We're heading to Toronto next month and we plan to visit Cooperstown en route to see the Baseball Hall of Fame (consistent with visiting both Hockey Halls of Fame on the same trip–the original one in Kingston and the better-known one in Toronto).
For the drive north, I'm planning to go over the Bay Bridge so as to hit the new US-301 segment in Delaware, then go up the Northeast Extension to Scranton because I've never used that road other than its southernmost portion (and that was in the 1980s), whereas I finished the I-81 clinch in 2006. Probably then take I-81 to Binghamton to pick up I-88, as the latter road is all new for me.
That leads to two questions:
(1) Anyone have any recommendation on lodging for one night in Cooperstown or the surrounding area? I suppose I could look for something in Schenectady or Amsterdam to allow for a clinch of I-88, but I'm not enamored of then having to drive an hour back the other way the next morning, so proximity to Cooperstown might be more important. (The hotel a couple of blocks from the Baseball Hall of Fame isn't an option because they want prepayment and it's non-refundable, which I find unacceptable.) I suppose in the scheme of things if we need to stay further away, stopping short in Binghamton is probably more appealing than going past Cooperstown and then coming back.
(2) After leaving the Baseball Hall of Fame, any recommendations for an interesting route north to the Thousand Islands Bridge? As noted above, I've clinched I-81, plus most of it is out of the way from Cooperstown, so I was considering some of the state routes north to Fort Drum, then I-781 to I-81 to the bridge. (Haven't decided where to stop that night. It'll depend on what time it gets to be.) I looked into taking the ferry across to the west of the bridge, but then I looked at Google Street View and saw the lengthy queue for the other ferry to Kingston and said "forget it" (plus I want to cross off the whole segment of 401 between the bridge and Darlington Provincial Park, the latter being the furthest east we went the last time I passed through Toronto in 1986 on the way home from Cochrane).
I doubt we'll drive much in Toronto. Staying at the Royal York, so we'll probably leave the car parked and walk or take the subway, depending on where we go.
I'll probably decide on the route home when we're on the way home. I've been down I-79 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and I've been down I-390 to US-15, so I'm leaning towards at least starting down US-219 as far as I-80 and then seeing what the Wife Acceptance Factor is looking like before deciding whether to take 219 all the way to I-68 or instead to cut east on I-80 to I-99. Either option involves a good portion of new road for me. Also have to decide which bridge to take back to the USA, and that may depend on whether we want to stop at Niagara Falls. Neither of us has been there since the 1980s (I visited on a day trip south from Toronto on the 1986 trip mentioned above–we were camping at Darlington Provincial Park and drove down to the Falls for the day, bizarrely managing to miss a massive rainstorm that dumped so much rain on Toronto that people were water-skiing down Yonge Street behind trucks!). I see the Whirlpool Bridge is NEXUS-only, so that's not an option.
Thanks in advance for any advice on the two questions!
Staying here in Amsterdam would be good in that you could come most of the way up I-88 to get here, then take mostly the scenic US 20 ride back down to Cooperstown the next day, so while sort of doubling back, it would be a nice ride along a substantially different route. The downside is that we don't really have a decent hotel other than the Amsterdam Castle, which might or might not be your kind of thing. You could check out the Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook pedestrian bridge, just down the street from there. You have more hotel options up the road in Johnstown and over in Schenectady. You might also consider hotels in Oneonta, Cobleskill, or Howe's Cave.
Since you mentioned I-781, there's been discussion here about clinching that route without having to enter the Fort Drum Army base. Best approach is to continue east past US 11 (I-781's east end is definitely in the half-mile or so between US 11 and Fort Drum); stay in the left lane as you approach the sentries at the main gate; make a left turn into the small parking area in the median just before the gate; then make another left to exit the parking area and return to I-781 westbound.
I just clinched I-781 two days ago. The route has clear begin and end signage. There is ample opportunity to turn around east of US 11 and before the gate.
Thanks for the comments. Regarding I-781, a look at Google Street View shows the "end" sign on the eastbound carriageway as being near the middle of the interchange immediately after the overpass. I may apply the "interchange rule" many folks have cited in other threads in order to call it a clinch. Doesn't look like the minuscule bit of publicly-accessible road east of there is very interesting.
Jim, thanks for the comments on lodging. Amsterdam Castle looks like sort of a strange place and the reviews seem a little confused. Is it a hotel, a B&B, something else? The AAA book gives it a decent rating, so I suppose I shouldn't be put off by its strange industrial-looking exterior. I suppose if we go there, I could take I-88 all the way to the Thruway even though it's a little out of the way. Clinch I-88 so it's not one of those nagging little holes in an area I don't visit very often.
Schenectady would probably be easier relative to I-88 than Amsterdam. I second the idea of "backtracking" on US 20 instead of I-88. For north to I-781, probably NY 12 to Lowville, then NY 26 to US 11.
Quote from: vdeane on May 10, 2019, 08:55:47 PM
Schenectady would probably be easier relative to I-88 than Amsterdam. I second the idea of "backtracking" on US 20 instead of I-88. For north to I-781, probably NY 12 to Lowville, then NY 26 to US 11.
Thanks, especially on the northbound routing. Another question I should ask–and Jim strikes me as the person who would know this better than anyone else on this forum–is how long we should plan to spend at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Obviously that'll be a major determinant in where we stop for the night en route to Kingston. (I'm kind of inclined to cross the border during the day solely because Ms1995hoo has only passed through the Thousand Islands once, in 2006 on our way home from Mont-Tremblant and Ottawa, so a day crossing allows for looking around.)
I'm not too sure what the Amsterdam Castle is trying to be. I guess somewhere in between a hotel and a B&B. I like the idea of it and the few people I know who have stayed liked it. They took what was the mostly abandoned old Armory building and did this with it.
As far as the Baseball Hall of Fame, it's been a while since my last visit, but you can spend as much time there as you have. Plenty to see. And you'll want to walk around Cooperstown some, too. It's a fun place just to be there if you're a baseball fan.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 10, 2019, 09:01:17 PM
Quote from: vdeane on May 10, 2019, 08:55:47 PM
Schenectady would probably be easier relative to I-88 than Amsterdam. I second the idea of "backtracking" on US 20 instead of I-88. For north to I-781, probably NY 12 to Lowville, then NY 26 to US 11.
Thanks, especially on the northbound routing. Another question I should ask–and Jim strikes me as the person who would know this better than anyone else on this forum–is how long we should plan to spend at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Obviously that'll be a major determinant in where we stop for the night en route to Kingston. (I'm kind of inclined to cross the border during the day solely because Ms1995hoo has only passed through the Thousand Islands once, in 2006 on our way home from Mont-Tremblant and Ottawa, so a day crossing allows for looking around.)
There's a tower that allows for some nice views just past customs. They also do currency exchange and apparently sell ice creme too.
http://1000islandstower.com/
Yeah, it's funny, I've seen the tower (passed through there three times–1984, 1986, and 2006) but have never stopped. Might depend on the weather and the timing. I'll skip currency exchange because one of the banks we use has a no-fee deal with Scotiabank for ATM access.
Thanks again for the tips. After some research I booked a Hampton in Schenectady primarily because I get extra Hilton points based on my status in their program (plus there's that I-88 clinch). I think we'll use the US-20 route a couple of you suggested. Might go down one side of the lake into Cooperstown and then up the other side on the way out.
The night after that.....ehhhh. No Hilton properties in Kingston. Watertown and Fort Drum might be too short a drive, but Napanee looks unnecessarily far. Might wait to book anything until I see what time it is when we're ready to leave Cooperstown and then decide based on that.
Follow-up to my last post: Any dinner recommendations in downtown Schenectady?
I'm not particularly familiar with downtown Schenectady cuisine, but if you don't mind going across the river into Scotia, Jumping Jacks is always good.
Of course Jumpin Jacks is an excellent choice if you're looking for the outdoor experience. Just be ready with your order when called or the locals will know you're not one of us.
But Schenectady has a lot of good options. Tons of Italian options including Johnny's downtown and Cornell's on Jay. Great sandwiches from Gershon's on Upper Union. I like Morrette's steak sandwiches on Erie.
Thanks to both of you. I'll look up those places.
Looks like Johnny's is across the street (more or less) from the hotel, which might be ideal.
I'd say Johnny's for dinner then across the river to Jumpin Jacks for ice cream.
Quote from: Jim on June 04, 2019, 11:08:48 AM
I'd say Johnny's for dinner then across the river to Jumpin Jacks for ice cream.
Thanks. May depend on whether the missus is willing to get back in the car, too, although I see it's only a mile and a half.
Consider Brooks BBQ in Oneonta either to eat there or carryout to eat at hotel...it's good enough that I go specifically there most summers for one of my 17-hr U-turn rides...
Easy to get to from I-88 via exit 16...
US 219 is pretty decent except for between I-80 and Ebensburg which is a little windier. But using I-80 east you can head towards State College and Harrisburg to get back to the DC area...
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 09, 2019, 09:08:19 PM
(2) After leaving the Baseball Hall of Fame, any recommendations for an interesting route north to the Thousand Islands Bridge? As noted above, I've clinched I-81, plus most of it is out of the way from Cooperstown, so I was considering some of the state routes north to Fort Drum, then I-781 to I-81 to the bridge.
NY 12 or NY 26 would net you Lewis County, one of NY's most obscure. :)
Any combination of those two will be significantly shorter mileage-wise than I-81.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 09, 2019, 09:08:19 PM
I'll probably decide on the route home when we're on the way home. I've been down I-79 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and I've been down I-390 to US-15, so I'm leaning towards at least starting down US-219 as far as I-80 and then seeing what the Wife Acceptance Factor is looking like before deciding whether to take 219 all the way to I-68 or instead to cut east on I-80 to I-99.
US 219 starts out as a really nice road south of Buffalo, but then gets progressively worse south of Springville (the Bradford PA freeway segment being the exception). US 6 to I-80 is the worst. I've done the whole thing once and various portions on other occasions, and I'm not jumping to do it again. As with all through roads in PA, there will be plenty of truck traffic as well. Even if you start out in take-it-easy-and-enjoy-the-scenery mode, you will likely be very glad to see I-80.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 09, 2019, 09:08:19 PM
Also have to decide which bridge to take back to the USA, and that may depend on whether we want to stop at Niagara Falls. Neither of us has been there since the 1980s ... I see the Whirlpool Bridge is NEXUS-only, so that's not an option.
If you do the Falls, then Rainbow is the clear choice. If you don't, I'd recommend Peace ahead of Lewiston given your origin and destination. Also, the southernmost leg of the QEW is a much nicer road, with fewer bumps, less curvature, less traffic and more courteous drivers, than I-190. My disdain for I-190 on Grand Island grows every time I use it (but I'm not sure if you need it for clinching purposes).
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 04, 2019, 11:39:38 AM
Quote from: Jim on June 04, 2019, 11:08:48 AM
I'd say Johnny's for dinner then across the river to Jumpin Jacks for ice cream.
Thanks. May depend on whether the missus is willing to get back in the car, too, although I see it's only a mile and a half.
Good ice cream is hard to find around the Capital District. I prefer The Snowman in Troy.
And nowhere around here compares to Flayvors in Hadley, MA, Herrell's in Northampton, MA or Tillamook in Oregon...
As to webny99's comments about US-219, I guess I'll see what time it is and how long it's taking on that road. I haven't used that area of I-80 and I-99, so that would all be new, but I'd also kind of like to hit the new section of US-219 below Somerset. Won't be able to do both, so I guess I'll see how it looks then.
No idea whether we'll stop in Niagara Falls. I figure we've both been there (though not together) and ridden the boat and all that, so I doubt we'd stop for all that long. Not sure it's worth it other than perhaps the chance to clinch ON-420, then maybe I-290. My Travel Mapping log shows a clinch of I-190 back in August 1986.
When I first read Mapmikey's post I thought to myself that the restaurant must be really close to Binghamton. Then I looked at a map and remembered that New York's stupid exit numbering means the number bears no relation whatsoever to where it is. I had forgotten about that (except as to the Thruway).
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 04, 2019, 06:59:20 PM
No idea whether we'll stop in Niagara Falls. I figure we've both been there (though not together) and ridden the boat and all that, so I doubt we'd stop for all that long. Not sure it's worth it other than perhaps the chance to clinch ON-420, then maybe I-290.
You could clinch I-290 (and ON 405) using the Lewiston Bridge as well. The trade off of doing that vs just taking the Peace Bridge is slightly longer distance and more driving in urban areas. The QEW between Niagara and Fort Erie is very rural in character, I-190 not so much so and I-290 not at all.
Quote from: Jim on June 04, 2019, 11:08:48 AM
I'd say Johnny's for dinner then across the river to Jumpin Jacks for ice cream.
Thanks for the recommendation on Johnny's. Very good dinner and a bargain too ($137 with bottle of wine and tip). Ms1995hoo had veal Marsala and I had chicken cognac. Cannolis for dessert. Great stuff, would go there again if we're ever back this way. Neither of us wanted to drive anywhere, so we didn't go for ice cream, but we'd both rather have cannolis than ice cream anyway.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190621/786d5ccdd38654ae3f2d75ba63baad6e.jpg)
Trip up was mostly an easy drive. Over the Bay Bridge and then up US-301 to Delaware. Nice pleasant drive on the Eastern Shore, no traffic and the cruise control on the whole time. DE-1 and I-95 weren't so nice, but that was to be expected. I-476/Northeast Extension had heavy traffic and a lot of trucks until we passed Allentown, but then it opened up....just in time for dense fog as we reached the tunnel. Stayed that way for a while (stopped for lunch at the last service area), then it varied between sun and spitting rain all the way to Binghamton. I hadn't been all the way up the Northeast Extension before. Much of it is substandard like other roads in Pennsylvania, but it had less traffic than other highways in that state. I'd go that way again. More pleasant than I-81 and more interesting scenery.
I-88 started out nicely with little traffic, but we drove into torrential rain that necessitated slowing to 40 mph. (Stopping for barbecue was not an option because of how hard it was raining.) Then the road became a washboard. Felt like we were driving down a flight of stairs. I got my clinch of I-88. After we go back two exits to get to US-20 tomorrow morning, I don't think I'll feel much need to use that road again unless and until it's resurfaced.
Nice drive from Schenectady to Cooperstown this morning via US-20 to NY-80. Good scenic route. Thanks for recommending that route. Spent around three and a half hours at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Well worth the visit. Scenic town and lake, too; I'd like to spend some more time in the area on a future trip.
From there, NY-28 north to NY-5S west to NY-12 at Utica. Then NY-12 up to Lowville. Staying on NY-12 would have been the most direct route, so instead we continued up NY-26 to US-11, followed by a quick clinch of I-781. Then up I-81 (stopped at the last exit before the bridge to top off the gas tank with cheaper US gas), through Customs, and down 401 to Kingston.
NY-12 was a really nice and pleasant drive, not much traffic and move along quite well even on the two-lane portions. We stopped at a "parking area" in Lewis County to stretch our legs and lower backs and found these abandoned locks from an old canal that no longer exists. Quite a different thing to see in the middle of what is, at that point, a four-lane highway.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190622/a47b0e466ca4d9fe5e81f60d1f4654ae.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190622/c02fb147851678615102729c97148827.jpg)
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 21, 2019, 10:46:36 PM
Nice drive from Schenectady to Cooperstown this morning via US-20 to NY-80. Good scenic route. Thanks for recommending that route. Spent around three and a half hours at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Well worth the visit. Scenic town and lake, too; I'd like to spend some more time in the area on a future trip.
From there, NY-28 north to NY-5S west to NY-12 at Utica. Then NY-12 up to Lowville. Staying on NY-12 would have been the most direct route, so instead we continued up NY-26 to US-11, followed by a quick clinch of I-781. Then up I-81 (stopped at the last exit before the bridge to top off the gas tank with cheaper US gas), through Customs, and down 401 to Kingston.
NY-12 was a really nice and pleasant drive, not much traffic and move along quite well even on the two-lane portions. We stopped at a "parking area" in Lewis County to stretch our legs and lower backs and found these abandoned locks from an old canal that no longer exists. Quite a different thing to see in the middle of what is, at that point, a four-lane highway.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190622/a47b0e466ca4d9fe5e81f60d1f4654ae.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190622/c02fb147851678615102729c97148827.jpg)
That canal you mentioned was a spur of the Erie Canal to and from the Black River. It was simply known as the Black River Canal. It connected Carthage with Rome.
Taking Rt 46 North out of Rome you could see the beginning of the Black River Canal also.
Along the roadside there are a good number of the locks still there and visible next to the road just north of
Rome up to around Boonville.
Black River Canal, that was it. The historical marker gave the name and I wasn't positive I remembered correctly.
Edited to add: The lead photo in the Wikipedia article about that canal appears to have been taken at the same place where we stopped.
Thanks again to all for the tips. We're on our way home, but I'm not focused on the clinches and stuff–going for the most direct option because of an emergency at home. US-219 in western New York is quite nice so far, though I gather it won't stay this way!
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 25, 2019, 02:18:52 PM
Thanks again to all for the tips. We're on our way home, but I'm not focused on the clinches and stuff–going for the most direct option because of an emergency at home. US-219 in western New York is quite nice so far, though I gather it won't stay this way!
Hope everything will turn out alright when y'all get back!
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 25, 2019, 02:18:52 PM
US-219 in western New York is quite nice so far, though I gather it won't stay this way!
Indeed - safe travels, and enjoy NY while it lasts! :)
If the fastest route involves cutting over to I-99 at some point, make sure you cut the corner by taking PA 153 to I-80, instead of 219 all the way. That not only saves on mileage, but avoids a slow stretch of US 219, and (at the moment) bypasses some construction related slowdowns on the stretch of I-80 you'll miss.
Quote from: kevinb1994 on June 25, 2019, 02:47:10 PM
Hope everything will turn out alright when y'all get back!
Thanks, but unfortunately that's not going to be the case. My mom called this morning to say my dad isn't going to make it much longer. The roads will still be there later..... :-(
Quote from: webny99 on June 25, 2019, 03:01:58 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 25, 2019, 02:18:52 PM
US-219 in western New York is quite nice so far, though I gather it won't stay this way!
Indeed - safe travels, and enjoy NY while it lasts! :)
If the fastest route involves cutting over to I-99 at some point, make sure you cut the corner by taking PA 153 to I-80, instead of 219 all the way. That not only saves on mileage, but avoids a slow stretch of US 219, and (at the moment) bypasses some construction related slowdowns on the stretch of I-80 you'll miss.
Only saw this later, but the sat-nav did indeed send us that way. Quite a descent on that road!!!!
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 22, 2019, 08:24:11 AM
Black River Canal, that was it. The historical marker gave the name and I wasn't positive I remembered correctly.
Edited to add: The lead photo in the Wikipedia article about that canal appears to have been taken at the same place where we stopped.
What a coinkydink!
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 25, 2019, 07:03:48 PM
Quote from: kevinb1994 on June 25, 2019, 02:47:10 PM
Hope everything will turn out alright when y'all get back!
Thanks, but unfortunately that's not going to be the case. My mom called this morning to say my dad isn't going to make it much longer. The roads will still be there later..... :(
Quote from: webny99 on June 25, 2019, 03:01:58 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 25, 2019, 02:18:52 PM
US-219 in western New York is quite nice so far, though I gather it won't stay this way!
Indeed - safe travels, and enjoy NY while it lasts! :)
If the fastest route involves cutting over to I-99 at some point, make sure you cut the corner by taking PA 153 to I-80, instead of 219 all the way. That not only saves on mileage, but avoids a slow stretch of US 219, and (at the moment) bypasses some construction related slowdowns on the stretch of I-80 you'll miss.
Only saw this later, but the sat-nav did indeed send us that way. Quite a descent on that road!!!!
I'm sorry to hear that!
Thanks. We left Toronto at about 10:40 AM and got home at 10:00 PM. I'll follow up later on the roads and such.....very easy drive on the whole, but mentally draining when your thoughts are consumed with thinking about your father and feeling like your eyes are tearing up a few times an hour.
Following up because my mom asked us to wait until this afternoon to come see my father. Toronto to here is a very easy drive, even with the two-lane road segments. I put on the sat-nav as the easiest thing and it largely mirrored what I'd already guessed. Took the QEW around out of Toronto but exited at Route 24 (Victoria Avenue) to stop at a winery to buy some wine we'd had in Toronto. Unfortunately we didn't have time for a tasting. From there, the sat-nav took us south to a left turn at Route 20. Just after crossing over 406 there were warning signs that the bridge over the Welland Canal was closed for construction, so we wound up turning around and going up 406 to Route 58, which uses a tunnel under the canal (and the tunnel was down to one tube for construction). Route 58 becomes Route 57, Thorold Stone Road, and takes you back to the QEW just north of the exit for Route 420 for Niagara Falls. Given our family circumstances, we opted to skip both Niagara Falls and the Rainbow Bridge crossing and instead continued down to the Peace Bridge.
Pulled up to the Customs line at about 1:20. Quick line. The guy in front of us almost got in trouble. You know how the signs tell you to wait fairly far back until the lane clears? He ignored them. Pulled right up behind the guy in front of him as though he were at a tollbooth. Bad move. They want you to stay back because of all the cameras they have trained on your car. The CBP agent was yelling at him (couldn't hear what was said) and he backed up some distance, though not all that far. I'd love to have heard that exchange. We were through Customs within maybe 7 minutes of getting on line. Then down I-190 to I-90 to US-219.
webny99's description of US-219 is pretty spot-on. It starts out as a nice empty freeway posted at 65 mph. Reminded me a little bit of Corridor H in terms of the lack of traffic. Stopped for gas and lunch in Springville and then got back on the highway to find that the nice freeway abruptly ends just south of there. The end looks kind of like the old end near Somerset, PA, where it clearly looks like there are plans to extend the road someday but there's no hint of when. I thought the end might be fairly new, though, because at the nearby T-intersection there was a privately-placed small billboard railing against the new US-219 "bridge to nowhere" courtesy of the US Army Corps of Engineers and the New York DOT. From there south to I-86 it's a two-lane road, but it moved pretty well and went through a couple of scenic towns, Ellicottville being the main one in terms of being scenic.
Quick hop down I-86 to continue south on US-219. 219 is again a four-lane freeway for a little while when you exit, but it's a terrible road until the state line. It's a washboard and not remotely smooth. I know vdeane likes the "clopping" noise concrete highways cause your car to make. This road didn't cause that because the bumps were much bigger. Badly needs resurfacing. Once you hit Pennsylvania it's in pretty good shape. It narrows to two lanes after you're south of Bradford and that's when we wound up behind three tractor-trailers. Not much you can do about that but wait for a climbing lane. We got one just north of Mount Jewett and then the idiot in an SUV who was in the middle of the three trucks seemed not to care about passing them. The trucks got in the right lane, we tried to go up the left lane, and this guy was going about the same speed they were. Eventually I had just enough of a gap to whip around him on the right and get ahead of the trucks. From there down to Ridgway was uneventful other than the lights at Johnsonburg being timed to make you stop at both of them.
I can certainly see why Truck 219 at Ridgway exists AND why it doesn't extend north of the town. US-219 south of town is a very steep grade whose bottom has a curve, houses, and an intersection. Having big trucks come down the hill into that wouldn't work. Too dangerous. But north of town the road is essentially in a gorge, so trying to connect the truck route to that is impractical. Interesting area.
As webny99 suggests, the sat-nav had us turn on PA-153. We made a toilet/snack stop in Penfield (had we not found a gas station, I was going to stop on the shoulder). South of there the road goes up a steep grade and then there's a mandatory brake check for trucks, followed by a long steep downhill. Quite the descent with no runaway truck ramps. The SUV driver ahead of us was trying to ride his brakes and I eventually wound up punching it up to 80+ mph to pass him. Then a brief and unpleasant short nine-mile run down I-80 (unpleasant due to WAY too many trucks) to PA-879 to cut the corner down to I-99 via US-322 and PA-350. PA-350 had another mandatory truck brake check and another steep descent down to Bald Eagle.
From there, down I-99 to Bedford and a stop for dinner at a Wendy's. We had no desire to deal with the Turnpike and Breezewood, so we continued down US-220 to I-68. Been that way before. It's a good two-lane road, set the cruise control at 60 mph and didn't encounter anyone else going in our direction except right at the beginning when we passed some guy who was going 40. I-68 was largely empty and even I-70 wasn't bad....until just east of Hagerstown, when there was a lane closure. Everyone panicked to merge early and I used the ending lane up to the merge point, got over without incident, and immediately exited to MD-66. Took a right down to US-40, took a left, and when we crossed over I-70 it was completely empty. So we got back on via MD-17 just in time to cut between an escort vehicle and an oversized load. Of course I accelerated out of the way ASAP, and at the next hill I could see in the rearview that a ton of traffic had piled up behind the trailing escort vehicles. I wonder if taking the alternate route got us out of that clump.
I-270 was about as uneventful as it's ever been, surprisingly. One doofus from New York in an SUV who didn't have his taillights on (just DRLs), and I was rather annoyed that the cop who saw it didn't pull him over.
All in all a very easy drive and a good route to use. The two-lane roads all moved pretty well for the most part, except for the period when the three tractor-trailers were ahead of us, and for most of the drive it was possible to use the adaptive cruise control. Makes a big difference in allowing you to travel 11+ hours.
Thanks again for the routing advice and comments. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the way home yesterday. We were in my wife's car and she doesn't like me taking pictures while I'm driving, and to be fair her car is definitely heavier than mine. Given the reason for heading home early, I didn't want to stop to take pictures anywhere either. I think she took some of the BGSs listing "USA" ahead as we approached the Peace Bridge.
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 26, 2019, 09:04:12 AM
Took the QEW around out of Toronto but exited at Route 24 (Victoria Avenue) to stop at a winery to buy some wine we'd had in Toronto. Unfortunately we didn't have time for a tasting. From there, the sat-nav took us south to a right turn at Route 20. Just after crossing over 406 there were warning signs that the bridge over the Welland Canal was closed for construction, so we wound up turning around and going up 406 to Route 58, which uses a tunnel under the canal (and the tunnel was down to one tube for construction). Route 58 becomes Route 57, Thorold Stone Road, and takes you back to the QEW just north of the exit for Route 420 for Niagara Falls.
That routing must've either been due to traffic, or the location of the winery, as QEW all the way is usually far and away the fastest route to the Peace Bridge. I've done the Route 58 tunnel a few times; it's fairly slow, but a nice change of scenery and not a bad option if you're far enough south of the QEW.
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 26, 2019, 09:04:12 AM
Pulled up to the Customs line at about 1:20. Quick line. The guy in front of us almost got in trouble. You know how the signs tell you to wait fairly far back until the lane clears? He ignored them. Pulled right up behind the guy in front of him as though he were at a tollbooth. Bad move. They want you to stay back because of all the cameras they have trained on your car. The CBP agent was yelling at him (couldn't hear what was said) and he backed up some distance, though not all that far. I'd love to have heard that exchange.
Yeah, some people are unbelievably inattentive, not only to the signs but as to what is happening in general and the SOP for how to proceed. I've seen that exact thing happen on several occasions and it always culminates with the CBP agent yelling at the person!
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 26, 2019, 09:04:12 AM
The end looks kind of like the old end near Somerset, PA, where it clearly looks like there are plans to extend the road someday but there's no hint of when. I thought the end might be fairly new, though, because at the nearby T-intersection there was a privately-placed small billboard railing against the new US-219 "bridge to nowhere" courtesy of the US Army Corps of Engineers and the New York DOT.
Indeed - the stub end used to be at NY 39 (the Springville exit). Others will confirm, but I believe the three-mile extension across the creek and into Cattaraugus County was completed in 2012. The long term plan is to extend the freeway all the way to I-86 at Salamanca, effectively creating an expressway-grade or better route from Buffalo to Bradford, PA.
https://www.dot.ny.gov/regional-offices/region5/projects/us-route-219/repository/appendix_u.pdf
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 26, 2019, 09:04:12 AM
From there south to I-86 it's a two-lane road, but it moved pretty well and went through a couple of scenic towns, Ellicottville being the main one in terms of being scenic.
Yup, it is quite a scenic route and especially so in the fall. Ellicottville is Western New York's largest (or at least most well-known) ski resort town.
QuoteThat routing must've either been due to traffic, or the location of the winery, as QEW all the way is usually far and away the fastest route to the Peace Bridge. I've done the Route 58 tunnel a few times; it's fairly slow, but a nice change of scenery and not a bad option if you're far enough south of the QEW.
Yes, it was because of where the winery is.
Edited to add: See Google Maps link below. The middle route via RR-20 is what our sat-nav suggested too, but as I noted, the RR-20 bridge over the canal was closed. Ms1995hoo didn't like its proposed detour via another rural road, so we took 406 up to 58 and you can see on the map why that seemed as logical as anything else. The sat-nav didn't suggest that way initially; rather, most of the Ontario-plated cars were going that way, so Ms1995hoo said we may as well do the same and then let the sat-nav recalculate.
https://goo.gl/maps/mt9AnLefs2V8TVqw9