Rochester, NY Road Meet in late September 2010

[yanksfan6129]

I'll ask if I can tonight.

[yanksfan6129]

in other words I'm not working, but it's extremely mega unlikely that my parents will let me travel to upstate NY on my own.

[agentsteel53]

gotta start sometime.  you're almost 18, no? 

[yanksfan6129]

I'm 17, yeah. I would like to go. Funny thing is, they'll let me take the train almost anywhere by myself. But they're concerned about just me and a car.

[agentsteel53]

I'm 17, yeah. I would like to go. Funny thing is, they'll let me take the train almost anywhere by myself. But they're concerned about just me and a car.

well, there's a first time for everything - it's what, 200-250 miles each way?  that doesn't seem like a bad way to start off a solo roadtrip career

[Dougtone]

I'm 17, yeah. I would like to go. Funny thing is, they'll let me take the train almost anywhere by myself. But they're concerned about just me and a car.

well, there's a first time for everything - it's what, 200-250 miles each way?  that doesn't seem like a bad way to start off a solo roadtrip career

From Jersey, at least 300 miles each way.  My first solo roadtrip that I took was of a similar distance, between Long Island and Oswego, NY (where I went to college).

[agentsteel53]

my first solo road trip was ... 8800 miles, from Boston to LA to Seattle and back with various detours.

[Roadgeek Adam]

My route brings it 340 miles each way (from my place) - 310 from yours. Some local roads in NY cut about 20 off, but I think freeways would be preferrable. If you want, seeing I am above age, I can offer to hitch a ride. I don't have a DL, but I am desperate to go to Rochester this weekend.

[cu2010]

It looks like I won't be able to make it- I have no way to get there (and I'm only 30 miles out!) and I likely have to work.

Forecast is still calling for breezy with highs in the lower 60s...should be a pleasant day (unlike today).

[Roadgeek Adam]

So Scott, I assume at this point, its a nogo? I'd assume it doesn't take 24 hours to ask.

[Alps]

It looks like I won't be able to make it- I have no way to get there (and I'm only 30 miles out!) and I likely have to work.

Forecast is still calling for breezy with highs in the lower 60s...should be a pleasant day (unlike today).

Believe me, at 30 miles, you can get there.  Any number of people would be happy to pick you up and drop you off.  Working, that's a different matter.  In my case, I'm stuck with family, but I got my chance to go to Rochester a few weeks ago and take a quick look at what the meet will go through.  The roads, they are a'changin'.

[yanksfan6129]

Yeah I asked and it was a no. Not unexpected.

[Dougtone]

It looks like I won't be able to make it- I have no way to get there (and I'm only 30 miles out!) and I likely have to work.

Forecast is still calling for breezy with highs in the lower 60s...should be a pleasant day (unlike today).

Believe me, at 30 miles, you can get there.  Any number of people would be happy to pick you up and drop you off.  Working, that's a different matter.  In my case, I'm stuck with family, but I got my chance to go to Rochester a few weeks ago and take a quick look at what the meet will go through.  The roads, they are a'changin'.

I was in a car accident the week before the Utica meet in 2001, and was still able to find a ride to the meet.  Also, since I was coming from the east, I would've had no problem giving a ride.  I don't think I would've been able to get anyone out of work though.

[Dougtone]

And here's the happy recap...

Seven people attended the Rochester, NY Road Meet yesterday (Doug Kerr, Chris Jordan, John Krakoff, Jon Deane, Mike Tantillo, H.B. Elkins and A.J. Bertin).  After a tasty lunch at the Henrietta location of the Distillery restaurant, we started on a tour of the Rochester area on what turned out to be an overcast afternoon.

First, we drove down Jefferson Road (NY 252) and caught a glimpse of some of the construction going on there.  This project is just a widening from 2 lanes to 3 lanes in each direction.  We then headed north on East Henrietta Road (NY 15A), passed by some erroneous US 15 signs at NY 15's northern terminus, and then took NY 15 into downtown.

We then stopped at a park along the Genesee River and saw the signature bridge known as the Frederick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Bridge that was built a few years ago to carry I-490 over the Genesee River.  This was part of the Rochester 2010 project to reconstruct I-490 between I-390 and downtown Rochester.  After checking out the bridge, and discussing a few of the other bridges over the Genesee River, we drove through downtown Rochester and to the Inner Loop.

We drove around the Inner Loop, which is a nifty little freeway (or what we'd call in expressway in New York State) that circles around downtown Rochester.  There is currently some talk about turning the Inner Loop, or at least part of the Inner Loop, into an at-grade boulevard.  After driving the Inner Loop, we headed west on I-490 to NY 204 to check out the partially completed Airport Expressway in Gates.

The Airport Expressway was supposed to connect I-490 in Gates with I-390 and the Greater Rochester International Airport.  However, it was only built between I-490 and NY 33A, making for what seems to be a very long exit ramp.  After taking in the Airport Expressway, we drove east on NY 33A to I-390 and then drove along I-390, NY 390 and the Lake Ontario State Parkway, to make a stop to take a look at the Hojack Swing Bridge and the O'Rorke Bridge over the Genesee River at Charlotte.  Attendees of the 2004 Rochester meet may remember that the O'Rorke Bridge was nearing completion during the meet.

We then drove east along the shores of Lake Ontario to the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge and checked out the bridge as well as the finished product of the reconstruction of the northern section of NY 590 into the roundabout-filled Sea Breeze Boulevard.  NY 590 was truncated to Titus Avenue in Irondequoit as part of the project.

To wrap up the tour, we stopped at the site the former northeastern ramp of the interchange between NY 404 and NY 590 in Irondequoit.  This ramp was closed during an interchange reconfiguration many years ago, but you can still see the grading of the former ramps, and grass has grown where the ramp once was location.  However, as we were checking out the ramp, one enterprising driver decided to make use of this grass ramp and drive along the grass to his nearby home.  We then continued south along NY 590 through the Can of Worms Interchange to I-590, and then to Winton Road, passing through the future site of a diverging diamond interchange, and went back to the restaurant.

We then said our goodbyes and continued on to our destinations for the evening.

More information and pictures of the Inner Loop can be found at: http://www.empirestateroads.com/photos/monroe/innerloop.html
More information and pictures of the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge can be found at http://www.empirestateroads.com/photos/monroe/3.html
More information and pictures of the NY 404/NY 590 ramp can be found at http://www.empirestateroads.com/photos/monroe/4.html
More information and pictures of the Can of Worms Interchange can be found at http://www.empirestateroads.com/week/week1.html

[cu2010]

I was in a car accident the week before the Utica meet in 2001, and was still able to find a ride to the meet.  Also, since I was coming from the east, I would've had no problem giving a ride.  I don't think I would've been able to get anyone out of work though.

Yeah, I got called in to work; I couldn't have attended anyways.

Sounds like a good time, though. Sorry I missed it.

[hbelkins]

I drove up to New York for the Rochester meet this past weekend. Left Kentucky Thursday afternoon and got back Monday afternoon.

My route up was basically I-79 north of Charleston (overnighted at Morgantown on Thursday) with a detour into Pittsburgh on the newly minted I-376 and what's left of I-279, then I-90 and I-86 east to the Elmira/Horseheads area for Friday and Saturday nights. Drove up to Rochester Saturday morning via I-390 and back to Horseheads that afternoon via I-90 and NY 14.

The return trip home involved US 15 and US 220 south to the Mill Hall, Pa. area, from whence I took PA 150 and Alternate US 220 (both former routes of US 220) down to Port Matilda, where I took I-99 south with a slight detour through Altoona and Duncansville on the old Business 220 route to make a couple of stops. From there it was I-99/US 220 south to Cumberland, then I-68 west and US 219 south through Oakland, Thomas, Parsons and Elkins, then US 33 west to I-79 and an overnight stop in Charleston.

Lots of spot construction on I-79 in WV and PA, including work on the ramp from I-70 west to I-79 north at Washington. Also lots of work ongoing in spots along the Southern Tier Expressway, which needs it because the pavement is extremely rough in places. The STE is a gorgeous drive, especially with leaves starting to turn.

Clinched I-279 in PA on Friday, and I-86, I-390, I-490 and I-590 in New York on Saturday. Made a couple of side trips to visit new counties during my Friday and Saturday excursions.

Can't really add much to the observations others have made about the meet itself. It was very interesting and informative to see some of the sights in the Rochester area.

After the meet broke up, I used NY 14 for my route back to Horseheads. Geneva appeared to be a picturesque town, and lots of people out and about in Watkins Glen. Not sure what the nightlife attractions are there for approximately 7 p.m. on a Saturday, but the downtown area was crawling with pedestrians.

It should be noted that my EZ-Pass transponder appeared to work perfectly at four toll booths along the Thruway. Of course I got a proper reading in PA back in June and later got the violation notices, so we'll see if things really worked like they should have.

Got to drive the new US 15 freeway in the Steam Valley area of Pennsylvania, and saw that construction is progressing on the only unfinished section left of the future I-99 corridor between the Addison, NY area and the state line. Clinched Alternate US 220 in PA and US 219 in MD on the return trip.

Gas prices ranged from $2.79 in several places to $2.59 at the Sheetz at Mill Hall. The weather was interesting. It was near 90 degrees and windy on Friday, overcast and breezy with the temp in the 60s on Saturday, and rainy and chilly during the latter part of my trip on Sunday.

Besides the route clinching, other accomplishments include 11 new counties in New York (Cattaraugus, Allegany, Wyoming, Livingston, Monroe, Orleans, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, Yates and Schuyler.)

Tried out a couple of new things on the trip, as my Facebook friends will have no doubt noticed. Both are apps on my iPhone and iPad. I used the CoPilot GPS app to post my location periodically. And I tried to record my routing on the Every Trail app, and uploaded the routes to the Every Trail site. There were some glitches with GPS reception, but a reasonable approximation of my routes for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday can be viewed on the Every Trail site.

[Dougtone]

Here's the meet photo, with the Frederick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Bridge carrying I-490 over the Genesee River in the background.



From left to Right - Jon Deane, A.J. Bertin, John Krakoff, H.B. Elkins, Chris Jordan, Mike Tantillo, Doug Kerr