Gribblenation

Manhattan: Featuring the High Line , a set on Flickr.

Steve Alpert, the webmaster of Alps' Roads and friend of the blog, has been blogging his own road trip vacation, which has taken him from San Diego to Texarkana, by way of old US Route 66. Feel free to check out his blog entries by following this link .

One of the things I like about this hobby is the selection of books that I can use as references, as a suggestion guide for scenic drives or places to stop by to check out, or even the history behind a road or a bridge. So, it was no surprise to me as I browsed the selection at the soon to be closed Borders Books and Music location in downtown Saratoga Springs, New York, that I would purchase a book about bridge and tunnel crossings over the Hudson River. The book I purchased that late March evening was entitled Crossing the Hudson , which was written in 2010 by Donald E. Wolf. In Crossing the Hudson , the author explains the accomplishments in engineering, the social history and specific events leading up to the construction and opening of nineteen river crossings between Waterford / Lansingburgh (now part of Troy) and th e Holland Tunnel, which connects lower Manhattan with Jersey City. In Wolf's writing, I was treated to a literary work that is chock full of interesting inf...

A few weeks ago, Maggie and I headed up to Washington, DC for a fun weekend.  We met up with co-blogger Doug Kerr and Adam Froehlig for some sight seeing along The Mall.  This was really both of ours first time to Washington.  I had been there once before on a band trip in the mid-90s, but I didn't really see much, nor did I take any pictures. For the entire photo set on flickr - head here . After a quick lunch, we headed down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol.  One of the most impressive things about the Capitol building is its size. You really can't appreciate the size and the idea of 'Capitol Hill' until you see it in person. Another amazingly impressive view is down the Mall towards the Washington Monument.  It is one of many views along The Mall that are awe inspiring, even on a dreary overcast day. Adam had suggested that we visit the National Botanic Garden which is located right next to the Capitol.  This unplanned stop quickly...

Just wanted to let anyone who's interested know that I've added scores of New Jersey photos to my Flickr account from a recent trip I made around the Garden State. There's some pictures from the recent Northern New Jersey road meet, a jaunt around South Jersey and more! Abandoned roads, cool old shields, even older bridges and even AAA signage adorn the photo collection. Check it out at... http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/collections/72157622664080587/ Next on the agenda, some photos from Central New York State, plus wherever the open road takes me this weekend.

I decided to attend the 2011 Northern New Jersey (Newark & Suburbs) Road Meet on March 12, 2011, and decided to visit the Garden State for the entire weekend. Besides the road meet, which encompassed two abandoned sections of the Eisenhower Parkway , the abandoned Nikesite Road off of I-78 and the abandoned NJ 58 freeway end in Newark, I also attended a hockey game between the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, a short drive around Rutherford, Clifton and Little Falls before the meet, and a nice day trip to Philadelphia and South Jersey the following day with Steve Alpert, the webmaster of Alps' Roads . Here's some highlights of the weekend's trip... - Starting off with the road meet, which was attended by 23 people, some of whom came from around the corner, whereas others drove from as far away as Québec and Kentucky. It was also nice to see some new people mixed in with familiar faces. - The weather, which was nice for t...

VDOT has completed the Environmental Assessment for the Henry County I-73 Alternative Route.  This route was pushed forward by the Henry County Board of Supervisors in 2007, VDOT released a preliminary impact study of the route in 2009, and the Commonwealth Transportation Board directed VDOT to do an environmental assessment of the alternative routing that December. Henry County Supervisors had urged the study and possible routing as it ran I-73 closer to Martinsville's eastern edge.  The HCBoS plan would run about two miles longer and appears to cost more. The alternative routing would utilize five miles of the existing US 58 bypass to the south and east of Martinsville.  That portion of the freeway would need to be upgraded to Interstate standards.  The initial planned alternative ran I-73 further to the east and parallel to US 220 and the southeast corner of the US 58 Bypass.  Both routes would meet north of I-73's junction with VA 87 east of Ridgeway....