it needs to be clinched.

Edit: upon update, looks like I got somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 new TM miles. Not bad for a trip that required a ton of "repeat" miles. Up to 54.65% of California clinched. Don't know when that number will increase, but it probably will again sometime this year.

[mapcat]

Just went to Alaska for the first time in 13 years (and got my first new miles there in 16 years). Finished the fake interstates, which, unless there's a last-minute interstate extension added with the next update, should put me at 100% officially for usai.

Besides that, I picked up the Hickel Parkway, and took AK 1 all the way to Homer's "Lands End". The number of tourist-related businesses (and tourists) down on the Spit surprised me. Very crowded. Great seafood. Weather was perfect. Another day I finally went to Haines (to collect the borough back when I was collecting counties, I just stepped onto land at the AMHS ferry terminal when the ship was docked for a few minutes). In a region with many remarkable highways, the Haines Highway was especially so. And, in contrast to the Alaska Highway, the pavement was in wonderful condition. Highly recommended. The Richardson Highway to Valdez, which I hadn't driven before, was another treat. The unnumbered Talkeetna Spur wasn't anything special from a driving perspective, but the town at the end of it was a fun side trip.

My sig image below didn't change, since it only shows the signed mainline interstates. Well, I finally greyed-out Pennsylvania, since a new truck route was identified and mapped since my clinch of that state a few months ago, and I have no immediate plans to go back there. I'm hoping next month gives me a chance to add something somewhere else.

[froggie]

^ Out of curiosity, does your clinch of New Jersey's system actually include the leg of NJ 68 inside the gate at Fort Dix?

[mapcat]

^ Out of curiosity, does your clinch of New Jersey's system actually include the leg of NJ 68 inside the gate at Fort Dix?

Just the part to the north of the gate.

[Markkos1992]

I did get a couple more trips in the last couple weekends, but this weekend seems to be a washout in PA so why not take a break.

I went to my parents' house on Father's Day Weekend doing the normal I-81 to US 17 to I-95 route down without any major issues, but there was a truck in the median of I-81 NB at Exit 52 so it was almost a major issue there.

The next morning I took my mom on another Smithfield's Chicken-N-BBQ run.  We started by taking I-85 SB from Petersburg (detouring onto US 1 between SR 650 and VA 40 due to a closure) to US 58 WB to VA 49 SB into NC taking NC 49 SB to Roxboro.  Ultimately, we took NC 57 SB to Hillsborough and picked up NC 86 SB.  I accidentally stayed on Old NC 86 instead of turning with NC 86 SB and US 70 BUS EB so I decided to stay on that to Carrboro, took city streets to Chapel Hill, and looped via the UNC Campus and US 15/US 501/NC 54 back to NC 86 NB back to Hillsborough to Old NC 86 SB to I-85 SB onto the I-40/I-85 Concurrency.

We exited off of I-40/I-85 onto NC 49 SB taking it all the way to US 601 in Concord to complete my clinch of it with a loop in Asheboro to clinch US 64 BUS and a loop in New London to see the southern terminus of NC 8.  Then I basically did another loop taking US 601 NB to NC 73 WB to I-85 SB to University City Blvd to US 29 NB as we passed by Charlotte Motor Speedway.  We did another loop in Landis to clinch NC 153 via NC 152, and took NC 152 EB across the roundabouts at I-85/US 601 along the way before continuing on US 29 NB.  Once north of Salisbury and the Yadkin River, we stayed on I-85 NB (going through the section where the NB and SB carriageways switch sides) and took NC 109 NB back to US 29 NB/US 70 EB with the intention of clinching the new alignment of US 70 along NC 68 and Wendover Ave.  We took NC 68 NB to I-40 and turned around before continuing on Wendover Ave, but sadly the only sign I saw indicating that US 70 was now on Wendover was WB at the US 29/US 220 interchange in Greensboro so I had to turn around to photograph it.  We then continued on US 70 EB to University Dr in Burlington in order to eat at the same Smithfield's Chicken-N-BBQ that we ate at on the December 2023 trip by I-40/I-85.

We then took University Dr and NC 100 to NC 87 NB by Elon University and looped around the Reidsville area a bit adding mileage on NC 14, NC 87, and NC 150 while clinching US 29 BUS.  Then we went to Danville via US 29 NB and took US 58 WB to US 58 BUS EB to clinch VA 51 before taking US 58 BUS EB back to US 58 EB/US 360 EB taking VA/NC 62 SB to NC 57 SB back to Roxboro to finish clinching NC 57.  Then we basically went back to my parents' house from Roxboro the way we came via NC/VA 49 NB, US 58 EB, and I-85 NB.

Clinched:  NC 57, NC 49, US 64 BUS (Asheboro, NC), NC 73 TRUCK (Concord), NC 153, US 29 BUS (Reidsville, NC), VA 51

New Mileage: VA 92, NC 86, NC 8, US 52 (NC), NC 740, US 601 (NC), US 29 (NC), NC 73, NC 152, NC 150, NC 109, US 70 (NC), NC 68, NC 87, NC 14

Last weekend was the Northwest Pennsylvania Meet based in Meadville with stops to see the PennDOT Sign Garden by the District 1 Crawford County Maintenance Office, view bridges respectively on a township road by US 322 and along Oil Creek, and also see a partially collapsed tunnel that is right next to the PA 8 Oil City Bypass.

I started by taking the normal US 322 to I-99 to US 22 to Ebensburg and then US 219 and US 422 to Kittanning staying on US 422 WB until PA 8 in Butler.  I then followed PA 8 NB all the way to PA 89 just south of Wattsburg to finish the clinch of PA 8 (and Kyle Busch did not get the memo on Sunday for anyone asking) and then turning around back to Union City to head east on US 6.  I took US 6 EB to PA 27 WB (completing US 6 in PA east of PA 618) to PA 426 NB to PA 77 WB (to clinch) to PA 27 WB in Meadville to US 6 WB/US 19 SB stopping at the Sheetz at the Big I Roundabout of US 6/US 19/US 322/PA 98.  I then took PA 98 NB to Fairview and then PA 5 EB to Erie in order to clinch the leftover Great Lakes-Seaways Trail mileage I did not have on PA 5 ALT.  After completing that, I took the Bayfront Pkwy to State St to US 20 WB to US 19 SB to PA 99 SB (SR 0699 for anyone asking, though I have a SR 699 in VA clinched unsurprisingly) back to US 6 WB/US 19 SB to the meet lunch location at the Triple Deuce Saloon.

I left the meet tour after the stop at Jersey Bridge in Titusville and took PA 27 EB (finishing my clinch of this route, I did it in full west of Titusville and north of US 6 in October 2022) to US 6 EB to PA 59 EB (to clinch) to US 6 EB (in Smethport) to PA 46 NB to PA 446 NB to PA 155 SB (to clinch) to PA 120 EB to US 220 NB (basically redriving the beginning of my June 8th trip west to PA 872).  I did go north on US 15 NB to Exit 140 because I realized after the June 8th trip that some signage there needed some new photography before heading home via the usual PA 147 SB to US 15 SB to US 22 EB/US 322 EB.

Clinched:  PA 8, PA 77, PA 98, Great Lakes-Seaway Trail (PA), Lake Erie Circle Tour (PA), PA 99, PA 27, PA 59, PA 155

New Mileage:  US 62 (PA), US 6 (PA), PA 227, PA 321

[mapmikey]

Took an 18-hr ride yesterday...

Clinches in order (* are unposted):
*WV 17 ALT Pt. Pleasant, WV 2, WV 10 ALT, WV 193, *WV 101, *WV 106, OH 527, *US 60 ALT Huntington, *WV 527 ALT Huntington, WV 527, WV 75, *WV 3 ALT Whitesville, WV 3

New mileage: WV 62, WV 10, OH 775, OH 7, WV 152

[dave1693]

A combination of disasters led to me curtailing my travels in Sept and Oct 2023, then even more disaster struck in November and I went almost nowhere for 3.5 months before making the near-annual trip to southern MS in March. This summary includes mileage through the end of March.

New clinches:
US 211 (in VA and nationwide), US 211 Business (Luray VA), MD 381, PA 441, PA 441 Truck

Reclinches:
the *new* Gov. Nice Bridge (US 301 from VA to MD)

New mileage (but not clinched):
US 11 in AL, US 11 in VA, US 82 in AL, MS 42, AL 69, TN 36, MD 6, MD 648, PA 35.

The new mileage in VA got me to over 50 per cent of the mileage in my home state.

My next update will cover April through June, but I haven't gotten it all in order yet.

[pderocco]

Just finished a 12-day trip around the western states, which resulting in the following clinches:

• 5 Interstates (82, 86, 105 OR, 182, 215 UT)
• 4 US routes (91, 93, 93A Kalispell MT, 730)
• 15 CA state routes (12, 16, 20, 26, 59, 88, 104, 108, 120, 124, 132, 140, 162, 219, 220)
• 23 CA county sign routes
• 5 OR routes (47, 58, 62, 99E, 104)
• 2 WA routes (14, 821)
• 9 NV routes (165, 320, 321, 574, 578, 579, 592, 595, 596)
• 3 MT routes (40, 135, 317)
• All remaining BRs and Historic routes in CA
• Various other BRs outside CA

I only have three more state highways in CA, 45, 82, and 113. 45 and 113 are N/S routes in the northern Central Valley, probably not that interesting, and skipped so far because I'm usually going across the Central Valley, not up and down it. But I'm likely to do another trip from SoCal up to Canada this summer, and will get those out of the way (and may clinch US-89 too). CA-82 is more of a problem, because it's a really long urban street that looks like it has a few hundred traffic lights on it. But if that's all that's between me and clinching California, I'll probably suck it up and force myself to do it.

What I've learned is that obsessing about clinching roads sometimes helps you discover interesting places, but it also drags you into a lot of boring places. Having clinched most of California, I feel relieved that I can now choose to go places based purely on whether they're nice places to go.