AARoads Forum

I will now formally announce the Birmingham, AL road meet. The featured attraction is the new I-22/I-65 interchange. We will be driving every ramp in the interchange. Also, the I-20/59/65 interchange revamp will be in full swing, so we will take a look at that. We will also take a look at recent improvements along US 280 south and east of Birmingham. Time permitting, we will also check out the construction along the Birmingham Northern Beltline north of Center Point.

I am looking at these potential dates to hold the meet

- September 17th
- October 8th
- October 15th

If you are interested, respond with a date that works best for you, and then I will announce a formal date from there.

Also, restaurant is TBD.

Have to admit, I'm in favor of the September date regardless so it doesn't crowd out my Capital District meet (was thinking of Columbus Day since it's a two day meet... never occurred to me that that half of the calendar could fill up so soon, as I'm still not used to the whole "announce the meet a year in advance" thing).

I am ok with any of those dates. I am planning on being in central PA around the time of 9/23 to 10/2 time frame so any of those dates should be fine.

Of those dates listed, I would prefer Oct 8 because of being Columbus Day weekend. (I also have a holiday the previous weekend because of my birthday, but don't let my preferences be the determining factor.)

Out of all these dates, I'd prefer September 17 because I figure I'll be doing some frantic wedding-planning stuff throughout the month of October. However, if an October date is chosen, I'll probably be able to make it work.

This meet is definitely a must for me for 2016. :)

D'oh! I just realized that I can't really do September 17th. My fiancee's birthday is the following day, so I don't think she would appreciate me having a road meet the day before.

So the October dates are the ones that will be under consideration.

I'm trying to avoid weekends where Alabama plays their college football games at home, but in order to appease everyone I may have to do it during one of those weekends.

Should I go, October 15 is out.  That's my cousin's wedding date.

I am heavily leaning towards October 8th.

At this point 10/8 works for me, Steph will probably be able to make it too.

Quote from: codyg1985 on December 22, 2015, 08:01:00 AM
D'oh! I just realized that I can't really do September 17th. My fiancee's birthday is the following day, so I don't think she would appreciate me having a road meet the day before.

So the October dates are the ones that will be under consideration.

I'm trying to avoid weekends where Alabama plays their college football games at home, but in order to appease everyone I may have to do it during one of those weekends.

Bring her along - have a party! ;) :awesomeface:

(j/k)

As for me: distant road meets are not possible for me for the foreseeable due to other obligations.  Opportunity appreciated though.

I'll see about going. Gonna have to deal with college though, so that may be an issue.

This is the time of the year that gets to be the busiest time at my employer.  I will see about it later this year if I got time vacation time left.

I have posted an event for it on Facebook. It will be on October 8th. https://www.facebook.com/events/1518154818487248/

Yea, college is going to make this a lot harder for me to schedule. I'll see if I can go or not when I get closer.

Steph and I should be good to attend but we are "maybe" for now, as we get closer I will change to "going"

I'm a "maybe" for now. I'll know better when it gets closer.

I am also a hopeful attendee. I will let you know for sure closer to time as well.

As I mentioned on Facebook, it's been harder for me to find affordable hotels in the Tononto area that don't have bedbug reports than expected, so I've decided to attend one of the fall roadmeets instead.  I'm currently leaning towards Birmingham; it would net me 5 new states and wouldn't require backtracking like Battle Creek would; it's also a longer trip (4 overnights instead of two) and we actually know when it will be (as opposed to the not yet scheduled Battle Creek, which could end up in limited daylight November).  I can easily take the western NY photos that I would take on the way to/from Battle Creek as a separate trip out of Rochester, so that alone isn't enough of a draw to shift me to that side.

I haven't connected the dots yet or vetted out all of the attractions, but attached is an idea of the things I would like to cover on the meet. We won't get to all of these, but let me know which ones you guys are interested in.
There are a lot of old TRUCK signs east of US 31/280 that may be of interest to some of you. I have also thrown in a couple of old bridges, too

https://drive.google.com/open?id=18PjxXdUrX5LSuo6-v8Yv90lX0ao&usp=sharing

Quote from: codyg1985 on August 14, 2016, 06:00:16 PM
I haven't connected the dots yet or vetted out all of the attractions, but attached is an idea of the things I would like to cover on the meet. We won't get to all of these, but let me know which ones you guys are interested in.
There are a lot of old TRUCK signs east of US 31/280 that may be of interest to some of you. I have also thrown in a couple of old bridges, too

https://drive.google.com/open?id=18PjxXdUrX5LSuo6-v8Yv90lX0ao&usp=sharing

I like old bridges, in terms of the stops. Not sure what there is to see at 47th, and in my experience, old cloverleaves are much more exciting in aerial views than when visiting on the ground.

Pit stops: I've found that a meet can go 4-5 hours without planned pit stops. As long as each car has directions to the next stop and everyone has cell phones from other cars, one car can radio "we stopped for 5 minutes" and it all works out. Planned pit stops turn into 25-minute discussions as everyone browses.

Attractions: Honestly, they all sound great. I will hold out hope we have enough daylight for all of them. The two out on US 78 and Buck Short Bridge work as a long loop during our question to drive the ramps at 22/65. If you think you have enough time to fit it in, drop me an itinerary and I'll let you know my thoughts on overall time. If any one thing had to drop, I would recommend 20/459 because of how far away from all the other things it is, and it's just a stack interchange. The multiple interesting things to the NW are more worthy of our time.

When I get the final route set, I will do a dry run on it to get an idea of how long it will be. Right now I don't plan on doing the Mount Olive Road bridge, but if it seems like there will be some spare time, I may add that back in. I can remove the cloverleaf and the 20/459 stack. The only thing about the cloverleaf that is kind of cool to see is the US 31 bridge over Lakeshore: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4682288,-86.7780036,3a,60y,45.96h,85.64t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZyjV-yMvf6aEcpAyHuJHlA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

As for pit stops, I try and build them in as a restroom and snack break. Of course, depending on where we are, we could relieve ourselves at the stop, but I still try and build them in so that we don't make an unscheduled stop for it. This way it is built into the schedule.

I also haven't scouted out the Old US 78 bridge yet. I am going to take a visit down there this weekend to do a dry run.

QuotePit stops: I've found that a meet can go 4-5 hours without planned pit stops.

It can, but I would certainly accommodate "unplanned" pit stops during that time.  While Steve is correct in that stops can drag out, that does not have to be the case...if it means the lead needs to "ride herd" on the rest of the group, then so be it.

Barring a major crisis, I will be there, and have a room reserved.

Quote from: codyg1985 on August 15, 2016, 08:38:19 AM
When I get the final route set, I will do a dry run on it to get an idea of how long it will be. Right now I don't plan on doing the Mount Olive Road bridge, but if it seems like there will be some spare time, I may add that back in. I can remove the cloverleaf and the 20/459 stack. The only thing about the cloverleaf that is kind of cool to see is the US 31 bridge over Lakeshore: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4682288,-86.7780036,3a,60y,45.96h,85.64t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZyjV-yMvf6aEcpAyHuJHlA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

As for pit stops, I try and build them in as a restroom and snack break. Of course, depending on where we are, we could relieve ourselves at the stop, but I still try and build them in so that we don't make an unscheduled stop for it. This way it is built into the schedule.

That is a cool bridge.

So based on my scouting Saturday, I have six stops and three pit stops built into the tour. The first pit stop is a vehicle drop off stop at the Target in Fultondale, but it will occur around 20 minutes into the tour due to the route we will be taking to the Target. The other two pit stops are scattered around for restroom and snack breaks.

As it stands right now the tour will begin at 1 PM after our lunch. The tour length itself looks to be around five hours and 20 minutes. If the length is a concern, I can move the commencement of the tour up to 12:30 PM or we can remove a stop or two.

I also have the route set up so that for those that care about route clinching we minimize the amount of annoying gaps that some people may end up with.

Right now we would be wrapping things up at around 6:20 PM.

Sounds great.  I've booked the hotels, so I will be there. :-)

Something I need to do too. :)

As mentioned on Facebook, I won't be attending any 2016 meets.  Many higher priorities came up both expectedly and - more so unexpectedly regarding local friends and especially family that resulted in me re-thinking my intents.  There is no guarantee for 2017 either, if an Alaska meet happens next year - I won't be there.  The eclipse is something I want to see since it's a rare event.  I will attend meets nearby me (whether it be a meet that Brandon or Kim organizes or if the chance that I organize one myself. I tend to be taking the opposing years of both)  I am planning a road trip toward Arizona for Christmas (My dad lives there) and the money must go that way.

Here is a preliminary version of the itinerary. Please let me know if there are any steps that don't make any sense or if you have any thoughts on the stops or the length or any other thoughts in general. .

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eax8z160113pw36/2016%20Birmingham%20Road%20Meet%20Itinerary.pdf?dl=0

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 06, 2016, 09:08:46 AM
Here is a preliminary version of the itinerary. Please let me know if there are any steps that don't make any sense or if you have any thoughts on the stops or the length or any other thoughts in general. .

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eax8z160113pw36/2016%20Birmingham%20Road%20Meet%20Itinerary.pdf?dl=0

In general, I think stops last longer than you planned for - people get lost, stragglers need to be herded back to cars. My guess is your meet should assume 20 minutes minimum per stop, add 5 minutes if there's a group photo and add time for anything that requires walking. You may need to cut something out.

Quote from: Alps on September 06, 2016, 07:00:26 PM

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 06, 2016, 09:08:46 AM
Here is a preliminary version of the itinerary. Please let me know if there are any steps that don't make any sense or if you have any thoughts on the stops or the length or any other thoughts in general. .

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eax8z160113pw36/2016%20Birmingham%20Road%20Meet%20Itinerary.pdf?dl=0

In general, I think stops last longer than you planned for - people get lost, stragglers need to be herded back to cars. My guess is your meet should assume 20 minutes minimum per stop, add 5 minutes if there's a group photo and add time for anything that requires walking. You may need to cut something out.

Good point. What I have been doing has been allowing 15 minutes per stop, but with a larger group that number will need to go up more than likely.

I will make those adjustments and see where we are on time. One thought I am having is cutting lunch short so that we leave at 12:30, but I do worry about cutting lunch short by 30 minutes because I know lunches tend to run for quite a while, especially with a larger number of people.

One thing I am also considering is having everyone meet at the Target parking lot at around 10:30 to leave their cars and make car assignments. That way we can save time during the meet.

Based on Steve's feedback, I am considering changing things up a bit. Right now I have set up the itinerary such that we don't have any annoying gaps in routes in case any of you are interested in clinching US 31, US 280, or the interstates. I am seeing that we may be running into having this meet last for seven hours.

Do any of you care about route clinching during the meet? I may make it so that clinching can be done prior to or after the meet.

Also, I am thinking about having everyone meet at the Target parking lot at 10:30 to leave cars and make car assignments. This way we can leave from Mugshots directly to the first stop.

Thoughts?

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 07, 2016, 08:12:18 AM
Do any of you care about route clinching during the meet? I may make it so that clinching can be done prior to or after the meet.

For me, only the newly-opened I-22 segment.

I'm a "likely" at this point, but might first have to say no to a potentially conflicting non-roads event.

I find it interesting that one of the stops is in my neck of the woods.  As for me, I am probable at this point, will know for sure within the next couple of weeks.

Getting in the carpools before lunch could be a good idea, especially given the number of turns downtown after lunch, and is not unprecedented.

Quote from: vdeane on September 07, 2016, 01:17:46 PM
Getting in the carpools before lunch could be a good idea, especially given the number of turns downtown after lunch, and is not unprecedented.

The Ottawa meet did this. I'm in favor of meeting at the lot for carpools. I also think it's perfectly fine to leave out clinching in favor of seeing more interesting sights on the meet, and let people pick up the clinches themselves (hey, there's 3 hours of daylight before the meet starts).

Like Oscar said, the only clinching I really need is the new section of I-22, other then that I have covered all interstates and most US highways including 31 and 280 so not a big deal to me, also Steph and I will go straight to the restaurant and then she will more then likely do her own thing after lunch and I will car pool with someone, both her and I have open schedules for the whole weekend.

All I need for I-22 is the new section between I-65 and Coalburg Road. The only other clinch I'd like to get while in the area is I-459, which could be done Saturday morning (depending on where I stay) or Sunday morning when I leave.

Although this might offer a chance for me to clinch all of US 411. I need everything southwest of I-75 in Georgia; I have everything northeast of there.

Unfortunately some changes at work and short-staffing will preclude me from attending. I hope everybody has fun!

This is the most recent version of the itinerary and, unless any major things change, will be the final version. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zgououwmhda03bk/2016%20Birmingham%20Road%20Meet%20Itinerary%20FINAL.pdf?dl=0

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 15, 2016, 09:35:04 PM
This is the most recent version of the itinerary and, unless any major things change, will be the final version. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zgououwmhda03bk/2016%20Birmingham%20Road%20Meet%20Itinerary%20FINAL.pdf?dl=0

Considering the distance I'm driving on Saturday, I will have to meet y'all at the restaurant. I can either drive the meet or leave my car on a safe side street.

For those of you that haven't fully committed to attending, respond or let me know if you plan on attending so I will get an idea of how many people to expect.

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 23, 2016, 08:42:07 AM
For those of you that haven't fully committed to attending, respond or let me know if you plan on attending so I will get an idea of how many people to expect.

Unless my foot falls off, I'll be there ;)

Haven't booked rooms yet, but I do plan to be there. Thursday night somewhere in western Kentucky, Friday night in Fultondale, Saturday night in Bessemer, Sunday night probably somewhere in east Tennessee or possibly south-central Kentucky, since I plan to clinch I-459 and get what I need to clinch US 411 (it's southern terminus to I-75 in Georgia) on Sunday. I also hope to photograph the old TN 68 triangle in Madisonville and clinch US 321 in Tennessee (I need from Townsend to its terminus at I-40, but I imagine I'll drive from Maryville to Townsend and then backtrack so I don't have to endure the hell that is Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge on a Sunday afternoon).

Last weekend Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg was a special kind of hell with traffic.

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 24, 2016, 12:18:39 PM
Last weekend Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg was a special kind of hell with traffic.

Thanks for the warning. My tentative return itinerary includes US 441 to both places, as well as the national park (to take advantage of an annual pass before it expires), during the Columbus Day long weekend. I'll make sure to do the park first, so any delay leaving the park to the north won't screw me up too much.

Quote from: oscar on September 24, 2016, 02:18:01 PM

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 24, 2016, 12:18:39 PM
Last weekend Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg was a special kind of hell with traffic.

Thanks for the warning. My tentative return itinerary includes US 441 to both places, as well as the national park (to take advantage of an annual pass before it expires), during the Columbus Day long weekend. I'll make sure to do the park first, so any delay leaving the park to the north won't screw me up too much.

October is peak tourist season in the Smokies, so any weekend day along US 441/TN 66 between Gatlinburg and I-40 is going to be highly congested.

As far as using your annual pass, I'm not sure what areas of GSMNP are fee-based. There is no charge to drive into the park on either US 441 or TN 73, no charge to go to Cades Cove or to do the Roaring Fork one-way loop tour. You don't have to go through a gate like you do Yellowstone or Teton.

Call me crazy, but I'm considering joining in. Let me check my schedule and I'll have a definitive answer by Monday. Never been to Alabama (or spent much time in the south at all).

Alright, before I make a hotel reservation and commit to being another person driving to the far side of the country for a roadmeet, is it too late to RSVP for this thing? If not, I think I'll be able to swing it looking at my schedule.

Quote from: cl94 on September 24, 2016, 07:52:03 PM
Alright, before I make a hotel reservation and commit to being another person driving to the far side of the country for a roadmeet, is it too late to RSVP for this thing? If not, I think I'll be able to swing it looking at my schedule.

Not too late at all :)

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 25, 2016, 09:14:40 AM

Quote from: cl94 on September 24, 2016, 07:52:03 PM
Alright, before I make a hotel reservation and commit to being another person driving to the far side of the country for a roadmeet, is it too late to RSVP for this thing? If not, I think I'll be able to swing it looking at my schedule.

Not too late at all :)

Perfect. Making my hotel reservation tonight. Staying in Chattanooga.

Wish I could make it, but I'll be hosting out-of-towners during that weekend. Have fun, everyone!

As a fair warning, many of the old signs on 14th Avenue were gone as of last month.

I am absolutely crazy, but I have a hotel booked. Clinching I-81 on the way down, likely grabbing a good portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back.

Quotelikely grabbing a good portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back.

Don't plan on making any good time...

Quote from: froggie on September 26, 2016, 08:07:02 AM

Quotelikely grabbing a good portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back.

Don't plan on making any good time...

The frustrating part is getting behind a slow vehicle (and by slow, I mean traveling at the 45 mph speed limit or below) that absolutely refuses to pull over at any of the many overlooks or turnouts to let stacked-up traffic by.

My recent foray onto the BRP (between Cherokee and Asheville) was plagued by this happening. I wasn't worried about speed enforcement because I was on the North Carolina side of the state line, and had my protection activated, but I'm curious as to how much speed enforcement there is in Virginia where you can't protect yourself from it.

Quote from: hbelkins on September 26, 2016, 10:33:33 AM

Quote from: froggie on September 26, 2016, 08:07:02 AM

Quotelikely grabbing a good portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back.

Don't plan on making any good time...

The frustrating part is getting behind a slow vehicle (and by slow, I mean traveling at the 45 mph speed limit or below) that absolutely refuses to pull over at any of the many overlooks or turnouts to let stacked-up traffic by.

My recent foray onto the BRP (between Cherokee and Asheville) was plagued by this happening. I wasn't worried about speed enforcement because I was on the North Carolina side of the state line, and had my protection activated, but I'm curious as to how much speed enforcement there is in Virginia where you can't protect yourself from it.

I don't expect it to be fast. I'm thinking of grabbing a hotel in Maryland for that night so I can take my time.

What's happening on the east side of Birmingham next weekend? While researching room rates, I found that hotels in the Irondale area that aren't sold out are charing exorbitant rates. It's not the Talladega race.

Looks like it is for the 12th Annual Barber Vintage Festival at the Barber Motorsports Park: https://barbermotorsports.com/vintage-home.php

The crazy rates are part of why I'm staying in Knoxville. Everything closer to the east is insanely expensive. I wanted to stay in Chattanooga so I didn't have as long of a drive on Saturday, but no decent hotels have anything for under 200-230 a night.

That's crazy.

I usually try to plan my road meets when there aren't any big events scheduled, but this thing at Barber Motorsports Park didn't even catch my radar.

The tour won't be going close to there since it is just east of the I-20/459 interchange in Leeds.

Quote from: hbelkins on September 28, 2016, 01:16:00 PM
What's happening on the east side of Birmingham next weekend? While researching room rates, I found that hotels in the Irondale area that aren't sold out are charing exorbitant rates. It's not the Talladega race.

Meanwhile, in the Fultondale area (just north of B-ham), the rates for a decent hotel were well under $100/night.

Quote from: Brandon on September 28, 2016, 03:17:26 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on September 28, 2016, 01:16:00 PM
What's happening on the east side of Birmingham next weekend? While researching room rates, I found that hotels in the Irondale area that aren't sold out are charing exorbitant rates. It's not the Talladega race.

Meanwhile, in the Fultondale area (just north of B-ham), the rates for a decent hotel were well under $100/night.

I didn't even look there because it's too out of the way for me.

The place I'm staying at in Knoxville is about $230 for the weekend. I can live with that. It's the New York City prices I can't live with. $200-250 for a mediocre hotel is ridiculous.

Fultondale is where the tour will, essentially, begin and end.

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 28, 2016, 03:31:33 PM
Fultondale is where the tour will, essentially, begin and end.

I'm well aware of that. I just can't get to/from there in one shot. 16 hours of straight driving for one person is pushing it and that doesn't include stops.

Quote from: cl94 on September 28, 2016, 03:34:28 PM

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 28, 2016, 03:31:33 PM
Fultondale is where the tour will, essentially, begin and end.

I'm well aware of that. I just can't get to/from there in one shot. 16 hours of straight driving for one person is pushing it and that doesn't include stops.

Surely there's something closer to Chattanooga that's not outrageously expensive.

Trip Advisor has a number of 3-or-better rated hotels for $70 or less in Cleveland, which is only about 20 miles northeast of Chattanooga on I-75.

Heck, Chattanooga itself has a number of well-rated places for $76 or less.

Quote from: hbelkins on September 28, 2016, 04:23:02 PM

Quote from: cl94 on September 28, 2016, 03:34:28 PM

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 28, 2016, 03:31:33 PM
Fultondale is where the tour will, essentially, begin and end.

I'm well aware of that. I just can't get to/from there in one shot. 16 hours of straight driving for one person is pushing it and that doesn't include stops.

Surely there's something closer to Chattanooga that's not outrageously expensive.

Trip Advisor has a number of 3-or-better rated hotels for $70 or less in Cleveland, which is only about 20 miles northeast of Chattanooga on I-75.

Heck, Chattanooga itself has a number of well-rated places for $76 or less.

I'm trying to stay with Hilton for points. I already booked my place and with it got enough points for a couple nights.

Quote from: cl94 on September 28, 2016, 04:25:33 PM
I'm trying to stay with Hilton for points. I already booked my place and with it got enough points for a couple nights.

Hampton is too rich for my blood.

Quote from: hbelkins on September 28, 2016, 09:29:38 PM

Quote from: cl94 on September 28, 2016, 04:25:33 PM
I'm trying to stay with Hilton for points. I already booked my place and with it got enough points for a couple nights.

Hampton is too rich for my blood.

I did the math and, thanks to how they do points, it actually saves me money because I can get Amtrak or airline miles with each stay in addition to points. They're doing a double points promotion through the end of the year, so it just adds up.

Quote from: hbelkins on September 28, 2016, 09:29:38 PM

Quote from: cl94 on September 28, 2016, 04:25:33 PM
I'm trying to stay with Hilton for points. I already booked my place and with it got enough points for a couple nights.

Hampton is too rich for my blood.

I found something at Microtel. Not my favorite place, but it'll work ;)

Quote from: US71 on September 29, 2016, 07:06:13 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on September 28, 2016, 09:29:38 PM

Quote from: cl94 on September 28, 2016, 04:25:33 PM
I'm trying to stay with Hilton for points. I already booked my place and with it got enough points for a couple nights.

Hampton is too rich for my blood.

I found something at Microtel. Not my favorite place, but it'll work ;)

Microtels can be a crap shoot. Of course the room layouts are similar from one to another, but the quality can vary. The one in Buckhannon, WV, is as nice as any fancy place I've ever stayed. The one off Eisenhower Drive in Beckley WV is also very nice. However, they can deteriorate. I stayed at the one in Williamsville, NY (east side of Buffalo) for a meet there a few years ago and it was decent at the time. I stayed there a few years later, on my way back from the Watertown meet, and it had gone downhill.

Quote from: hbelkins on September 30, 2016, 11:20:06 AM

Quote from: US71 on September 29, 2016, 07:06:13 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on September 28, 2016, 09:29:38 PM

Quote from: cl94 on September 28, 2016, 04:25:33 PM
I'm trying to stay with Hilton for points. I already booked my place and with it got enough points for a couple nights.

Hampton is too rich for my blood.

I found something at Microtel. Not my favorite place, but it'll work ;)

Microtels can be a crap shoot. Of course the room layouts are similar from one to another, but the quality can vary. The one in Buckhannon, WV, is as nice as any fancy place I've ever stayed. The one off Eisenhower Drive in Beckley WV is also very nice. However, they can deteriorate. I stayed at the one in Williamsville, NY (east side of Buffalo) for a meet there a few years ago and it was decent at the time. I stayed there a few years later, on my way back from the Watertown meet, and it had gone downhill.

Yeah, that's what I've heard about Mictotel. The only cheap chain that I've found to be reliable is Red Roof Inn.

Did the Alabama gas shortages and gas price hikes resolve themselves now that the pipeline has been repaired?

Quote from: hbelkins on September 30, 2016, 03:46:49 PM
Did the Alabama gas shortages and gas price hikes resolve themselves now that the pipeline has been repaired?

In the Huntsville area, they are hovering around $2/gal right now. Seems to be the same around Birmingham as well.

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 30, 2016, 03:52:31 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on September 30, 2016, 03:46:49 PM
Did the Alabama gas shortages and gas price hikes resolve themselves now that the pipeline has been repaired?

In the Huntsville area, they are hovering around $2/gal right now. Seems to be the same around Birmingham as well.

I'll take it. 20 cents cheaper than where I am.

Can anyone recommend any good convenience store chains or regional chains for lunch and gas stops in western Kentucky, west Tennessee or northewestern Alabama? I'm familiar with Huck's and Casey's. Are there any other similar chains? I know better than to expect the equivalent of Sheetz in that area.

Plans pretty much set for the trip. Leave work Wednesday and spend the night in southern Indiana (a/k/a Louisville). Thursday, head to Owensboro to drive the new freeway portion of US 60/US 231, head to Henderson and then south on the Pennyrile Parkway to see the new I-69/WK/Pennyrile interchange, then across the new Eggners Ferry Bridge on US 68/KY 80. Take KY 402 (old KY 80) to Mayfield, then south on the Purchase Parkway and clinch US 45E. Head north on US 45W to Union City to clinch it, then make my way back to Jackson, where I will probably overnight Thursday.

Friday, finish US 45 in Tennesee, then make my way back north and east to Lawrenceburg, then finish US 43 in Alabama, get the three counties I need in the northwestern part of the state to fill in some holes on my map, then head over to the Birmingham area. Staying Friday night in Fultondale and Saturday night near Bessemer. I will be clinching I-459 at some point during the weekend.

Sunday, my plans are to finish out US 411 from its southern terminus to I-75 in Georgia. I will have to venture north on US 27 out of Rome to fill in a county hole in Georgia. Then I'll head to Madisonville to see if the old triangle TN 68 "TENN" sign is still there downtown, then over to Townsend to head back on US 321 to clinch it in Tennessee. I'll be staying somewhere Sunday night but I don't know where yet.

Not a whole lot of interstate driving planned for the trip, and that's by design. Once I get to I-75 in Georgia, I'm not sure if I want to use it via Chattanooga to get to the Madisonville exit, or if I want to continue on US 411. I've gotten to where I despise the heavy traffic on 75, and a wreck can bottle up travel progress for hours.

I-20/59 just east of Tuscaloosa can be hairy at times due to wrecks and just slow traffic in the work zone to expand the road to six lanes.

I would say Mapco would be a good chain but I am not sure how far west they extend from the Nashville area. Casey's has established a presence in NW Tennessee, so you may find some of those there. In NW Alabama, Sprint Mart is a good place to stop if you come upon one of those.

Speaking of C-store chains, what are the best ones northeast of Birmingham? I know Sheetz starts having stores in Virginia, but I've never been SW of I-77.

There is a Sheetz in Bristol, VA.

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 03, 2016, 01:29:08 PM
There is a Sheetz in Bristol, VA.

I'm aware of that, but there's nothing past there. Does Speedway have a presence or is there another good chain in TN/AL?

Raceway is prevalent in Alabama. Mapco is another chain in north Alabama and middle/east Tennessee.

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 03, 2016, 02:43:28 PM
Raceway is prevalent in Alabama. Mapco is another chain in north Alabama and middle/east Tennessee.

Great. Thanks. Just need to know what to look for.

Where does QT territory begin/end?

Quote from: hbelkins on October 03, 2016, 04:02:46 PM
Where does QT territory begin/end?

The nearest QT territory is in the Atlanta area. I haven't ever seen any along the I-75/I-81 corridors in TN or VA. 

It appears Speedway, which apparently now has a "Speedy Cafe" MTO concept, is popular along the I-75 corridor in TN.

Also there is Speedway's scattered through out TN including west TN and west\ central KY.

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 03, 2016, 04:06:28 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on October 03, 2016, 04:02:46 PM
Where does QT territory begin/end?

The nearest QT territory is in the Atlanta area. I haven't ever seen any along the I-75/I-81 corridors in TN or VA.

My initiation came on GA 5/GA 515 not too far north of where GA 53 intersects.

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 03, 2016, 04:14:19 PM
It appears Speedway, which apparently now has a "Speedy Cafe" MTO concept, is popular along the I-75 corridor in TN.

I've only seen this in one Speedway; that being the corner of US 60 and US 127 in Frankfort. The other two Speedways in town don't have it. My limited view of the menu when I saw it was that it's basically the same food they serve under heat lamps or on roller grills.

A lot of the newer Speedways they have opened around Tennessee have the "Speedy Café" with touch screens similar to Sheetz, one of the Speedway's by my house (I-40 exit 238) has this setup.

Quote from: jpi on October 04, 2016, 03:38:18 PM
A lot of the newer Speedways they have opened around Tennessee have the "Speedy Café" with touch screens similar to Sheetz, one of the Speedway's by my house (I-40 exit 238) has this setup.

Quik Trips are going to this set-up

Will be attending the meet after all! This will be my first since Cody's 2012 Birmingham meet coincidentally. Going to be staying with my Dad and Stepmom at my Stepmom's property in Northwest Alabama (near Red Bay iirc) and heading up tomorrow or Friday. Looking forward to seeing some of you again and finally meeting others in person. Have a handful of maps to give away to whoever is interested too.

Is the head count on Facebook accurate, or will there be more? Looks like this thing will pass the Toronto meet in terms of attendance and that one had ~18.

Glad to have you Alex!

Right now my head count for lunch is 22 people. I am not sure of those how many will stick around for the meet.

The event is getting close!
Some last-minute things to talk about:
- I have four walkie talkies that we can use during the meet for communication between stops. Does anyone have any additional ones to bring? I have a feeling we will have more than four cars in the convoy.
- Speaking of the convoy, who plans to drive during the meet? This way I can have an idea of how many itineraries to print out. For now I am printing out five.
- Right now the plan is to leave cars at the Target at 10:30. However, some people have said they have to go straight to the restaurant. I am going to check and see if it is possible to leave cars at the restaurant during the day.
- In the interest of keeping things moving along, I would like to try and stick to the times printed on the itineraries as much as possible. I know this is difficult with a larger group, but let's try to do so in order to make sure we see everything.
- My phone number is 205-522-7256. Call me or text me if something comes up on your way in.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 06, 2016, 07:35:04 AM
The event is getting close!
Some last-minute things to talk about:
- I have four walkie talkies that we can use during the meet for communication between stops. Does anyone have any additional ones to bring? I have a feeling we will have more than four cars in the convoy.
- Speaking of the convoy, who plans to drive during the meet? This way I can have an idea of how many itineraries to print out. For now I am printing out five.
- Right now the plan is to leave cars at the Target at 10:30. However, some people have said they have to go straight to the restaurant. I am going to check and see if it is possible to leave cars at the restaurant during the day.
- In the interest of keeping things moving along, I would like to try and stick to the times printed on the itineraries as much as possible. I know this is difficult with a larger group, but let's try to do so in order to make sure we see everything.
- My phone number is 205-522-7256. Call me or text me if something comes up on your way in.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!

I can carry one passenger OR fold myself into someone's car. I'll probably meet up at Target and we can decide from there.

Can we make up handles for the radios, Smokey and the Bandit style?  :-D

Quote from: cl94 on October 06, 2016, 12:34:30 PM
Can we make up handles for the radios, Smokey and the Bandit style?  :-D

At St Louis, we just texted each other ;)

But that might be harder with 20 people riding along.

Quote from: US71 on October 06, 2016, 01:01:42 PM

Quote from: cl94 on October 06, 2016, 12:34:30 PM
Can we make up handles for the radios, Smokey and the Bandit style?  :-D

At St Louis, we just texted each other ;)

But that might be harder with 20 people riding along.

Yeah. I remember how Toronto was with 18. Two-way radios would have been nice.

Two way radio's is a good idea, as for me and vehicle, Steph is going to do her own thing while we go on the tour so I plan to ride with someone, Brandon if you have room...  :)

Quote from: Alex on October 05, 2016, 10:44:52 PM
Will be attending the meet after all! This will be my first since Cody's 2012 Birmingham meet coincidentally. Going to be staying with my Dad and Stepmom at my Stepmom's property in Northwest Alabama (near Red Bay iirc) and heading up tomorrow or Friday. Looking forward to seeing some of you again and finally meeting others in person. Have a handful of maps to give away to whoever is interested too.

It'll be great to finally meet you.

H.B., Comin' Atcha Live (any Tesla fans around here) from Jackson, Tenn., instead of the Jackson where he usually works.

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 06, 2016, 07:35:04 AM
The event is getting close!
Some last-minute things to talk about:
- I have four walkie talkies that we can use during the meet for communication between stops. Does anyone have any additional ones to bring? I have a feeling we will have more than four cars in the convoy.
- Speaking of the convoy, who plans to drive during the meet? This way I can have an idea of how many itineraries to print out. For now I am printing out five.
- Right now the plan is to leave cars at the Target at 10:30. However, some people have said they have to go straight to the restaurant. I am going to check and see if it is possible to leave cars at the restaurant during the day.
- In the interest of keeping things moving along, I would like to try and stick to the times printed on the itineraries as much as possible. I know this is difficult with a larger group, but let's try to do so in order to make sure we see everything.
- My phone number is 205-522-7256. Call me or text me if something comes up on your way in.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!

I'm game for wherever we want to meet up, but I will have to hitch a ride with someone for the meet tour. Every seat in my vehicle is crammed full of something.

I printed and brought two copies of the itinerary with me. So I'll have one for whomever I'm riding with, plus a spare.

Quote from: hbelkins on October 06, 2016, 09:42:43 PM

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 06, 2016, 07:35:04 AM
The event is getting close!
Some last-minute things to talk about:
- I have four walkie talkies that we can use during the meet for communication between stops. Does anyone have any additional ones to bring? I have a feeling we will have more than four cars in the convoy.
- Speaking of the convoy, who plans to drive during the meet? This way I can have an idea of how many itineraries to print out. For now I am printing out five.
- Right now the plan is to leave cars at the Target at 10:30. However, some people have said they have to go straight to the restaurant. I am going to check and see if it is possible to leave cars at the restaurant during the day.
- In the interest of keeping things moving along, I would like to try and stick to the times printed on the itineraries as much as possible. I know this is difficult with a larger group, but let's try to do so in order to make sure we see everything.
- My phone number is 205-522-7256. Call me or text me if something comes up on your way in.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!

I'm game for wherever we want to meet up, but I will have to hitch a ride with someone for the meet tour. Every seat in my vehicle is crammed full of something.

I printed and brought two copies of the itinerary with me. So I'll have one for whomever I'm riding with, plus a spare.

Haven't ridden with Mr. Republican Kool-Aid Himself in awhile. Come join the two biggest websites remaining in 2017.

I'm on the way, should be in B'ham by Friday evening.

I'll be in my pickup truck, rather than my Prius. The back seat of my truck is cramped, and the view from the back sucks. So I'll be looking at the Target to catch a ride with someone else, and leave the truck there.

I left yesterday afternoon and am currently at a hotel in Scranton. Getting to Knoxville tonight and leaving there for Birmingham first thing tomorrow morning.

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 06, 2016, 07:35:04 AM
- I have four walkie talkies that we can use during the meet for communication between stops. Does anyone have any additional ones to bring? I have a feeling we will have more than four cars in the convoy.

I think the walkie talkie idea may be a good idea for large meets in the future.  I doubt 20+ person meets will not be ending any time soon.  (I won't be at this one for the record.  Instead, I will be watching Virginia Tech try to upset UNC in Chapel Hill as they are affected by Hurricane Matthew.  It is currently still scheduled for 3:30 PM Saturday.)

Due to my schedule, I will likely only be available for lunch.  Still planning on having the lunch at Mugshots in Uptown?

Will be taking my Dad's car to the meet. So I could offer to drive now, but I want to be able to take pics along the way and since it's a manual transmission, any really hilly terrain on the tour may dissuade me from wanting to drive. It's a VW wagon, but the back seat leg room leaves a bit to be desired as well.

Checked into my hotel in Knoxville. Plan to leave here for the meet 6:30-7 Eastern Time tomorrow, so I should get to Target plenty early.

Quote from: Alex on October 07, 2016, 03:30:26 PM
Will be taking my Dad's car to the meet. So I could offer to drive now, but I want to be able to take pics along the way and since it's a manual transmission, any really hilly terrain on the tour may dissuade me from wanting to drive. It's a VW wagon, but the back seat leg room leaves a bit to be desired as well.

You already got my shotgun

If I climbed up on the roof of the hotel where I'm staying now, or walked/drove up to the top of the little hill here, I could see the Target. (I'm at the Comfort Suites on Old Walkers Chapel Road, and I think the entrance to get here is the same one used for the Target.)

11:30 CDT, right? Which means my watch will say 12:30. But it also means I can sleep in a bit since I'm just a stone's throw from the meet-up point.

Quote from: Alps on October 06, 2016, 11:48:16 PM
Haven't ridden with Mr. Republican Kool-Aid Himself in awhile. Come join the two biggest websites remaining in 2017.

That's Shawn's line, and you haven't been paying attention. I'm as critical of them, or more, than I am the other side.  :bigass:

10:30 CDT, 11:30 our time

Steph and I are at the Econo Lodge at exit 252 on I-65, see you guys at Target!  :)

Ended up driving anyway, but it worked out fine and I added some new mileage for US 31 through Hoover too.

Really enjoyed the meet. Was good seeing some familiar faces again and meeting long time online friends and contacts in person. Will put thought into hosting one in Florida next year.

Quote from: Alex on October 09, 2016, 09:07:35 PM
Ended up driving anyway, but it worked out fine and I added some new mileage for US 31 through Hoover too.

Really enjoyed the meet. Was good seeing some familiar faces again and meeting long time online friends and contacts in person. Will put thought into hosting one in Florida next year.

Great to meet you as well. And I'd love to attend a Florida meet. There's that little matter of I-75 in Macon that stands between me and a clinch of that route in Georgia.

I agree that it was great to meet everyone. First meet I've been to that had most of the really active people on the forums.

And as far as a Florida meet, if it falls at a time I can go, I'll be there.

Quote from: cl94 on October 09, 2016, 11:57:14 PM
I agree that it was great to meet everyone. First meet I've been to that had most of the really active people on the forums.

And as far as a Florida meet, if it falls at a time I can go, I'll be there.

Good to meet you, too. Did you have to drive back to Knoxville Saturday night? And did you go all the rest of the way back home Sunday?

Can't wait to read trip reports from those who attended.

Quote from: hbelkins on October 10, 2016, 12:16:34 AM
Good to meet you, too. Did you have to drive back to Knoxville Saturday night? And did you go all the rest of the way back home Sunday?

Knoxville Saturday night, outside of DC Sunday. Heading back Monday morning and clinching most of the Interstates I don't have near DC in the process.

A Florida meet would definitely be an attractive option to me, considering that I have not done much of any exploring in Florida. 

Thanks everyone for attending! I am very happy about how everything turned out and that most everyone seemed to enjoy the tour. I will host another meet in Birmingham in 2020 or 2021 once the viaduct replacement through downtown is finished.

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 10, 2016, 01:15:20 PM
Thanks everyone for attending! I am very happy about how everything turned out and that most everyone seemed to enjoy the tour. I will host another meet in Birmingham in 2020 or 2021 once the viaduct replacement through downtown is finished.

Cool, will keep that in mind :nod:

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 10, 2016, 01:15:20 PM
Thanks everyone for attending! I am very happy about how everything turned out and that most everyone seemed to enjoy the tour. I will host another meet in Birmingham in 2020 or 2021 once the viaduct replacement through downtown is finished.

Cody - thank you so much for hosting this meet. Very well done. It was a great mix of urban and rural things to see. Your attention to detail on the itineraries (with the maps as well as the driving directions - and the estimated times of arrival and departure for each stop) are greatly appreciated. Plus the fact that the tour wrapped up ahead of schedule was a bonus!

I agree that the estimated arrival/departure times were a very nice thing to have. Simple way to tell if we're on schedule. When I host a meet in the future, I'll incorporate that into the notes.

From my point of view, I thought the route had a really nice mix of things to see. Many of us who have never been to the region imagine Alabama as rows of farms on flat land. I certainly wasn't expecting such varied scenery.

Did anyone else notice the button shields at 65/20/59?


SGH-I337

Quote from: US71 on October 10, 2016, 10:26:19 PM
Did anyone else notice the button shields at 65/20/59?


SGH-I337

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alpsroads.net%2Froads%2Fal%2Fi-65%2Fs259b.jpg&hash=fd96b05b9e1f6d891eb7dde4661858f83f3d16b6) and similar?

Quote from: Alps on October 10, 2016, 10:34:17 PM

Quote from: US71 on October 10, 2016, 10:26:19 PM
Did anyone else notice the button shields at 65/20/59?


SGH-I337

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alpsroads.net%2Froads%2Fal%2Fi-65%2Fs259b.jpg&hash=fd96b05b9e1f6d891eb7dde4661858f83f3d16b6) and similar?

Saw that one too late to get a photo

I'll echo what everyone else said about it being a great meet.  It was a lot of fun to see a new part of the country.

Florida is a place I definitely plan to get to at some point, though I'm not sure if I'd be able to next year; it would depend on whether I go to Alaska or not, as well as other things.  There's also the fact that I'd have to make the return trip fairly long or cover much of the same ground as either the trip over or the trip to/from Birmingham.  Plus, if I did Florida, I would want to do it "right" and go all the way to Key West (plus clinching I-95 is on my todo list).  That said, it IS more likely that I'll explore an area if there's a meet in the area; I've often thought about doing long trips sans a meet, but one reason why I haven't is because I don't want to divert time/money away from a meet.

A few notes on my trip.

I picked up US 51 off I-40 at Memphis and followed it to US 78. 51 zigs and zags a lot.

Once in Mississippi, I tried to work out exactly where I-22 begins (just west of Byhalia at the Marshall-DeSoto County line near future I-269)

Past Tupelo, I started exploring county roads in search of original 78/Bankhead Hioghway. Most of the segments run a mile or two, then end, but I found a lengthy section near Mooreville with 3-4 old concrete bridges, and as a special bonus, a section of "sidewalk highway" that appeared to be the original pavement.

The MS 178 bridge over the Mantachie Creek was closed for renovation, so I had to backtrack.

Once in Alabama, the I-22 shields are a mix of named and neutered (Mississippi's are all named). The Appalachian Corridor US 78 shields are still posted, but not always with I-22.
At Hamilton, I followed US 278 to AL 5.  There are trailblazers along I-22 for US 278 East, but they are a mix of larger and smaller signs. 

Signage is all wacky at I-22/US 78 SW of Jasper. 22 West isn't posted on SB 5, but EB 78 is shown following EB 22 (but 78 is also posted along the non-freeway 78.

Sunday, I retraced some of the tour (mostly looking for more squashed shields) and followed 78 east to just past Leeds. Heading back, I saw numerous button copy signs. Also a couple button shields at I-59/20/65.

I left Birmingham on US 78 and followed it back to I-22. AL 118 has 3 exits, but only two are posted. Exit 53 (the middle exit) only has an EXIT sign, no advance warning or route posting. It appears to be mostly Frontage Road access.

I stayed on US 78 all the way to Memphis and navigated what I thought was a clusterf*uk routing (and poorly posted).

A couple Arkansas notes, but I'll post those to the 555 and US 67 columns.

All the routes are poorly posted in Memphis.

Alright, I don't have a site, so a few notes on my trip:

Thursday 10/6
- Left Albany pretty normally, took the Thruway to I-84-81-Central Scranton Expressway for my first night at the Hilton in Scranton.
- Grabbed US 11 and Business US 6 from Krispy Kreme to the Wegmans in Dickson City Thursday evening

Friday 10/7
- Took I-81 south to PA 924 > Ringtown Blvd > Aristes Rd > PA 42 > PA 61 to swing through Centralia, returned to I-81 via PA 901.
- Stayed on I-81 from PA 901 to I-40, swung off to grab I-581 and I-381. Although I had I-81 north of Wytheville, I wanted to grab the 3DIs.
- Took I-40 to I-640 and back to I-40, took local roads from Exit 383 to my hotel at Exit 378 to avoid traffic.
- Swung up TN 162 and 62 to visit Oak Ridge in the evening, went back down 162 to clinch I-140 and TN 162.
- Got a part of TN 33, the James White Parkway, and I-275 later that night

Saturday 10/8
- I-75 south from Knoxville to I-24, then west to I-59. I-75 east of Chattanooga got the high-visibility treatment in a fog area.
- I-59 south to I-459, clinched I-459 and looped back up I-20/59 to get to I-65 and the meet
- Returned to hotel along I-59 after the meet, detoured off I-24 in Chattanooga when seeing a tunnel warning sign to check out the Bachman Tunnel. Bunch of truck parking signs along I-75 showing real-time availability, which I need to look into some more as a potential research topic

Sunday 10/9
- I-40 from Exit 378 to the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
- Blue Ridge Parkway up to NC 226 with a detour up NC 128 to the summit of Mt Mitchell
- Returned to I-40 via NC 226/US 221
- I-40 > I-77 > I-81 > I-66 > VA 28 to hotel. Traffic generally backed up on 81 for most of the time I was on it, jumped off onto US 11 during the I-64 concurrency to get around a particularly bad jam
- After checking into hotel, backtracked down VA 28, clinched I-66. Took GW Parkway from I-66 to 395, then looped north and back south to clinch 395. Went CCW on the beltway from 395 to Dulles Access Road to clinch 495, then took the Dulles Access road to the gas station to buy a soda and legally avoid the toll. Went to hotel after checking out Silver Line construction

Monday 10/10
- VA 267 east to beltway
- Beltway express lanes CCW from 267 to 395
- 395 > 695 > I-295. Turned around at end of I-295 and backtracked to head up DC 295
- Long backup on DC 295 due to construction and disabled truck in the road forced me to abandon my plans of clinching I-595, I-97 and I-195, clinched MD 295 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway instead
- I-95 to Delaware Memorial Bridge and NJ Turnpike via Express Lanes in Maryland, Turnpike to Garden State Parkway
- GSP > NJ 17 > NY 17 > NY 32
- Clinched NY 32 by grabbing the parts I was missing south of Saugerties, hopped on the Thruway at Exit 20 to get back home around 10 PM.

Quote from: cl94 on October 11, 2016, 09:57:52 PM
Alright, I don't have a site, so a few notes on my trip:

FWIW, I post my stuff to Flickr ;)

Quote from: US71 on October 11, 2016, 09:20:54 PM
I left Birmingham on US 78 and followed it back to I-22. AL 118 has 3 exits, but only two are posted. Exit 53 (the middle exit) only has an EXIT sign, no advance warning or route posting. It appears to be mostly Frontage Road access.

Exit 53 was originally intended to be for an eastern extension of AL 102 that has yet to come to fruition.

Quote from: cl94 on October 11, 2016, 09:57:52 PM
Bunch of truck parking signs along I-75 showing real-time availability, which I need to look into some more as a potential research topic

I-94 in Michigan has these as well.

My trip:

I left Thursday morning and headed down I-87, as I seem to keep doing for meets these days.  I took I-287 over to I-80 to see the part over the Delaware Water Gap during the day, since I had previously clinched it at night.  It appears that PennDOT is still VERY conservative with the 70 mph zones; it was hard to tell why one section was 70 and another 65 (I would have thought the speed limit would have gone up near I-380, but that was still a long ways away from where the limit randomly went up).  I then took I-99 south to clinch the designated portion in PA and then took I-70 east through Breezewood and over to I-81.  From there, it was all I-81 to my hotel in Harrisonburg off US 30.

Friday started as a rainy drive down I-81; the rain didn't clear up until around Bristol.  I took a couple diversions to clinch I-581 and I-381 before entering Tennessee, where the terrain suddenly went from interesting to boring.  It's amazing how that can happen at a state line.  I took I-81, I-40, and I-75 south to I-24, which was gridlocked through Chattanooga, causing me to cut a planned clinch of I-124 to save time.  I took I-59 south to Birmingham (once again having the scenery get less interesting at a state line, this time GA/AL; I also clinched I-759 and AL 759.  I-75 in TN and I-59 in AL struck me as being the two most boring interstates that I have ever driven on.

The day of the meet, it was a short hop down I-20/59 and I-65 to the meet location, and again back (though that way I did slip down US 31 briefly to clinch the portion missed by the meet tour).  Sunday morning, I set out at the crack of dawn down I-20 towards Georgia.  I picked up I-85 in Atlanta and headed northeast through the Carolinas.  South Carolina struck me as also being very conservative with posting 70, just like PA, except their lone 70 mph zone on I-85 was in an urban area, which struck me as odd.  North Carolina was definitely an experience and a lot more interesting than I expected, at least through Durham (at which point it got rather boring; I-85 through Virginia is another one for the "most boring interstates" list); usually 3-4 lanes wide even in rural areas, and often 5+ lanes wide in urban areas.  In some respects, NC might be the "Texas of the east".  I continued up I-85 into VA (going through a couple cattle chute work zones in NC, BOTH of which had an accident completely blocking traffic in the other direction) and I-95 up to my hotel for the night (the Comfort Inn off exit 58, which I HIGHLY recommend; it's a new modern building, and quite possibly the best hotel I've ever stayed at on one of these roadtrips).  Got dinner at Wawa, and it's safe to say that I've converted (sorry Sheetz and Stewarts).

Monday, I went up I-95 around the Capital Beltway, and clinched I-195 (including going through the airport and a short section of MD 166).  I then took I-695 over the Key Bridge before resuming my trip up I-95.  I clinched I-495 in Delaware and then diverted to clinch the southern end of I-476 and I-276 in PA, heading up the Turnpike to exit 9 to see the "new" section of NJ 18.  From there, it was straight up I-287 and I-87 back home, at which point I was very thankful for taking the next day off from work because I slept for 10-11 hours that night, and needed the time to update my Mob Rule and Travel Mapping pages, as well as sort my pictures on my computer.

So... 2,499 miles driven, 1,083 pictures taken, and 5 new states visited... easily my longest trip, and a good test case for longer trips to come.

I left about 6:45 am on Friday morning and went down I-55 toward St. Louis.  Had to make a pit stop at the first rest area near Pontiac, and it was the busiest I've ever seen it.  I kid you not (pun as you like), there were five buses full of kids there.  Must've been several class trips down to Springfield.  Anyway, continued on down I-55 to I-255 and took I-255 south to IL-3.  I then followed IL-3 south through Red Bud and then to Ruma where I turned onto IL-155 to Prairie du Rocher, one of the oldest towns in the state (1722).  There, I picked up Modoc Ferry Road to the Modoc-Ste. Genevieve Ferry.  The ferry was $15 per car, and worth it.  On the other side of the Mississippi, I followed local streets through Ste. Genevieve to US-61.  I then followed US-61 to Route U and turned left, into Illinois!  I then proceeded to go to the first state capitol of Illinois, Kaskaskia.  There's not much left, a few houses, a church (founded by Pere Marquette), and the Kaskaskia Bell monument.  Then I followed Route H to MO-51 and across the Chester Bridge to IL-3.  As it was getting later than I wanted, I took IL-3 to IL-149 to IL-13 and had lunch at a Popeye's in Carbondale.  Then I took US-51 south to Cairo.  Cairo, for lack of better words, is a shithole.  The population has dropped from 15,000 in the 1920s to less than 2,000 today.  There's not even a Casey's General Store there.  I then took the Cairo Ohio River Bridge both ways (turning around after it) to the Cairo Mississippi River Bridge and out the southernmost point in Illinois.  Following US-60/62, I turned left at MO-77.  MO-77 has several one-lane bridges, and not much else along it.  At the end is the Dorena-Hickman Ferry, the only direct connection between Missouri and Kentucky.  I took the ferry across the river ($16 per car).  Then I followed KY-94 to Tennessee.  The road, which looks like a two-lane blacktop, suddenly looks like a state route upon entering Tennessee.  I then followed TN-78 to TN-79 to TN-181 to get to I-155.  I then crossed back into Missouri to I-55.  I then followed I-55 south to Memphis and directly onto I-240 and my first (and only) traffic jam of the entire trip.  I exited at Lamar Avenue (US-78) and followed that to Mississippi where it finally became I-22 after a few miles.  Then it was I-22 to Fulton and the hotel.

Saturday, I took I-22 to I-65, doubling back at the MS-AL border to go to the welcome center for a Mississippi state map.  I-22 becomes six lanes from Jasper on in.  Then it was I-65 north to the Target and a 30 minute wait for everyone else.  I went to Penney's and Books A Million there. :-)  That's why I was a few minutes later getting to the meet.

Sunday, I then took I-65 south to I-59 north.  I-59 gets more interesting as it heads toward Georgia.  The mountains get bigger, and there are more roadcuts.  I got up to I-24 and went west.  Which was better than east as the backup (for construction, I presume) had to be at least 10-15 miles long.  I then climbed Monteagle on I-24.  Not much difficulty for the car, and much easier than the Rockies last year for the Denver meet.  Very pretty, as this is the first time I've been through Monteagle in the daylight.  I then took I-840 west to clinch it, having been east of I-24 and west of I-65 when it was TN-840.  Then it was I-65 north back to I-24.  I-24 west to the Pennyrile Pkwy and north to the Western Kentucky Pkwy.  For some reason, Kentucky acts as though both parkways end at the interchange and become I-69.  Then I-69 south to KY-91 north, past then end of US-641 to the Cave-in-Rock Ferry and back to Illinois.  Once across, it was IL-1 to IL-13 west.  At IL-142, I took the extra mile south into Equality and the end of IL-142.  Then I U-turned back toward Mount Vernon.  At Mount Vernon, I then hopped on I-57 north to IL-9 in Paxton.  Then it was over to IL-115, a very quiet route where I can go really fast.  IL-115 turns sharply in Kankakee County north of Cabery.  I went straight to IL-17, west to Campus Road, and north to IL-53 in Gardner, where I picked up I-55 to go back home.

In all, about 1,800 miles, some new counties, leaving a mere 5 left for me in Illinois, and 3 new ferries, as well as 4 new bridges.

My trip for Steph and I, the drive down was fairly uneventful since we have been to Birmingham at least a half dozen times over the years and is a 3 hour drive from metro Nashville. We took I-65 all the way down aside from a slight veering off at 840 west to US 31 south to do some shopping and grab lunch in Spring Hill, then on to TN 396 (Saturn PKWY) and back to I-65 south, overall a nice drive with some heavy pockets of traffic but even more heavier pockets of traffic going north.

Now the drive home was a different story ;-), this involved a big side trip into southwestern Alabama to get roughly 7 new counties we had not gotten before, we headed south on I-459 to I-20/59 to Tuscaloosa, then south on AL 69 (I had already clinched I-359 a few years ago) we headed deep into the back woods of rural southwestern AL, even ended up on some dirt roads, we then ended up in Selma where we had lunch at Zaxby's then worked our way back to I-65 north to I-840 east to home. Our lodging was the Econo Lodge of I-65 and US 31 at Vestavia Hills where we spent Friday and Saturday night, overall not a bad place but with something unique, a Waffle House attached to it and offered free breakfast there too so we had waffles of course and were very good. Overall this was a nice weekend for us, beautiful weather with summer like weather still hanging on here in the south but with out the humidity and now over 3/4 of Alabama clinched. Thanks again Cody for hosting another great meet! :) It was great seeing a lot of familiar faces I have seen and hung out with at many meets over the past 10 years but also meet a couple new faces. :nod:

Quote from: Brandon on October 12, 2016, 02:06:35 PM
I got up to I-24 and went west.  Which was better than east as the backup (for construction, I presume) had to be at least 10-15 miles long.

It is typically that backed up during the weekends.

I'm posting my trip reports on the Road Trips board, but I will answer a couple of things that have been brought up here.

Valerie: I-24 is seemingly ALWAYS gridlocked through Chattanooga. As for I-75 and I-81 in Tennessee, those roads run through wide valleys between the mountain ranges, and not right at the foot of a mountain range like I-81 tends to do in Virginia.

Josh: There have been a number of huge pileups over the years on I-75 in Tennessee between I-40 and Chattanooga. The route's location in a valley near some large bodies of water makes it very fog-prone. It's been several years since I've been on that stretch of I-75 but it sounds like they have increased the visibility treatment since the last time I was there.

Scott and David: Yes, the signage in Memphis -- as it tends to be in most Tennessee cities -- is poor. It's bad even in some of the smaller towns.

Quote from: hbelkins on October 12, 2016, 03:38:38 PM
Josh: There have been a number of huge pileups over the years on I-75 in Tennessee between I-40 and Chattanooga. The route's location in a valley near some large bodies of water makes it very fog-prone. It's been several years since I've been on that stretch of I-75 but it sounds like they have increased the visibility treatment since the last time I was there.

Going by GSV, they did the increase in July and August of this year. GSV went through in July and, while it had been resurfaced with new lines painted, "snowplow markers" along the shoulders and snowplowable reflectors have not been installed. As of now, it has delineators along the edges of the shoulders similar to those used in New York and other places with heavy snowfall. There's a variable speed limit in that stretch as well.

I-24 was actually fine when I drove through on Saturday, but that was likely timing, as it was about 8:30 AM EDT heading west and 11 PM heading east. I-40 through Knoxville was miserable Friday night.

I'll also say, it was a great meet. I didn't make any side trips due to time constraints. I had planned on detouring through Fayetteville, TN to look for some alleged "new cutouts" but an accident on I-65 north got me delayed past sundown.

Quote from: ericnear on October 13, 2016, 02:41:51 PM
I'll also say, it was a great meet. I didn't make any side trips due to time constraints. I had planned on detouring through Fayetteville, TN to look for some alleged "new cutouts" but an accident on I-65 north got me delayed past sundown.

New cutouts?

I got back hom from Birmingham yesterday evening. Both the outgoing and return trips involved a lot of US route-clinching, which resulted in an eight-night, 3300-mile trip. Basically, I drove to Birmingham via South Carolina, then since I was that far west anyway, sidewinded my way up to Cleveland before turning east back home.

Wednesday 10/5

The original plan had been to leave Thursday morning, and overnight in Georgetown SC near Charleston. With Hurricane Matthew approaching the South Carolina coast, I decided on Wednesday morning to leave that afternoon, cancel the Georgetown reservation, and replace it with one along I-95 in North Carolina and for Thursday evening along I-20 near Columbia SC (even on Wednesday morning, inland lodging availabilty was tightening up). The only noteworthy part of my Wednesday itinerary was my first paid trip on the I-95 express lanes south of DC (in addition to some free trips when the lanes first opened), which in mid-afteroon were nice to speed my trip out of town but i could've gotten by OK in the free lanes.

Thursday 10/6

This is when things got interesting, I first left I-95 toward Goldsboro NC, to clinch the newly-completed Bypass US 70 (also signed as Future I-42), then out to Kinston NC and back to fill one of many gaps in my US 70 coverage, before turning south on US 13 to pick up the part of US 701 I hadn't covered. Then it was down US 701 to Georgetown SC, as officials were preparing hurricane evacuations. No problem to my finishing off US 701, but after I turned inland on US 521, I saw roadblocks closing that road for travel toward the coast.

I then took I-95 southwest, hoping to clinch my only missing segment of US 301 from I-95 exit 97 southwest, but the prolonged rebuild of that interchange had not been completed (no mention of the road closure on South Carolina 511). Then when I got to I-26, I found the ramps from I-95 to I-26 inland toward Columbia were closed. By then, I-26 was contraflowed so all four lanes were available for traffic evacuating Charleston, but I don't understand why the I-95 ramps to the regular westbound lanes were closed. I continued to the exit for US 178, which I took without hindrance inland toward Orangeburg, and could get on I-26 (still contraflowed, all the way to I-77) there.

Friday 10/7

I took I-20 west to Augusta GA, then took US 78 most of the way to Birmingham,  finishing off US 78 in Georgia (Matthew had foiled my plan to clinch 78 in South Carolina, too). I got back on I-20 west of Pell City AL, after sunset, to complete the trip to Birmingham.

Sunday 10/9

The return trip after the meet started with I-22 west to exit 81, where I turned back east to cover the part of US 78 in Alabama I hadn't already covered. That included the part through downtown Birmingham, where signs for some of the turns needed to stay on US 78 were poorly marked, so I had to double-back in a few places to get back on track. Then I turned north on US 411 through northeast Alabama and Georgia, until I ran short on daylight and took TN 30 to I-75 to search for overnight lodging (not much of that on US 411).

Monday 10/10

I went on US 321 from its west end at I-40 to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area where I picked up US 441. Traffic there was as hellish as warned in this thread, and stayed that way to the first visitor center within Great Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park, where the parking lots were jammed. Traffic eased up a bit continuing south into North Carolina, where I took US 19 west to US 129, then north (including the famously twisty "Tail of the Dragon" section through the mountains) to loop back to US 411. I finished off 411 by the end of the day, and stayed overnight along I-40 in Newport TN.

Tuesday 10/11

I returned to Gatlinburg on US 321 to cover a part I'd previously missed. Even after the long weekend was over, traffic was a mess in Gatlinburg, though not as bad as the day before. The Marathon in Gatlinburg had the highest gas prices I encountered on this trip, $2.599/gal. RUNL, so I only pumped a few gallons into my fuel tank. From there, I stayed on US 321 northeast into North Carolina, clinching the route in Tennessee (still missing most of the rest of US 321). Then back northwest on US 421 through the mountains toward Bristol TN/VA, filling a large gap in my coverage of that route (now I have everything east of US 119 in KY). The rest of the day was all Interstates, to overnight in Princeton WV.

Wednesday 10/12

Much of this day was filling my many gaps in US 52 in West Virginia and Kentucky. That also pulled Kentucky from the short list of states I haven't been to this year (the others are HI, NV, KS, and the six New England states -- but not UT, where I spent a few seconds in March rounding the Four Corners monument). Then a boring drive on I-64 => I-77 => I-79. past Pittsburgh to the I-76 junction.

Thursday-Friday 10/13-14

This final part of the trip was to finish off the parts of US 322 and 422 in Ohio and western Pennsylvania, which I might otherwise have done to and from the upcoming Battle Creek MI meet (alas, I have a schedule conflict that day). On the 13th, I set out west on US 422 into downtown Cleveland, picking up that route in New Castle PA via I-76 and I-376. I then turned back east on US 322 (like US 78 in Birmingham, a little hard to use signage to stay on the route through Cleveland), to I-79 in Pennsylvania. From there on Friday, I took care of the rest of US 322 I hadn't covered, then south on US 219, PA 879, and PA 453, to I-99 where I stayed on the Interstates the rest of the way home.

You were traversing some of the same territory I did. My Sunday was US 411 out of Leeds all the way to TN 72, which I took over to US 129 and then southeast to the Foothills Parkway to get over to US 321. I took 321 to Townsend and turned around and completed it all the way to I-40, having previously gotten all of 321 in Tennessee.

BTW, are either of the group meet photos online? If they're on the event FB pages, they're on the part (most of it) inaccessible to non-FB users like me.

Quote from: oscar on October 16, 2016, 12:47:42 PM
BTW, are either of the group meet photos online? If they're on the event FB pages, they're on the part (most of it) inaccessible to non-FB users like me.

I've seen them in various places on FB, and figured they'd have been posted here by now.

Quote from: oscar on October 16, 2016, 12:47:42 PM
BTW, are either of the group meet photos online? If they're on the event FB pages, they're on the part (most of it) inaccessible to non-FB users like me.

I have a couple that I haven't posted yet. I've been busy with other things, so really haven't had much time.

Quote from: OscarThen when I got to I-26, I found the ramps from I-95 to I-26 inland toward Columbia were closed. By then, I-26 was contraflowed so all four lanes were available for traffic evacuating Charleston, but I don't understand why the I-95 ramps to the regular westbound lanes were closed.

Likely to avoid overloading westbound I-26 and to give the priority to traffic evacuating from the coast.

Quote from: froggie on October 17, 2016, 07:14:51 AM

Quote from: OscarThen when I got to I-26, I found the ramps from I-95 to I-26 inland toward Columbia were closed. By then, I-26 was contraflowed so all four lanes were available for traffic evacuating Charleston, but I don't understand why the I-95 ramps to the regular westbound lanes were closed.

Likely to avoid overloading westbound I-26 and to give the priority to traffic evacuating from the coast.

Maybe. But that assumes that none (or little) of the traffic evacuating from the coast would be using I-95 to get to evacuation routes. In any case, at the time I drove past I-26, traffic was flowing freely in both the regular westbound lanes and the contraflowed eastbound lanes, so the police could have held off on blocking access from I-95.

Quote from: US71 on October 16, 2016, 11:00:22 PM

Quote from: oscar on October 16, 2016, 12:47:42 PM
BTW, are either of the group meet photos online? If they're on the event FB pages, they're on the part (most of it) inaccessible to non-FB users like me.

I have a couple that I haven't posted yet. I've been busy with other things, so really haven't had much time.

With gn.com being gone, whatever happened with their road meet page that cataloged all of the known meets? Did someone else take that over?

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 13, 2016, 02:51:28 PM

Quote from: ericnear on October 13, 2016, 02:41:51 PM
I'll also say, it was a great meet. I didn't make any side trips due to time constraints. I had planned on detouring through Fayetteville, TN to look for some alleged "new cutouts" but an accident on I-65 north got me delayed past sundown.

New cutouts?

I can see about getting up there sometime to hunt for them. Do you know which routes they may be posted for?