Things that taunt you...

[Alex]

Since 2007, that realigned section of Interstate 195 in Providence. May try to rectify that next week.

Also having never documented that square Delaware 2 shield on Union Street in Wilmington.

[1995hoo]

Looking at a map made me think of this thread and an issue that gets to me periodically: Road extensions. I had driven the entire eastern segment of Corridor H last July on the way back from a weekend trip to Pennsylvania. Later that year they extended it 4.6 miles to the west and I no longer have that road clinched. The time involved in going out there just to cross off 4.6 miles makes it impractical if I'm not headed someplace else, so I think it may just have to wait until they complete some more of it.

I suppose this is sort of the double-edged sword of living in a heavily developed area. We don't get all that many entirely brand-new roads opening around here (Maryland Route 200, the Intercounty Connector, being the notable exception in recent years), so the quest for new routes and the like becomes complicated by the distances involved. On the other hand, I suppose if you live in a state where they're always extending things (North Carolina comes to mind immediately) it might be mildly frustrating that every time you think you've crossed something off your list they go and extend it and you have to go back again.

The distance issue sort of dovetails with the question of how much time it's reasonable to devote to side trips and exploring when you have somewhere to be. I was looking at the map of North Carolina trying to figure out whether, on our next trip south to Florida for Christmas, I could cross off some of the segments that have opened in the Triangle area since I graduated from Duke in 1998 and left the area. For example, back then I-540 existed only between I-40 and US-70. Or, outside the Triangle, the I-795 number didn't exist at all and it'd be easy to check that off as a short alternative to a portion of I-95. But I quickly determined I'll only be able to manage SOME of the missing routes unless I just take a weekend golf or football trip back to Durham. Stuff like that sometimes feels like the road system giving you the middle finger!

[keithvh]

I have THIRTEEN one-county islands (e.g., I've visited every county that surrounds the one in question, but not the one on the inside) on the county-clinched map. 

And they're all over the place: 1 in Washington, 1 in California, 1 in Colorado, 3 in Kentucky, 2 in Illinois, 1 in South Carolina, 1 in Delaware, 1 in Virginia and 2 in Pennsylvania.

The fairly large number is a by-product of me not "counting counties" for the first 90% of my life.  Now they do sort of tease me   

[Alex]

I have THIRTEEN one-county islands (e.g., I've visited every county that surrounds the one in question, but not the one on the inside) on the county-clinched map. 

And they're all over the place: 1 in Washington, 1 in California, 1 in Colorado, 3 in Kentucky, 2 in Illinois, 1 in South Carolina, 1 in Delaware, 1 in Virginia and 2 in Pennsylvania.

The fairly large number is a by-product of me not "counting counties" for the first 90% of my life.  Now they do sort of tease me   

I call those donuts and they are quite nagging.   

[Gnutella]

I-520 in Augusta is the only Interstate I haven't clinched in Georgia. I-575 in Fort Lauderdale is the only Interstate I haven't clinched in Florida. I'm only Indiana away from clinching I-65, and Ohio and Michigan away from clinching I-75. I've driven five non-contiguous segments of both I-40 and I-64, and three non-contiguous segments of I-10. I have never driven on I-90.

[Thing 342]

The only Interstate that I have yet to clinch in VA is I-381.

[bugo]

US 271 between Paris and Mt Pleasant.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I have THIRTEEN one-county islands (e.g., I've visited every county that surrounds the one in question, but not the one on the inside) on the county-clinched map. 

And they're all over the place: 1 in Washington, 1 in California, 1 in Colorado, 3 in Kentucky, 2 in Illinois, 1 in South Carolina, 1 in Delaware, 1 in Virginia and 2 in Pennsylvania.

The fairly large number is a by-product of me not "counting counties" for the first 90% of my life.  Now they do sort of tease me   

I call those donuts and they are quite nagging.   

Heck, it happened to me with Guipuscoa province. I had visited every subdivision around it (3 Spanish provinces and a French department) for several years before I finally put my feet in it in 2011.

Anyway, I hadn't the opportunity to go beyond Teruel before 2006. By that time, large sections of A-23 were already finished, leaving me without 15 miles or so of the old N-234. I may end up missing part of the N-II for a long time, specifically the Bujaraloz-Fraga section (Pina-Bujaraloz may fall next year, after I had to abort an attempt to clinch it last week).

[Darkchylde]

I-220, as well as the recently extended I-49, are all that's stopping me from having Louisiana's Interstates clinched - and I doubt I'll be back there anytime soon. Bleh.

[BloonsTDFan360]

I have a 0.24 mile section of OR 131 that I need to clinch. It's probably going to be a long time before I have a chance to clinch that section of highway, as we were not going to the Tillamook area for the past couple of summers.

[adventurernumber1]

I have almost entirely clinched I-185 in Georgia. The only part I haven't driven is 12 miles of I-185 from the US 80 interchange in Columbus south to I-185's southern terminus.

[triplemultiplex]

I think I created one of these last month up in Renton, WA.  I pulled off I-405 for a pit stop and to discuss a vehicle issue with the fleet manager.  It was the evening rush and it was raining on me while I was trying to look at crap under the hood.  When I was ready to go I just wanted to get the hell out of dodge and didn't want to sit around waiting to make two different left turns to get back on 405 NB at the same exit I got off on, so I said screw it and scooted down to the next entrance ramp.  The end result is I am now only 1/4 mile or so from clinching 405 with no idea when I might return to the Emerald City.

[cl94]

The reference markers on New York's I-290. As far as New York is concerned, I-290 is NY 290I. The reference markers for most interstates reflect this. Yet, those on I-290 have either "I290" (somewhat excusable) or just plain "290" (completely wrong, NY 290 is well over 100 miles away.

[SSOWorld]

- Alaska's distant boroughs and Hawaii's Kalawao County (the latter that has visiting restrictions)
- US-63 in NW Wisconsin.  The lone US route left to clinch in the state - out of the way of most of my routes

Got the latter just recently 

I believe I forgot a couple of these...

-I-55 between Joliet an Bloomington.
One county in Michigan UP.

I believe I forgot a couple of these...

-I-55 between Joliet an Bloomington.
One county in Michigan UP.

Got the former earlier this year

A couple roads that had long lengths closed will haunt me in Wisconsin's highway system since they're too far for a day trip.

[OracleUsr]

I-95...I would say roughly about 250 miles or so.  Basically between Westerly and the second-to-last exit in Connecticut, between Ft. Pierce and Ft. Lauderdale and between Dunn and Darlington.  Not much relative to the entire length from Miami to Houlton.  But enough.

[Laura]

It's not too far away, but DE 9 near New Castle is taunting me because a small part of it is closed due to some construction at the railroad crossing.

I also still need to clinch the western end of US 50 in western MD.


iPhone

[signalman]

I'm missing 5 miles of I-81 southbound in VA due to traffic being detoured because of a truck fire that closed the road.  I have I-81 clinched, but I had plans to have every southbound mile driven.  The next time I'm down in the area, I plan to clinch US 11, except for the five mile segment of it that I have and to complete my missing 5 miles of I-81.

[DandyDan]

The one that taunts me here in Nebraska is the fact that I have all of US 275 except for the part west of the road that used to be Business 275 in Norfolk.  And I don't know if I will ever be that way again any time soon.  Now that I think of it, I haven't been on the divided highway portion west of Hooper, either. 

In Iowa, while I've clinched all of Iowa's interstates, I haven't actually driven I-380 north of downtown Cedar Rapids (except for the part that overlaps US 20).  And that road is the wrong direction for anywhere I want to go ever. 

In Illinois, I have driven on I-180 twice.  And both times, I was going south on IL 29, thus leaving the curve in the road unclinched.

[Henry]

There are actually two things that taunt me:

1. When you think you've clinched all of a particular route, and then you find out that it's being extended to a new place. I-69, I-74 and now I-49 come to mind. At this point, our kids and grandkids have a better shot at clinching these newly-extended roads than we ever will.

2. Any unbuilt road, like I-494 in Chicago. Even after it was cancelled, I still drew its proposed route in newer atlases.

[sammi]

When you think you've clinched all of a particular route, and then you find out that it's being extended to a new place.

This might be the case with me and ON 401. I think they're extending it to the border?

I also have some almost-clinches. ON 420 west of the QEW, the Gardiner Expwy east of the DVP, ON 427 north of York RR 7, ON 404 north of Mulock Dr in Newmarket (and even more so with the new 404 extension).

[sipes23]

What taunts me most often in this hobby is my wife...makes fun of me.

I hear you. My wife gets carsick, so anything that isn't an interstate or nearly so is out of the question.

As for road segments that bother me. IL 43 south of I-80 taunts me. It's the last segment of highway I need for a clinch of Cook County, IL. I think another afternoon in Will County, IL could give me a clinch of the core portion of the Chicago metropolitan area. That is on my mind. IL 26 north of US 20 also bothers me. It's the only state highway north of US 20 in Illinois that I've not conquered.

[hbelkins]

Every time West Virginia opens a new segment of US 48, it taunts me.

[SteveG1988]

The French

[Zzonkmiles]

I had clinched I-26...until it was extended to I-81. And now it's no longer clinched. It's the first interstate of any significance I had clinched too. 

[SteveG1988]

I-66 inside the beltway. I cannot take my truck there, yet i get loads through that area once in a while going to baltimore. And i rarely go down to DC even in a car.