I don't post full trip reports here very often, but I had a rare opportunity for a short solo road trip earlier this week and decided to take the chance to clinch some roads in western Monroe, Genesee, and — you guessed it — Orleans County!
I added mileage on 11 NY state routes and clinched NY 262, NY 272, NY 279 and NY 387 (plus an attempted clinch of NY 237 - more on that later).
I started from Webster in the late morning and took NY 104 to Lake Ave to the Lake Ontario State Pkwy (LOSP) to the NY 98 exit. The parkway was a spectacular drive as always — sunny skies, light traffic, and little enforcement, so I had the cruise at 74 mph and sped up to 80 or so as I felt comfortable doing so. Google said 32.5 miles/32 minutes from Lake Rd to NY 98 and I clocked it at just over 26 minutes. :nod:
Then the clinching fun began, as I took NY 98 south to NY 18 (had planned to take CR 55, but the bridge over Oak Orchard Creek appears to no longer exist!?). From NY 18, I took the mostly-unsigned NY 279 south to NY 98. The "five points (https://goo.gl/maps/ysnrVDJFzYmUmYT8A)" junction of NY 279 and NY 98 is rather odd — NY 279 SB doesn't have to stop despite approaching at an angle, but NY 98 SB does have to stop.
My initial impression of Albion: bigger and busier than I was expecting (roast me if you must)! Stopped at Dunkin just past noon and then continued south on NY 98 to Elba. NY 98 between Albion and Elba quickly rocketed to "favorite" status for me — busy, with plenty of truck traffic, but also straight with great sight lines and ample passing opportunities. Picked up the tiny segment of NY 262 that I was missing in Elba, then headed west to Oakfield to complete a clinch of NY 262.
From there, the trip into Batavia on NY 63 was quite slow as I was following a whole string of traffic. Traffic didn't get any better from there — the NY 5/63 overlap is a Pennsylvania-esque slog with tons of traffic, trucks, and poorly timed signals. I followed NY 5 west from Batavia which was slow on the NY 33 overlap but opens up quickly after that. I was impressed by the long four-lane stretch — rare for NY — which extends all the way to Prole Rd.
I then headed north on NY 237 with the intention of clinching the whole thing in one shot. It's not a bad road, but seemed much slower than NY 98, with a number of curves, hamlets, and speed zones. It was also starting to cloud over and I needed to use the restroom, so that may have affected my enjoyment of the route.
After a restroom stop in Clarendon, I reached the junction with NY 31 in Holley where my plan to clinch NY 237 derailed due to a the bridge over the Erie Canal being closed. So I took the one-lane East Ave bridge instead, then Hurd Rd and Telegraph Rd back to NY 237. I didn't go right up to the closure on either end, nor did I follow the signed detour (at least right then — I actually used most of it later), so I'll have to come back and clinch that segment when the bridge reopens.
Back on track, I found that the northern section of NY 237 was also slow, especially through Kendall, and seemed like most of it had a 45 mph limit. Then just when it started to open up, the LOSP entrance appeared seemingly out of nowhere (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3619318,-78.0359699,3a,48.9y,11.1h,83.18t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqmurdKBk-5zkogPEkqhNcQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192). I took the LOSP east for 2 miles to NY 272 (County Line Rd) and headed south for a clinch of NY 272. There's a very strange one-lane segment here (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.2728133,-77.9961404,3a,29.6y,181.37h,84.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTMhNWLKhEo_vFvv1rk00Rw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) — never seen anything quite like it and couldn't find any information online. Based on Street View it seems to have appeared since 2015. It looks permanent given the signage, but perhaps it's "temporary" until a proper bridge can be built.
Upon reaching NY 104, I turned left and headed east to Redman Rd, then south to SUNY Brockport and used campus roads to loop around to NY 31, then headed north/west following NY 31 into Holley. I got a better impression of Holley entering from this direction — it's a good thing NY 31A exists, because NY 31 is very slow and has a series of turns that aren't well suited to truck traffic. Continuing west from Holley, this stretch of NY 31 was part of the NY 237 detour and was very slow as I was second in line behind a dump truck with no good passing opportunities.
I had originally planned to take NY 31 to Albion, then NY 98 north to NY 18, but I was running low on time so I bailed via NY 387, picking up a clinch of that route. Then I took CR 32 up to NY 18 and followed NY 18 back to Hamlin. That exhausted my clinching opportunities, so I just took Google's fastest route back from there (Curtis Rd to NY 261 to the LOSP). Finally when I got closer to home I took the opportunity to stop at Arby's on NY 104 for a late lunch since there aren't any Arby's near me anymore.
All told, I picked up about 96 miles of new highway mileage and clinched four state routes in just under four hours. It was a blast! Hopefully I have the chance for more clinching trips in the near future and if I do, I'll post about them here.
That was a pretty long post, so I'm totally not expecting people to read the whole thing, but... I would definitely appreciate any insight on the below two points from anyone in NY or elsewhere that might know:
Quote from: webny99 on May 19, 2022, 11:20:31 PM
I took NY 98 south [from the LOSP] to NY 18 (had planned to take CR 55, but the bridge over Oak Orchard Creek (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3532533,-78.1923828,3a,49.5y,256.84h,83.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s45ESk5dnjoSMVVvo9E0W3w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) appears to no longer exist!?).
Quote from: webny99 on May 19, 2022, 11:20:31 PM
I took the LOSP east for 2 miles to NY 272 (County Line Rd) and headed south for a clinch of NY 272. There's a very strange one-lane segment here (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.2728133,-77.9961404,3a,29.6y,181.37h,84.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTMhNWLKhEo_vFvv1rk00Rw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) — never seen anything quite like it and couldn't find any information online. Based on Street View it seems to have appeared since 2015. It looks permanent given the signage, but perhaps it's "temporary" until a proper bridge can be built.
Cross-posted from the "Clinching Counties' Highways" thread:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Today I picked up the segments of NY 33A and NY 36 that I was missing and have FINALLY completed Monroe County, NY (my home county). So for the first time in my life I can officially say that I have clinched all highways (Interstate, US, and State) in a county!
I'm not far from completing Wayne County and Ontario County, but after that... I'm out of clinching opportunities within range unless I get the chance for some longer trips. Western Orleans and southern Livingston counties are just too far away to fit within my normal limited time frame for clinching trips.
Quote from: webny99 on May 19, 2022, 11:20:31 PM
I took NY 98 south [from the LOSP] to NY 18 (had planned to take CR 55, but the bridge over Oak Orchard Creek (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3532533,-78.1923828,3a,49.5y,256.84h,83.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s45ESk5dnjoSMVVvo9E0W3w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) appears to no longer exist!?).
It looks like it was closed by June 2019 based on GSV (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3533686,-78.1915884,3a,42.2y,258.36h,85.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scg7CnC1AN0tvvm8JmGzrsQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192). My guess is it failed a bridge inspection and the county didn't want to pay to replace it since the NY 18 and NY 98 bridges are only a short detour.
Quote from: webny99 on May 19, 2022, 11:20:31 PM
I took the LOSP east for 2 miles to NY 272 (County Line Rd) and headed south for a clinch of NY 272. There's a very strange one-lane segment here (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.2728133,-77.9961404,3a,29.6y,181.37h,84.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTMhNWLKhEo_vFvv1rk00Rw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) — never seen anything quite like it and couldn't find any information online. Based on Street View it seems to have appeared since 2015. It looks permanent given the signage, but perhaps it's "temporary" until a proper bridge can be built.
In this GSV (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.2721338,-77.9961604,3a,42.8y,329.97h,72.7t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTkOf1qN1nn0mz0fr9rgkMw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192), it looks like the shoulder is deteriorating. I'm guessing this is the cheap and easy solution to keep traffic away from the shoulders. I'm surprised something like this would be there for seven years, but I guess if traffic counts are low enough, it might work okay.
Quote from: 7/8 on May 25, 2022, 10:59:25 AM
Quote from: webny99 on May 19, 2022, 11:20:31 PM
I took NY 98 south [from the LOSP] to NY 18 (had planned to take CR 55, but the bridge over Oak Orchard Creek (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3532533,-78.1923828,3a,49.5y,256.84h,83.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s45ESk5dnjoSMVVvo9E0W3w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) appears to no longer exist!?).
It looks like it was closed by June 2019 based on GSV (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3533686,-78.1915884,3a,42.2y,258.36h,85.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scg7CnC1AN0tvvm8JmGzrsQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192). My guess is it failed a bridge inspection and the county didn't want to pay to replace it since the NY 18 and NY 98 bridges are only a short detour.
It makes sense in that respect - I was just surprised because it still shows as a through road on Google Maps, with no indication of a closure.
Quote from: 7/8 on May 25, 2022, 10:59:25 AM
I'm surprised something like this would be there for seven years, but I guess if traffic counts are low enough, it might work okay.
Traffic counts are very low on NY 272 even by rural NY standards. The 2019 AADT on that segment was only 636, and I only saw a few cars along the entire length of NY 272. It looks like what's needed is a culvert, which might eventually be built, but is probably low on on NYSDOT's priority list.
Quote from: webny99 on May 26, 2022, 01:17:37 PM
Quote from: 7/8 on May 25, 2022, 10:59:25 AM
I'm surprised something like this would be there for seven years, but I guess if traffic counts are low enough, it might work okay.
Traffic counts are very low on NY 272 even by rural NY standards. The 2019 AADT on that segment was only 636. The chances of two cars meeting at that point are really pretty minimal; I only saw a few cars along the entire length of NY 272. It looks like what's needed is a culvert, which might eventually be built, but is probably low on on NYSDOT's priority list.
Yeah, I'm sure there are much more pressing issues in the area if I had to guess, unless the road in question is on failure watch.
Quote from: webny99 on May 25, 2022, 10:26:30 AM
Today I picked up the segments of NY 33A and NY 36 that I was missing and have FINALLY completed Monroe County, NY (my home county). So for the first time in my life I can officially say that I have clinched all highways (Interstate, US, and State) in a county!
I'm not far from completing Wayne County and Ontario County ...
I was able to add a second county to my list today, as I picked up the remaining segments of NY 89 and NY 370 that I needed to complete Wayne County.
A short trip summary: From the Rochester area I headed east on NY 104 to NY 89. It rained off and on for a while (I could tell I was traveling east at about the same speed as the storm) but it cleared up nicely as I took NY 89 south to Savannah. From there I continued on NY 31 east to Port Byron, then took NY 38 straight north all the way to its terminus at NY 104A. Turned right for a short hop on NY 104A east, then took NY 3 east into Hannibal. After a quick stop and a short backtrack on NY 104, I took NY 34 south to Cato. Upon reaching NY 370, I turned right and took that route back to NY 104, picking up the segment that I was missing between Rochester and Syracuse, and officially completing all NY state highways in Wayne County. Overall, I picked up new segments of six NY state routes and logged 61.5 miles of new highway mileage in just under three hours.
NY 89 was an enjoyable drive and might be my pick for favorite N/S route in Wayne County (certainly on the state highway system, but Maple St Rd/Geneva Rd north of Lyons is a great drive as well). Also of note: I fueled up as I left town and paid $4.99/gal. My purchase was capped at $75.00 and fortunately that was all I needed for my 15-gallon tank, but I guess anyone with a bigger tank would have had to run a second transaction. I also noticed as I drove down NY 104 that my range kept increasing as I went - it was at 391 miles initially, but slowly kept climbing and was at 404 miles by the time I exited NY 104 in Wolcott. I guess I should thank the slow cars I was following for keeping my speed at 55-60 mph and helping conserve valuable gas! :D
After several unsuccessful plans and tries, I finally got a chance to get down to Ontario County today and pick up the remaining segments of NY 14A and NY 245 that I needed to complete a clinch of all highways in that county. The trip went about as well as possible considering I was trying to make up time as much as I could, and clocked in at just over 2 hours and around 120 miles, plus a stop that brought it to right on 2.5 hours.
And now that I've completed three counties, I've updated my mob-rule legend to replace "Home" (formerly just Monroe County) with "Clinched All Highways": https://mob-rule.com/user-gifs/USA/webny99.gif
As I mentioned in some of the clinching highways threads, I just got back from a mini-road trip in which I clinched NY 408, NY 371, and NY 15, drove and clinched NY 70, and most importantly, clinched I-86 in New York! I may post more details later but a few quick thoughts...
-NY 70 skyrocketing on my list of favorite state routes. Peaceful, scenic, high quality road, A+ overall.
-I discovered NY 961F, a rare signed reference route in NY. Didn't have time to check it out, but it's not loggable in TM anyways. :D
-I-86 between NY 36 and I-390 is a great road. Light traffic even by I-86 standards and a wide, mostly open median, and as I found out, a lot less crosswind than I-390, at least today, anyways.
-IMO NY 15A is a better I-390 alternate than NY 15. The latter isn't bad, but it's got a long ascent coming out of Springwater, a few speed zones, and lots of curves, many of them slight but still not great sightlines nor passing opportunities compared to 15A.
Took another mini-road trip today on rather short notice and was able to get the remaining segments of US 20A, NY 36, and NY 63 that I needed to complete Livingston County. That included a re-clinch of NY 36 south of Mount Morris, which was again a SLOG. That might be the most truck-trafficked town in the entire state. I barely hit 55 mph between Mount Morris and I-390, and it was a huge relief when 90% of the traffic got on I-390 SB.
I enjoyed this panoramic vista (https://goo.gl/maps/9MDZab9k8S2jQocx7) on US 20A, encountered some paving work on NY 63 that fortunately didn't lead to much of a delay, and then took the "fuel efficient" route via various county and local routes back to I-390 exit 8. Not too much else to note seeing as I've been to Dansville many times before and just needed the segments of NY 36 and NY 63 between there and Groveland.
Quote from: webny99 on August 19, 2022, 03:36:02 PM
That included a re-clinch of NY 36 south of Mount Morris, which was again a SLOG. That might be the most truck-trafficked town in the entire state. I barely hit 55 mph between Mount Morris and I-390, and it was a huge relief when 90% of the traffic got on I-390 SB.
Makes sense since it is part of the fastest route between much of southeast NY and Buffalo, though US-20A in Warsaw says hi.
Quote from: cockroachking on August 19, 2022, 03:45:58 PM
Quote from: webny99 on August 19, 2022, 03:36:02 PM
That included a re-clinch of NY 36 south of Mount Morris, which was again a SLOG. That might be the most truck-trafficked town in the entire state. I barely hit 55 mph between Mount Morris and I-390, and it was a huge relief when 90% of the traffic got on I-390 SB.
Makes sense since it is part of the fastest route between much of southeast NY and Buffalo, though US-20A in Warsaw says hi.
Although trucks are banned on US 20A in Warsaw, so most truck traffic uses NY 36 to NY 63.
Quote from: webny99 on May 25, 2022, 10:26:30 AM
Today I picked up the segments of NY 33A and NY 36 that I was missing and have FINALLY completed Monroe County, NY (my home county). So for the first time in my life I can officially say that I have clinched all highways (Interstate, US, and State) in a county!
Since this post, I had called into question whether I had used part of NY 33 in North Chili. I went to an event at Roberts Wesleyan College several years ago and remember using NY 33 between there and I-490, but realized I could not say with 100% certainty whether I had been between Westside Dr. and NY 259. I had some time to address that today and picked up a full re-clinch between I-490 and NY 259, so now there's no doubt as to my completion of Monroe County.. at least until I drag up something else to nitpick. :)
Seneca County, complete!
I took a short trip today and was able to pick up the segments of NY 414, NY 336, and NY 96A that I was missing, including a clinch of the latter two routes, to complete Seneca County. The trip was just under 3 hours and highlights included several horse and buggy sightings and some spectacular views of Seneca Lake along NY 414, especially south of Lodi. I would have loved to continue all the way to Watkins Glen, but didn't have the time and turned around when I reached the county line.
I find it remarkable that I somehow completed Seneca County before Yates County, which is not only much closer, but I've spent considerably more time there. The southern part of Yates County is just far enough away that it's a challenge to pick up mileage by happenchance (I guess there's a reason it's one of the least visited counties (https://mob-rule.com/view/USA/NY/all) in NY!) but it is definitely in the plans to get down there and finish off NY 230 and NY 14A.
Quote from: webny99 on August 26, 2022, 04:04:32 PM
Seneca County, complete!
I took a short trip today and was able to pick up the segments of NY 414, NY 336, and NY 96A that I was missing, including a clinch of the latter two routes, to complete Seneca County. The trip was just under 3 hours and highlights included several horse and buggy sightings and some spectacular views of Seneca Lake along NY 414, especially south of Lodi. I would have loved to continue all the way to Watkins Glen, but didn't have the time and turned around when I reached the county line.
I find it remarkable that I somehow completed Seneca County before Yates County, which is not only much closer, but I've spent considerably more time there. The southern part of Yates County is just far enough away that it's a challenge to pick up mileage by happenchance (I guess there's a reason it's one of the least visited counties (https://mob-rule.com/view/USA/NY/all) in NY!) but it is definitely in the plans to get down there and finish off NY 230 and NY 14A.
I've had several occasions where it was easier to complete a farther county before a closer one. Shape of the county and the complexity of the road network can influence that.
Quote from: NWI_Irish96 on August 26, 2022, 04:21:02 PM
I've had several occasions where it was easier to complete a farther county before a closer one. Shape of the county and the complexity of the road network can influence that.
Yep, that's absolutely the case with Yates County, mostly because the routes I'm missing are in a Y-shape and the fittingly Y-shaped Keuka Lake.
It's official, folks: I've clinched all state highways in the Worst County in New York ™! :sombrero:
That included new mileage on NY 31 and clinches of NY 31E, NY 271, NY 269, and - this is a big one for me - NY 63. More details to follow if/when I get the time to share.
Quote from: webny99 on August 27, 2022, 04:02:03 PM
It's official, folks: I've clinched all state highways in the Worst County in New York ™! :sombrero:
What . . did . . you . .
DO ?!!
I just typed "Orleans County NY" in Google Maps, and my PC immediately shut down. Well, actually, Windows shut down but the tower was still powered on. I had to pull the plug and reboot manually. It has never done that before.
What sort of contract with the devil did you make?
Quote from: kphoger on August 27, 2022, 06:26:54 PM
Quote from: webny99 on August 27, 2022, 04:02:03 PM
It's official, folks: I've clinched all state highways in the Worst County in New York ™! :sombrero:
What . . did . . you . . DO ?!!
I just typed "Orleans County NY" in Google Maps, and my PC immediately shut down. Well, actually, Windows shut down but the tower was still powered on. I had to pull the plug and reboot manually. It has never done that before.
What sort of contract with the devil did you make?
I'll keep that part a secret, but just know that it will cumulate with the Objective Case™. :-D :-D
Genesee County, complete! Unlike the previous two completed counties, this one did not result in any new clinched routes, just about 50 miles of new mileage on US 20, NY 5, NY 33 (:nod:), NY 77, and NY 93. I'm close to clinching NY 77, but I'm still missing the southernmost mile as well as the portion I missed today, so that will have to wait for another time. (Also, I could possibly say I've clinched NY 33, but there's a segment near Buffalo airport that I'm not sure I've driven in entirety, which I'm going to remove from TM until I can get a re-clinch.)
I really enjoyed driving NY 77 through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. It almost reminds me of parts of the Midwest with how open and remote it is, even much more so than NY 63, which takes a straight, tree-lined course through the refuge.
So, I've officially completed my home county (Monroe) and all adjacent counties. That brings me near the end of completing new counties, since only the aforementioned Yates County remains in range anytime soon. Wyoming County would complete NYSDOT Region 4, but it's unfortunately further away than anything else I've completed and not even half complete since my focus has been elsewhere. I do have two trips in mind that would complete everything east of NY 238/NY 19/NY 19A, and then we'll see about anything beyond that.
Whew! Yates County, complete! And that's the last county in easy clinchable range for me, so this will probably be it (https://mob-rule.com/view/USA/NY/webny99) for a long time. I also hit another milestone tonight with the completion of NY 14A: 100 clinched routes in New York state! Also of note: I clinched NY 230, added new mileage on NY 54 and NY 226, and visited Dundee, NY for the first time (it's sort of like Penn Yan-lite!)
So, between completing an 8th county and the 100th route clinch, I guess you could say my two most significant roadgeek accomplishments to date both came tonight. I couldn't be more thankful that I've had the opportunities to do this over the past ~three months, I've thoroughly enjoyed it and it's been greater than I ever could have imagined.
Also, it feels so long ago I had almost forgotten, but NY 104 was a mess heading out of the Rochester area this afternoon. I guess it's to be expected on the Friday before Labor Day, but the section with the stoplights in Ontario was worse than I've ever seen it. I ended up stopping at least 10-12 cars deep for seemingly every light, and in front of me it was two lanes of solid traffic as far as I could see. Even the light at the motorhome park just west of Ontario Center was creating backups, which I've never seen (I can probably count on two hands the number of times I've ever even had to stop for that light!)
Fun fact: if you finish Wyoming County, not only would you finish Region 4, but also the Finger Lakes economic development region and the GTC MPO area.
As for Labor Day, we're forecast to be back to pre-pandemic travel levels, so that makes sense. There's a reason why I refuse to travel on peak travel days for the summer holidays if I have a choice.
Quote from: vdeane on September 02, 2022, 08:58:38 PM
Fun fact: if you finish Wyoming County, not only would you finish Region 4, but also the Finger Lakes economic development region and the GTC MPO area.
Don't give me any ideas. :-P
Sounds like I'll be heading that way this weekend, so there's a chance I'll pick up some mileage then, plus two trips I have in mind to clinch NY 238 and NY 19A/NY 436, and I'll have to assess after that. Obviously I'm in northeastern Monroe County, so southern/western Wyoming County is quite a bit further away than anything I've clinched to date (which has been primarily done in time blocks of ~three hours or less). I'm looking at close to two hours to get to the Arcade/Yorkshire area, and then add in the "traveling salesman problem", and it's going to require several trips of four+ hours. So, never say never, but it's not a top priority for now.
Sit tight and assess?
https://youtu.be/Op_v2PHDn-0?t=88
Seriously, though, it is true that 2-3 hour or less clinching blocks tend to run out of places relatively quick. I think I was up to ~4 hour blocks within a few weeks of moving where I am now and had to go up to 8-9 hour blocks after a year. For trips out of Rochester I was able to stay with 5-6 longer, before ending up with 7 hour blocks to finish up the far western part of the state.
Quote from: vdeane on September 03, 2022, 11:01:31 AM
Seriously, though, it is true that 2-3 hour or less clinching blocks tend to run out of places relatively quick. I think I was up to ~4 hour blocks within a few weeks of moving where I am now and had to go up to 8-9 hour blocks after a year. For trips out of Rochester I was able to stay with 5-6 longer, before ending up with 7 hour blocks to finish up the far western part of the state.
You got that right, and that is exactly why I'm just focusing on getting what I can, when I can, and not necessarily system completion. Although I do have tremendous respect for you for completing NY, and anyone else who has completed a large state highway system, I don't want to become obsessed with it, and so far I've found it enjoyable enough just to steadily add mileage when I can. Speaking of which...
Quote from: webny99 on September 02, 2022, 08:24:28 PM
So, between completing an 8th county and the 100th route clinch, I guess you could say my two most significant roadgeek accomplishments to date both came tonight.
... I realized today that my trip on Friday put me over 5,000 miles logged in active+preview systems in New York, so I guess there's a full trifecta of accomplishments to start off September.
Quote from: webny99 on July 21, 2022, 11:53:34 PM
After several unsuccessful plans and tries, I finally got a chance to get down to Ontario County today and pick up the remaining segments of NY 14A and NY 245 that I needed to complete a clinch of all highways in that county.
Since this post, I had called into question whether I had been on NY 53 all the way to the Ontario/Steuben county line. I've taken NY 53 south out of Naples probably a dozen or more times, but usually to Jerome's fruit farm or Italy Valley Rd, so I wasn't 100% sure how far south I had gone (but I was definitely comfortable with logging the final TM segment in Ontario County).
In any case, I removed any ambiguity this morning as I picked up a full clinch of NY 53 along with some new mileage on NY 415, NY 21, and NY 36, for about 50 new miles total. I also re-clinched a section of NY 36 in Dansville that I wasn't 100% sure on, so I believe that addresses the remaining potential issues in the 8 counties I consider "clinched".
I finished up a few loose ends this weekend, including clinches of NY 176 (one of my most fun clinches to date), NY 238, and NY 436 (amidst mid-morning fog). With the updates, I'm now the 16th TM user to hit 30% on NY state highways.
Something else I found on Friday's clinching trip: a rare white-on-black shield (https://goo.gl/maps/7Kouh8RDS8MMzwGx5) on NY 38. I found the shield to be oddly fitting for this section of NY 38; it's unstriped leaving Auburn and hardly felt like a state route, even having just driven NY 176!
I picked up a few new road segments on a day trip to northern NJ this past week, and fixed a list file error when submitting the updates. I've now surpassed 450 miles in NJ and it has taken its rightful place as my 10th most traveled region, narrowly moving ahead of MA and ME. I say "rightful place" because top-10 seems right to me given the frequency of trips I've taken to NJ (at least a dozen), while I've only been to MA four times and ME just once.
Webny, I'm curious how much travel you've done in Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties. I know they're a bit outside your range, but you must have some mileage there (considering you've clinched Routes 17 & 70). I'm just wondering what else you have there.
I might as well ask about Chautauqua County also.
webny99 is on Travel Mapping, so it's actually possible to see his travels on a map. Looks like those counties are fairly sparse as far as clinches go.
https://travelmapping.net/user/mapview.php?units=miles&u=webny99&rg=NY
Yep, I've been to Holiday Valley (not skiing though), Rock City twice, and Allegany State Park a handful of times, and managed to pick up all of I-86, US 219 in NY, and NY 280 on various trips to/from PA/OH, but other than that my travels in those counties are a bit sparse. I've also been to Wiscoy Falls, just off of NY 19A south of Letchworth (home of this infamous sign combo (https://goo.gl/maps/er1t9ZwZKgF39D5G9)), and I clinched NY 70 this summer which happens to form part of the radius of the area I've clinched.
As for Chautauqua County, I've been through on the Thruway many times, I-86 at least once that I can remember, and Point Gratiot Park in Dunkirk.
Quote from: vdeane on November 28, 2022, 09:08:31 PM
webny99 is on Travel Mapping, so it's actually possible to see his travels on a map. Looks like those counties are fairly sparse as far as clinches go.
https://travelmapping.net/user/mapview.php?units=miles&u=webny99&rg=NY
Thanks! I've heard of this service but never used it myself.
Quote from: webny99 on November 28, 2022, 10:06:01 PM
Yep, I've been to Holiday Valley (not skiing though), Rock City twice, and Allegany State Park a handful of times, and managed to pick up all of I-86, US 219 in NY, and NY 280 on various trips to/from PA/OH, but other than that my travels in those counties are a bit sparse. I've also been to Wiscoy Falls, just off of NY 19A south of Letchworth (home of this infamous sign combo (https://goo.gl/maps/er1t9ZwZKgF39D5G9)), and I clinched NY 70 this summer which happens to form part of the radius of the area I've clinched.
As for Chautauqua County, I've been through on the Thruway many times, I-86 at least once that I can remember, and Point Gratiot Park in Dunkirk.
Well, if you ever are out this way again, I have some ideas for easy clinches.
NY 241 is a very short connector from Randolph to US 62 in the Town of Conewango. The route is quite curvy.
NY 446 spans Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties but is overall very short. It connects Hinsdale to Cuba, paralleling Route 17 its entire length.
I see you have visited Cuba on Route 305. The line stops right in Downtown; were you visiting the Cheese Factory by any chance?
Quote from: kirbykart on November 29, 2022, 09:19:51 AM
I see you have visited Cuba on Route 305. The line stops right in Downtown; were you visiting the Cheese Factory by any chance?
The way Travel Mapping works, you have to choose from pre-determined waypoints when logging your travels. I know I've been on that segment of NY 305 because I made a travel stop at that exit for fuel and I believe also McDonalds. I don't think I went quite as far as NY 446 in downtown Cuba, but the cheese factory looks worth checking out, and it would make sense as a pairing with a clinch of NY 446. :)
NY 244 is also on my radar as a potential clinch.
^Is that the one that goes from Belmont to Alfred? That's also a pretty short and easy clinch.
Another one I should have brought up is NY 322. A short connector between NY 83 and US 62 that runs through South Dayton.
Quote from: kirbykart on November 30, 2022, 09:26:54 AM
^Is that the one that goes from Belmont to Alfred? That's also a pretty short and easy clinch.
Yes, and also NY 243 which runs 11 miles between NY 98 and NY 19 at Caneadea.
Quote from: kirbykart on November 30, 2022, 09:26:54 AM
Another one I should have brought up is NY 322. A short connector between NY 83 and US 62 that runs through South Dayton.
Yes, although that is further away for me. If I do get the chance for more clinching trips, I'm likely to focus east of US 219 first. Finishing Wyoming County is also a long-term priority (as vdeane and I discussed upthread).
^Yeah, I'm just throwing ideas out there. Well, NY 275 is another short-ish connector you could do (Friendship to Bolivar). In Wyoming County, there's the incredibly short NY 362, with a one-lane section I believe was originally a railroad underpass. And don't forget NY 248 and NY 248A, which can also be used to get Potter County as I stated in another thread. All this will probably end up taking multiple trips.
I see on Travel Mapping you have gotten NY 39 down to NY 436 past Castile. A great longer road to finish up would be NY 39. It's quite a scenic road, I know this from experience as I've been on all of it except for the part north of Geneseo. As you head west you will see beautiful rolling hills and farmlands throughout Wyoming and Livingston Counties, then go through the neat village of Springville in Erie County. Later on, after traversing more hills in the Zoar Valley region, you will approach Gowanda, an interesting little village spanning two counties. From there you ascend out of the creek valley and see northwestern Cattaraugus County. As you reach Chautauqua County, you will descend a long hill into Forestville, a tiny village with a weird median setup. Climbing out of the village you will start to see some vineyards, before ending at US 20.
While you're in Chautauqua County, you may as well check out the county touring routes. They are kept to quite a high state of quality, about as good as a New York State Route. They are numerous and extensively cover the county, and you might get some really neat views, such as when I once saw the Buffalo skyline from CR 93.
Yes, NY 39 is a route I would like to clinch along with NY 19, NY 36, and especially NY 98 (seeing as I have most of the northern portions of those routes). Obviously TM does not track county routes, so I don't usually make special effort to clinch them, but one that I would like to drive is Allegany CR 15 between Nunda and Angelica. It's part of an alternate route to I-86 recommended by Google Maps that I've never taken before, but would like to if I get the chance.
I've also seen Buffalo skyline views from US 219, and from NY 77 which I think was my favorite because it was so unexpected. I was almost giddy when it appeared on the horizon and I could tell it was Buffalo, even from 25 miles away. It wasn't quite as good as seeing the Rochester skyline from 32 miles away south of Honeoye Lake, but it was close!
I took my first true clinching trip of 2023 this morning. I was able to get an early start and enjoy the sunrise as I headed east on a very cold but clear morning after a little bit of snow yesterday. My trip took me east via NY 31 to the edge of the Syracuse area, where I finally drove the section of NY 31 that runs right along the Thruway, finished up NY 31 west of NY 690, clinched NY 690, and then took NY 48 south through Baldwinsville to its southern terminus. I was going to head into Syracuse to grab some more clinches, but time constraints dictated otherwise, so I turned back north for a full re-clinch of NY 690, then took NY 48 to Fulton, crossed the river and took NY 481 into Oswego, then crossed back and took NY 48 south to Fulton to complete the clinch. From there it was just NY 3 and NY 104 back to Rochester, but by that time the sun was shining brilliantly on the fresh snow, and NY 104 was a breeze compared to the slog that is NY 31.
New travels: NY 31, NY 481, NY 631
New clinches: NY 48, NY 690
In the meantime I had also submitted my 2022 travels to Travel Mapping, a summary of which is shown below:
(https://imgur.com/OImn1hQ.jpg)
I was really hoping to hit 2,000 new miles on the year (or really since March, when I first started using TM), but fell a bit short of that with 1,931 new miles logged in 2022 across 9 states and 1 province. The majority of that mileage was in New York, and the majority of that was on the clinching trips that I've summarized in this thread. I have now added over 70 miles so far in 2023, so it's safe to say I've added 2000 miles in my first "year" using TM. Doesn't sound like much, but I've really enjoyed it and don't take it for granted in the least.
For 2023, I'm setting my sights on getting to 20,000 total miles in active systems by the end of the year. Yesterday's total puts me around 18,780, so another 1,220 will do it. It's too early to say how/when that might happen but I'm hoping it will be achievable one way or another.
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:37:11 AM
For 2023, I'm setting my sights on getting to 20,000 total miles in active systems by the end of the year. Yesterday's total puts me around 18,780, so another 1,220 will do it. It's too early to say how/when that might happen but I'm hoping it will be achievable one way or another.
Well, finally. I can check 20,000 miles off the bucket list, as last weekend's updates put me at 20,111 in active and 20,178 in active+preview.
The estimated 1330 miles added since February break down roughly as follows:
NY: 435
MN: 240
PA: 100
VT: 60
WI: 15
ON: 470
QC: 10
I've really poured it on in ON this year, with a pair of trips netting over 150 miles each, and finally taking ON 401 across the top of Lake Ontario to complete a circuit of the lake, and connect my travels in the Golden Horseshoe with my travels in the Thousand Islands. With these updates, I've cracked 1300 miles in Ontario, good for top-15 in mileage and clinched routes, and top-10 in traveled routes - all higher than my rankings in NY!
Quote from: webny99 on October 17, 2023, 01:39:49 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 19, 2023, 10:37:11 AM
For 2023, I'm setting my sights on getting to 20,000 total miles in active systems by the end of the year. Yesterday's total puts me around 18,780, so another 1,220 will do it. It's too early to say how/when that might happen but I'm hoping it will be achievable one way or another.
Well, finally. I can check 20,000 miles off the bucket list, as last weekend's updates put me at 20,111 in active and 20,178 in active+preview.
The estimated 1330 miles added since February break down roughly as follows:
NY: 435
MN: 240
PA: 100
VT: 60
WI: 15
ON: 470
QC: 10
I've really poured it on in ON this year, with a pair of trips netting over 150 miles each, and finally taking ON 401 across the top of Lake Ontario to complete a circuit of the lake, and connect my travels in the Golden Horseshoe with my travels in the Thousand Islands. With these updates, I've cracked 1300 miles, good for top-15 in mileage and clinched routes, and top-10 in traveled routes - all higher than my rankings in NY!
I'm over 50,000 but you're 25 years younger so you should have no problem matching that if you desire.
Quote from: NWI_Irish96 on October 18, 2023, 10:32:57 AM
I'm over 50,000 but you're 25 years younger so you should have no problem matching that if you desire.
That would be great, but is just too far off to think about in the short term.
I've enjoyed just setting smaller goals that fall into one of three general categories:
- Adding traveled and clinched routes in a specific region (mostly NY, but elsewhere as trips allow)
- Clinching all highways in a county (only NY so far)
- Reaching TM benchmarks (some examples include: 80% on NY interstates (achieved), 6000 logged miles in NY (not achieved), clinch 1/3 of NY state highway system (just achieved), surpass Oscar to reach 17th in mileage in NY :D (just achieved), reach 16th in traveled and clinched routes in NY (achieved for traveled routes, but not for clinched routes))
As of right now I have clinched all highways in eight counties, and have four additional counties on the long-term radar for possible completion (Cayuga, Niagara, Wyoming, and Schuyler) which could each be done with pair of ~4 hour trips or a single ~6 hour trip. I also have Potter County, PA, my nearest unvisited county, on the radar for a possible first-time visit which would require one ~4.5 hour trip.
Quote from: webny99 on October 17, 2023, 01:39:49 PM
Well, finally. I can check 20,000 miles off the bucket list, as last weekend's updates put me at 20,111 in active and 20,178 in active+preview. The estimated 1330 miles added since February break down roughly as follows:
NY: 435
MN: 240
PA: 100
VT: 60
WI: 15
ON: 470
QC: 10
Let's see how accurate I was. Here are my final totals for mileage added in 2023.
(https://imgur.com/yijzdez.jpg)
Quote from: webny99 on October 21, 2023, 09:35:50 PM
As of right now I have ... four additional counties on the long-term radar for possible completion (Cayuga, Niagara, Wyoming, and Schuyler) which could each be done with pair of ~4 hour trips or a single ~6 hour trip.
Had a chance to do a bit of clinching in Wyoming County today, but it wasn't one of the full four hour trips I had envisioned. In fact, it wasn't even the full three hour trip I set out to make as I had to cut out the final sections of NY 19 and NY 39 that would have completed everything east of NY 362. Focus on the positive, I added new mileage on NY 19, NY 39, NY 78, and finally clinched NY 19A and NY 362!
What I have left in Wyoming County is now realistically just one 5 hour trip with two "extras" that will have to be clinched as add-ons to that trip or clinched on a mini trip of their own.
Quote from: kirbykart on November 28, 2022, 04:28:00 PM
Webny, I'm curious how much travel you've done in Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties. I know they're a bit outside your range, but you must have some mileage there (considering you've clinched Routes 17 & 70). I'm just wondering what else you have there.
Also may be of interest to
kirbykart that I added some mileage in Allegany County, specifically the U-shaped route formed by NY 19 and NY 19A north of Fillmore. I actually hadn't realized I was in Allegany County until I encountered the Wyoming County sign on NY 19A!
Quote from: webny99 on January 28, 2024, 12:38:30 PM
Quote from: kirbykart on November 28, 2022, 04:28:00 PM
Webny, I'm curious how much travel you've done in Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties. I know they're a bit outside your range, but you must have some mileage there (considering you've clinched Routes 17 & 70). I'm just wondering what else you have there.
Also may be of interest to kirbykart that I added some mileage in Allegany County, specifically the U-shaped route formed by NY 19 and NY 19A north of Fillmore. I actually hadn't realized I was in Allegany County until I encountered the Wyoming County sign on NY 19A!
I actually used that on purpose several years ago when I visited Letchworth S.P. to get Allegany County, and it's still my only visit there. I ended up heading south on NY 19A to Wiscoy Road and using that to head back north. In hindsight I wish I drove down to NY 19 in Fillmore, but it's hard when you have passengers who would rather head home! :-D
Quote from: 7/8 on January 29, 2024, 08:45:30 AM
Quote from: webny99 on January 28, 2024, 12:38:30 PM
Quote from: kirbykart on November 28, 2022, 04:28:00 PM
Webny, I'm curious how much travel you've done in Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties. I know they're a bit outside your range, but you must have some mileage there (considering you've clinched Routes 17 & 70). I'm just wondering what else you have there.
Also may be of interest to kirbykart that I added some mileage in Allegany County, specifically the U-shaped route formed by NY 19 and NY 19A north of Fillmore. I actually hadn't realized I was in Allegany County until I encountered the Wyoming County sign on NY 19A!
I actually used that on purpose several years ago when I visited Letchworth S.P. to get Allegany County, and it's still my only visit there. I ended up heading south on NY 19A to Wiscoy Road and using that to head back north. In hindsight I wish I drove down to NY 19 in Fillmore, but it's hard when you have passengers who would rather head home! :-D
Yup, definitely been there - one has to take what one can get sometimes! Probably a good choice for your passengers sake, as NY 19 between Fillmore and Pike is particularly winding and definitely the type of road that could make someone feel carsick. Wiscoy Falls (home of
this infamous sign combo (https://goo.gl/maps/er1t9ZwZKgF39D5G9)) is also worth checking out, you very well may have driven right by but it is a cool stop if you're in the area in summer/fall.