Florida Friday; Rock Ridge Road and Green Pond Road from US 98 through the Green Swamp to Florida State Road 33

Back in 2014 I was looking for a different way to get from the Tampa Area back to Metro Orlando. That being the case I took Rock Ridge Road east from US 98 through the southern Green Swamp of Polk County via Green Pond Road to Florida State Road 33.

Rock Ridge Road and Green Pond Road are both very narrow but paved through the entirety of the Green Swamp. The only significant junction between US 98 and FL 33 is at Dean Still Road pictured above. Northeast of Dean Still Road the alignment of Rock Ridge Road crosses through a small community known as Rock Ridge.

At Poyner Oaks Road the alignment of Rock Ridge Road becomes Green Pond Road. East of Poyner Oaks Road the alignment of Green Pond Road crosses over the Van Fleet Trail. The crossing of Green Pond Road and the Van Fleet Trail was once the location of the community of Berry. Berry was a siding of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's spur Florida Western and Northern Line. The Van Fleet Trail occupies approximately 29 miles of former right-of-way through the Green Swamp which was once occupied by the Florida Western and Northern until the late 1980s. Berry now serves as Green Pond Trail Head for the Van Fleet Trail.

Approaching FL 33 the routing of Green Pond Road enters Green Pond. Green Pond dates back to 1879 when it was founded around local citrus groves. The Green Pond Cemetery has a historic marker dating it back 1879 but I've seen reports that say that there was grave stones present there since the 1850s.

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California State Route 232

This past month I drove the entirety of California State Route 232 in Ventura County. CA 232 is an approximately 4 miles State Highway aligned on Vineland Avenye which begins near Saticoy at CA 118 and traverses southwest to US Route 101 in Oxnard. The alignment of CA 232 was first adopted into the State Highway System in 1933 as Legislative Route Number 154 according to CAhighways.org. CAhighways.org on LRN 154 As originally defined LRN 154 was aligned from LRN 9 (future CA 118) southwest to LRN 2/US 101 in El Rio. This configuration of LRN 154 between CA 118/LRN 9 and US 101/LRN 2 can be seen on the 1935 California Division of Highways Map of Ventura County. 1935 Ventura County Highway Map According to CAhighways.org the route of LRN 154 was extended west from US 101/LRN 2 to US 101A/LRN 60 in 1951. Unfortunately State Highway Maps do not show this extension due to it being extremely small. During the 1964 State Highway Renumbering LRN 154 was assigned CA 232. Of n

One Long Drive - Allegheny County's Orange Belt

When I trace my early interest in traveling and the hobby of roadgeeking, I always go back to where I grew up. Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA 48, and the Orange Belt. I grew up on Route 48 in Elizabeth Township on the Orange Belt. One of my family's favorite stories of me growing up is when I was around three years old - so 1980 - I told one of my aunts, "It's not that hard to get to our house - we live on the Orange Belt!" The Allegheny County Belt System is one of the many things that are uniquely Pittsburgh. A series of existing roadways - minor and major - developed in post-World War II Allegheny County to navigate the region. Never intended to be a "beltway" in the modern sense - a full freeway encircling a city - the Allegheny County system is more like a wayfinding system connecting you throughout the county. It is uniquely Pittsburgh - it's been asked about , written about , and videoed . On a recent visit home, I decided to drive the entire

Mosquito Road Bridge

The Mosquito Road Bridge is a wooden suspension span crossing the South Fork American River of El Dorado County. The Mosquito Road Bridge incorporates elements in it's foundation which date back to 1867 making it likely the oldest highway bridge in California still is in service for it's original purpose. The Mosquito Road Bridge can be found approximately 6.5 miles northeast of downtown Placerville. Author's Note; Gribblenation's 2,000th published blog This blog serves as the 2,000th published entry on the Gribblenation blog site. Ironically the the 2,000th blog entry closely aligns with the 20th anniversary of Gribblenation. Adam and Doug recently discussed the history of Gribblenation on the Gribblenation 20th Anniversary Podcast: https://anchor.fm/gribblenation/episodes/Gribblenation-20th-Anniversary-Podcast-ep2nh8 For my own part I (Tom) have been part of Gribblenation since late 2016, it has been an honor to be part of one of the longest lived highway pages

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