The US 202 Parkway opened on December 3, so danged if I wasn't hosting a meet as soon as possible thereafter. I headed out for a leisurely morning stroll with Doug Kerr on I-80 to US 206, out on US 46 to Hackettstown, then down Warren CR 629 and 645 for some bridge and ruins exploration. We picked up old NJ 31 into Glen Gardner, then back down CR 632 and CR 643 to NJ 173. From Main St. in Bloomsbury, we went back up CR 579 to NJ 173, CR 639 and CR 627 to the Mt. Joy Rd. Bridge, historic Finesville, and across the Riegelsville Bridge to Pennsylvania. We looped out PA 611 to PA 212, PA 412, and back to PA 611, then cut over to PA 32 to check out the Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge and the Delaware Canal. We came back west on Fleecy Dale Rd. and some other local roads to the meet at Jamison Pour House on PA 263, where we were greeted by this jolly fellow:


Sadly, Santa did not join us for lunch or to reassure us that we had all been good boys and girls, but he did have a special surprise for us as we took our meet photo at the restaurant:


From left to right: Kevin Brownlie, Leigh Koven and the forehead of his now-wife, H.B. Elkins, Allen Seth Dunn and his then-girlfriend (rear), Lou Corsaro and his girlfriend (front), Kris K., Adam Winkler and father (rear, not Father Christmas), Chris Commans, your glorious meet host, Laura Bianca, Michael Pruett, Doug Kerr, Ian Liggett, Mike Tantillo, Anthony Costanzo, Adam Moss. This group disassembled and headed up to PA 611 onto the beginning of the new US 202 Parkway. At the other end, we came back on Stump and Upper State Roads to PA 611 once more, and reassembled on the bridge stub of former US 611. This "quick stop" became less quick, but we got ourselves together again and came back to US 202, this time heading east to the then-stub of the freeway that has since been removed, then along PA 179 to the New Jersey leg of the tour. We followed NJ 179 to NJ 29, down to CR 546 and Washington's Crossing. After some more dawdling (thanks to having such a large group), we came back into PA on I-95, then down PA 32 to the stub of the Yardley-Wilburtha Bridge. I think this time we actually did only stop briefly before heading west on PA 332, around the then-newish Newtown Bypass, then back up Swamp Rd. toward the restaurant. Thanks to my slowpoke friends, we had to skip the optional covered bridge and just head straight back, but so it goes. Returning, Doug and I quickly stopped at the Old York Road bridge along PA 263, then beat a hasty retreat home by moonlight via US 202 into New Jersey to I-287. We all had a ho-ho-hopping good time even though the highlight came before the meet started.

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