Disappointing roads

[cjk374]

I live in the piney hills of north Louisiana.  I want to see, with my own eyes, some of these areas that some of y'all call flat, wide open & boring.  If you see 1 pine tree, you've seen them all!  But then again, I've lived here all of my life, and something different is exciting.  I get a kick out of driving in the flat delta lands between the Ouachita and Mississippi Rivers just because it is flat and a bit more open.

Ever drive down LA 15 between Ferriday/Vidalia and its southern terminus southeast of Simmesport (JCT W/LA 1)?  Most of it runs on top of the Mississippi River levee.  You only see farmland all around you on one side, and the trees in the river basin on the other side.  I like it because it is desolate and something different.

I can't wait to come up with the money & time to drive out west to drive the Lonliest Highway in America, or Big Sky Country.  I want to see wide open space!   

[empirestate]

Well, the Poconos are a short drive from New York or Philly. I don't know if they had a similar pre-cheap-air-travel heyday to that of the Catskills, but I would not be surprised if so.

By the 1970s, there were a lot of commercials like this trying to draw people there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dOsgyw7yBw&sns=em

but I have not seen one of those in the New York area in many years. It's just too cheap to fly to the Bahamas for a long weekend.

By now, I'd bet that at least as many people are going to the Poconos for permanent residence as for vacationing. While some certainly do commute all the way to NYC, probably a lot of others only go as far as parts of North Jersey–you certainly see a lot of Jersey plates in the Poconos, and the traffic on I-80 doesn't get un-Jersey-like until you pass I-380 (and some of that traffic continues up the latter).

But yes, ultimately I think it comes down to limited memory. The Poconos are known to New Yorkers as a recreational destination because of a couple of early resorts, and New Yorkers, for all their professed sophistication, are not known for having a wide-ranging awareness of the world outside their neighborhood.

[roadman65]

The Taconic State Parkway is kind of disappointing.  Its a rural type of roadway in parts nestled in suburbia.  Yet, there are no signs to aid motorists of motorist services at interchanges where some are close by.   Plus no mileage signs to let you know where you are along the route.  At least have some Albany and NYC mileage signs along with major crossroads like NY 23, US 44, NY 55, I-84 etc. as intermediate points.   

Since gas stations were closed at the former service plazas, having interchanges marked with a gas pump sign even if the stations are a couple of miles away would help.  Most of the TSP is near action, as the right of way with trees only goes a few feet to the sides as life does exist a short distance away, but you would never know that as the parkway does live up to its name like many NY parkways do even in suburban Nassau County on its parkways.

[Jardine]

I live in the piney hills of north Louisiana.  I want to see, with my own eyes, some of these areas that some of y'all call flat, wide open & boring.  If you see 1 pine tree, you've seen them all!  But then again, I've lived here all of my life, and something different is exciting.  I get a kick out of driving in the flat delta lands between the Ouachita and Mississippi Rivers just because it is flat and a bit more open.

Ever drive down LA 15 between Ferriday/Vidalia and its southern terminus southeast of Simmesport (JCT W/LA 1)?  Most of it runs on top of the Mississippi River levee.  You only see farmland all around you on one side, and the trees in the river basin on the other side.  I like it because it is desolate and something different.

I can't wait to come up with the money & time to drive out west to drive the Lonliest Highway in America, or Big Sky Country.  I want to see wide open space!   

As I mentioned elsewhere, I have relatives from Canada that live in a heavily wooded area too.  The LOVED driving Interstate 80 across Nebraska because it is so different from what they are familiar with.  I thought the (endless) flat prairie got old pretty quick, but they were enthralled.

[AsphaltPlanet]

I found the Pasadena Freeway to be a bit disappointing.  I'll grant that the history behind it is neat, but I didn't really much of a kick out driving it.

[vdeane]

I'm probably going to rock the boat here, but: the Adirondack Northway.  While more scenic than most NY interstates, it doesn't really live up to its reputation, partly because it traverses the outer area of the park.  If you want to maximize scenery, take US 9, or better yet, follow the two lane highways into the interior areas.  My perception of Essex county changed completely when I saw it off of the Northway.

I agree on the Taconic.  I'll probably take US 9 or NY 22 the next time I'm traveling on the east side of the Hudson.  The trees just go on forever.

[formulanone]

I liked the Taconic, it wasn't disappointing to me at all (although I wished it was autumn at least 27 times). Some of those barrier-divided lanes are really narrow, though.

[Brandon]

I live in the piney hills of north Louisiana.  I want to see, with my own eyes, some of these areas that some of y'all call flat, wide open & boring.

You'd love my commute to work then.  Once I leave the built up area of Joliet at Caton Farm and Ridge Roads, and head down the moraine, I'm on a very flat outwash plain.  Not too many trees or even hills (other than those near houses), and you can see for miles down the road.

Looking east along Caton Farm Road toward the moraine (and Ridge Road).  I'm about 4 miles from the morainal ridge in the distance in the photograph.



Believe it or not, that sign off to the side signifies that the property is annexed to the City of Joliet.  They have a substantial amount of farm land west of Ridge Road in the city.

[agentsteel53]

I'm probably going to rock the boat here, but: the Adirondack Northway.  While more scenic than most NY interstates, it doesn't really live up to its reputation, partly because it traverses the outer area of the park.  If you want to maximize scenery, take US 9, or better yet, follow the two lane highways into the interior areas.  My perception of Essex county changed completely when I saw it off of the Northway.

I agree on the Taconic.  I'll probably take US 9 or NY 22 the next time I'm traveling on the east side of the Hudson.  The trees just go on forever.

I wonder how the northway got its 'most scenic highway in the US, 1986' or whatever designation it was.  it's not bad, but honestly ... had any of those people ever been to Alaska?

[texaskdog]

I kept hearing about Devils Backbone near San Marcos Texas.  It sure wasn't interesting at all.

[empirestate]

The Taconic State Parkway is kind of disappointing.

Yes, I felt the same way on my first trip as well. It's pretty and all, but you could do better with NY 22 or some county roads. I always seem to suffer highway hypnosis on the Taconic.

That said, however, lately I've been using it as an alternate route to New England, rather than going through Connecticut. Although it adds an hour to the trip, I've found it can be a welcome relief from CT traffic.

[bugo]

I-10 in Florida: Built to avoid nearly anything near anybody, and it shows...other than overpasses and the occassional 50-foot-high sign, you might think it's devoid of human civilization between Jacksonville and Pensacola, with the exception of scraping Tallahassee's northern border for a few miles.

five times in my life I've come close to falling asleep at the wheel.  twice have been on I-10 in Florida.  once was I-75 in the same general vicinity.

The only time I've ever passed out behind the wheel, and only for a split second, was on I-16 near Savannah.  Go figure.

[texaskdog]

What I really hate is when an atlas has the scenic dots on it so you go out of your way to go that way and it's boring.  Such as old 66 near Kingman.  I really don't think a road should get dots just because it's old route 66.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

I found I-10 in TX between the Sabine River and Baytown to be kind of a letdown (with the exception of downtown Beaumont/Neches River crossing and the TX welcome center). From Beaumont eastward the freeway is just a dull semi-urban strip and west of Beaumont to the outskirts of Houston is monotonous rice farming country.

[cjk374]

What I really hate is when an atlas has the scenic dots on it so you go out of your way to go that way and it's boring.  Such as old 66 near Kingman.  I really don't think a road should get dots just because it's old route 66.

When I went to Glorietta, NM in 2012(for a church camp), I got excited that I was going to get to run on the Mother Road.  I thought I would have to talk to the other driver about possibly taking a detour just to see some of the old alignment.  Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that I-40 WAS old US 66.  Apparently I didn't study the atlas hard enough.   

But I did get to see the most wide-open scenery I had ever seen:  a 19-mile straight stretch of I-40 somewhere in New Mexico before we got to the exit (US 2xx-something that takes you to I-25, I can't remember the number) that had a souvenir store....something Corners (?).

But I also thought that the exits that were built just for some of the old businesses that were originally on the old US 66 corridor... I think everyone of them were closed and run down...was a very thoughtful gesture of the NMDOT when they built I-40 over US 66.  It added a touch of class to the interstate IMO.   

[Alps]

What I really hate is when an atlas has the scenic dots on it so you go out of your way to go that way and it's boring.  Such as old 66 near Kingman.  I really don't think a road should get dots just because it's old route 66.

When I went to Glorietta, NM in 2012(for a church camp), I got excited that I was going to get to run on the Mother Road.  I thought I would have to talk to the other driver about possibly taking a detour just to see some of the old alignment.  Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that I-40 WAS old US 66.  Apparently I didn't study the atlas hard enough.   

But I did get to see the most wide-open scenery I had ever seen:  a 19-mile straight stretch of I-40 somewhere in New Mexico before we got to the exit (US 2xx-something that takes you to I-25, I can't remember the number) that had a souvenir store....something Corners (?).

But I also thought that the exits that were built just for some of the old businesses that were originally on the old US 66 corridor... I think everyone of them were closed and run down...was a very thoughtful gesture of the NMDOT when they built I-40 over US 66.  It added a touch of class to the interstate IMO.   

You do realize:
a) Most of US 66 is still intact as frontage roads around I-40
b) US 66 is also intact around I-25 at Glorieta - that's the ORIGINAL alignment before Santa Fe was bypassed

[cjk374]

I actually didn't know ab out (b) above until I saw a historic route 66 sign in downtown Santa Fe.  I really forgot to investigate that further when I came home from that trip.

I was assuming that (a) was true as I was driving down I-40, but I wasn't certain.

[ChoralScholar]

I-40 in Arkansas - from exit 81 to exit 88 - twice a day 

[ARMOURERERIC]

The 279/579 complex in Pittsburgh, the plans in the mid 1970's were far more elaborate than what was built, especailly at the interchanges.

[Strider]

The Greensboro Urban Loop.

I strongly disagree, sorry.

[Alps]

The Greensboro Urban Loop.

I strongly disagree, sorry.

Reasons. We argue with reasons.

[Strider]

The Greensboro Urban Loop.

I strongly disagree, sorry.

Reasons. We argue with reasons.

we are allowed to disagree unless we are told not to. Back to subject.

[corco]

Right, but "I disagree" doesn't actually add anything to the conversation- tell us why you strongly disagree. I'm sure you have a good reason!

[jeffandnicole]

The Greensboro Urban Loop.

I strongly disagree, sorry.

US 1 thru the Keys in Florida.  It's just a long, long, long road.  Sure, there's a few interesting things to see, and looking at the bridges spanning over the water is nice, but overall, to reach the ultimate destination (Key West), it's just a long, boring road!

I strongly disagree.

Same here too - disagreeing without any reason why the person is disagreeing.  But, I decided to let it pass. 

[NE2]

Right, but "I disagree" doesn't actually add anything to the conversation- tell us why you strongly disagree. I'm sure you have a good reason!

I disagree.