It's a little early, but what does everybody have planned for 2020?
A trip out west, probably to Colorado, in February or March seems likely but has not been set in stone yet. Otherwise, minor plans include a few trips around Wisconsin for miscellaneous reasons and Chicago in August. British Columbia and Texas were on the board at different times in the past, but both those trips will have to wait at least until 2021, if they ever happen.
More than likely one or two trips to NYC, Long Island, and the surrounding region, but probably a butt-load of Florida day trips.
Apparently Jalisco and Florida are on the board for family visits. I'm doing a circle tour of Utah or Colorado...not sure which. Might sneak in Michigan Circle Tour I'm thinking.
Going to Charleston, SC for my first annual "escape from winter" trip in February. After that, maybe a trip to Milwaukee or Cleveland to take in a ball game, but not anywhere too far from home base.
Definitely still tentative at this point, but the only states outside of Alaska and Hawaii that I've yet to visit are RI, MA, NH, ME and VT, so next summer's family trip is scheduled to be from home to Boston via Providence, after a few days in Boston, on to Cooperstown via NH, ME and VT, then back home via Niagara Falls and Ontario. None of the family other than me has been to Canada before, so the return trip through there is what's selling them on driving vs flying.
Regional exploration of the few routes still not taken will make up the 2020 plans for my friend and me.
Rick
Reviving this, since we're pretty close to 2020.
My plans involve me taking a long summer trip to the Atlantic provinces of Canada. Good weather, no tourists, and good food. The plan is to visit five places: Quebec City, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland, and St. Pierre & Miquelon.
So far, we want to basically try the best seafood that the provinces have to offer, especially PEI. I've also wanted to visit St. Pierre so I can say I've visited France. New stamp on the passport, essentially. At most, I've figured out the first two days: Chambersburg to Quebec City (day 1) then Quebec City to PEI or Nova Scotia (day 2; maybe reach Moncton, NB).
I'm not sure what's special about New Brunswick yet, so I haven't considered it yet.
While this may not quite be a road-trip, I am planning on traveling to Europe to visit family. There, quite a bit of driving will be done (some on the Autobahn), starting in Munich, going to Ljubljana (capital of Slovenia) via way of Vienna & Graz.
I will finally have my license so I will be exploring my "own backyard", visiting nearby towns, parks, & highways I've not been to yet. It's hard to believe it's almost the end of the decade already.
I am in college so my options are a bit limited, but regional exploration is likely on the docket. I like the sound of going south for a couple of days in January/February/March. May be able to sneak in something a little bigger this summer if I'm not doing anything else.
Quote from: noelbotevera on November 10, 2019, 07:25:34 PM
Reviving this, since we're pretty close to 2020.
My plans involve me taking a long summer trip to the Atlantic provinces of Canada. Good weather, no tourists, and good food. The plan is to visit five places: Quebec City, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland, and St. Pierre & Miquelon.
So far, we want to basically try the best seafood that the provinces have to offer, especially PEI. I've also wanted to visit St. Pierre so I can say I've visited France. New stamp on the passport, essentially. At most, I've figured out the first two days: Chambersburg to Quebec City (day 1) then Quebec City to PEI or Nova Scotia (day 2; maybe reach Moncton, NB).
I'm not sure what's special about New Brunswick yet, so I haven't considered it yet.
You definitely want to take in the Bay of Fundy and the Tides. Near Moncton are the Hopewell Rocks where you can walk on the seafloor.....watch the tide come in and where you had walked is now under 50 feet of water!
https://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/index.php/en/home
You should be able to drive car to St. Pierre next year as the new ferry dock and ramp will finally be constructed:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/fortune-ferry-deal-looming-1.5198550
https://www.spm-ferries.fr/en/home/
I plan to take a day trip through Calvert and St. Mary's counties in Maryland in January.
I'm going to DC in the early spring. Kind of disappointed that I'm not going out west, but this is the next best thing. Here's the link to the thread: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=25974.0 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=25974.0)
I'm looking at possibly going to Redwood National Park this January. The coast line gets rain in the winter a snow is rare which makes it an attractive winter locale. I told my wife I want to get at least; Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Great Basin and Bryce Canyon this year. Really I'm looking at making long weekends out of them all. On the longer side we are going to Jalisco for a week and visiting either Florida or Michigan...hopefully the latter in summer Upper Peninsula oriented (I'm bored with Florida). At least plans are solidifying more since the last post which actually itineraries booked.
2020 is totally unsettled right now. It looks like we will have to take a trip to Dayton and we really wish it weren't necessary–the reason is that my sister-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and is not likely to survive, and her cremains will be interred in Dayton per her wishes because that's where she grew up and it's where her parents are buried. (We have a trip to Florida planned for the week after Thanksgiving–flying down due to the urgency–to try to see her before it's too late. Hopefully she hangs on.) I'll take the opportunity to use some routes that let me nip off some segments I haven't driven yet, such as the new US-219 near Somerset and the tunnel in Wheeling, but I have to admit I feel kind of guilty thinking of roadgeek routings in the context of a family member dying.
Other than that, we want to go to the Inn at Little Washington for our 10th anniversary in July, but I can't think of any new routing to use to get there.
I have nothing set in stone, but might want to go west to Arizona and California in May/June.
Quote from: 21stCenturyRoad on November 22, 2019, 08:59:08 PM
I have nothing set in stone, but might want to go west to Arizona and California in May/June.
If you're looking for a Trans-Sierra Highway like Tioga Pass late May probably will be a good bet.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 21, 2019, 07:44:41 PM
I’m looking at possibly going to Redwood National Park this January. The coast line gets rain in the winter a snow is rare which makes it an attractive winter locale. I told my wife I want to get at least; Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Great Basin and Bryce Canyon this year. Really I’m looking at making long weekends out of them all. On the longer side we are going to Jalisco for a week and visiting either Florida or Michigan...hopefully the latter in summer Upper Peninsula oriented (I’m bored with Florida). At least plans are solidifying more since the last post which actually itineraries booked.
I'd recommend against doing Great Basin anytime before July or even August depending on how wet the previous winter was. I did Great Basin in the second half of this past June (after a heavy winter), and anything above roughly 9,000 feet was still covered in snow. The scenic road wasn't open all the way to the top yet, and I very nearly got completely lost on one hike - turns out the wind blows the late-season snowpack into shapes that look very much like footprints.
Quote from: US 89 on November 23, 2019, 02:16:55 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 21, 2019, 07:44:41 PM
I'm looking at possibly going to Redwood National Park this January. The coast line gets rain in the winter a snow is rare which makes it an attractive winter locale. I told my wife I want to get at least; Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Great Basin and Bryce Canyon this year. Really I'm looking at making long weekends out of them all. On the longer side we are going to Jalisco for a week and visiting either Florida or Michigan...hopefully the latter in summer Upper Peninsula oriented (I'm bored with Florida). At least plans are solidifying more since the last post which actually itineraries booked.
I'd recommend against doing Great Basin anytime before July or even August depending on how wet the previous winter was. I did Great Basin in the second half of this past June (after a heavy winter), and anything above roughly 9,000 feet was still covered in snow. The scenic road wasn't open all the way to the top yet, and I very nearly got completely lost on one hike - turns out the wind blows the late-season snowpack into shapes that look very much like footprints.
Back in 2013 I ended up going to the Lehman Caves and started from Cedar City in the morning. It was a clear day but it hit -16F near the state line on UT 21. Much of Eastern Nevada and and pretty much everything East to Capitol Gorge looked like it was a tundra of straight out of a scene from Hoth in the Empire Strikes Back. It ended up being just me and some guy from Alaska that did the cave tour, the caves felt pretty damn balmy at their 50-55F temperature.
My Florida day trips will hopefully include the Palatka-St. Augustine area, and the northern suburbs of Jacksonville, and in the opposite direction I've considered some St. Pete and Manatee County stuff... mostly so I could get the southbound rest area along the Sunshine Skyway the northbound toll plaza along the Sunshine Skyway, and US 19 between I-275 and US 41.
On September 1st, 2020 my wife and I will finally BOTH be retired and we were planning a sightseeing trip out west. While we have traveled a lot, it was mostly by air so I have never seen the stuff in the middle of the country; Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, etc. We live in central IL so I imagine a westward trip on I-90 will suffice but it seems odd to just turn around and come straight home using the same path. We could return using I-80, or even I-70, but there doesn't seem to be much to offer on those paths so we're still planning.
I have two roadtrips on the horizon in 2020
Early in the year (dates TBD based on work and weather), I'll be driving Hartford»Memphis»Dothan AL»Hartford, in lieu of flying to Memphis to check in with my father, and flying my wife home from an extended stay with her folks. It'll be long, hard driving with limited sightseeing/roadgeeking potential, although I might see if I can squeeze in a little bit of time on the Memphis»Dothan leg to FINALLY get the two counties in Alabama that I haven't yet visited.
Later in the year, there are a couple of options:
The actuaries at my company get together at a big conference every-other year. Details for the conference next summer haven't yet been publicized, but I'm told it will be "someplace nice" and "generally in the GTA". Depending on scheduling and whether my wife wants to tag along, I will probably drive to the conference, and I may take "the roads less traveled" at least one way.
Or....a group of us who pursue the ham radio sub-hobby of contesting are talking about maybe going up to Sept-ÃŽles in October, and doing a major contest from there.
Or, if neither of those pan out, it'll be a coin-toss between:
- Driving QC138 out to Kegashka. I'd look into taking the ferry on to be able to clinch 138, but I doubt my calendar will permit that. (I drove to La Malbaie for the work conference in 2018. Loved the scenery, and was tempted to blow off the conference to see what was further east.)
- Fly to Denver, and drive a loop CO»WY»SD»ND»MT»ID»OR»...and back to Denver. It's been a long time since I did a big county-collecting run, and that loop would include visits to 6 states I haven't previously visited
Quote from: Paulinator66 on December 19, 2019, 04:00:35 PM
We could return using I-80, or even I-70, but there doesn't seem to be much to offer on those paths so we're still planning.
Along I-80 in Nebraska:
Cody Park Railroad Museum, North Platte (https://goo.gl/maps/ihniEEU3iQAkQaTY9)
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Ashland (https://goo.gl/maps/oY6TF4w9cWaxAjNi9)
As of now, my dad and I are planning on driving from Michigan to Florida in March
Quote from: noelbotevera on November 10, 2019, 07:25:34 PM
I'm not sure what's special about New Brunswick yet, so I haven't considered it yet.
Nothing other than it's on the way to and from the more interesting Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. I've taken several trips to PEI and NS, one of them in October. I just drove through NB as fast as I could (fortunately, usually at 110km/h speed limits).
New Brunswick has the Hopewell Rocks and Fundy National Park, the latter being home to UNESCO sites. If you just blew through New Brunswick, you did it wrong.
The biggest 2020 road trip I have at this point is international. Flying to London in March and driving up to the northern tip of Scotland and back over the course of a week. 1,500 miles or so, a lot of which will be on surface roads.
Other than that...I may be making a trip out of the Cincinnati meet and I will likely take a Northern Plains road trip in early August. Too early to know what I'm doing after March at this point.
Quote from: kphoger on December 20, 2019, 01:05:06 PM
Along I-80 in Nebraska:
Cody Park Railroad Museum, North Platte (https://goo.gl/maps/ihniEEU3iQAkQaTY9)
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Ashland (https://goo.gl/maps/oY6TF4w9cWaxAjNi9)
Thank you for this. They both look interesting.
Quote from: Paulinator66 on January 02, 2020, 01:23:22 PM
Quote from: kphoger on December 20, 2019, 01:05:06 PM
Along I-80 in Nebraska:
Cody Park Railroad Museum, North Platte (https://goo.gl/maps/ihniEEU3iQAkQaTY9)
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Ashland (https://goo.gl/maps/oY6TF4w9cWaxAjNi9)
Thank you for this. They both look interesting.
I haven't been to the railroad museum, but I want to.
The air command museum is definitely worth it, if for nothing else that to sit in the cockpit of a B-52. But seriously, there is a lot to see there.
First road trip of the year... going from my home in the Chicago suburbs to Toledo's Downtown, all in a day, using I-294 to I-80 to I-75.
I did think about alt routes like I-294 to I-94 to US-20; or I-294 to I-94 to US-12 to US-223, but ultimately decided to stick with the Toll Road because of weather.
I'll probably be headed out to a day of Fault Line roadway driving out in the Gabilan Range and Diablo Range next week. In particular East Pinnacles National Park and La Gloria Road has caught my eye.
When I do drive up north next time, I want to stop here:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Refreshment_Center_(14402891791).jpg
The person who took that photograph urged drivers not to stop here because the gas prices are the highest in the area. This person may be telling the truth, but how often do you see these little shacks at gas stations?
Ended up taking a day trip to Big Sur via CA 1 on Sunday. I stopped at Limekiln State Park since it's kind of off the grid enough to deter crowds. For those who don't know the time to drive CA 1 is on a dry winter day just like Sunday. Typically there is very little traffic in Big Sur in the winter and this last weekend was no exception. There is nothing quite like being able to go 45-60 MPH on those 80-something miles of curved unabated by tourist traffic on CA 1. Fortunately for me both Cambria and Monterey are about 2.5 hours from home which makes it an easy day trip.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 21, 2020, 07:24:35 PM
There is nothing quite like being able to go 45-60 MPH on those 80-something miles of curved unabated by tourist traffic...
I have had a very similar thought before, but it was about M-35 between Menominee and Escanaba, not CA 1.
Currently I have a road trip planned in June up to Spokane, WA (probably Silverwood in Athol, ID while we're up there too), and likely from there over to Seattle and/or Seaside, OR. If we skip Seattle, I'll probably do US-12 over the Cascades which I haven't driven on myself.
And then in July, a long overdue road trip to California (other than a day and a half trip by air down there in December, haven't been to CA since 2011), though likely just the Bay Area this time.
We have a trip to Norfolk planned for late April, but that's flying and I don't even know if I'll get to drive around there myself (staying with family that may do most/all the driving for us; I may try to rent a car for a couple of the days if we aren't able to borrow one though).
Probably a couple other short trips to OR and parts of WA during the year, as usual, currently unplanned.
Driving from Indiana to Brooklyn, NY in March with a buddy. Original plans were to stay in New Jersey but the AirBNB got cancelled :confused:
Super excited though!
Quote from: ozarkman417 on November 10, 2019, 08:12:00 PM
While this may not quite be a road-trip, I am planning on traveling to Europe to visit family. There, quite a bit of driving will be done (some on the Autobahn), starting in Munich, going to Ljubljana (capital of Slovenia) via way of Vienna & Graz.
Not happening. Perhaps I (and the one in my family arranging the travel plans) was too ambitious. Instead of doing one big trip overseas, I will be partaking in a few smaller trips around the country. There is the chance I will go to either Arizona/Utah or Texas in the Spring and Central Arkansas in the Summer. Of course, these plans are more than likely to change. When going to Arkansas, I would much prefer taking scenic AR-21 through the Boston Mountains over US-71/I-49.
Quote from: doorknob60 on January 23, 2020, 04:26:38 PM
Currently I have a road trip planned in June up to Spokane, WA (probably Silverwood in Athol, ID while we're up there too), and likely from there over to Seattle and/or Seaside, OR. If we skip Seattle, I'll probably do US-12 over the Cascades which I haven't driven on myself.
And then in July, a long overdue road trip to California (other than a day and a half trip by air down there in December, haven't been to CA since 2011), though likely just the Bay Area this time.
We have a trip to Norfolk planned for late April, but that's flying and I don't even know if I'll get to drive around there myself (staying with family that may do most/all the driving for us; I may try to rent a car for a couple of the days if we aren't able to borrow one though).
Probably a couple other short trips to OR and parts of WA during the year, as usual, currently unplanned.
US 12 will give you a great view of Mt. Rainier. There is a nice viewpoint for you to pull over and enjoy the scenery at its best.
Rick
I'll chime in and respond to the question.
As each new year arrives, I always get a little anxious/excited/stressed when I anticipate which road trips I'll be able to go on over the course of the year. I'm fortunate to have a generous amount of paid time off at my job, so I can usually plan several trips throughout the year... several of which involve my drives to and from longer-distance road meets.
These are some of the bigger road trips I'm anticipating so far for 2020:
- A drive from Atlanta GA to Huntsville AL and back in February to visit a friend (after flying to Atlanta from Michigan)
- A trip from home in Michigan to the Outer Banks area of North Carolina and back in April for my "city meet"
- A trip from home in Michigan to San Antonio TX and back in May for the road meet that Gene V. is hosting
- A trip from home in Michigan to the Sauk Valley area of Illinois and back in June for the road meet that Brandon G. is hosting
- A trip from home in Michigan to La Crosse WI and back in July or August for the road meet that Scott O. is hosting
I'm sure there will be other trips I'll be able to take as well (several of shorter distance), but these are the main ones I can think of at the moment. There's a road meet taking place in Utica NY that I would love to be able to attend as well, but I have a feeling it won't work out schedule-wise... unless I decide to skip the San Antonio trip.
I've got two planned this year. one is to watkins glen for the 6 hour endurance race. I've been there three times before, but this time I'm taking a route that is 97-98% different than before. plus it's going to cover the entirety of one major section of interstate that I have never been on in my state as well as check off two states from my never have I ever list. my second one is hopefully going to toronto. this will be my first ever international trip and it's also going to give me a 100% interstate clinch and a 100% both direction clinch in a state too.
I got lucky and will be visiting three new states in 2020.
Vermont - February (already went, heading back soon)
New Jersey - April
Pennsylvania - April (same trip as NJ)
Had to scale back my plans this year due to money; so a potential summer vacation is Asheville. Probably a week long at most; mix of touristy stuff (Smokies, Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Blue Ridge Parkway, Newfound Gap Road) and obscure stuff (Asheville BBQ, NC 28, maybe GA 60, Foothills Parkway).
Probably won't bother with the explicit tourist traps like Gatlinburg or the Dollywood amusement park.
Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.
Quote from: Rothman on February 23, 2020, 09:44:20 PM
Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.
Quick search on Google maps and my memory was that Gatlinburg is known for its (controllable speed) alpine coasters. I guess that's a fairly good reason considering the price ($15-20).
IMO probably not as much of a rip-off as say Branson but would rather spend time and not money driving around the Smokies.
Quote from: noelbotevera on February 23, 2020, 10:50:51 PM
Quote from: Rothman on February 23, 2020, 09:44:20 PM
Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.
Quick search on Google maps and my memory was that Gatlinburg is known for its (controllable speed) alpine coasters. I guess that's a fairly good reason considering the price ($15-20).
IMO probably not as much of a rip-off as say Branson but would rather spend time and not money driving around the Smokies.
Good grief don't get me started on Branson. Or Asheville for that matter...got stuck there for a weekend with no repair shops a few years ago. I have nothing against the city itself, but the thought of spending even another minute there makes me sick.
Quote from: noelbotevera on February 23, 2020, 10:50:51 PM
Quote from: Rothman on February 23, 2020, 09:44:20 PM
Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.
Quick search on Google maps and my memory was that Gatlinburg is known for its (controllable speed) alpine coasters. I guess that's a fairly good reason considering the price ($15-20).
IMO probably not as much of a rip-off as say Branson but would rather spend time and not money driving around the Smokies.
Branson has one alpine coaster that I know of, and, well, the Ozarks aren't really mountains outside of the Boston Mountains, so they did the best they could. It's fairly new, but I have been to Germany and Austria where the best alpine coasters are (they are known in German as
sommerrodelbahns). I am surprised that Johnny Morris (owner of Bass Pro, Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock) hasn't built one.
Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are both owned by the Herschends, and I can see a lot of resemblence between the two. They have some similar rides. for example, the
Great American Plunge and
Daredevil Falls. Another similarity? Horrific parking situations. I can't say which park is better as I have never been the the Great Smokey Mountains area. I do wonder if we would even have the Ozark Mountain Highroad if it were not for Silver Dollar City.
Quote from: Rothman on February 23, 2020, 09:44:20 PM
Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.
I think we've had this conversation before, but in any case, my problem isn't Gatlinburg, which has a distinct "Smokies" atmosphere and is at least somewhat quaint and charming. My problem is all the nonsense (including the traffic as well as the "attractions") between Pigeon Forge and I-40.
Planning to go from Seattle to Yellowstone early in the season, recreating a family trip from 1987, only now I-90 will be completed through Idaho. Still, I plan on getting off at Wallace to see The Last Traffic Light. This will be my first solo multi-night road trip, so wish me luck.
A few months ago I did a Google search for Vancouver rail trails, and found The Railway Trail around a lake north of Abbotsford. Ask and ye shall receive. The loop even includes a hydro dam that is closed for tours in the winter, and I just found out it opens on March 1st. I plan on visiting it this Monday the 2nd. (Whoops, rain is forecast for Monday, so never mind.)
The Jalisco trip came and went, shared my highway related thoughts on the International Highways Board.
Been working on these plans for the last couple weeks, now. I think I've actually made a decision.
March 14-15: Drive across Iowa and back to finish my collection of Iowa route signs! This will give fill in the missing blanks to give me one photo of each state, US, and Interstate highway in Iowa. The route is roughly Davenport-Iowa City-Fairfield-Corydon-Shenandoah the first day. Then Shenandoah-Hamburg-Mondamin-Dunlap-Guthrie Center-Des Moines-Runnells-Davenport the second day.
April 8-12: I'm trying to get one photo of every state highway in Ohio, as well. I have most of the western half of the state completed, but I need to take two 4-5 day trips to complete the east half. I'm planning to take the southern of these two trips in April, which will give me complete coverage of the SE quarter of Ohio. This trip will take me to Columbus first, then Portsmouth, Gallipolis, Jackson, Pomeroy, McConnelsville, Caldwell, Marietta, Bridgeport, Steubenville, Barnesville, Cambridge, Coshocton, Zanesville, and back to Columbus.
August 21-25: A trip north to the LaCrosse meet by way of New Glarus, then Duluth, Virginia, and International Falls, MN. After driving north through western Wisconsin, we'll make the return trip through eastern Minnesota and Decorah, IA, before turning east toward Chicagoland.
In early August I'm going with my girlfriend to Alberta, but we're flying. We'll drive south to Glacier NP from Calgary, though, to hike Grinnell Glacier while it still exists.
Quote from: paulthemapguy on February 28, 2020, 09:31:43 AMWe'll drive south to Glacier NP from Calgary, though, to hike Grinnell Glacier while it still exists.
Is that the glacier for which the NPS erected the "Oh no! Global Warming!!!!" sign, then unceremoniously removed said sign not too long ago because the glacier is not in danger of going anytime soon?
Educate thyself:
https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/melting-glaciers.htm
Quote from: Rothman on February 29, 2020, 03:29:12 PM
Educate thyself:
https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/melting-glaciers.htm
Back at you...
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2019/06/07/glacier-national-park-quietly-removes-its-gone-by-2020-signs/
Quote from: hbelkins on March 05, 2020, 11:04:02 AM
Quote from: Rothman on February 29, 2020, 03:29:12 PM
Educate thyself:
https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/melting-glaciers.htm
Back at you...
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2019/06/07/glacier-national-park-quietly-removes-its-gone-by-2020-signs/
One of these articles displays evidence.
The other does not and is written reactionary to evidence.
QuoteShepard Glacier is now less than 25 acres in size and is therefore no longer considered an active glacier.
If the reactionary dumbass in the "Wattsupwiththat" article knew that a glacier less than 25 acres is no longer considered "an active glacier," he never would have made that bet that the glaciers won't be completely gone. And no one took the bet because everyone knows he would just shift the goalposts by saying "Look! It snowed once! That means the glacier isn't completely dead! Where's my $5000?" Glaciers melt asymptotically, meaning you have to have a cutoff size below which you don't consider it a glacier anymore--you just consider it a bunch of snow in the shadow of a mountain. That snow will probably never be completely gone, kind of like how a radioactive isotope never completely goes away--the concentration just becomes minuscule.
Even the title, "Glaciers Appear to be Growing, not Melting in Recent Years" is disingenuous. If there's ONE year when climate change slows, or some metric of temperature is colder, dipshits think that's enough to disprove the entire trend of global warming. Climate is a trend. No trend of anything occurring in nature is an absolutely straight line. To post that weak Wattsupwiththat article, you'd literally have to pretend the entire NPS page on the national park it operates doesn't exist. Sorry, clear observation and photographic evidence don't care about your feelings. One data point doesn't make an argument about or against climate TRENDS, and looks immensely weak in the face of dozens and dozens to suggest the contrary.
In fact, I'm not even sure it's worth it to hike Grinnell Glacier at this point anymore, because there's barely anything left.
I'm seriously considering going to North Carolina, Texas, or upstate New York in April or May.
Quote from: cabiness42 on July 21, 2019, 06:23:33 PM
Definitely still tentative at this point, but the only states outside of Alaska and Hawaii that I've yet to visit are RI, MA, NH, ME and VT, so next summer's family trip is scheduled to be from home to Boston via Providence, after a few days in Boston, on to Cooperstown via NH, ME and VT, then back home via Niagara Falls and Ontario. None of the family other than me has been to Canada before, so the return trip through there is what's selling them on driving vs flying.
Trip is still scheduled for June, though it could be pushed back due to the coronavirus. Plans have changed from a 100% driving trip to one that has us flying to Hartford and doing a loop through the New England states and then flying back. Need to use the credit we got from Southwest after cancelling our Spring Break trip to Hilton Head.
I might modify the length of some of my trips to cut out the family seeing portions of them short term but probably keep the "remote mountain road" parts of them alive. I'll have a good handle on that by Mid-April. I suppose on the plus side I'll have surplus vacation if I shorten upcoming stuff in terms of number of days. Most of the stuff I do is out in the mountains or desert already.
I am pondering how viable it is to drive down to Los Angeles for the day and complete the freeway grid I haven't done. It would be strange packing to be fully self sufficient like a hiking trip in a major urban area but I know others have pulled similar feats this past week.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 20, 2020, 10:05:17 PM
I'm seriously considering going to North Carolina, Texas, or upstate New York in April or May.
As I mentioned in the coronavirus thread:
Quote from: webny99 on March 20, 2020, 08:30:42 PM
there are 10 different states (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NJ, PA, MD, DE) that are closer to New York City than I am right now. That's the way it always has been, of course, but it feels especially jarring right now, and it's something those looking at the statewide numbers should keep in mind: the 7,845 reported cases are incredibly concentrated downstate, while the numbers for the rest of state are more in line with what we're seeing elsewhere in the country.
So, not that I would recommend traveling anywhere right now, but it's certainly true that much of New York state is still far removed from the wild outbreak around the NYC area.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 21, 2020, 11:51:36 AM
I might modify the length of some of my trips to cut out the family seeing portions of them short term but probably keep the "remote mountain road" parts of them alive. I'll have a good handle on that by Mid-April. I suppose on the plus side I'll have surplus vacation if I shorten upcoming stuff in terms of number of days. Most of the stuff I do is out in the mountains or desert already.
I am pondering how viable it is to drive down to Los Angeles for the day and complete the freeway grid I haven't done. It would be strange packing to be fully self sufficient like a hiking trip in a major urban area but I know others have pulled similar feats this past week.
If you do venture forth it is an amazing opportunity to do so with low traffic.
Traffic level is like a major holiday like Christmas day most days. It's unbelievable.
Quote from: mrsman on March 22, 2020, 05:44:01 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 21, 2020, 11:51:36 AM
I might modify the length of some of my trips to cut out the family seeing portions of them short term but probably keep the "remote mountain road" parts of them alive. I'll have a good handle on that by Mid-April. I suppose on the plus side I'll have surplus vacation if I shorten upcoming stuff in terms of number of days. Most of the stuff I do is out in the mountains or desert already.
I am pondering how viable it is to drive down to Los Angeles for the day and complete the freeway grid I haven't done. It would be strange packing to be fully self sufficient like a hiking trip in a major urban area but I know others have pulled similar feats this past week.
If you do venture forth it is an amazing opportunity to do so with low traffic.
Traffic level is like a major holiday like Christmas day most days. It's unbelievable.
Its tempting to venture down to Los Angeles for the day to try to clinch as many freeways as possible. About the one thing really holding me back is that freeways aren't my bag, but it is about the best opportunity to knock out as many routes possible in the California series on Gribblenation.
Short term I have my eyes on Soda Lake Road next Saturday out in Carrizo Plain National Monument. Given how far remote that area is I haven't even seen another person in past visits, seems total appropriate for the current situation.
Quote from: mrsman on March 22, 2020, 05:44:01 PM
If you do venture forth it is an amazing opportunity to do so with low traffic.
Traffic level is like a major holiday like Christmas day most days. It's unbelievable.
Indeed. One day last week I socially distanced by clinching a bunch of routes I've been missing in the northern Utah area, and in the process drove through downtown Salt Lake City during the heart of evening rush hour and never dropped below 65 mph. That is unthinkable during non-pandemic times, when you can count on it taking 20-30 minutes to get from the Spaghetti Bowl to the Davis County line.
Quote from: mrsman on March 22, 2020, 05:44:01 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 21, 2020, 11:51:36 AM
I might modify the length of some of my trips to cut out the family seeing portions of them short term but probably keep the "remote mountain road" parts of them alive. I'll have a good handle on that by Mid-April. I suppose on the plus side I'll have surplus vacation if I shorten upcoming stuff in terms of number of days. Most of the stuff I do is out in the mountains or desert already.
I am pondering how viable it is to drive down to Los Angeles for the day and complete the freeway grid I haven't done. It would be strange packing to be fully self sufficient like a hiking trip in a major urban area but I know others have pulled similar feats this past week.
If you do venture forth it is an amazing opportunity to do so with low traffic.
Traffic level is like a major holiday like Christmas day most days. It's unbelievable.
My wife is a respiratory therapist thus obviously working a lot right now and my kids are home from school, so between my working from home and having to be with the kids, I'm not able to get out and do any clinching with the roads so empty and it's killing me.
Quote from: mrsman on March 22, 2020, 05:44:01 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 21, 2020, 11:51:36 AM
I might modify the length of some of my trips to cut out the family seeing portions of them short term but probably keep the "remote mountain road" parts of them alive. I'll have a good handle on that by Mid-April. I suppose on the plus side I'll have surplus vacation if I shorten upcoming stuff in terms of number of days. Most of the stuff I do is out in the mountains or desert already.
I am pondering how viable it is to drive down to Los Angeles for the day and complete the freeway grid I haven't done. It would be strange packing to be fully self sufficient like a hiking trip in a major urban area but I know others have pulled similar feats this past week.
If you do venture forth it is an amazing opportunity to do so with low traffic.
Traffic level is like a major holiday like Christmas day most days. It's unbelievable.
My brother said going through Atlanta yesterday was probably the easiest trip he's had there since he's been going south to fish and camp.
I may take the recovery/stimulus money I get, rent a vehicle (mine has 275K on it now and needs some work, so I don't trust it to go long distances), and go county collecting. Missouri and Arkansas would be the easiest states nearby to me to complete.
Even with this pandemic screwing everything up in the world, I'm still planning my NYC area road trip. It's all just a question of when, but it was like that before everything started shutting down.
I'm glad to know not everyone is terrified of this virus.
Quote from: bandit957 on April 08, 2020, 12:11:36 AM
I'm glad to know not everyone is terrified of this virus.
It has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the fact that there's an allowed cloud against traveling right now.
Quote from: Duke87 on April 08, 2020, 12:51:49 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on April 08, 2020, 12:11:36 AM
I'm glad to know not everyone is terrified of this virus.
It has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the fact that there's an allowed cloud against traveling right now.
The last two Saturdays have been gorgeous. Both of those Saturdays, I planned to take advantage of the weather and low gas prices and do a little sightseeing. Unfortunately, I had car trouble each of the last two Fridays that immobilized my vehicle over the weekend.
Kentucky has a prohibition against going to another state unless it's for essential items like groceries. If you go out of state for recreational purposes, you're required to self-isolate for two weeks. (I don't know how they would track that unless they're spying on every one of us.) I may find it necessary this Saturday to go purchase groceries at Sheetz in Huntington, WV.
Quote from: hbelkins on April 08, 2020, 11:42:52 AM
Quote from: Duke87 on April 08, 2020, 12:51:49 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on April 08, 2020, 12:11:36 AM
I'm glad to know not everyone is terrified of this virus.
It has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the fact that there's an allowed cloud against traveling right now.
The last two Saturdays have been gorgeous. Both of those Saturdays, I planned to take advantage of the weather and low gas prices and do a little sightseeing. Unfortunately, I had car trouble each of the last two Fridays that immobilized my vehicle over the weekend.
Kentucky has a prohibition against going to another state unless it's for essential items like groceries. If you go out of state for recreational purposes, you're required to self-isolate for two weeks. (I don't know how they would track that unless they're spying on every one of us.) I may find it necessary this Saturday to go purchase groceries at Sheetz in Huntington, WV.
Do they even try to enforce that with major highway checkpoints? If not you could make up any old excuse you wanted about going to grocery shop or just pay cash if you were worried about an employer asking for receipts.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 08, 2020, 12:24:57 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on April 08, 2020, 11:42:52 AM
Quote from: Duke87 on April 08, 2020, 12:51:49 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on April 08, 2020, 12:11:36 AM
I'm glad to know not everyone is terrified of this virus.
It has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the fact that there's an allowed cloud against traveling right now.
The last two Saturdays have been gorgeous. Both of those Saturdays, I planned to take advantage of the weather and low gas prices and do a little sightseeing. Unfortunately, I had car trouble each of the last two Fridays that immobilized my vehicle over the weekend.
Kentucky has a prohibition against going to another state unless it's for essential items like groceries. If you go out of state for recreational purposes, you're required to self-isolate for two weeks. (I don't know how they would track that unless they're spying on every one of us.) I may find it necessary this Saturday to go purchase groceries at Sheetz in Huntington, WV.
Do they even try to enforce that with major highway checkpoints? If not you could make up any old excuse you wanted about going to grocery shop or just pay cash if you were worried about an employer asking for receipts.
Not in Kentucky, they aren't.
I'm not saying I'm planning to do anything now. I'm referring to when this is over, or at least dies down enough. Hell, even if the pandemic were to end tomorrow morning, I still wouldn't start my big trip right away. But I still have an itinerary for my trip and I want to get it just right.
I'm still planning on taking a road trip. however my destinations are largely based on sports events happening. right now these events are scheduled in june and august. one event isn't canceled yet but it's in upstate new york. the other's baseball in toronto and baseball doesn't look like it's happening (at least in the home cities)which sucks.
I could just get a car and see where the road ends but lots of places have patchwork policies so even that's up in the air.
If I lived on my own and not with my parents, I would probably be doing some solo highway and county clinching. From Manistee, I've thought of a round trip that would take me on M-55 all the way to Tawas, then US-23 to Standish, then M-61 and M-115 back to M-55 and home. This would clinch M-55 and M-61, as well as add two counties to my count (Gladwin and Iosco).
Some more hypothetical trips that would involve highway clinching:
M-72 between Empire and Kalkaska (likely the closest stretch of state highway I'm missing parts of)
M-66 between Kalkaska and Lake City (which could be done on the same trip as M-72)
M-120 between Holton and North Muskegon
Quote from: Duke87 on April 08, 2020, 12:51:49 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on April 08, 2020, 12:11:36 AM
I'm glad to know not everyone is terrified of this virus.
It has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the fact that there's an allowed cloud against traveling right now.
Also, even without restrictions, I'd hope everyone realizes this virus is contagious and deadly...
Quote from: Ketchup99 on May 17, 2020, 11:29:07 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on April 08, 2020, 12:51:49 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on April 08, 2020, 12:11:36 AM
I'm glad to know not everyone is terrified of this virus.
It has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the fact that there's an allowed cloud against traveling right now.
Also, even without restrictions, I'd hope everyone realizes this virus is contagious and deadly...
Frankly, with all my friends that are traveling - including one that's going from NY to the Outer Banks this weekend, I think a second wave is inevitable.
For my 2500th Post, I'm announcing that my first big day trip will be happening this month. I just have to fix some minor annoyances on my car, and make sure I don't have to take care of any animals on whatever day I take this trip. It will be a Wiki-photography crusade of Ocala and the vicinity. I wanted some sites further away, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to hold off on those for a while.
And since this is my 2500th post;
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/NY-25.svg/240px-NY-25.svg.png)
(Yeah, I really wanted one with reversed colors.)
so next week I'm actually taking a road trip. there is no final destination, it's just me taking a rental car and driving up to and through new england and the mid atlantic states.
as for watching myself on possible virus exposure, I'm only hitting gas stations, hotels restraunts, and travel plazas because I'm going to be rolling on some toll roads with my ezpass. plus I've got some masks too. I should be okay.
Took a weekend road trip last week to the Salt Lake City area just to get away, do some shopping (I got my NES fixed at a retro game store down there), and to hit the Lagoon amusement park (yes they're open). The only other plans this summer now is a trip to Cedar Point and Kings Island in Ohio, which I've always wanted to visit (via airplane and rental car). I already have flights, hotels, and rental cars booked. Though everything is either able to be rescheduled in the case of flights (used the credit from a cancelled April trip here), or refundable in the case of hotels and rental car, if things change for the worse. We also bought Cedar Fair Platinum Passes, but those are good all the way through the 2021 season now.
Amusement parks, being largely outdoors and requiring masks, seem less risky than most other activities (eg. movie theaters, bars). As long as they're open and welcoming visitors, I'll partake. I'll gladly follow guidelines, use good hygiene, and wear masks while in public, but I'm not going to put my life on hold all year if I don't have to, as someone not in a high risk demographic.
Quote from: doorknob60 on June 19, 2020, 05:13:03 PM
Took a weekend road trip last week to the Salt Lake City area just to get away, do some shopping (I got my NES fixed at a retro game store down there), and to hit the Lagoon amusement park (yes they're open). The only other plans this summer now is a trip to Cedar Point and Kings Island in Ohio, which I've always wanted to visit (via airplane and rental car). I already have flights, hotels, and rental cars booked. Though everything is either able to be rescheduled in the case of flights (used the credit from a cancelled April trip here), or refundable in the case of hotels and rental car, if things change for the worse. We also bought Cedar Fair Platinum Passes, but those are good all the way through the 2021 season now.
Amusement parks, being largely outdoors and requiring masks, seem less risky than most other activities (eg. movie theaters, bars). As long as they're open and welcoming visitors, I'll partake. I'll gladly follow guidelines, use good hygiene, and wear masks while in public, but I'm not going to put my life on hold all year if I don't have to, as someone not in a high risk demographic.
I'm thinking about doing a Kings Island/Cedar Point double after the 4th (and maybe throw in Holiday World (which opened this past week) and Kentucky Kingdom (which opens on the 29th) as well).
Side note: I was at the Orlando parks when COVID was likely spreading the fastest (just before they closed and the only noticeable difference then was increased wiping of surfaces)
Still waiting for my local mechanic to call me about the part I wanted to order for my car. Then I can start my Ocala regional photography crusade.
We have a schedule in October for my sister-in-law's burial. We will be driving out to Ohio. Has anyone ever taken US-35 from Charleston to Dayton? If so, how is that road? I'm thinking of taking Corridor H west to I-79, but since we've taken Corridor D between Clarksburg and Parkersburg on more than one occasion, I'm considering taking I-79 the other way down to Charleston and connecting to US-35. Looks like there's a fairly short section of two-lane road prior to crossing the Ohio River and then it appears to be a divided highway pretty much all the way to Dayton?
(Coming back I think we'll take the old I-70 route straight through Columbus and through the Wheeling Tunnel and on to New Stanton, then connect to the new US-219 south of Somerset. I figure this may be my final trip to Dayton, so I ought to knock off those segments while I can, and the Wheeling Tunnel is closed westbound, so that determines which direction we need to be going for that portion.)
I suppose my considering roadgeekery in the context of travel to a burial can just be added to the ledger of things likely to send me to hell someday....
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 21, 2020, 06:19:06 PM
We have a schedule in October for my sister-in-law's burial. We will be driving out to Ohio. Has anyone ever taken US-35 from Charleston to Dayton? If so, how is that road?
US-35 is 4-lane expressway grade or better between I-64 and I-75 with the following exceptions:
- The aforementioned 2-lane section in WV, which runs about 15 miles and can become congested at times due to heavy truck traffic.
- A 2-3 mile gap west of Xenia between the end of the Xenia Bypass and the Dayton-area freeway, where US-35 runs as an arterial and contains 3 (?) stoplights.
For the rest of the highway, there's not too much traffic east of I-71, from what I remember.
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 21, 2020, 06:19:06 PM
I suppose my considering roadgeekery in the context of travel to a burial can just be added to the ledger of things likely to send me to hell someday....
I've done worse WRT funerals/memorial services. But since I'm not religious, my working roadgeekery into my trips to such services will probably be the least of any possible afterlife problems.
As for my own plans, I'd normally take some very long summer driving trips, to take advantage of the long daylight hours and my retirement. But the coronavirus is blowing holes in my plans, especially the ones with social opportunities. The July meeting of the Extra Miler Club (county counters) in Tulsa, which I'd been planning to attend, has been cancelled. Ditto a summer camp-like adventure like I did last year. The hot springs I normally work into a long road trip out west are mostly closed (including the ones on public lands), with my favorite resort in Colorado retreating from short office hours to "office closed indefinitely, about reopening don't call us, we'll call you". Beaches have similar issues with how to manage proper social distancing (preferably in a way that doesn't add tan lines to my face), even if they're still largely open. Road meets, I'm unsure how well they work for me (considering my age) in the current environment, though I'll have to size up how the first few for this year have gone or will go. The Canadian border closure has been repeatedly extended, and I'm not holding my breath waiting for the border to reopen for leisure travel. All this is limiting (but not completely wiping out) my roadtripping opportunities for this summer.
Quote from: Thing 342 on June 21, 2020, 06:40:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 21, 2020, 06:19:06 PM
We have a schedule in October for my sister-in-law's burial. We will be driving out to Ohio. Has anyone ever taken US-35 from Charleston to Dayton? If so, how is that road?
US-35 is 4-lane expressway grade or better between I-64 and I-75 with the following exceptions:
- The aforementioned 2-lane section in WV, which runs about 15 miles and can become congested at times due to heavy truck traffic.
- A 2-3 mile gap west of Xenia between the end of the Xenia Bypass and the Dayton-area freeway, where US-35 runs as an arterial and contains 3 (?) stoplights.
For the rest of the highway, there's not too much traffic east of I-71, from what I remember.
Thanks. A 15-mile segment on which it may be hard to pass isn't that terrible. I assume it's not a heavily mountainous up- and downhill area because if it were, there would likely be climbing lanes that would help resolve the issue? It looks like the road runs through the Kanawha River valley in that area, so it ought to be reasonably flat?
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 21, 2020, 06:19:06 PM
I suppose my considering roadgeekery in the context of travel to a burial can just be added to the ledger of things likely to send me to hell someday....
I'm not aware that any religious doctrine includes such a prohibition.
Quote from: kphoger on June 22, 2020, 12:16:33 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 21, 2020, 06:19:06 PM
I suppose my considering roadgeekery in the context of travel to a burial can just be added to the ledger of things likely to send me to hell someday....
I'm not aware that any religious doctrine includes such a prohibition.
Viatology?
Quote from: Brandon on June 22, 2020, 12:48:39 PM
Quote from: kphoger on June 22, 2020, 12:16:33 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 21, 2020, 06:19:06 PM
I suppose my considering roadgeekery in the context of travel to a burial can just be added to the ledger of things likely to send me to hell someday....
I'm not aware that any religious doctrine includes such a prohibition.
Viatology?
I'm pretty sure that religion
requires roadgeeking
en route to a burial, not prohibiting it.
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 21, 2020, 06:19:06 PM
We have a schedule in October for my sister-in-law's burial. We will be driving out to Ohio. Has anyone ever taken US-35 from Charleston to Dayton? If so, how is that road? I'm thinking of taking Corridor H west to I-79, but since we've taken Corridor D between Clarksburg and Parkersburg on more than one occasion, I'm considering taking I-79 the other way down to Charleston and connecting to US-35. Looks like there's a fairly short section of two-lane road prior to crossing the Ohio River and then it appears to be a divided highway pretty much all the way to Dayton?
(Coming back I think we'll take the old I-70 route straight through Columbus and through the Wheeling Tunnel and on to New Stanton, then connect to the new US-219 south of Somerset. I figure this may be my final trip to Dayton, so I ought to knock off those segments while I can, and the Wheeling Tunnel is closed westbound, so that determines which direction we need to be going for that portion.)
I think others have mentioned that there's a short segment of US 35 that remains two lanes, but it's on flat land. You might get behind a slow truck or a farm implement, and there will probably be a stream of oncoming traffic that might make passing a slower vehicle a bit problematic. There is construction ongoing to finish off the four-lane; I understand that you can see it from any of the local roads that turn left off northbound US 35 and driving for less than a mile. To be a small town, Chillicothe has some decently impressive interchanges where 23, 35, and 50 all come together. And there is a short stretch through Xenia with signals, but it is four lanes from Point Pleasant all the way to Dayton.
QuoteI suppose my considering roadgeekery in the context of travel to a burial can just be added to the ledger of things likely to send me to hell someday....
Actually, I've done the same thing. I've taken the long way to funerals before just for a change of pace along the route.
I just came back from the Ocala-area photography crusade, and they not only include parts of the City of Ocala, but the Ocala National Forest. I'll be sorting those pics out for the rest of the month.
Quote from: doorknob60 on June 19, 2020, 05:13:03 PM
Amusement parks, being largely outdoors and requiring masks, seem less risky than most other activities (eg. movie theaters, bars). As long as they're open and welcoming visitors, I'll partake. I'll gladly follow guidelines, use good hygiene, and wear masks while in public, but I'm not going to put my life on hold all year if I don't have to, as someone not in a high risk demographic.
Lagoon in particular is probably one of the last places I'd want to go right now. As far as Utah goes, the people most likely to be going to Lagoon are the same people who refuse to wear a mask or take COVID seriously. I prefer to minimize my exposure to that population as much as possible.
Quote from: ctkatz on June 15, 2020, 02:41:36 AM
as for watching myself on possible virus exposure, I'm only hitting gas stations, hotels restraunts, and travel plazas because I'm going to be rolling on some toll roads with my ezpass. plus I've got some masks too. I should be okay.
Gas stations – Most everywhere has the option to pay at the pump, thereby avoiding interaction with other people.
Hotels – I prefer exterior-facing doors to hallways anyway, but the lobby is generally a must-do (other than something like an old Motel 6, where one can pay through a window in a vestibule). Not too bad, overall.
Restaurants – Drive-through for fast food avoids the lobby, some places offer curbside pickup, but others are sit-down only. Depends on what you want to eat and what the ordinances are where you go.
Travel plazas – Don't tell
J N Winkler if you plan to use a public restroom.
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 22, 2020, 10:49:15 AM
Quote from: Thing 342 on June 21, 2020, 06:40:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 21, 2020, 06:19:06 PM
We have a schedule in October for my sister-in-law's burial. We will be driving out to Ohio. Has anyone ever taken US-35 from Charleston to Dayton? If so, how is that road?
US-35 is 4-lane expressway grade or better between I-64 and I-75 with the following exceptions:
- The aforementioned 2-lane section in WV, which runs about 15 miles and can become congested at times due to heavy truck traffic.
- A 2-3 mile gap west of Xenia between the end of the Xenia Bypass and the Dayton-area freeway, where US-35 runs as an arterial and contains 3 (?) stoplights.
For the rest of the highway, there's not too much traffic east of I-71, from what I remember.
Thanks. A 15-mile segment on which it may be hard to pass isn't that terrible. I assume it's not a heavily mountainous up- and downhill area because if it were, there would likely be climbing lanes that would help resolve the issue? It looks like the road runs through the Kanawha River valley in that area, so it ought to be reasonably flat?
Yes, as mentioned previously, it's very flat. The two-lane section is tolerable since every other mile is four lanes. I think taking US 35 is worth it due to all of the nice button copy signs in Dayton alone. A few around Jackson too.
Quote from: kphoger on June 25, 2020, 04:13:32 PM
Quote from: ctkatz on June 15, 2020, 02:41:36 AM
as for watching myself on possible virus exposure, I'm only hitting gas stations, hotels restraunts, and travel plazas because I'm going to be rolling on some toll roads with my ezpass. plus I've got some masks too. I should be okay.
Gas stations – Most everywhere has the option to pay at the pump, thereby avoiding interaction with other people.
Hotels – I prefer exterior-facing doors to hallways anyway, but the lobby is generally a must-do (other than something like an old Motel 6, where one can pay through a window in a vestibule). Not too bad, overall.
Restaurants – Drive-through for fast food avoids the lobby, some places offer curbside pickup, but others are sit-down only. Depends on what you want to eat and what the ordinances are where you go.
Travel plazas – Don't tell J N Winkler if you plan to use a public restroom.
i just got back from that trip. I got freaked the hell out when I got to rhode island and saw a bunch of ezpass gantries over the highway. I budgeted for ny, nj, pa, and oh but not rhode island. fortunately they only toll semis.
I only went into one gas station (sheetz) just to see what it was like since we don't have any here. I felt it was another 7 eleven deal (ironic since we also don't have 7/11 in my area). all of my hotels were bw brands. no outside facing doors but none of them were all that busy. same thing with food, two sit down restaurants that I got to just before closing. them and roy rogers. and I have to say that I feel cheated. roy closed their fixins bar so all of my sandwiches were plain. and as for the travel plazas, of all the ones I visited the thruway plazas are the best ones I've visited by far.
all in all, I can still smell stuff. it was a good trip. a purely driving vacation is something that I would consider doing again.
Quote from: ctkatz on July 01, 2020, 12:38:10 AM
and as for the travel plazas, of all the ones I visited the thruway plazas are the best ones I've visited by far.
Don't hear that too much, but I agree! I think the Thruway rest areas are underrated.
Due to a sudden increase in shootings in NYC, as a result of the "Defund the Police" movement, my mother is urging me not to return to the New York Tri-State Area.
I still want to go, and even if I don't go, I'll probably fix my Metro Card issue next month.
As for me, I had to cancel one trip down to Florida back in March. I am hopeful that I can go down next month. Due to family issues and my impending graduation from college, trips to Florida for me will likely be few and far between.
Going to Birmingham, AL for my friends 40th Birthday party on August 1st. Leaving on July 30th and going to stay 2 nights in Murfreesboro, TN at my aunt and uncles house and then I will head to Birmingham from there. On the way home I'm going to stop in Knoxville and Cincinnati because I am moving to Cincy in December.
Thanks to the pandemic, and New York's quarantining of anybody from hot spot states like Florida for 14 days, It's a safe bet I'm not going to the New York Tri-State area anytime this year.
The most I'm going to be able to do is day trips to certain parts of the State of Florida I want to get pictures of.
I actually just got home from a trip to Ocean City, Md., and Shenandoah National Park. So the pandemic didn't completely kill off long trips.
This is me on Monday on the boardwalk in Ocean City...
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eh5kSFzWkAEipu3?format=jpg&name=large)
I will soon be leaving for Arkansas (again).. this time, I will be in the southwest. I will be visiting Queen Wilhelmina State Park, but driving the completed portion of the Bella Vista bypass (a 20 minute detour), and part of the Talimena Scenic Drive on the way.
Quote from: ozarkman417 on September 17, 2020, 09:27:09 PM
I will soon be leaving for Arkansas (again).. this time, I will be in the southwest. I will be visiting Queen Wilhelmina State Park, but driving the completed portion of the Bella Vista bypass (a 20 minute detour), and part of the Talimena Scenic Drive on the way.
I was born in and grew up in Mena. If you are interested, I can point you towards some of the interesting things in the area.
Western Electric Model 500
I've got no plans for a road trip in 2020, 2020's going to be the year of making plans, and making sure they can be implemented in the future! I've been accepting some extra tasks (recently, I've written and translated quite a hefty amount of text about how this Montenegro citizenship program https://tranio.com/montenegro/passport/ (https://tranio.com/montenegro/passport/) is going to affect the country's real estate market) over the last few weeks, so that in 2021, as soon as the borders are going to reopen again, I'll be able to buy plane tickets, book motels, rent a car, etc... without having to save money for months or make a loan!
As of this moment, my mother and I are planning to attend my cousin's wedding next weekend in Crofton, KY. (We have a reservation in Hopkinsville for two nights.) I'll get to see the progress on I-69 near Martinsville, IN, and any part of that route south of US-60 will be new to me.
I'll be trying for Crater Lake and Redwood National Park soon provided there isn't issues with fires. I'll likely be heading to Lake Tahoe for Veterans Day weekend. In December I have plans to take my wife to Big Sur and Cambria to see some sort of winter light show.
Probably just drive around more collecting counties in Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois. That is, when I have the gas money and time away from homework and school.
Despite the pandemic, I've been fortunate that I've been been able to (safely) take several road trips this year:
- Weekend trips around Michigan/Indiana with friends
- A 3-day trip to and from western Illinois in June for the road meet that Brandon Gorte hosted in the Sterling/Dixon area
- A 6-day trip out to and from Utica NY in July for the road meet that Mark Sinsabaugh hosted (which allowed me to explore Youngstown OH, Ithaca NY, and Niagara Falls NY as well)
- A 3-day trip to and from LaCrosse WI in August for the road meet that Scott Onson hosted
- A 3-day trip to southern Indiana and eastern Ohio in September which allowed me to finish collecting the remaining counties I needed in those states
In less than two weeks, I'm planning to head to Kansas City for another road meet... and then in mid November I'm planning on going to Greensboro NC for yet another road meet. (I usually attend between four and six road meets per year, and this year I'm on track to continue that trend... despite the pandemic.) The only thing, I think, that would prevent me from attending either of those meets is if the COVID numbers look particularly bad in those areas and my spouse would prefer that I not go.
Only thing on my agenda right now is AR 16. It runs from Slime mold Siloam Springs to Searcy over some narrow roads and hilly terrain. It's a really crazy roller coaster drive. I've only driven it once and that was over 20 years ago.
I've been wanting to go check out construction on new US 35 in West Virginia, but car troubles are getting in the way. If I can get my car running to the point where I feel safe driving it longer distances than 10 miles or so, I may combine that with a jaunt into southern WV to see the new section of the Coalfields Expressway.
Last week, I took my three sons on a camping trip to Colorado. Our Pathfinder was supposedly fixed just in the nick of time: I picked it up from the mechanic at midnight Saturday night. However, something went wrong with the timing during the repair, so I had to borrow a 4Runner from friends at church. I turned our car in at the mechanic first thing Monday morning, then drove the loaner car home, loaded the boys into our friends' car, and off we went.
A map of our GPS track can be viewed on Google here (https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1TNfp7A4alm6owQrH3QVqfLxRh6EjWSoO&usp=sharing). (The track starts at our first gas station stop, and it ends at the motel we stayed at on the way back.) Dark red is westbound, purple is eastbound. Not shown is that we used US-160 over North La Veta Pass on the westbound trip rather than Old La Veta Pass, which we used on the return trip.
The main destination was Great Sand Dunes National Park, at which we camped three nights. Temperatures for the first two nights were likely below 35 degrees, but I don't think it actually dipped below freezing. I'm skinny and a cold-weenie, so I slept in three shirts and a coat. The third night wasn't as cold, but the wind kept three of us awake most of the night. As soon as the sun came up, though, it warmed right up into the 70s every day.
We hiked partway up the sand dunes one day, and then we hiked Dunes Overlook Trail the next day. Hardly a cloud in the sky the whole time, and just barely some occasional haze.
After our time there, we headed across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, making use of a San Isabel National Forest road, commonly known as Apishapa Road, which is a spur of the so-called Highway of Legends. No 4WD was required, but I probably would have used it if I had been traveling westbound. From a mile or two west of Cordova Pass all the way to Apishapa Arch, the road was quite rocky and required a little bit of skill to navigate. My speed along that stretch was typically around 10 mph, and I was thankful to be in a vehicle with auto-stick. On the way up, my middle son got carsick, so he and my youngest switched seats for the way down–in order for him to be able to see out the windshield. After Apishapa Arch, the road gradually improved–from large rocks all over in the roadbed to smaller rocks and visible tire tracks, then from that to the smoothest gravel road I've ever driven, then from that to asphalt. From Aguilar, we drove down into New Mexico to briefly visit Capulin Volcano National Monument and hike down into the vent. Then, on our way back to Kansas, we stopped and found the official BLM marker for the northwestern corner of Texas–which is NOT in the shoulder of the highway, as Google Maps suggests.
Mountain passes crossed
Cuchara Pass (twice) | CO-12 | Elev. 9,995 feet
North La Veta Pass | US-160 | Elev. 9,413 feet
Old La Veta Pass (Uptop) | Huerfano CR-443 | Elev. 9,382 feet
Cordova Pass | Las Animas CR-46 | Elev. 11,248 feet
Raton Pass | I-25 | Elev. 7,834 feet
Highway photos:
US-160 WB, between Springfield and Trinidad, CO
(https://i.imgur.com/wbpIt5y.png)
CO-150, approaching Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO
(https://i.imgur.com/PYmEmOa.png)
Old La Veta Pass at the ghost town of Uptop, CO
(https://i.imgur.com/mTFf4Wi.png)
US-160 EB, as seen from the road coming down from Old La Veta Pass
(https://i.imgur.com/ywslBRk.png)
Cordova Pass, CO
(https://i.imgur.com/YP0e4FW.png)
Apishapa Arch, east of Cordova Pass
(https://i.imgur.com/1hUUoNK.png)
Southeastern Colorado is loaded with decimal-pointed county highways
(https://i.imgur.com/8HzKLfT.png)
NM-72 EB, between Yankee and Folsom, NM
(https://i.imgur.com/NpGzb35.png)
My wife and I often visit relatives in Branson (MO) and Des Moines (IA), so this sign in Folsom (NM) was humorous to me
(https://i.imgur.com/1aYWlYM.png)
Is there anything New Mexico DOESN'T get wrong about signage? Error US-64 shield on NM-325 in Capulin
(https://i.imgur.com/UFPIyr8.png)
Getting my roadgeek on with the boys
(https://i.imgur.com/p4eVaB4.png)
I was able to do one more fall trip. This week, I visited some national parks in Colorado and Utah!
This is me in the common area of a motel in Glenwood Springs, Colo., om Thursday...
(https://i.imgur.com/JCaYtZL.jpg)
Yesterday I finally went on my northeastern Florida photography crusade. I wanted to do this, so that the next time I take a trip to NYC, won't need to stop too many places within Florida to take pictures.
US 17-FL 100 goes over a bump that was once a Seaboard Air Line Railroad crossing just east of the northwest end of the overlap. The only part of it still being used is a spur from the CSX Wildwood Subdivision, to a little community in the middle of nowhere named Edgar.
The Commodore Point Expressway is getting the John Norquist treatment. And all of you know I'm no fan of that anti-highway zealotry, and will never go near the Isaiah David Hart Bridge again!
UPDATE: October 19, 2020: Actually, this is a really bad idea. I'm already convinced there will be people flying off the stub like the American Nazis in "The Blues Brothers" on an irregular yet frequent basis.
The Westbound Liberty Street off ramp on the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway is closed (permanently?). I've been saying there were too many interchanges east of I-95 and not enough of them west of I-95.
Thankfully, I was finally able to take better shots of the agricultural inspection stations on US 17. But what I found was that there were no Department of Agricultural Police cars at the facility, and a big clearing around the northbound inspection station. Could this be an effort by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to replace those pull-off lanes with a whole new facility?
Either way, I actually crossed over into the Georgia State Line. I considered a drive into Kingsland to a restaurant I knew about, but it was too soon in the day for lunch.
US 17 is being widened from west of the bridge over Dunns Creek in San Mateo to some part of San Mateo I forgot about. I keep thinking they could've gone somewhat southwest of there.
The eastbound Seminole County Rest Area on I-4 is closed and the car parking lot and picnic area have been torn to pieces for reconstruction. I'm so glad I captured images of that place when I did.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Interstate_4_rest_area_50221,_Florida
I know Governor DeSantis held this big press conference earlier this year claiming they were done with the "I-4 Ultimate" project, but it doesn't even look like it's close.
I will be taking another Northeastern Florida excursion someday, but I think my next day trip will be between the Sunshine Skyway and the abandoned Orlampa development.
I posted this message on another thread:
Quote from: D-Dey65 on November 08, 2020, 05:04:04 PM
At this point, I'm considering the possibility, I may not take any big road trips of any kind until the Spring of 2021, because I'm getting ready to schedule an operation on my knee. That's because more than eight years ago I tried sitting in the driver's seat of a 1966-67 MG Midget, and have had water on the knee ever since, but now it's starting to bulge up.
Small cars and big people just don't mix!
As it turned out, my knee surgery went easier than I thought it would. So perhaps there might be a chance to squeeze that Sunshine Skyway/I-4 trip in before the year is over.
Will be going north to NYC via I-70, I-695, I-95 and I-278 in December since my family usually goes there every year. We stay at my grandma's house in Queens.
Quote from: Ragarnoky on November 23, 2020, 03:51:33 PM
Will be going north to NYC via I-70, I-695, I-95 and I-278 in December since my family usually goes there every year. We stay at my grandma's house in Queens.
...while COVID positivity rates are expected to hit 12% in NY now? Stay safe.
I am now looking to make my Central Florida photography crusade day trip sometime before December 14. This will include more of the Sunshine Skyway, including some rest area pics, Silver Moon Drive-In, Polk Parkway, Orlampa, and if I can, maybe I'll even barge in towards the Daytona Beach Metro Area, or even the St. Augustine area (I've been seeking more pics of the US 1 Business Route there recently).
In the meantime, can somebody tell me where this image is (or was)?
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orange_bird_sign,_Artesia_Gardens_Citrus_Stand,_Route_A1A,_Hammock,_Florida_LCCN2017704050.tif (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orange_bird_sign,_Artesia_Gardens_Citrus_Stand,_Route_A1A,_Hammock,_Florida_LCCN2017704050.tif)
Quote from: D-Dey65 on December 01, 2020, 11:02:34 PM
In the meantime, can somebody tell me where this image is (or was)?
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orange_bird_sign,_Artesia_Gardens_Citrus_Stand,_Route_A1A,_Hammock,_Florida_LCCN2017704050.tif (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orange_bird_sign,_Artesia_Gardens_Citrus_Stand,_Route_A1A,_Hammock,_Florida_LCCN2017704050.tif)
From the very little I can dig up online, it appears to have been at 5399 N Oceanshore Blvd (Palm Coast, FL). That location is now a bank at the entrance to Publix.
https://www.floridalookup.com/artesia-ga-palm-coast-biz688463.htm (https://www.floridalookup.com/artesia-ga-palm-coast-biz688463.htm)
What I can definitely confirm, however, is that the statue is no more.
https://activerain.com/blogsview/2025588/bluebird-of-happiness-and-the-orange-man-a-foreclosure-love-story-tragedy (https://activerain.com/blogsview/2025588/bluebird-of-happiness-and-the-orange-man-a-foreclosure-love-story-tragedy)
I took the Sunshine Skyway-Polk County trip yesterday, but I took I-75 straight down to the south end of I-275 this time.
I also took some unexpected sightseeing on the north pier of the former Sunshine Skyway. As I left, I spotted a medium-sized sign knocked down on the embankment between the old bridge and the southbound lane. I tried to lift it up to read it, but it was too heavy (and only a few years ago, I lifted up a 580 pound steel sink!).
Wikimedia Commons will soon have the south end and north beginning of US 19, and possibly others from Manatee County.
They're also going to have some from FL Toll 570 (Polk Parkway), which as of now, does not have electronic tolls.
As well as the Silver Moon Drive-In, which they have an article on, but no images.
Did you also know that US 92 has an abandoned truck weigh station east of the Hillsborough-Polk County Line? It really shouldn't be a surprise since the road used to be the main drag between St. Pete and Daytona Beach, but it's just so prominent, I'm really sorry I didn't get a picture of it.
There's also a New Jersey style U-Turn along FL 559 south of the entrance to Love's Travel Center. Why?
One woman smiled at me for taking pictures of the Silver Moon Drive-In.
A bunch of jerkoffs honked at me for stopping to take pictures of the few remaining remnants of Orlampa that I could find. They also got on my case for obeying the stop sign and blinker light at FL 559 and CR 557A.
So unless something goes wrong for my Christmas trip to one of my relatives near Walt Disney World, this is it for the 2020 day trips. No Daytona Beach or St. Augustine until sometime next year. Either somebody else is going to have to capture US 1 Business Route signs in St. Augustine, or the Wikimedia Commons will have to wait a few months or longer for them.
My Wife and I did one to a Christmas light show in Cambria the night the Southern California Regional Stat at Home Order was set to enact. Our hotel reservation was honored so we stayed out there and drove up CA 1 to Carmel in the morning. Monterey County didn't have a regional Stay at Home order so it was pretty much just business as usual there.
Quote from: ErmineNotyours on February 25, 2020, 10:31:02 PM
Planning to go from Seattle to Yellowstone early in the season, recreating a family trip from 1987, only now I-90 will be completed through Idaho. Still, I plan on getting off at Wallace to see The Last Traffic Light. This will be my first solo multi-night road trip, so wish me luck.
A few months ago I did a Google search for Vancouver rail trails, and found The Railway Trail around a lake north of Abbotsford. Ask and ye shall receive. The loop even includes a hydro dam that is closed for tours in the winter, and I just found out it opens on March 1st. I plan on visiting it this Monday the 2nd. (Whoops, rain is forecast for Monday, so never mind.)
I'm finally taking that Yellowstone trip in the middle of September! I had planned to stay in cabins just like when I went with my family, but even two months out is too late to plan for these things. Only the extremes of camping and luxury resorts are available, and even those are few and far between. So I planned to be in Yellowstone three nights and two days, and I've alternated the camp with the resort so I won't have to go too many days without an easy shower. The camp sites available on the days are way down in Grand Teton, which I hadn't even planned to visit. It's two and a half hours from Mammoth Hot Springs to the first campsite, and I'm still not sure how late I can check in. The resort is the Old Faithful Inn, for a night that costs as much as my monthly rent did in 2001. I wanted to visit at least the wood-carved lobby of Old Faithful Inn and then its copy in Walt Disney World, but I missed out on both times. Now I'll actually be staying there.
I waited to schedule this trip until the Wallace District Mining Museum in Wallace, Idaho, featuring the last traffic light on I-90, was open. I'll be stopping both directions in Missoula and plan on walking around the river trails in town, especially on the way back when I'll have more time. Other than that I have no plans for anything special to do between home and the park.
I had planned to camp a few weeks ago when I finally visited the drive-in movie theater in Port Townsend, Washington. It didn't seem worth it to pay for a motel just for a drive-in, especially with all those state parks around. Then I realized they have gates and wouldn't be open at all hours to take me in, so I wound up getting a motel room anyway. Still, thanks to my noisy upstairs neighbors, I was able to test the possibility of sleeping in the back of my CR-V. At 5'7" I can stretch out corner to corner in the back on an air mattress and actually fall asleep. I haven't tested a complete night yet, so it will be an adventure.
For Yellowstone, I found staying in West Yellowstone to be most convenient.
Quote from: Rothman on July 17, 2021, 12:17:33 PM
For Yellowstone, I found staying in West Yellowstone to be most convenient.
Likewise, but Red Lodge isn't too bad to use as a staging area on the Bear Tooth Highway. Jackson Hole is way too touristy and better suited to visiting Grand Teton.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 17, 2021, 12:19:33 PM
Quote from: Rothman on July 17, 2021, 12:17:33 PM
For Yellowstone, I found staying in West Yellowstone to be most convenient.
Likewise, but Red Lodge isn’t too bad to use as a staging area on the Bear Tooth Highway. Jackson Hole is way too touristy and better suited to visiting Grand Teton.
Jackson isn't even that close to Yellowstone anyway. Last time I went to Yellowstone (summer 2020), I stayed in Jackson the night after and was shocked it took over 2 hours to get there. Didn't budget my time appropriately, so I did over half of that drive in the dark (though I did see way more of Yellowstone in one day than most people). You bet I was paying extra good attention for animals - it's really something to see a pair of coyote eyes staring at you from the side of the road, and I had already seen a moose and a few elk earlier in the drive when it was still sort of light.
Also, not only is Jackson touristy, it is absolutely
full of people. Traffic was a nightmare even when I was there during covid summer last year.
This thread in a nutshell: Plans that didn't came through. For the first time since I can recall I spent every night of the calendar year at home. I ended up without taking any major road trips, and for half a year I didn't even drive at all. In fact I didn't drive much for a year or so, having only picked it up again from March on. I had to abruptly cancel a daytrip, which if I'm lucky enough I'll try to do in October.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 19, 2021, 09:05:28 AM
This thread in a nutshell: Plans that didn't came through.
Says you. (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=25376.msg2539076;topicseen#msg2539076)
Also, |
Max Rockatansky (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=25376.msg2480720;topicseen#msg2480720)| and I both went to Mexico in 2020–although I think he flew down there and did road-tripping while he was there. I drove there and back, but I never posted a report on this thread.
Others have posted in this thread about road trips they took in 2020 as well.