I was just spending the long Thanksgiving weekend seeing the roads of upstate New York. Somehow, a bunch of us ended up together from various corners of (or just outside) the state. I started by heading west on I-80 into Pennsylvania, then down PA 879 and some local roads to PA 969 for a clinch. I continued to PA 286 and down to Business US 22. I explored old US 22 and got onto I-376. So far, my New York excursion had me in Pittsburgh, but I had a plan: clinching 376 (and Business I-376) back up to PA 760, touching Ohio for PA 318, then up US 19 to US 62 and PA 965. Getting warmer. Some back roads and old bridges took me out to US 322, PA 86, PA 99, and the northern segment of US 19 for the state clinch. I pottered around Erie, picking up PA 290, PA 430, PA 531, and PA 426 (after touching New York), before leaving the state on US 20. It was then onto I-90 to clinch the Erie Section of the NY Thruway, over to NY 277 and east on NY 33. Behold, Rochester! With a little extra time before sunset, I went out I-490 to clinch NY 33A back to my hotel. The next day, I met these folks with little advance notice:


From left: Carl Tessier, Anthony Costanzo, Chris Jordan, Valerie Deane requesting assistance, Nick Dubanow, myself. I don't think we were all there at the start or finish, but we got together for at least this photo. Our tour started down I-390 to the Winton Rd. diverging diamond interchange (DDI) on I-590, then back up to NY 383 and a walk around Genesee Valley Park for bridges. We then went downtown on NY 31 for a closer inspection of the Broad St. Bridge and its lower level, then took a ride around the soon-to-be-partially demolished Inner Loop to I-490 east, NY 286 east and back west on the former NY 286A (still evident despite 40 years as secret 941V). The tour went north on I- and NY 590 to the former northern end of the route, sadly demoted to a city road and treated rather poorly, then circled back to NY 104 and north on Lake Ave to the being-dismantled Hojack Swing Bridge. Very sad. It was then back down to NY 104, into Irondequoit, and up St. Paul Blvd. to Pattonwood Drive and the beginning of Lake Ontario State Pkwy. (not sure why the long loop) as far as the 1896 Braddock Point Lighthouse, which you saw in the meet photo and will see again here:


In fading light, we proceeded west to NY 260 for one more clinch, then east on NY 31 and NY 531 to NY 204, over to I-390 south to Sticky Lips (that's actually a link to Monroe County. I don't have a Sticky Lips page). After dinner, though not sure why, I went all the way back out to NY 260 for photo retakes and out to the west end of Lake Ontario State Pkwy. before heading back east on NY 18 to the previous night's hotel.

The next day, I did not go to Ohio or Pennsylvania. I took NY 31 to NY 31A, NY 31E, and west on 31 to Lewiston, where I found NY 18F and the Fort Niagara spur of Robert Moses State Pkwy.. I headed back east on NY 18 to NY 269, NY 271, and then along NY 31 for a passel of bridges in Orleans County and Wayne County. (I also picked up NY 387 and skipped some of Rochester before rejoining 31 while picking up the pieces of NY 286, NY 350, NY 250, NY 441, and NY 31F that were lacking from the meet.) That took me out to NY 26, then across to NY 315, NY 12, US 20, and NY 28 back toward NJ. I finished with a brief detour to NY 357 before heading down Delaware CR 26 to NY 206, NY 17 and back home on I-287. Random route-clinching excursions are much more fun when they end up having people!

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