The "Hello Neighbor" state route marker challenge

[Eth]

Actually, we can, from NY 50 or NY 76 - Rhode Island technically has a border with New York.

This is an obscure fact that's great for tripping people up in trivia. Ask "how many states border New York?" and almost everyone will get it wrong.

Because you shifted the goal posts. You cannot make me start caring about water borders.
You don't see me goin' around saying Illinois borders Michigan.

Nevertheless, it does, as does Minnesota. Whether or not someone cares about certain borders, or goes around referring to them, was never made a condition of the game. If they exist, they count, unless we find some other interpretation of "state adjoining".

I feel like a definition more in the spirit of this game would be something like "you can drive directly from one state to the other without passing through another state" (the existing AK/HI exemptions notwithstanding). That seems clear enough to me.

[Jim]

TN 55 -> GA 56

Taken in Swainsboro, July 2, 2006.

[Duke87]

Many political borders are created due to bodies of water, whether lakes, rivers, or oceans. The problem is when one argues whether Florida has a water border with South Carolina and all points north.

Is there New York State <-> Block Island auto ferry? Then I'd say it counts, but I don't know of one (a Narragansett <-> Block Island ferry exists). If we're going to introduce any shipping or cruise line, as opposed to auto ferries, then we're kind of opening things up past the scope of the thread/forum, in my opinion.

If you look into legal definitions this is unambiguous. Michigan borders Illinois and Minnesota because they are on opposite sides of an interior waterway, and each state's legal jurisdiction extends to the middle of the lake.

When dealing with states facing the ocean, however, the UN Convention on the Law of The Sea stipulates that a nation's territorial waters only extend up to 12 miles off its coasts - so this is, in effect, the maximum distance that any US state's jurisdiction can extend into the ocean. Which in turn means that in order for two coastal states to border each other, they must come within 24 miles of each other in a straight line across open water. Florida theerefore does not have a water border with South Carolina since the two states are separated by a considerably greater distance than this. And even if they were closer, the geography of the coast is such that Georgia would still have jurisdiction of some of the water between them.

As for New York and Rhode Island, forget Block Island... the eastern tip of Fisher's Island (part of New York) is only about 2.1 miles from Napatree Point (part of Rhode Island). There is no ferry service connecting the two directly, but so what? The existence of a border is not dependent on there being a fixed or regularly scheduled means of transporting a car across it. There are no roads crossing the land border between Panama and Colombia (the infamous "Darien Gap" in the Pan-American Highway), so you can't drive across. Would you say that the two countries don't border each other on account of this?

[Mapmikey]

The only square shield I've seen with the new style SC route shield on SC 9-57 leaving I-95...

[empirestate]

Nevertheless, it does, as does Minnesota. Whether or not someone cares about certain borders, or goes around referring to them, was never made a condition of the game. If they exist, they count, unless we find some other interpretation of "state adjoining".

I feel like a definition more in the spirit of this game would be something like "you can drive directly from one state to the other without passing through another state" (the existing AK/HI exemptions notwithstanding). That seems clear enough to me.

I'd say that would be quite a reasonable stipulation to add for these purposes. But we would have to add it; it isn't implicit in the unmodified phrase.

[formulanone]

Many political borders are created due to bodies of water, whether lakes, rivers, or oceans. The problem is when one argues whether Florida has a water border with South Carolina and all points north.

Is there New York State <-> Block Island auto ferry? Then I'd say it counts, but I don't know of one (a Narragansett <-> Block Island ferry exists). If we're going to introduce any shipping or cruise line, as opposed to auto ferries, then we're kind of opening things up past the scope of the thread/forum, in my opinion.

If you look into legal definitions this is unambiguous. Michigan borders Illinois and Minnesota because they are on opposite sides of an interior waterway, and each state's legal jurisdiction extends to the middle of the lake.

When dealing with states facing the ocean, however, the UN Convention on the Law of The Sea stipulates that a nation's territorial waters only extend up to 12 miles off its coasts - so this is, in effect, the maximum distance that any US state's jurisdiction can extend into the ocean. Which in turn means that in order for two coastal states to border each other, they must come within 24 miles of each other in a straight line across open water. Florida theerefore does not have a water border with South Carolina since the two states are separated by a considerably greater distance than this. And even if they were closer, the geography of the coast is such that Georgia would still have jurisdiction of some of the water between them.

As for New York and Rhode Island, forget Block Island... the eastern tip of Fisher's Island (part of New York) is only about 2.1 miles from Napatree Point (part of Rhode Island). There is no ferry service connecting the two directly, but so what? The existence of a border is not dependent on there being a fixed or regularly scheduled means of transporting a car across it. There are no roads crossing the land border between Panama and Colombia (the infamous "Darien Gap" in the Pan-American Highway), so you can't drive across. Would you say that the two countries don't border each other on account of this?

Right...So do you have a photo or not?

[hbelkins]

If a state borders another state, it counts. Illinois and Michigan count. New York and Rhode Island count.

[kphoger]

The existence of a border is not dependent on there being a fixed or regularly scheduled means of transporting a car across it. There are no roads crossing the land border between Panama and Colombia (the infamous "Darien Gap" in the Pan-American Highway), so you can't drive across. Would you say that the two countries don't border each other on account of this?

I've actually heard rumor of someone having ridden a dirt bike across the Darién, but I'm not sure how credible it is.

What is certain, however, is that it's possible to take a vehicle from Panamá to Colombia. There used to be regular ferry service, and one can still transport a vehicle by ocean-going cargo vessel (in a container or strapped to the deck). I've even read the account of an adventurous chap who made his way along the coast with his motorbike by paying natives to transport him and his bike by motorboat. Besides vehicles, it's also only a few hours' walk along the coast from a Colombian immigration office to a Panamanian one.

[hbelkins]

Keeping things moving ... GA 58

[Henry]

Here's AL 59 (even though that state also has an I-59):

[formulanone]

AL 59 -> FL 60:



(...and an excuse to post a shield with a pirate on it.)

[okroads]

FL 60 -> GA 61:
DSC02048 by Eric Stuve, on Flickr

[Henry]

GA 61 -> NC 62:

[paulthemapguy]

GA 61 -> NC 62:

Uh which states have 64's?  We're pretty close to territory containing either US64 or I-64, possibly nullifying the chance of a state having a SR-64.  I know Alabama has a 64.  Anyone have a GA-63?

[Jim]

Uh which states have 64's?  We're pretty close to territory containing either US64 or I-64, possibly nullifying the chance of a state having a SR-64.  I know Alabama has a 64.  Anyone have a GA-63?

I have a SC 63 I could play but I guess that would require someone having a GA 64 to play off it.  I'll hold off for now but would be happy to post it if helpful.

[jeffandnicole]

Uh which states have 64's?  We're pretty close to territory containing either US64 or I-64, possibly nullifying the chance of a state having a SR-64.  I know Alabama has a 64.  Anyone have a GA-63?

I have a SC 63 I could play but I guess that would require someone having a GA 64 to play off it.  I'll hold off for now but would be happy to post it if helpful.

As long as Georgia has a route 64, that's not your worry.  Go ahead and use your SC 63!

[Jim]

It's been a few hours, so I'll go ahead and take us NC 62 -> SC 63.

Walterboro.  December 27, 2010.

[Jim]

If we're stuck and someone wants to post a GA 63 instead of a GA 64, I could delete my SC 63.  GA 63 intersects I-85 so maybe someone's more likely to have it than GA 64.

[Mapmikey]

Here is my favorite VA 63 photo then...


Haysi

[hbelkins]

I have that very same VA 63 photo, which I took a few years ago.

VA 63 pretty much forces us to Maryland. Both West Virginia and Kentucky have I-64, North Carolina has US 64, and while Tennessee duplicates state and US routes, I'm not sure about TN 64's existence.

GA 64 runs through Bacon County, which I visited last summer, but unfortunately I don't have any photos of signage since I was not on that route.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_State_Route_64

I've been to Hagerstown many times, but don't recall ever traveling on US 40 past the terminus of MD 64.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Route_64

[Eth]

VA 63 pretty much forces us to Maryland. Both West Virginia and Kentucky have I-64, North Carolina has US 64, and while Tennessee duplicates state and US routes, I'm not sure about TN 64's existence.

GA 64 runs through Bacon County, which I visited last summer, but unfortunately I don't have any photos of signage since I was not on that route.

TN 64 does exist, and in fact crosses I-24 just southeast of Murfreesboro. Both it and GA 64 are, alas, roughly three and a half hours away from me.

[hbelkins]

VA 63 pretty much forces us to Maryland. Both West Virginia and Kentucky have I-64, North Carolina has US 64, and while Tennessee duplicates state and US routes, I'm not sure about TN 64's existence.

GA 64 runs through Bacon County, which I visited last summer, but unfortunately I don't have any photos of signage since I was not on that route.

TN 64 does exist, and in fact crosses I-24 just southeast of Murfreesboro. Both it and GA 64 are, alas, roughly three and a half hours away from me.

I hadn't checked it out, but you're right and I've driven part of it. So therefore...

IMG_0489 by H.B. Elkins, on Flickr

[formulanone]

Tennessee -> Alabama Route 65:



Can we get to Alaska for 98?

[jbnv]

If someone has MS 66, I have LA 67.

[Jim]

Looks like there are a good number of 67 options that can follow Tennessee 66, so I'll play it.  AL 65 -> TN 66

Sevierville.  July 10, 2008.