Skip to main content

PA Updates

It took me about two months to do, but I finished a pretty big PA update over two parts. I enjoyed this update for a few reason first. It cleared me of two years worth of my own photos to add. But also because of the number of new features that were added.

So here's a review:

I added a new feature entitled, "Pennsylvania's Engineering Marvels". It opens with three features, the Kinzua Viaduct, the Tunkhannock Viaduct, and Roebling's Aqueduct. Three bridges that were major accomplishments of their time. The Kinzua Viaduct has a sad history as the 2003 tornado that severely damaged the structure and the impact to the local tourism business it has since made. As always, time will tell on the direction of this feature but it will include things beyond bridges.

I added two new covered bridges from Central PA that I took in 2005 for a trip to State College. I even added a few of my own Keystone's that I took over the past two years.

As always there were plenty of submissions including photos from Bill Symons of the Kinzua Viaduct. His photos date to 1985 and were what allowed me to do the feature. John Krakoff and his knack of finding little treasures sent along a number of photos he took in Pittsburgh in 2001 and excerpts from the 1967 PA MUTCD. Unfortunately he didn't have enough quarters to make more copies at the PennDot Library.

There's always PA Ends and a handful were updated and a page covering PA Turnpike 576 was added covering the ends of that recently opened highway. I also added photos to the Findlay Connector Page.

The funny thing for me is that after an update i feel like wow I've added a lot. And in this update I did. But not long after I'm like ok..there's still a lot more I can cover. And that has already set in. I guess since I know I have a bunch of old Turnpike Postcards from Bill Symons still to add, and that I have to rearrange the home office to find a bunch of photos Denny Pine sent me made the "Ok you still don't have much" feeling come around quicker.

As for what's next...I continue to work through my personal backlog it is still in April 2005 right now with a roadtrip page on NY 30 through the Adirondack Mountains. Looking back at the photos on that trip really made me appreciate the opportunity that I had to explore that area of the country the two years I was up there.

After that a good bit of Georgia and Florida. I've received another full cd of photos from John Krakoff along with photos from the regular contributors. A lot of the photos on John's CD will find their way to Steve Alpert as well. I think a few features may come out of John's CD...we'll see.

Then after that is South Carolina. A lot of info on I-73. One of the good things about doing this blog is that is like an open notebook for research on various features/article etc I have done or may do. The summaries of the articles help in case a local paper's website doesn't archive articles. And if there are any photos from a roadtrip...I can recall what the heck it was I took a photo of and why. The commentary I try as much to leave off the site, the webpage should deal with factual information as much as possible. The blog allows me to make a commentary and even question what is being reported or the actions of those involved.

Also a number of photos for South Carolina. I may try to dive back into the 1920 Trunk Routes.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

  Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...