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Richmondville...and I-88

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Headed southwest to our Richmondville store this afternoon. It was for a store visit and I was overseeing a product reset.

Route:
NY 7 West, I-88 West, NY 7 East/NY 10 North.

Notes:
To most this is an uneventful trip, a 30 minute drive down I-88 to a rural store. And it is just that, an uneventful 30 minute drive from my office down I-88 to a rural store. But I figured this would be a great time to just comment on one of my favorite Interstate drives, I-88.

I've never traveled in the Mountain West (with the exception of a weekend in Alberta in 1996) but for some reason, Interstate 88 is what I would think how the Interstates in the Rockies would look. I-88 is rural...desolate..and (not as high as the Rockies of course) mountain scenery. One of the more spectacular views is heading west on I-88 approaching Exit 23 (NY 7/30/30A) The interchange is at the bottom of a valley so both the east bound and west bound approaches to the exit is down hill. However, heading westbound the road rises and curves thruogh a mountain pass. What is also visually appealing is on the south side of the highway is another mountain range that shoots southwards towards Schoharie. The mountain that is on the southbound side is called Terrace Mountain and Schoharie creek runns at the base of the valley.

It is also a great view from NY 7, which runs parallel on the north side of the highway. A few weeks ago while on lunch, i drove down to this point. Lake effect snows were going through the area and you can see the effect of low clouds mixed with a blue sky with mountains poking through the low clouds. A pretty impressive site, no camera oh well. It's a little spot of country that looks great no matter the season.

Here's a photo by Chris Jordan from an overpass before the entire valley comes into view.

If you have travelled I-88, and specifically through the area I just described..what are your thoughts of it?
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Comments

Anonymous said…
I took I-88 from Richmondville to I-90 as part of my daily commute for a few months last year, and have travelled other parts of I-88 quite extensively as well. I do favor I-88 east of Oneonta because of the abundance of hills, particularly the stretch between Worcester and Richmondville.

I-88 going across the Schoharie Creek is majestic, but it can be a pain to ascend the corresponding hills.
9:16 PM
Anonymous said…
I must agree that Interstate 88 is a beautiful drive, especially now that I have seen it during the day. Carter Buchanan and I traveled it during this past Summer, and the vistas along the rural freeway are striking as the highway cuts across the Catskills.

However when comparing it to the Rocky Mountains, there are some similarities, but the mountain peaks are so high along Interstate 70 for instance, that you rarely get a wide open view like you do in that photo taken by Chris Jordan. Also many of the mountains in the west are devoid of any trees, especially those toward Grand Junction in western Colorado. A lot of that has to do with the more arid climate that you get out there.
3:04 AM
Georgia Road Geek said…
Nice picture of I-88 in New York State. :)
8:23 AM
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