Season's Greetings and what a great 2019 it's been!

Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Solstice, Season's Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy Boxing Day, Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy New Year and a Festivus for the rest of us! Whichever holidays you decide to celebrate, or not celebrate, we here at Gribblenation want to wish you and yours the best and happiest holiday possible, whether you are hitting the road or staying at home.

We also want to thank our fans and readers of Gribblenation, which now total over 1000 likes on Facebook alone. Thank you for your continued support of our blog, our Facebook page and our Instagram account. It has been a great 2019, with such things like the addition of our account on Instagram, being picked up by the San Juan Bautista Historical Society for a feature on Rocks Road/Old Legislative Route 22, articles for Old CA 120/140 Yosemite Entrance Road, the battle to build the I-95 bypass through Fayetteville, North Carolina, and going back to the future with “Where the Hell is Hill Valley US 8/US 395”.

What's on tap for 2020, you may ask? We have some material from Mexico, British Columbia and Alaska coming down the pike, along with more great features from all over the map. There will also be a recurring themed article or post on the 20th of each month for a highway with the number 20 in order to celebrate the year 2020. This could be for US 20, Autoroute 20 in Quebec, or any other highway with the number 20 anywhere. Plus there will be some other surprises along the way.

Once again, season's greetings to all!

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The Tale of Tollhouse Road, western California State Route 168 and failed Piute Pass Highway

Western California State Route 168 is entirely located in Fresno County and is linked historically to the Tollhouse Road corridor. Tollhouse Road is one of the oldest highways in the Sierra Nevada range of Fresno County. The corridor presently begins in at Clovis Avenue in downtown Clovis and extends northeast to Huntington Lake. In 1866 the Woods Brothers established mining claims on Pine Ridge. In 1867 Fresno County would grant the brothers a toll franchise to construct a roadway to the desirable logging areas atop Pine Ridge and near Dinkey Creek. The Woods would establish a tollhouse at the start of their franchise road and lumber mill. The lumber mill attracted settlers which led to the establishment of the mountain town of Tollhouse. Fresno County would purchase the Tollhouse Road in 1878 and make it a public highway. The county would remove the tolls and incorporate the corridor into the existing county road network. Prior to the establishment of Clovis in 1...

Old Dunlap Road (former California State Route 180 in Yokuts Valley)

When California State Route 180 was commissioned in August 1934 the alignment in took in Sierra Nevada range was very different than from today. The original highway alignment from Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) to east Grant Grove (then part of General Grant National Park) originally followed what is now Ruth Hill Road, Dunlap Road, Pinehurst Road (modern California State Route 245), Dark Canyon Road (partially now Forest Road 14S45). After funding fell through for the planned Kings Canyon Road the was corridor eventually picked up as a 30-mile-long cooperative project between the Division of Highways and Federal Government. Much of current alignment of California State Route 180 bypassing Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) and Dunlap was complete by 1941. The post-1941 alignment of California State Route 180 in Squaw Valley was shifted onto what was once Dunlap Road in Squaw Valley. This alignment itself was later bypassed by modern California State Route...

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism. Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns. Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s. Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center. When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond. It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley. Thu...

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