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Florida for Thanksgiving

Started by Rothman, November 14, 2016, 12:34:39 PM

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Rothman

The Missus and I are headed on a road trip down to the Pensacola area from our home in the Capital District of the Great State of New York for Thanksgiving.  Nothing too fancy:

Thruway to I-287 to I-78 to I-81.  Spend night in Martinsburg, WV.

Stop at Natural Bridge in Virginia.  I-81 to I-40.

Finally clinch I-640 and I-275 in Knoxville.

US 129 out of Knoxville and across Tail of the Dragon (stopping to see Cheoah Dam from The Fugitive).

US 74 to NC 60 to GA 60S to GA 60 to US 76 to GA 5/515 to GA 136 (west) to GA 53 to US 411.  Dump wife at hotel in Rome, GA and head up US 27 to froggie Chattooga county.

US 27 south to GA 100 to various back roads (Steadman Road, Cross Roads Church Rd, County Rd 65) to US 78 to GA 9 south.  Head down GA 9, froggie-ing another couple of counties in Alabama, to US 231, AL 21, AL 108 to Alabama State Capitol.  Head out on I-85 west to I-65 south to AL 113 to US 29 to I-10 east to I-110 south to US 98 east.  Stay in Pensacola Beach for a couple of nights.  Dump wife at hotel for one of the nights to head out to clinch I-10 to Mobile, AL (I-165, too) and then the remnant of I-65 that I missed when I turned onto AL 113.

Way back up:

I-10 east to GA 79 north to County Route 173 to County Route 49 to AL 52 to the circle around Dothan to US 431 north (froggie into GA from Eufaula and back) to US 280 to I-185 (clinch) to I-85 to Atlanta to see the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

I-85 to Charlotte, stopping in Greenville, SC to see the Falls on the Reedy.  Clinch I-585.  Dump wife off in hotel north of Charlotte, NC.  Clinch I-277. 

Rest is elementary:  I-77 to I-81 to I-78 to I-287 to Thruway. 

Ta-da.  Looking forward to picking up about 50 new counties and a decent amount of interstate mileage, as well as relaxing with the Missus.



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


Alex

Quote from: Rothman on November 14, 2016, 12:34:39 PM

US 27 south to GA 100 to various back roads (Steadman Road, Cross Roads Church Rd, County Rd 65) to US 78 to GA 9 south.  Head down GA 9, froggie-ing another couple of counties in Alabama, to US 231, AL 21, AL 108 to Alabama State Capitol.  Head out on I-85 west to I-65 south to AL 113 to US 29 to I-10 east to I-110 south to US 98 east.  Stay in Pensacola Beach for a couple of nights.  Dump wife at hotel for one of the nights to head out to clinch I-10 to Mobile, AL (I-165, too) and then the remnant of I-65 that I missed when I turned onto AL 113.

Way back up:

I-10 east to GA 79 north to County Route 173 to County Route 49 to AL 52 to the circle around Dothan to US 431 north (froggie into GA from Eufaula and back) to US 280 to I-185 (clinch) to I-85 to Atlanta to see the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

AL 113 was four-laned by 2008 from I-65 to US 29/31. Watch your speed as you trek south into Flomaton. The limit drops from 65 to 45 before you intersect the US highway pair, and Flomaton cops like to set up shop there.

US 29 through Century, Florida is posted at just 35, and is another spot where you want to keep an eye on your speed.

US 29 at I-10 is under construction for an interchange reconfiguration project (removal of the westbound loop ramp, replacement with a new signalized turn, etc etc). I-10 is under construction still at both US 90 (Exit 17) and at FL 281 (Exit 22) for six-laning.

US 98 through Gulf Breeze has some photos cops, and is another place for stringent speed enforcement.

The drive east from Pensacola Beach on J. Earle Bowden Way is a scenic one. The route becomes CR 399 through Navarre Beach (with pentagons posted thanks to me).

I-10 through the Wallace Tunnel is a regular area for congestion eastbound during even peak hours, westbound is generally OK. Local police sometimes shoot radar along I-65 heading north through Saraland, AL . The rest is pretty much open road, but vastly boring north of the "Dolly Parton Bridges."

Will be in Pensacola myself for part of next week, but headed back south by Wednesday.

froggie

QuoteUS 27 to froggie Chattooga county.

Despite the name (which someone else attributed to me), I neither originated nor endorsed this method.

TravelingBethelite

Quote from: Rothman on November 14, 2016, 12:34:39 PM
The Missus and I are headed on a road trip down to the Pensacola area from our home in the Capital District of the Great State of New York for Thanksgiving.  Nothing too fancy:

Thruway to I-287 to I-78 to I-81.  Spend night in Martinsburg, WV.

Stop at Natural Bridge in Virginia.  I-81 to I-40.

Finally clinch I-640 and I-275 in Knoxville.

US 129 out of Knoxville and across Tail of the Dragon (stopping to see Cheoah Dam from The Fugitive).

US 74 to NC 60 to GA 60S to GA 60 to US 76 to GA 5/515 to GA 136 (west) to GA 53 to US 411.  Dump wife at hotel in Rome, GA and head up US 27 to froggie Chattooga county.

US 27 south to GA 100 to various back roads (Steadman Road, Cross Roads Church Rd, County Rd 65) to US 78 to GA 9 south.  Head down GA 9, froggie-ing another couple of counties in Alabama, to US 231, AL 21, AL 108 to Alabama State Capitol.  Head out on I-85 west to I-65 south to AL 113 to US 29 to I-10 east to I-110 south to US 98 east.  Stay in Pensacola Beach for a couple of nights.  Dump wife at hotel for one of the nights to head out to clinch I-10 to Mobile, AL (I-165, too) and then the remnant of I-65 that I missed when I turned onto AL 113.

Way back up:

I-10 east to GA 79 north to County Route 173 to County Route 49 to AL 52 to the circle around Dothan to US 431 north (froggie into GA from Eufaula and back) to US 280 to I-185 (clinch) to I-85 to Atlanta to see the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

I-85 to Charlotte, stopping in Greenville, SC to see the Falls on the Reedy.  Clinch I-585.  Dump wife off in hotel north of Charlotte, NC.  Clinch I-277. 

Rest is elementary:  I-77 to I-81 to I-78 to I-287 to Thruway. 

Ta-da.  Looking forward to picking up about 50 new counties and a decent amount of interstate mileage, as well as relaxing with the Missus.

"Dumping" her sounds decidedly unromantic. Plus, can't you only dump her once? Or are you getting married twice along the way? ;-)  :-o  :sombrero:
"Imprisoned by the freedom of the road!" - Ronnie Milsap
See my photos at: http://bit.ly/1Qi81ws

Now I decide where I go...

2018 Ford Fusion SE - proud new owner!

Rothman

Quote from: Alex on November 14, 2016, 08:57:51 PM
Quote from: Rothman on November 14, 2016, 12:34:39 PM

US 27 south to GA 100 to various back roads (Steadman Road, Cross Roads Church Rd, County Rd 65) to US 78 to GA 9 south.  Head down GA 9, froggie-ing another couple of counties in Alabama, to US 231, AL 21, AL 108 to Alabama State Capitol.  Head out on I-85 west to I-65 south to AL 113 to US 29 to I-10 east to I-110 south to US 98 east.  Stay in Pensacola Beach for a couple of nights.  Dump wife at hotel for one of the nights to head out to clinch I-10 to Mobile, AL (I-165, too) and then the remnant of I-65 that I missed when I turned onto AL 113.

Way back up:

I-10 east to GA 79 north to County Route 173 to County Route 49 to AL 52 to the circle around Dothan to US 431 north (froggie into GA from Eufaula and back) to US 280 to I-185 (clinch) to I-85 to Atlanta to see the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

AL 113 was four-laned by 2008 from I-65 to US 29/31. Watch your speed as you trek south into Flomaton. The limit drops from 65 to 45 before you intersect the US highway pair, and Flomaton cops like to set up shop there.

US 29 through Century, Florida is posted at just 35, and is another spot where you want to keep an eye on your speed.

US 29 at I-10 is under construction for an interchange reconfiguration project (removal of the westbound loop ramp, replacement with a new signalized turn, etc etc). I-10 is under construction still at both US 90 (Exit 17) and at FL 281 (Exit 22) for six-laning.

US 98 through Gulf Breeze has some photos cops, and is another place for stringent speed enforcement.

The drive east from Pensacola Beach on J. Earle Bowden Way is a scenic one. The route becomes CR 399 through Navarre Beach (with pentagons posted thanks to me).

I-10 through the Wallace Tunnel is a regular area for congestion eastbound during even peak hours, westbound is generally OK. Local police sometimes shoot radar along I-65 heading north through Saraland, AL . The rest is pretty much open road, but vastly boring north of the "Dolly Parton Bridges."

Will be in Pensacola myself for part of next week, but headed back south by Wednesday.

Thanks very much for the tips and info!
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Rothman

Quote from: froggie on November 14, 2016, 09:41:39 PM
QuoteUS 27 to froggie Chattooga county.

Despite the name (which someone else attributed to me), I neither originated nor endorsed this method.


Heh.  Funny how names and terms stick despite fictional origins.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Rothman

Quote from: TravelingBethelite on November 14, 2016, 10:13:14 PM

"Dumping" her sounds decidedly unromantic. Plus, can't you only dump her once? Or are you getting married twice along the way? ;-)  :-o  :sombrero:

Hey, as long as she's happier from me not dragging her around in the car, she'll be happy that she was dumped!
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

formulanone

#7
Quote from: Rothman on November 14, 2016, 12:34:39 PM
...US 76 to GA 5/515 to GA 136 (west) to GA 53 to US 411.

Looks like you're going to be near the town of Elijay (on GA 515 south of US 76, but north of GA 53)...stop by Colonel's Poole's BBQ if you're hungry.

If you've already eaten, go see their Hill of Pigs, anyway.

Quote
...to Alabama State Capitol.
[...]
to Atlanta to see the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

You can also find MLK's first church on Dexter Avenue, across the from of the State Capitol. For contrast, there's the First White House of the Confederacy right next door to the Capitol.

Also, bonus points if you find the pine tree that was planted on the Capitol grounds, which grew from a cone taken up to the moon and then back to Earth.

hbelkins

Quote from: froggie on November 14, 2016, 09:41:39 PM
QuoteUS 27 to froggie Chattooga county.

Despite the name (which someone else attributed to me), I neither originated nor endorsed this method.

Where did that term originate? I remember it being used on MTR, but don't remember who was the first.

Quote from: Rothman on November 15, 2016, 09:06:29 AM
Quote from: TravelingBethelite on November 14, 2016, 10:13:14 PM

"Dumping" her sounds decidedly unromantic. Plus, can't you only dump her once? Or are you getting married twice along the way? ;-)  :-o  :sombrero:

Hey, as long as she's happier from me not dragging her around in the car, she'll be happy that she was dumped!

It's not that far from Rome to the county line. I did that maneuver myself a few weeks ago. It just seemed longer than it was because traffic through Rome was pretty heavy on a Sunday afternoon and I was trying to make time to get to my evening destination before it got too dark. So no need to dump your wife; the trip up and back should only take about 30 minutes or so depending on where your hotel is.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

1995hoo

I would add, if you're interested in the history from the civil rights movement and the Confederacy there's a lot around Montgomery, as already noted. If you haven't been to Selma (west on US-80), seeing the Pettus Bridge is a big one. Gave me goosebumps when I saw it. I took a college class on the civil rights movement that was taught by Julian Bond, so I find all that stuff really interesting.

Regardless of your opinion on the War Between the States, the view of Montgomery from the spot where Jeff Davis took the oath of office as president is a great view, worth going to that spot just for that reason.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

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

Rothman

Quote from: 1995hoo on November 17, 2016, 07:39:28 AM
I would add, if you're interested in the history from the civil rights movement and the Confederacy there's a lot around Montgomery, as already noted. If you haven't been to Selma (west on US-80), seeing the Pettus Bridge is a big one. Gave me goosebumps when I saw it. I took a college class on the civil rights movement that was taught by Julian Bond, so I find all that stuff really interesting.

Regardless of your opinion on the War Between the States, the view of Montgomery from the spot where Jeff Davis took the oath of office as president is a great view, worth going to that spot just for that reason.

Unfortunately, we don't have time to take the detour to Selma, but it's been on my list of things to do for a while.  We'll get there sooner or later.

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

Rothman

Just got back.  Ended up just driving down I-65 to Mobile on the way to Pensacola Beach.  Have some corrections for Google Maps regarding some boondocky roads in Alabama (um...that's a gated private dirt road, not a public one...).

All in all, a good trip was had.  I'll be posting a couple of somewhat-interesting things found in their appropriate photo threads.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

spitball

I lived in Pensacola 1993-95, and made a few road trips back and forth to NJ.  I'd be scared to see how that area has changed.  As much as I like roads, I'm more of a nature buff. I think I remember AL-113 being a small road and figuring that'd change eventually.

Rothman

I was glad for the establishment of the National Seashore.  Without it, the entire spits of land below Pensacola would have been totally built up with hotels and crap.  They're built right up to the border of the National Park Service's jurisdiction.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

spitball

Quote from: Rothman on November 29, 2016, 12:11:21 AM
I was glad for the establishment of the National Seashore.  Without it, the entire spits of land below Pensacola would have been totally built up with hotels and crap.  They're built right up to the border of the National Park Service's jurisdiction.

I agree.  I see that they built a bridge (Route 281) connecting Route 98 to Garcon Point since I lived there.  But it appears that the Garcon Point area has a fair amount of preserved land, so that's good.  I remember being on that peninsula in the 90s and loving how isolated it was.

Alex

Quote from: spitball on November 29, 2016, 07:49:14 AM
Quote from: Rothman on November 29, 2016, 12:11:21 AM
I was glad for the establishment of the National Seashore.  Without it, the entire spits of land below Pensacola would have been totally built up with hotels and crap.  They're built right up to the border of the National Park Service's jurisdiction.

I agree.  I see that they built a bridge (Route 281) connecting Route 98 to Garcon Point since I lived there.  But it appears that the Garcon Point area has a fair amount of preserved land, so that's good.  I remember being on that peninsula in the 90s and loving how isolated it was.

The peninsula remains vastly undeveloped. US 98 to the south is a corridor of sprawl, but the Garcon Point Bridge was not a catalyst for it because of high tolls and low usage. Other development instead focused on US 90 between Pace and Milton. Its a horrible drive along that commercial arterial now.

For Pensacola, development is focused on the Cantonment and Gonzalez areas, and Nine Mile Road west of I-10. FDOT is widening the last two lane stretch of US 90 Alternate now and construction just started to six lane US 29 north from I-10 to US 90A.



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