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Upstate NY to TN April 2019

Started by webny99, April 04, 2019, 09:47:30 AM

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webny99

So, it sounds like my first real road trip of 2019 is going to be on Easter Weekend: April 19th (Good Friday) to April 22nd (Easter Monday).
I am heading down to Knoxville, TN, to visit family and friends for the weekend. I haven't been since 2014, so it is high time to go again, at least IMO! My personal preference for the route looks like this, which would roughly maximize new counties for me. We did approximately this last time around, getting zero new mileage in Ohio but more than our share of PA. So I prefer to skip PA and focus on Ohio this time, with a top priority being to fill in the gap between Columbus, OH, and Lexington, KY. Of course, I have yet to see if I will get my way or how the trip materializes.  :)

I very much open to suggestions of scenic or otherwise interesting places to go between here and there, primarily in the following four states:
- Ohio - Kentucky - West Virginia - Tennessee -

Those of you from - or well traveled in - these areas please feel free to chime in with suggestions! Preferably roughly within ~50 miles of my proposed route above. Obviously, the more new counties the better -- and the new more states the better, too, so if you can suggest a worthwhile detour that hits North Carolina, great!!


hbelkins

I-71 between Columbus and Cincinnati is boring. There's also some major construction on I-75 south of Lexington. For a scenic alternative, take US 23 south of Columbus and connect with I-81 near Kingsport.

Some things to see near your route: Cumberland Gap Tunnel, New River Gorge Bridge.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

1995hoo

I thought I-71 between Akron and Columbus was relatively boring as well.

If you've never been there and have time, the aviation museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton is not too far off your route and is absolutely worth a visit if aviation interests you. Allow a full afternoon if you go there simply because there's so much to see. Of course I recognize this conflicts with your stated goal of filling the gap between Columbus and Lexington, as from Dayton you'd probably go south on I-75 rather than backtracking to Columbus.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Rothman

Quote from: hbelkins on April 04, 2019, 02:13:18 PM
I-71 between Columbus and Cincinnati is boring. There's also some major construction on I-75 south of Lexington. For a scenic alternative, take US 23 south of Columbus and connect with I-81 near Kingsport.

Some things to see near your route: Cumberland Gap Tunnel, New River Gorge Bridge.
There's a dam somewhere along there that created a great fossil hunting site.  My father, a paleobotanist, and I stopped there once.  I think it is a state park.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

webny99

Quote from: hbelkins on April 04, 2019, 02:13:18 PM
I-71 between Columbus and Cincinnati is boring.
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 04, 2019, 03:01:23 PM
I thought I-71 between Akron and Columbus was relatively boring as well.

So I've heard. At least north of Columbus there's six lanes, which should keep things interesting. Traffic is actually the most fun to study on boring rural highways (at least IMO).

Quote from: hbelkins on April 04, 2019, 02:13:18 PM
Some things to see near your route: Cumberland Gap Tunnel, New River Gorge Bridge.

Shoot, the two things we did last time!  :-D
(Not that I would mind doing either one again, but it wouldn't have the benefit of being new territory.)


Quote from: 1995hoo on April 04, 2019, 03:01:23 PMIf you've never been there and have time, the aviation museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton is not too far off your route and is absolutely worth a visit if aviation interests you. Allow a full afternoon if you go there simply because there's so much to see. Of course I recognize this conflicts with your stated goal of filling the gap between Columbus and Lexington, as from Dayton you'd probably go south on I-75 rather than backtracking to Columbus.

I actually still could "fill in the gap" with Dayton as a waypoint -- since we'd still go through Columbus to get to Dayton -- it just wouldn't be quite as neat and tidy.

The aviation museum would definitely be something that would interest me -- thought not sure about the rest of the family!
It might fit better into a trip in which Columbus is the destination, which is not implausible in the next few years or so, so I will keep that in mind.

1995hoo

Yeah, the drive from Columbus to Akron on I-71 was a very easy and relaxed drive. (We were going from Dayton to Canton for a two-night stay at Gervasi Vineyard in Canton. Fabulous place to stay.)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

hbelkins

If you did opt to use US 23 in some form or fashion, there are a couple of nice overlooks. One's just north of the KY/VA state line; the other is near Norton, Va. Road-wise, lots of old (and some newer) cutouts in Norton. The project to build US 23 between KY 805 and the state line was, at the time, the most expensive highway project ever in Kentucky (since surpassed by the Louisville bridges). For a small town, Chillicothe has a rather complex freeway network and system of interchanges. There's the new Ironton-Russell Bridge, and of course the new Portsmouth bypass. A slight detour would net you a lot of old button copy along US 52 between Portsmouth and the WV state line, and the stub ending of OH 7 where the bypass of Chesapeake isn't finished yet.

Given your origin in upstate NY, you might be able to work the Mon-Fayette (PA/WV 43) into your trip, or perhaps a portion of Corridor H.

If you're looking at the touristy stuff and are into horses, then the Kentucky Horse Park would be a neat stop. If history's your thing, the replica of Fort Boonesborough isn't too far off I-75.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Hot Rod Hootenanny

Last week, I drove US 68 & 62 from Lexington to C-bus. Some funky hamlets along the way and some road widening north of Lexington.
If time is not a concern, between Columbus & Cleveland, you can follow 3-C or US 42.
Please, don't sue Alex & Andy over what I wrote above

formulanone

#8
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on April 05, 2019, 10:49:32 AM
Last week, I drove US 68 & 62 from Lexington to C-bus. Some funky hamlets along the way and some road widening north of Lexington.
If time is not a concern, between Columbus & Cleveland, you can follow 3-C or US 42.

US 62 is very curvy and scenic from Cynthiana to Maysville; you won't make up any time on it and there's no passing opportunities. There was some one-lane construction and 15 minutes of waiting at Cynthiana, which was "revenge" for not having any traffic ahead of me for roughly two hours.

Gotta take the rough with the smooth...although the pavement was in great shape throughout.

hbelkins

Quote from: formulanone on April 05, 2019, 11:12:40 AM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on April 05, 2019, 10:49:32 AM
Last week, I drove US 68 & 62 from Lexington to C-bus. Some funky hamlets along the way and some road widening north of Lexington.
If time is not a concern, between Columbus & Cleveland, you can follow 3-C or US 42.

US 62 is very curvy and scenic from Cynthiana to Maysville; you won't make up any time on it and there's no passing opportunities. There was some one-lane construction and 15 minutes of waiting at Cynthiana, which was "revenge" for not having any traffic ahead of me for roughly two hours.

Gotta take the rough with the smooth...although the pavement was in great shape throughout.

They're finishing up the widening/relocation of US 68 in the Carlisle area; this will result in an improved, fast road all the way from Lexington Maysville. I wouldn't recommend US 62 unless one needed to travel it for clinching or county-collecting purposes.

FWIW, if I'm going to Columbus, I will always default to US 23 over I-71, for Cincinnati traffic reasons alone.

Another option might be to take I-79 to Charleston, and then US 119 to Pikeville, from which you can access US 23. Or, use US 19 between Bluefield and Abingdon/Bristol.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

webny99

Quote from: hbelkins on April 05, 2019, 12:42:27 PM
Another option might be to take I-79 to Charleston, and then US 119 to Pikeville, from which you can access US 23.

I am warming up to this idea, but in reverse (coming home). US 23 looks to be a pretty high quality road --  and in addition to the mileage savings vs. I-77, this would net me new counties in VA, KY, and WV.

I probably wouldn't take US 23 all the way to Columbus, because that would miss WV entirely, and I want to hit WV at least one direction or the other.

webny99

I am wondering about visiting Ohio's Hocking Hills on the way down. The state park looks to be very highly rated. It could fit nicely into our route, while allowing me to double my new counties in Ohio. Has anyone been there, and if so, would they recommend it?

Hot Rod Hootenanny

Quote from: webny99 on April 09, 2019, 10:40:57 AM
I am wondering about visiting Ohio's Hocking Hills on the way down. The state park looks to be very highly rated. It could fit nicely into our route, while allowing me to double my new counties in Ohio. Has anyone been there, and if so, would they recommend it?
Sure. But its anywhere from 6-10 hours to cover everything within the Hocking Hills. Plenty of trails, cliffs, and waterfalls.
Please, don't sue Alex & Andy over what I wrote above

1995hoo

Quote from: webny99 on April 09, 2019, 10:40:57 AM
I am wondering about visiting Ohio's Hocking Hills on the way down. The state park looks to be very highly rated. It could fit nicely into our route, while allowing me to double my new counties in Ohio. Has anyone been there, and if so, would they recommend it?

I've never been there, but I'd like to drive the loop Car and Driver uses as a road test loop. Here's a map link based on a route description and map they included in the magazine a few years ago.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

webny99

Forgot to mention that our trip was postponed until the weekend after next.

Our route down next Friday is more or less confirmed, while the route back home is in the preliminary stages -- if even that!

I do have a few objectives for the trip home:
(1) get to North Carolina in some form or fashion
(2) get to WV's Black Water Falls
(3) get as many new counties and fewest revisited counties as possible, see here
(4) keep driving time under 15 hours; I will need to reconsider anything that ends up over 15h30m per Google Maps.
(5) keep total time including stops under 18 hours, so we can be home by around midnight assuming a 5:00 AM departure.

I'd be glad of suggestions that allow me to fulfill all five of those objectives! I am assuming at this point that we will head east out of Knoxville on I-40 and end up on US-15 in Williamsport, PA for the home stretch.

1995hoo

#15
Regarding Blackwater Falls, that's near Davis and Corridor H. If you've never been on Corridor H, I recommend that road to I-81 as part of your trip home. Scenic road, not much traffic, great condition. Four-lane expressway-grade with a 65-mph speed limit until you reach Wardensville. From there to I-81 is a two-lane road, but it shouldn't slow you down much.

Admittedly this conflicts with your county-clinching goal because you've been all along I-81, so it'd be a question of which interests you more (new roads or new counties).

Edited to add: An alternative that would allow county-clinching is US-220 up through Cumberland to Bedford, then I-99 if you like. Not as nice a road as Corridor H in my opinion.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

webny99

Quote from: 1995hoo on May 02, 2019, 03:07:09 PM
Regarding Blackwater Falls, that's near Davis and Corridor H. If you've never been on Corridor H, I recommend that road to I-81 as part of your trip home. Scenic road, not much traffic, great condition. Four-lane expressway-grade with a 65-mph speed limit until you reach Wardensville. From there to I-81 is a two-lane road, but it shouldn't slow you down much.

Admittedly this conflicts with your county-clinching goal because you've been all along I-81, so it'd be a question of which interests you more (new roads or new counties).

I haven't been on Corridor H, and it does look to be a really high quality road. If I was headed for Syracuse, I would definitely do it, but Rochester is enough further west that I think it may add too much time/mileage. I am, however, thinking about a different section of Corridor H: from I-79 to Kerens, prior to reaching Blackwater Falls. US 219 (Seneca Trail) from I-64 to Blackwater Falls is another potential option; a 150-mile slog on two-lane highway doesn't exactly appeal to me on its own, but it depends how much scenery there is to be seen.


Quote from: 1995hoo on May 02, 2019, 03:07:09 PM
An alternative that would allow county-clinching is US-220 up through Cumberland to Bedford, then I-99 if you like. Not as nice a road as Corridor H in my opinion.

That is what Google recommends, and thus what I was tentatively thinking of. It all depends what else we end up doing earlier on the trip and how soon we can reach Blackwater Falls. If it's dusk or dark by the time we leave there, I'll probably want to default to the fastest route, while if it's still light out, additional scenic options may be on the table.

1995hoo

If it's late, consider also that the more heavily wooded roads will pose potential deer issues.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

hbelkins

US 219 is torturous from Lewisburg to the WV 15 intersection.

If you do choose to use Corridor H east from I-79, it's six of one, half-dozen of the other, if you choose to use US 48/219, or US 33/WV 32, traveling out of Elkins. Mileage and travel times are close to the same, and there's some decent scenery to be had along US 33, not to mention the infamous "racetrack" section of what was intended to be Corridor H east of Elkins.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Rothman

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

webny99

Quote from: hbelkins on May 03, 2019, 12:06:06 PM
US 219 is torturous from Lewisburg to the WV 15 intersection.

Torturous (characterized by, involving, or causing excruciating pain or suffering) or tortuous (full of twists and turns, excessively lengthy and complex)? Or maybe both?  :)

hbelkins

Quote from: webny99 on May 03, 2019, 12:33:59 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on May 03, 2019, 12:06:06 PM
US 219 is torturous from Lewisburg to the WV 15 intersection.

Torturous (characterized by, involving, or causing excruciating pain or suffering) or tortuous (full of twists and turns, excessively lengthy and complex)? Or maybe both?  :)

With the R. I found it pure torture to drive.

Quote from: Rothman on May 03, 2019, 12:09:55 PM
Racetrack?

Local nickname for that short four-lane portion of US 33 east of Elkins.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

1995hoo

Quote from: webny99 on May 03, 2019, 12:33:59 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on May 03, 2019, 12:06:06 PM
US 219 is torturous from Lewisburg to the WV 15 intersection.

Torturous (characterized by, involving, or causing excruciating pain or suffering) or tortuous (full of twists and turns, excessively lengthy and complex)? Or maybe both?  :)

Or even tortious, depending on the other drivers one encounters en route! (I had a former colleague who seemed to have a mental block in that he invariably used "tortuous" when he meant to use "tortious.")

BTW, webny99, another thing you might consider in the area of Blackwater Falls is whether you want to drive past Seneca Rocks. It's scenic, and the descent down to the intersection near there can be a fun drive, but it would be a little out of your way. There's also the possibility of getting stuck behind glacially slow trucks heading up the mountain on the way over, though you'd pass them all at the mandatory truck pull-off at the top and then on the fun descent.

Following up a bit more on my prior comments about options, US-220 from Cumberland up to Bedford is a two-lane road, but it's a pretty good two-lane road and in my experience it usually moves pretty well. I haven't been on I-99 north of there since the Interstate designation was applied (last trip up that route north of Bedford was on a school trip in 1989, so those memories are not too useful at this point!). I don't remember US-220 from US-50 up to Cumberland at all. I was on it as a passenger in August 1992 going home from the Canaan Valley (no Corridor H back then), but I just don't remember it other than that it was considerably faster than going via US-219 up past Deep Creek Lake, which is how we had gone on the way out.

For purposes of getting over to Blackwater Falls, we used the western segment of Corridor H on the way home from Dayton back in 2012. Good road. Busier than the eastern part of Corridor H, but still a good road. Ms1995hoo had never been past Seneca Rocks, so we used the racetrack to head over there from Elkins and then we turned north up to the eastern part of Corridor H. I'm missing the part of US-219 from Elkins to Parsons. Last time I was in that area we were coming back from Canton and I took a different route through Philippi to visit the covered bridge. I might suggest going there because it's the last covered bridge on the US Highway System, but your concern about time makes me think you should skip it because I think Blackwater Falls would be more worthwhile, at least if the weather is good.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

hbelkins

There's been a truck lane added to US 33 east of the four-lane "racetrack" segment, which makes climbing the first mountain easier. There are also, if I remember correctly, some truck turnouts for slower-moving trucks along some of the other hills. From Seneca Rocks, WV 28/WV 55 is not a bad drive at all over to Petersburg, where it picks up US 220 on to Moorefield.

US 220 from US 50 through Keyser and into Maryland isn't a bad road, but a number of towns can slow you down, especially as you get closer to Cumberland.

There's always the new section of US 219 south of Somerset that opened a few months ago. It's only a few miles from I-68 to the beginning of that segment.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

webny99

Thanks again all for the suggestions - got back last night from a great trip!
I didn't get quite as many new counties as I'd hoped, mostly because we ran short on time and had to cut Blackwater Falls. I was pretty disappointed not to get any new counties in West Virginia. We did, however, do most of Virginia's Skyline Drive - it was fairly cloudy/foggy in the AM but had largely cleared up by the afternoon, so we got a few good views near the northern end, and I got four new VA counties (plus the city of Waynesboro). Getting to see the progress on the CSVT up in PA didn't quite compensate for missing Blackwater Falls, but hey, there's always next time :)

My final count of new counties from the trip is 28: Ohio (15), Kentucky (3), Tennessee (5), and Virginia (5).
So I think it's safe to say Ohio was the focus of my county clinching! My updated map can be found here.



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