Roads that weren't what you expected

[KCRoadFan]

I was expecting I-84 in eastern Oregon to be a lot flatter than it actually was. (Also, I expected I-84 in Idaho to be a lot less flat!)

[HighwayStar]

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.
I-95 in Maryland, said it would go to DC, never ended up in DC.
US 20 in Iowa, basically a second interstate though nothing.
I-68 in WV/Maryland, very scenic.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.
I-95 in Maryland, said it would go to DC, never ended up in DC.
US 20 in Iowa, basically a second interstate though nothing.
I-68 in WV/Maryland, very scenic.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7927747,-77.0379453,18z 

[sprjus4]

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.

I guess you missed the signs 

https://goo.gl/maps/thhEGJcogNgVZZUZ6
https://goo.gl/maps/SFH2BSFLjNdQX2mD8
https://goo.gl/maps/AJ4MVRKfE4Z1ofNg8
https://goo.gl/maps/aFWtsjWbKSkN1Q8y6
https://goo.gl/maps/adi4qe9dcCwGWUbCA
https://goo.gl/maps/3La97HYjJp5pUvpd9
https://goo.gl/maps/ZMWEWDGqPAxHhTtY8
https://goo.gl/maps/fgLZagS3wKtuNbgz6

It's quite easy to get to Baltimore following the interstate highway system, and it is well signed.

[HighwayStar]

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.
I-95 in Maryland, said it would go to DC, never ended up in DC.
US 20 in Iowa, basically a second interstate though nothing.
I-68 in WV/Maryland, very scenic.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7927747,-77.0379453,18z 

Hardly what I would call DC, no capital building or white house there.

[kphoger]

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.

I don't believe that happened to you.

no capital building or white house there.

What's a capital building?  Do you mean BUILDING?

[empirestate]

What's a capital building?

It's the principle structure in town.

[jmacswimmer]

I-95 in Maryland, said it would go to DC, never ended up in DC.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7927747,-77.0379453,18z 

Hardly what I would call DC, no capital building or white house there.

Speak for yourself, I can see the Capitol facade and Washington Monument (and I could probably make out the White House if I tried hard enough) from here!

Also, surely you must feel the same way about I-95 in Boston?  For as much as you rant about I-95 hitching a ride on I-495 in DC Central Maryland & Northern Virginia, you've stayed oddly silent about I-95 doing the same with MA 128 in Boston Eastern Massachusetts.

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.

I don't believe that happened to you.

sprjus4 already did a wonderful job explaining upthread, but to add a little more...once you reach I-695, the signs do NOT say I-70 takes you to Baltimore, they say "Security Blvd/Park & Ride" (or, from I-695, "Local Traffic").  So if you truly arrived at the Park & Ride genuinely shocked that the road ended and didn't take you to Downtown Baltimore...well, you can't say the signs didn't warn you!

[noelbotevera]

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.

Whaddya mean it didn't take you to Baltimore?

[Max Rockatansky]

Since I-70 is on everyone's mind I thought Glenwood Canyon and the San Rafael Swell were nice but didn't have the "wow"  factor something like UT 12 had.  Speaking of UT 12, it is beyond my comprehension how that doesn't appear near the top of every list of scenic byways. 

[HighwayStar]

I-95 in Maryland, said it would go to DC, never ended up in DC.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7927747,-77.0379453,18z 

Hardly what I would call DC, no capital building or white house there.

Speak for yourself, I can see the Capitol facade and Washington Monument (and I could probably make out the White House if I tried hard enough) from here!

Also, surely you must feel the same way about I-95 in Boston?  For as much as you rant about I-95 hitching a ride on I-495 in DC Central Maryland & Northern Virginia, you've stayed oddly silent about I-95 doing the same with MA 128 in Boston Eastern Massachusetts.

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.

I don't believe that happened to you.

sprjus4 already did a wonderful job explaining upthread, but to add a little more...once you reach I-695, the signs do NOT say I-70 takes you to Baltimore, they say "Security Blvd/Park & Ride" (or, from I-695, "Local Traffic").  So if you truly arrived at the Park & Ride genuinely shocked that the road ended and didn't take you to Downtown Baltimore...well, you can't say the signs didn't warn you!

I mean sure you can see it in the Google street view picture zoomed in, but when fighting that kind of traffic I don't usually stare out the side window with binoculars.

I-95 in Boston is also a disgrace, but not having lived there I am not as familiar with that case and hence its not usually at the top of my mind.

Those signs say some other road goes to Baltimore, but signs on I-70 before those imply I-70 will go there. The threat is about roads that were not what I expected, I-695 lives up to what I would expect, but that dismal park and ride was not the Baltimore I was promised in Fredrick or Hagerstown.

[1995hoo]

For some reason, I thought Alligator Alley would be more interesting than it is. 

I will agree that the first time I travelled them, Alligator Alley, and the portion of US-41 I've been on in the Everglades (the part between Krome Avenue and Shark Valley), surprised me in terms of the scenery (such as it is) being very different than I expected. I knew the Everglades was a swamp, but I think I mentally envisioned a bayou or other stereotypical Southern swamp with large trees, Spanish moss, etc., whereas the Everglades looks more like scrub as far as the eye can see–in some ways, the Everglades reminds me more of some of semi-tundra places I've visited in Canada (the terrain along the boardwalk portion of the trail to Western Brook Pond being a good example).

[jeffandnicole]

I-95 in Maryland, said it would go to DC, never ended up in DC.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7927747,-77.0379453,18z 

Hardly what I would call DC, no capital building or white house there.

Speak for yourself, I can see the Capitol facade and Washington Monument (and I could probably make out the White House if I tried hard enough) from here!

Also, surely you must feel the same way about I-95 in Boston?  For as much as you rant about I-95 hitching a ride on I-495 in DC Central Maryland & Northern Virginia, you've stayed oddly silent about I-95 doing the same with MA 128 in Boston Eastern Massachusetts.

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.

I don't believe that happened to you.

sprjus4 already did a wonderful job explaining upthread, but to add a little more...once you reach I-695, the signs do NOT say I-70 takes you to Baltimore, they say "Security Blvd/Park & Ride" (or, from I-695, "Local Traffic").  So if you truly arrived at the Park & Ride genuinely shocked that the road ended and didn't take you to Downtown Baltimore...well, you can't say the signs didn't warn you!

I mean sure you can see it in the Google street view picture zoomed in, but when fighting that kind of traffic I don't usually stare out the side window with binoculars.

I-95 in Boston is also a disgrace, but not having lived there I am not as familiar with that case and hence its not usually at the top of my mind.

Those signs say some other road goes to Baltimore, but signs on I-70 before those imply I-70 will go there. The threat is about roads that were not what I expected, I-695 lives up to what I would expect, but that dismal park and ride was not the Baltimore I was promised in Fredrick or Hagerstown.

You need binoculars to see the large overhead sign that says Park and Ride Only?

If you took I-95 North hoping to see the Statue of Liberty because the signs said New York, you'll be very upset.

The cities are nothing more than a way to guide you towards a location.  They aren't promising you anything.

[hbelkins]

If I went by what people on this forum say, I would expect I-80 in Pennsylvania to be a vast expanse of nothing. Actually, I quite enjoy the eastern 3/4ths of it.

I guess I'll be finding out in the next couple of weeks if Going-to-the-Sun Road and the Moki Dugway are all they're cracked up to be, along with US 163 through Monument Valley.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-95 in Maryland, said it would go to DC, never ended up in DC.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7927747,-77.0379453,18z 

Hardly what I would call DC, no capital building or white house there.

Speak for yourself, I can see the Capitol facade and Washington Monument (and I could probably make out the White House if I tried hard enough) from here!

Also, surely you must feel the same way about I-95 in Boston?  For as much as you rant about I-95 hitching a ride on I-495 in DC Central Maryland & Northern Virginia, you've stayed oddly silent about I-95 doing the same with MA 128 in Boston Eastern Massachusetts.

I-70 in Maryland, signs said it would take me to Baltimore, but I ended up in a deserted park and ride in the woods.

I don't believe that happened to you.

sprjus4 already did a wonderful job explaining upthread, but to add a little more...once you reach I-695, the signs do NOT say I-70 takes you to Baltimore, they say "Security Blvd/Park & Ride" (or, from I-695, "Local Traffic").  So if you truly arrived at the Park & Ride genuinely shocked that the road ended and didn't take you to Downtown Baltimore...well, you can't say the signs didn't warn you!

I mean sure you can see it in the Google street view picture zoomed in, but when fighting that kind of traffic I don't usually stare out the side window with binoculars.

I-95 in Boston is also a disgrace, but not having lived there I am not as familiar with that case and hence its not usually at the top of my mind.

Those signs say some other road goes to Baltimore, but signs on I-70 before those imply I-70 will go there. The threat is about roads that were not what I expected, I-695 lives up to what I would expect, but that dismal park and ride was not the Baltimore I was promised in Fredrick or Hagerstown.

We DON'T need to argue this for the 20th time!

[kphoger]

Since I-70 is on everyone's mind I thought Glenwood Canyon and the San Rafael Swell were nice but didn't have the "wow"  factor something like UT 12 had.  Speaking of UT 12, it is beyond my comprehension how that doesn't appear near the top of every list of scenic byways. 

UT-12 is decidedly awesome.  I think it's not at the top of everyone's list simply because they don't know about it.

But Glenwood Canyon?  No wow factor?  Man...

Same highway, different opinion:  I expected everything on I-70 between Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs to be fairly uninteresting, but I was quite pleasantly surprised by the De Beque Canyon scenery.

[Max Rockatansky]

Since I-70 is on everyone's mind I thought Glenwood Canyon and the San Rafael Swell were nice but didn't have the "wow"  factor something like UT 12 had.  Speaking of UT 12, it is beyond my comprehension how that doesn't appear near the top of every list of scenic byways. 

UT-12 is decidedly awesome.  I think it's not at the top of everyone's list simply because they don't know about it.

But Glenwood Canyon?  No wow factor?  Man...

Same highway, different opinion:  I expected everything on I-70 between Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs to be fairly uninteresting, but I was quite pleasantly surprised by the De Beque Canyon scenery.

Regarding Glenwood I think it was just way over hyped in advance of me driving it.  I recall the first time I went through the Virgin River Gorge on I-15 in 2002 I hadn't heard anything about it.  Suffice to say there was quite the surprise witnessing a sudden shift to from the Mojave Desert to a scenic river canyon.  For context when I drove Glenwood Canyon for the first time about a decade later I had heard so much about it from the road community that things just didn't match up the expectation I had in my head.  This was even more pronounced considering by then I had nearly clinched the Arizona State Highway system and had been on most well know State Highway/US Route segments in the Southwest. 

Notably I found I-70 between Green River and Grand Junction to be scenic as well.  The Book Cliffs in particular are interesting to look at. 

[empirestate]

If I went by what people on this forum say, I would expect I-80 in Pennsylvania to be a vast expanse of nothing. Actually, I quite enjoy the eastern 3/4ths of it.

Thing with I-80 is just that as Pennsylvania goes, it's on the humdrum side. Moreover, it's uninspiring compared to other routes within the very same corridor.

[ethanhopkin14]

The first time I was on I-40 and AZ-89A in Flagstaff I was blown away.  Before I visited there I had no idea there was a heavily forested area in Arizona (and logging industry too). 

[Max Rockatansky]

The first time I was on I-40 and AZ-89A in Flagstaff I was blown away.  Before I visited there I had no idea there was a heavily forested area in Arizona (and logging industry too).

Had the same feeling when I cut down I-17 from Flagstaff when I was moving to Phoenix.  I had been to Sedona with my brother before but we didn't go as far as the pine forest on 89A.  The true extent only became apparent when we took AZ 260 a couple weeks later to a campground near Show Low.

[US 89]

Notably I found I-70 between Green River and Grand Junction to be scenic as well.  The Book Cliffs in particular are interesting to look at.

See I disagree with that. I suppose there is some terrain in Colorado west of Grand Jct, but I've always viewed the part of 70 between Green River and the Colorado line to be the most boring interstate in Utah.

Glenwood Canyon and Virgin River Gorge are probably tied for me in terms of most scenic interstate I've ever been on. The San Rafael Swell on 70 isn't far behind.

[Ned Weasel]

I've always been surprised I-95 in Connecticut isn't wider, including the one time I drove a long stretch of it coming from New York.  I guess I expected Connecticut to be "the other New Jersey."

[formulanone]

If I went by what people on this forum say, I would expect I-80 in Pennsylvania to be a vast expanse of nothing. Actually, I quite enjoy the eastern 3/4ths of it.

Thing with I-80 is just that as Pennsylvania goes, it's on the humdrum side. Moreover, it's uninspiring compared to other routes within the very same corridor.

I'm guessing the knock on I-80 in Pennsylvania is that it doesn't directly connect to any major cities.

It has nice views and varied terrain almost all the way around, though unlike Turnpike/I-70 and I-76 it doesn't have any tunnels. Personally I'll trade that, the confining concrete median, tolls, excessive access control for I-80.

[Rothman]

If I went by what people on this forum say, I would expect I-80 in Pennsylvania to be a vast expanse of nothing. Actually, I quite enjoy the eastern 3/4ths of it.

Thing with I-80 is just that as Pennsylvania goes, it's on the humdrum side. Moreover, it's uninspiring compared to other routes within the very same corridor.

I'm guessing the knock on I-80 in Pennsylvania is that it doesn't directly connect to any major cities.

It has nice views and varied terrain almost all the way around, though unlike Turnpike/I-70 and I-76 it doesn't have any tunnels. Personally I'll trade that, the confining concrete median, tolls, excessive access control for I-80.

I don't find I-80 in PA to have varied terrain or having particularly nice views (at least with enough frequency to engage my interest).  The terrain is actually quite unvaired to me: Rolling forested hills that are neverending.

There are duller stretches of interstate out there, but the drive across PA I-80 -- especially I-81 west to Ohio, which I've done a whole lot of times -- is still pretty darn boring.

That said, there are a ton of beautiful drives in PA -- almost too many to list.  That also affects my view of I-80.

[Max Rockatansky]

Notably I found I-70 between Green River and Grand Junction to be scenic as well.  The Book Cliffs in particular are interesting to look at.

See I disagree with that. I suppose there is some terrain in Colorado west of Grand Jct, but I've always viewed the part of 70 between Green River and the Colorado line to be the most boring interstate in Utah.

Glenwood Canyon and Virgin River Gorge are probably tied for me in terms of most scenic interstate I've ever been on. The San Rafael Swell on 70 isn't far behind.

That whole area is amazing in the winter if there has been a big snow (rare occurrence on a large scale).  There is a vista point somewhere near Green River that I stopped at in 2013 that made the whole area feel like it was some sort Hoth-like landscape. 

I agree that those are the big three scenic Interstate segments.  One that I don't think gets talked about enough is I-5 over Tejon Pass.  Grapevine Canyon in particular is pretty neat to see, especially when it's green from rain or snow.