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2018 road trips

Started by Roadgeekteen, October 05, 2017, 10:54:05 AM

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Takumi

Quote from: froggie on August 22, 2018, 06:50:57 AM
Quote-There are, of course, no US 58 postings at either Atlantic or Pacific. The easternmost one is, I believe, on one of the side streets at the roundabout a couple blocks west.

Did you check along 30th and 32nd Streets?
I checked on 30th, yeah, and didn't see anything. I just checked both on Street View and it looks like the first westbound reassurance shield is leaving the roundabout.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.


Naked.Driver

#101
some notes: i never sleep in public accommodations except if i find the place interesting. i therefore sleep in the car in rest areas, truck stops, or on-ramps.
i wash up in rest rooms, or in lakes or streams.
i never wear anything on my feet.
i always check the gasbuddy app for cheapest gas in the area i plan to be in.
i always am looking for new counties or highways while on my travels.
my biggest road trip of the year:
may 14 (start delayed by almost two weeks, forcing me to make a number of cuts to my route), left home and went south on u{s}-65, remaining on that road after 69 splits off and going into mo to slate rd, that to mo-sec-y, to the cemetery where my parents are buried to put flowers on the graves since i knew i would be unable to be there for mem day, and then retraced the route back to 65, going back north to u-136 wb and the day changed en route to bethany.
may 15: after going through a heavy rain, i stopped at a truck stop in bethany and slept until after daylight, then got back on 136 to u-71 nb. i picked up the brs of u-71 and ia-2 at clarinda, then continued wb on ia-2, eventually reaching i-29 which i ran north to i-80 into omaha. i wanted a nebraska map but was unable to find the visitor center so got back on 80 wb. there was a visitor center in sarpy co and i got my map there.
at milford i stopped for a bath in the big blue r. i then returned to i-80 and proceeded to exit 279. along the way, the day changed.
may 16: slept in a truck stop at that exit. then on to i-76, exiting at julesberg, getting a new map of the centennial state, and then hitting u-138 to u-6 and then to u-34, getting a new segment of that road to i-25 and staying on it to u-287 sb to co-52 (new segment of 287) and that east to u-85 nb to wy where it meets i-180, getting a new part of 85. then west on i-80, not sure where i slept but was in a rest area as the day changed.
may 17: moved farther west and eventually hit ut. got all of ut-201 and a bit of ut-154. then on to nv, getting there after dark and picking up the bl at wendover. the day changed and i slept in a rest area.
may 18: across the state after stopping at another rest area for a nap, hitting ca in the evening and sleeping in a parking lot in sacramento.
may 19: got to the bart terminal on university in berkeley, took the train to sf (the embarcadero) and riding bike to pier 35 to pick up my packet for the bare to breakers. then i biked across the city to golden gate park, stashed the bike in the woods so as to be able to ride it after the race, and walked to the bart terminal near ocean st. i then returned to berkeley, got the car, brought it into sf, parked near the beginning of the race, walked around a bit, and returned to the car as the day changed.
may 20: painted my feet bare-to-breakers yellow, ran/walked the race, getting a time of almost two hours(!) due to fatigue and all the driving. hung out at the end for an hour, then found the bike and rode back to the car. slept in the evening.
may 21: back to berkeley. checked out a place i wanted to visit but was too tired so stayed in the car, then drove to san jose, picking up ca-13 in the process. then to the bart at millbrae and back to sf. checked out another place, then left at night and took bart back after getting lost on the bike.
may 22: slept in the car in the bart parking lot, then tried to get back to sf to find a free t-shirt for a friend, but the place closed too early so i left and returned to sacramento where i spent another night.
may 23: spent a fair amount of the day in sacto, then headed out. my goal was to get all the rest of i-5 and ca-99 i needed north of there.
may 24: nothing much, driving and gaining roads, but had to sleep more than i had planned.
may 25: reached oregon just as the day changed.
may 26: intense fog as i went into or. proceeded north on i-5 to u-20 and east on that as the day changed.
may 27: slept in parking lot at bend (20 from i-5 to there was new). then went to church. crossed state on 20 (completing that in or). day changed.
may 28: slept in rest area near brothers. into idaho. back and forth a few times between the two states getting highways (or-201, a piece of i-84, and u-26). the last road provided my path back across the state, and i gained wheeler county (first new county of the trip!). i entered crook co and the day changed.
may 29: spent the night in a rest area near sandy. then got jefferson county. stayed on 26 to i-205, completing 26. south to i-5 and marion co, which was the last one i needed, but the day changed before i drove out of it.
may 30: toured state capitol building after a fiasco trying to find cheap gas according to gasbuddy only to find the station no longer in operation! the trip was not entirely wasted as i got a bath in the farmhill river and picked up the rest of or-22 and some of or-18. the day changed as i went back to bend and slept in the parking lot again.
may 31: i spent the day gaining u-97 and 197 (completing that) before going into wa. there, i drove in yakima co, then kittitas as the day changed.
june 01: slept in a rest area, not sure where. got on some state roads eventually ending on wa-240 and coming back to u-97 (now that highway was done) on i-82. where that highway ends at i-90 (i now had all of 82), i went into idaho, spending the night at the rest area at post falls.
june 02: south on u-95 to lewiston after nap on city street in moscow (picking up benewah and latah counties and giving me all of u-95 n from las vegas), going into wa on u-12 and picking up u-195 spur, wa-128 and id-128 and spur, and wa-129 spur. then east on 12 (getting clearwater co) as the day changed near the mt line.
june 03: got to i-90, slept at rest area, took that into butte. church, then south on i-15 to gain a piece of that, back to id. clark, jefferson, and bonneville counties were conquered. i was too tired to find a rest area so stopped on a ramp off the interstate.
june 04: bingham co (i-15), and madison and fremont (u-20) were my acquisitions before exiting into yellowstone park (park co, wy), where i got to see old faithful erupt for the first time since i was six years old! out the south gate (u-189/191 i believe that road is) through teton np and teton co, wy to u-26 and back to the gem state. i reached id-33 and the day changed.
june 05: teton county. back to wy, where the highway becomes wy-22. i returned to 89/189 (i believe those are the two there) to evanston, east on i-80 to u-191 nb and that to sublette co. another piece of u-26 got me back to u-89 which i took south into id as the day changed.
june 06: flat tire south of paris! i went to change it, but was unable to remove the lug nuts! so i called for help and napped for a while. they told me it would be a few hours. in daylight i bathed in bear lake after someone tried to help me but only succeeded in breaking off one of the studs. the guy showed up and got the tire changed. i continued south into utah and climbed a small mountain at a park. on to logan where i got on u-91. preston, id saw me get the tire and stud replaced. then back to i-15, picking up franklin co on the way and finishing 91. the day changed, not sure where i slept.
june 07: butte and custer counties were gained, on u-93 and 26. i then got on id-33 (and got some of id-28) and returned to u-20 for another pass at yellowstone np. this time, i planned to stay on the road that u-20 would follow (some people count u-20 through the park, but i do not as that road is a park road and not a highway), but turned the wrong way and missed a small piece thereof. i exited on e entrance rd to cody, stayed on u-14 to u-310, went into mt on that to mt-72 and back to wy on wy-120 (gaining carbon co in mt) as the day changed.
june 08: i slept in a truck stop in cody, then went east again, i decided to take u-16 to i-90 and i-25 south for washakie co. i took the interstate south to douglas, where the day changed.
june 09: got on wy-93 to wy-95 and back to u-20/26; slept somewhere. this time, i went to where 26 splits off for fremont co, and north to hot springs co, the last one in wy. the day changed and again i fail to recall where i slept.
june 10: went to church in thermopolis. north to u-14/16 to complete the county and east from there this time going on u-14 the rest of the way to sheridan and picking up a small loop of u-16 before getting on i-90 toward mt. there, i exited onto u-212 as the day changed.
june 11: a truck stop in alzada provided my sleeping site (powder river and carter counties also were added). on through a corner of wy and into sd. came back into wy later to gain a piece of u-14. day changed.
june 12: slept on ramp to i-90. back to sd, gaining pieces of u. s. 85 and 18. picked up i-190 in sd before getting the end of u-385 as the day changed.
june 13: i forgot where i slept. eventually i made my way back to u-18 to gain another piece of that. day changed.
june 14: slept on parking area along that road. finished it and headed home, gaining ia-37 and 191 before reaching my house late at night and falling into bed.
the trip covered about 12500 miles, gained 27 counties and completed two states, and added to and/or finished a number of highways.
that will end this post.
for my counties, see naked_driver on mob-rule.
highways are at my highways.
drive as i do!

Rothman

You're always barefoot?  Pretty extreme measure to attract attention to yourself. :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Naked.Driver

Quote from: Rothman on August 23, 2018, 08:26:55 AM
You're always barefoot?  Pretty extreme measure to attract attention to yourself. :D
yes, always, usually with painted toenails and/or feet.
i added some to the previous post as i found i had omitted a few necessary items.
for my counties, see naked_driver on mob-rule.
highways are at my highways.
drive as i do!

hotdogPi

Naked.Driver, I just want to point something out, since you've done it in more than one thread: The default font size on this forum is 10, and that's what you should be using. There is no reason to make it 12-size font.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

Thing 342

Had to make a short-notice trip from Blacksburg to Atlanta this past weekend. However, since I wasn't in too much of a hurry I took a different route there and back that got me some new mileage:

Friday:
I-81 S to I-26 near Johnson City, TN
I-26 W to I-40 in Asheville, NC (plus a few other stops in the area)
I-40 W to US-74 in Clyde, NC
US-74 W all the way to TN-68 in Ducktown, TN
TN-68/GA-60/GA-5 S to US-76 in Blue Ridge, GA
US-76/GA-515/I-575 S to I-75, I-75 to Atlanta

Sunday:
I-85 to I-985 in Suwanee, GA
I-985/US-23/US-74 N to I-40 in Clyde, NC
I-40 E to US-64 in Morganton, NC
US-64/US-321 TRUCK to US-321 in Lenoir, NC
US-321 N to US-421 in Boone, NC
US-421 S to I-77
I-77 N to I-81, I-81 to Blacksburg

hbelkins

Quote from: Thing 342 on August 23, 2018, 12:42:22 PM
Had to make a short-notice trip from Blacksburg to Atlanta this past weekend. However, since I wasn't in too much of a hurry I took a different route there and back that got me some new mileage:

Friday:
I-81 S to I-26 near Johnson City, TN
I-26 W to I-40 in Asheville, NC (plus a few other stops in the area)
I-40 W to US-74 in Clyde, NC
US-74 W all the way to TN-68 in Ducktown, TN
TN-68/GA-60/GA-5 S to US-76 in Blue Ridge, GA
US-76/GA-515/I-575 S to I-75, I-75 to Atlanta

Sunday:
I-85 to I-985 in Suwanee, GA
I-985/US-23/US-74 N to I-40 in Clyde, NC
I-40 E to US-64 in Morganton, NC
US-64/US-321 TRUCK to US-321 in Lenoir, NC
US-321 N to US-421 in Boone, NC
US-421 S to I-77
I-77 N to I-81, I-81 to Blacksburg

I've done quite a few of those routes; I'm looking for an excuse to go to the Atlanta area so I can use US 19 south all the way from the state line. I've done most of the other state line crossings, including the connector from Blue Ridge to Ducktown.

Is the four-laning of 321 south of Blowing Rock finished? They've been working on that for years.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Thing 342

Quote from: hbelkins on August 23, 2018, 03:13:16 PM
Quote from: Thing 342 on August 23, 2018, 12:42:22 PM
Had to make a short-notice trip from Blacksburg to Atlanta this past weekend. However, since I wasn't in too much of a hurry I took a different route there and back that got me some new mileage:

Friday:
I-81 S to I-26 near Johnson City, TN
I-26 W to I-40 in Asheville, NC (plus a few other stops in the area)
I-40 W to US-74 in Clyde, NC
US-74 W all the way to TN-68 in Ducktown, TN
TN-68/GA-60/GA-5 S to US-76 in Blue Ridge, GA
US-76/GA-515/I-575 S to I-75, I-75 to Atlanta

Sunday:
I-85 to I-985 in Suwanee, GA
I-985/US-23/US-74 N to I-40 in Clyde, NC
I-40 E to US-64 in Morganton, NC
US-64/US-321 TRUCK to US-321 in Lenoir, NC
US-321 N to US-421 in Boone, NC
US-421 S to I-77
I-77 N to I-81, I-81 to Blacksburg

I've done quite a few of those routes; I'm looking for an excuse to go to the Atlanta area so I can use US 19 south all the way from the state line. I've done most of the other state line crossings, including the connector from Blue Ridge to Ducktown.

Is the four-laning of 321 south of Blowing Rock finished? They've been working on that for years.
My memory of US-19 in NC and GA is kind of foggy (and I've never done the portion between I-26 and Elizabethton) but I remember it being a somewhat annoying drive, switching off rather quickly from aggressive Atlanta commuter traffic to slowpoke tourist traffic headed for the mountains once the expressway portion ends near Dahlonega.

The US-321 widening project finished up earlier this year, making US-321 four lanes from Boone to the SC state line.

Naked.Driver

Quote from: 1 on August 23, 2018, 12:09:46 PM
Naked.Driver, I just want to point something out, since you've done it in more than one thread: The default font size on this forum is 10, and that's what you should be using. There is no reason to make it 12-size font.
okay, got that changed. sorry it took me so long.
i made it larger so i could read it more easily.
bummer! no colors, no special fonts, how boring!☻
for my counties, see naked_driver on mob-rule.
highways are at my highways.
drive as i do!

Naked.Driver

my second trip of 2018 was to eureka, mo, the end of the bam.
june 16: started very late with former housemate following in his car. day changed shortly after getting underway.
june 17: several safety naps. arrived in eureka around 1500. parked car, took bike off it and put in his. he and i then shared the driving to joplin, the beginning of the ride.
i rode off and on the next several days on the route they gave us. it was a grueling effort, and i suffered a number of misfortunes. but i had fun anyway.
i arrived in eureka around 1500 on the 22nd.
june 22: rode to car, mounted bike on rack, headed home. along the way i got most of the business loops on i-44.
in springfield i switched to u-160 as i needed a small piece of that to have all of it in mo, and from i-25 in co to end at u-67. the day changed with me parked at a gas station in willard.
june 23: finished the piece of 160, got the rest of mo-39, then made my way back, arriving around 1830.
i was too tired to start out for my next adventure, and that delayed me enough that i had to forgo part of it.
total driving distance was around 1200 miles. biking was around 300 but i did less than that.
for my counties, see naked_driver on mob-rule.
highways are at my highways.
drive as i do!

Naked.Driver

#110
my third major road trip of 2018
june 24: underway around 0430. alas, i had to nap several hours while en route. i had planned to go to chi for their parade, but that idea proved unworkable so i altered the route after stopping in davenport for a bit.
i picked up the rest of u-61 i needed in ia (had flat tire at zwingle), then got all of that road i needed in wi, plus most of u-14 there. the day changed with me on 61, not sure exactly where.
june 25: after sleeping at coon valley, i headed out and stopped in la crosse to get a new insurance card as mine had been damaged during the bam. was on u-51 heading north when the day changed.
june 26: slept on a side road near hazelhurst. drove to mi, picked up u-2, and was taking that east to complete it in mi when i had a misfortune. i was stopped for a nap on a residential street in wakefield (gogebic co) in midafternoon when the county mounties came by and woke me up. because i was so tired, i failed their tests and they arrested me (charge was driving under the influence of drugs; i told them the only drug they would find in me was caffeine)! they took me to jail where i spent most of the night; the day changed.
june 27: they released me around 0400 and took me back to my car. i then proceeded to drive to where u-45 meets 2 and went north on that but napped a little in watersmeet. from there i drove to mi-28 and proceeded across the u. p.
in the middle of nowhere, the convenience spare tire failed! it took four hours for the roadside assistance to reach me and tow me to ishpeming! there, i got the tire replaced but got no spare.
the day changed, and i slept.
june 28: on to sault ste. marie. i crossed the international bridge to gain the end of i-75, then went south on that road, crossing into the mitten later in the day. having lost almost a whole day between the jail time and the tire, i knew my county hunt, which i had planned to complete the state, would fail. i did get nine of the fourteen i needed, mostly along i-75 with a side trip to pick up oscoda and montmorency. the day changed before i completed the latter.
june 29: finished the counties on 75 north of bay city, then went to u-127 and gained gratiot before switching to i-69, then 96.
i was now racing against time to make it to trek fest in riverside. the day changed while i was in illinois.
june 30: i had hoped to run in a 5k race in riverside, but my body was too tired to get me there in time. i made it to the trek fest parade, then headed home. tried to nap in a rest area but was unsuccessful. got to my area around 1930, but stayed in a store parking lot using wi-fi as my phone got no signal for some reason. after doing what i needed, i arrived home around 2130 just as a huge thunderstorm arrived. i stayed in the car waiting for it to pass, then took the bare essentials into the house and slept in the car as my bed got wet in the storm.
total mileage was around 3000. i completed wi-16 and mi-28, now have i-75 from south of atlanta to end at the international bridge, u-2 from duluth to end at st. ignace, and a piece of u-127.
it took the gogebic county hospital about six weeks to get the blood test results back! then the charges were dropped.
i had one more drive, which will be reported later.
for my counties, see naked_driver on mob-rule.
highways are at my highways.
drive as i do!

Naked.Driver

#111
i rode in ragbrai® july 21-28, but did no driving. i gained lots of new highways and counties on the bike though.
the event is logged on dailymile. worst bummers were wearing out and taking a small hit from a car (damaged the vehicle more than me).
before that i drove to a chess tournament in cedar rapids on 07/13. i got there just as it was to begin, and found no one there! i had arrived twenty-four hours too early! so i just slept in the car and hung out in c. r. until the event got underway. no new highways. mileage was about 300.
on 08/24 and following i had a busy weekend planned.
august 24: first was another chess event in coralville. i was delayed by numerous last-minute snafus, and on the way had a major one: the bike rack broke and the cycle fell off! it dragged on the pavement for a ways before i stopped, and i found the rear wheel was destroyed. see photograph.
i played in the tournament, tied the trunk lid down, and headed out. the day changed about then.
august 25: the ratchet strap came loose and a county mounty stopped me to tell me so just outside mechanicsville on ia-38. i got it tied and drove to olin for a nap.
when i got up around 1000, i finished ia-64 (or at least thought i needed it as it had not been recorded as being done, but in looking back though my records i found i had completed it years before!) and 38, plus got a big chunk of ia-136 i needed. stopped in waterloo for cedar valley pride fest. on to near ames for an event called the full moon hike at peterson pits.
after that, i came back home though spent some time downtown as the day changed; i pulled in my drive around 0200 on the 26th. mileage was about 500. i had hoped to gain all the highways i needed in northeast iowa but there was not enough time therefor. i need to set aside a whole weekend and should be able to complete all the rest of the highways i need in the state.
for my counties, see naked_driver on mob-rule.
highways are at my highways.
drive as i do!

hbelkins

Hopefully, you insisted on a blood test to prove that you were not under the influence of any intoxicants after you were arrested.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

froggie

Got to Minnesota late last night (like, almost midnight late) after 3.5 days of occasionally-marathon-style driving.  Until I hit US 45 outside Joliet, IL, most of it was NOT on 4-lane highways but largely on 2-lane state routes I had not traveled before.  Got new state and/or US route mileage in 6 states, and new Interstate mileage in 3.  Also unexpectedly got new state mileage while trying to figure out a way to get past the flooding outside Madison, WI (which had shut down I-90/94 between Tomah and Portage, along with several state routes, US 12, and US 14.  Total mileage just under 2K (1,978).  Have not figured out yet how I'm heading back East....just that it'll be next week.

Naked.Driver

Quote from: hbelkins on August 29, 2018, 11:45:05 AM
Hopefully, you insisted on a blood test to prove that you were not under the influence of any intoxicants after you were arrested.
of course. that was what took them six weeks! they kept pushing back my arraignment date and finally said the charges were dropped.
six weeks to analyze a blood sample?! something tells me i would not want to go to that hospital! its link is gogebic county hospital.
for my counties, see naked_driver on mob-rule.
highways are at my highways.
drive as i do!

Naked.Driver

Quote from: froggie on August 29, 2018, 11:50:49 AM
Got to Minnesota late last night (like, almost midnight late) after 3.5 days of occasionally-marathon-style driving.  Until I hit US 45 outside Joliet, IL, most of it was NOT on 4-lane highways but largely on 2-lane state routes I had not traveled before.  Got new state and/or US route mileage in 6 states, and new Interstate mileage in 3.  Also unexpectedly got new state mileage while trying to figure out a way to get past the flooding outside Madison, WI (which had shut down I-90/94 between Tomah and Portage, along with several state routes, US 12, and US 14.  Total mileage just under 2K (1,978).  Have not figured out yet how I'm heading back East....just that it'll be next week.
ugh! floods. well, at least you got to drive on a fairly pretty road (14). i have yet to drive on 12 in that area. i still need most of 10 in wi and a bit in mn (from where it leaves i-694 to i-39) before it goes into the clinched book (i have all of the mi segment, and the rest w of msp).
on the michigan adventure, i found that tomah was the nearest place on my route that had a franchise for ljs®. so i stopped there and got two pieces of fish without all the other stuff.
if you need any of interstates 94, 57, or 74 western (88 western goes away from the direction you want), you might consider picking those up on your way home. u. s. highways include 10, 31, 41, 231, and 421.
do you collect counties also? you should have picked up a bunch on that route.
happy and safe travels!
for my counties, see naked_driver on mob-rule.
highways are at my highways.
drive as i do!

Mark68

Just did a (relatively) short road trip for Labor Day weekend: Parker, CO to Deadwood, SD (by way of Devils Tower) on Saturday. Then around the Black Hills (including Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse) on Sunday. Spearfish Canyon, Sturgis & Rapid City on Monday, then home on Tuesday.

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."~Yogi Berra

froggie

Just completed 5,279 miles.  A 12-day journey out to Minnesota and back to visit family and a few friends along the way.

D-Dey65

The NYC Tri-State excursion quest is on as of Next Saturday.


I haven't set a date yet on when I'm returning, but it will be before Halloween.



US71

I just finished a 4200 mile strip to the RMCA meet in Hershey, PA, the Mentor Bridge meet, and a quick visit to Chicago (south suburbs) to visit my cousin. Almost all of it was 2-lane road, including the old National Road.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

D-Dey65

Now Hurricane Michael is putting my road trip plans on the fence!



Roadgeekteen

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 05, 2017, 10:54:05 AM
What do you guys have planned? I might be flying and driving to the grand canyon in april.
Well, that didn't happen. I went to Philadelphia in April. I did get a lot of new road mileage on my trip to Quebec City that I went on in July.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

US 41

The week before Christmas I drove to Key West. I was able to add Florida and South Carolina to the list of states I've drove in. I'm now up to 36.
Visited States and Provinces:
USA (48)= All of Lower 48
Canada (5)= NB, NS, ON, PEI, QC
Mexico (9)= BCN, BCS, CHIH, COAH, DGO, NL, SON, SIN, TAM

Roadgeekteen

In late August, I went to Vermont. I had been there before but this time I went into NY and almost into Canada.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

sparker

I just got back from what (obviously) was my last road trip of 2018 -- home (San Jose) to various SoCal points and back in 2 days (12/30, 12/31).  Rode with a friend from the audio business -- the purpose of the trip for both of us was dropping off and picking up various pieces of gear; his in Buena Park, and mine out in the desert in Hesperia and Apple Valley.  The trip actually started and ended in Hollister at his place; I simply ferried my share of stuff down and back from San Jose.  So the route was (or ended up being):

West on local roads and CA 156 to US 101, US 101 all the way to its southern terminus, I-5 south to I-605, I-605 to CA 91, CA 91 east to the Buena Park destination (right off the Valley View exit), CA 91 east to CA 57, CA 57 north to I-10, I-10 east to Ontario (Haven Ave. exit, where the hotel was located); once checked in, back east on I-10 and north on I-15 to Bear Valley Road (actually the dividing line between Hesperia and Victorville), east to my storage area on BV Road right at the Mojave River crossing, and back via south "I" Street in Hesperia to Main Street, west on Main to the Wood Grill restaurant, where we had dinner, then back west to I-15, south to I-10 and Haven, then back to the hotel.  The next morning repeated the previous day route-wise, but extended east on BV into Apple Valley, then north to the audio-repair business owned by my friend down there near CA 18 and Navajo Road.  After a couple of hours exchanging equipment and talking shop, we headed back through Victorville on CA 18 and eventually made it over to US 395 in Adelanto.  From there was simple:  395 north to CA 58, CA 58 west to CA 99, CA 99 north to CA 152, CA 152 west to CA 156, and CA 156+local roads back to Hollister.  The following is, in order seen, what I saw road-wise along the way:

>  The US 101 improvements through Prundale were decidedly "done on the cheap"; some retaining walls and interchanges with county roads G11 and G12 (with very narrow alignments under the overpasses); the substandard west CA 156 interchange remains "as is", along with the section of 4-lane "quasi-conventional" south into Salinas:  private access points remain, but a continuous K-rail is now down the middle, turning crossing roads into RIRO's.  Let's put it this way:  for those fictional dreamers who envision US 101 as a potential Interstate, this "upgrade" doesn't help their cause much.
>  Lots of construction between Camp Roberts and Paso Robles; looks like they're upgrading some of the narrow bridges left over from the original '50's freeway segment as well as doing preliminary work to upgrade the expressway section just north of Paso Robles to full freeway (the influx of tourists to the wineries along that stretch is probably providing impetus for such a project).  Widening and bridge replacement continues south down to Atascadero, ceases for a bit down through SLO to Arroyo Grande, then construction picks up again south from there to the beginning of the Santa Maria freeway section at Nipomo.  More construction (widening shoulders and repaving) from Los Alamos down to CA 154 and again over Nojoqui Summit between Buellton and Las Cruces as well as spot construction through Gaviota Canyon.  No new projects visible along the Santa Barbara coast -- although traffic was a problem (we were on a deadline -- Buena Park by no later than 2:30) -- congestion continued on and off all along US 101 and I-5 in ELA.  But one thing did strike me -- the 6-laning reconstruction of US 101 in west Ventura County past Rincon Point; D7 managed to squeeze 6 lanes between the adjacent UP tracks and the shore AND add a separate bike lane along the ocean side of the road.  Low-speed almost-RIRO access to the businesses along the ocean side and the La Conchas community on the landward side -- but cross-traffic and private access has been completely eliminated.  Concrete railings separating the bike lane from the SB carriageway and the bike lane from the beach look remarkably similar to the cast railings common to '50's CA freeway construction!   
>Some things confounded me in Ventura County -- there are still only 4 through US 101 lanes (2+2) at both the CA 33 and CA 126 interchanges; this was the cause of much of the congestion.  And still no mention of CA 1 at the Rice Ave. interchange in Oxnard.  D7, get your shit together!  And nothing to report through L.A. proper, except that construction on the new 6th Street Bridge east of downtown L.A. is proceeding well; the art-deco type bents are in place, and the deck is presently being extended west from the anchorage above the US 101 freeway; right now the beams cross the freeway lanes but no further as of 12/30.  The rest of L.A. and Orange counties remained essentially as they were 6 years ago.
> Lots of new development along I-15 between CA 210 and I-215; new Rialto housing extends all the way out to the freeway just west of the Glen Helen event center.  This was my first time using the newly-configured I-15/215 Devore interchange; let's just say it's a vast improvement over the previous scheme, particularly by providing separate I-15 truck lanes in both directions that place that traffic well to the right side of the carriageway.  Although there are room for 5 lanes in either direction on I-15, the carriageway is only striped for 3; it's likely express and/or HOV lanes are in the works for later deployment.  Also saw for the 1st time the new Ranchero Road interchange on I-15 in Hesperia; it was U.C. when I left.  Nothing spectacular; it just breaks up a long stretch of roadway. 
> On the return trip, I did notice that there is grading parallel to and north of Air Parkway between Victorville and Adelanto; this is the planned route of the long-delayed CA 18 connector between I-15 and US 395 north of Victorville (with a planned extension bypassing Apple Valley to the north).  Have to check on that to see if it's coincidental or actually part of that project.  Also, the very busy stretch of US 395 between Adelanto and Kramer Jct., which features plenty of rough pavement, is getting a spot upgrade at the top of the hill about 5 miles south of Kramer; looks like the present 2-lane + directional truck climbers is being replaced by a segment of 4-lane; right now they're just shoring up the sides of the cut; no indication whether this will be a full 2+2 or simply 4-lanes with a K-rail.  OK, folks, this is the piece de resistance of the trip:  the CA 58 Kramer Bypass is trucking right along; although the 58/395 interchange is only in the grading stage, west of there to the beginning of the Boron segment of existing freeway is already paved!  Heading west on the old road, the final curve that until recently divided into the freeway lanes now extends as a 2-lane facility along the EB lanes, with WB traffic diverted onto its own lanes just east of the Boron Rd. interchange; they're in the process of cutting the newly-paved lanes into the existing facility.  For a second, I thought that D8 was planning on temporarily rerouting CA 58 up US 395 to the new alignment to eliminate the RR crossing on 58 west of Kramer -- but that would put the reroute on the US 395 grade crossing, which would undoubtedly create even more problems at the intersection.  So I'm guessing that the interchange -- and the grade separation east of there -- will be built later in the contract; the paved section will likely be unused until the entire project is completed.  Heading west on CA 58, the 4-lane stretch in central Bakersfield is being widened to 6 lanes, likely pending the completion of the connection to the Westside Parkway. 
> Once on CA 99, there was only sporadic activity (spot fixes, including paving the previously gravel inner shoulders in several locations, were seen up to just north of Tulare.  From about 4 miles south of CA 198 all the way to the previously-widened Kingsburg/Selma segment, CA 99 is now 6 full lanes (although they retained several under-16' overpasses).  One thing I did notice:  there is no mention of Visalia at the CA 137 interchange in Tulare (historically, NB traffic was directed to Visalia there over a combination of CA 137 and CA 63); Visalia-bound NB traffic doesn't see a reference until before the CA 198 junction. 
> HSR construction dominates the scenery over and east of CA 99 from south Fresno all the way to Madera.  My friend looked at the huge structure south of Fresno and asked "what the fuck is THAT?" (I had to answer "your taxpayer dollars!").  The San Joaquin River bridge is no less impressive, dwarfing both the original RR trestle and the widened CA 99 bridge.  Once we turned onto CA 152, there was nothing significant to mention save the repaving of the section of 152 around the north side of San Luis reservoir (which was quite full!). 

Most of my current work projects will be essentially done by April; except for a trade show in late July that I need to prepare for, I may actually for once have a bit of free time to get out on the road(s) again.  On the tentative agenda:  the CA 7/111/86 continuum down south (I'll take my nice Pentax that I use for product photography with me and try to get some nice pix along the way) -- and maybe even traversing the potential I-11 corridor from south of PHX all the way up to I-80.  No pix this trip; my buddy who drove this trip had but one credo: "I fucking HATE to stop", so I didn't press the matter (and he was averaging 80-85 on the way home anyway).  Till next time..................
 



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