Skip to main content

Cinco de Mayo New England Trip

Yesterday, I decided to take a roadtrip around some of the neighboring New England states, particularly Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The weather was fantastic in order to take the opportunity to go, mid 60s and sunny. One of my favorite times of year to visit New England is during the spring, when plant life and people begin to wake up from their winterlong slumber.

Route (from Albany, NY and back): I-787, NY 787, NY 32, US 4, NY 142, NY 40, NY 67, NY 22, NY 313, VT 313, VT 7A, Kelly Stand Rd., VT 100, VT 30, VT 35, VT 103, VT 100, US 4, VT 12, US 5, US 4, NH 127, NH 132, US 3, NH 11A, NH 107, US 3, NH 11B, NH 11, US 3, NH 106, I-393, I-93, I-89, NH 13, MA 13, MA 119, MA 111, MA 2, I-190, MA 140, MA 62, MA 31, MA 122A, MA 122, MA 148, MA 67, MA 19, CT 19, CT 319, CT 190, US 5, I-91, I-90, Berkshire Spur, I-87, I-787

Notes:

Clinched US 4 from end-to-end, finally. I was missing a few sections in New Hampshire, between NH 104 and NH 127. NH 13, MA 13, MA 19, CT 19 and CT 319 were also clinched. I had originally though that I had clinched NH 11B, but a later check indicates that the eastern end of the route is at NH 11A as opposed to NH 11, like I had originally thought.

Also clinched the Towns of Somerset and Brookline in Vermont, as part of my Vermont 251 quest.

US 4 in New Hampshire is also known as the Purple Heart Trail. I do not believe that the same distinction carries over into US 4's mileage in Vermont and New York State.

There was construction on I-91 in Springfield, Massachusetts, near the MA 83 exit. This was on I-91 northbound where the northbound lanes narrow from three to two lanes. But there were horizontally striped pavement markings, which I do not recall being there in the past.

Yesterday, May 5, 2007, was the annual Green Up Day in Vermont. It is always the first Saturday in May, and I saw a good number of people picking up trash along the roads in Vermont, in order to help Vermont look nicer. You can go to Green Up Vermont for more information.

Cheapest gas I saw was in Laconia, New Hampshire, for $2.769 a gallon for regular unleaded. I cannot remember the name of the gas station, sorry. Most expensive gas was in Connecticut, along CT 190, for $3.199 a gallon. This distinction was shared by a number of gas stations. Cheapest gas I got was at an Irving station on NH 127 in Sanbornton for $2.799.

The Eagleville Covered Bridge over the Batten Kill in Washington County, near Shushan, New York, is currently getting a face lift. Renovations are being done, and it now has a coat of red paint, similar to what happened a few years ago when the Buskirk Covered Bridge over the Hoosic River was renovated.

One of a few signs telling you not to take Kelly Stand Road in the winter. The Town of Sunderland, Vermont, does not maintain the road in winter, which is a rutted dirt road. There were a few makeshift fishing camps and even pockets of snow along the road, even in May.

Okemo Mountain and the town of Ludlow as seen from VT 103.

What appears to be a double truss bridge over the Ottauquechee River in Woodstock. I believe the green part of the bridge came first, and the arched truss came later in support.

I went looking for lunch in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Didn't quite find something there to satisfy my hunger, but I did walk around the town green and got this nice snap of the city hall. Later in the trip, I also walked around the town green of Milford, New Hampshire.

The birthplace of Daniel Webster, which is located off of NH 127 near Franklin. On these long day trips, I do like to visit some attractions that are off the beaten path, in the hopes that I may learn about something I otherwise would have not learned about. Daniel Webster did a lot in his life, as he was a lawyer and a statesman, which was far beyond the reach of the little house that he was born in.

Probably my find of the trip as far as signs and shields go, an old NH 106 shield on NH 11A in Laconia. I do know that NH used square shields at one time, but I was unaware that the state initials were also included on the shield itself. Other interesting route markers that I saw was an inverted (white numbering on a black background) NH 127 shield in Franklin, and two uni-signs with green-on-white NH 13 and NH 114 shields included in Goffstown.


Endicott Rock, which is located at the outlet for Lake Winnipesaukee in Weirs Beach. Endicott Rock once marked the northern boundary for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Lake Winnipesaukee, as seen from Weirs Beach.

Weirs Beach itself has a summer destination feel to it, quite like Lake George here in Upstate New York.

Eagle Hall, at the town green in Milford, New Hampshire. This was the first town meeting house in Milford, and is now a bakery.

Johnny Appleseed statue at the MA 2 rest area in Leominster, Mass. Johnny Appleseed was born in Leominster, and the town honors his legacy as an American folk hero.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Old River Lock & Control Structure (Lettsworth, LA)

  The Old River Control Structure (ORCS) and its connecting satellite facilities combine to form one of the most impressive flood control complexes in North America. Located along the west bank of the Mississippi River near the confluence with the Red River and Atchafalaya River nearby, this structure system was fundamentally made possible by the Flood Control Act of 1928 that was passed by the United States Congress in the aftermath of the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 however a second, less obvious motivation influenced the construction here. The Mississippi River’s channel has gradually elongated and meandered in the area over the centuries, creating new oxbows and sandbars that made navigation of the river challenging and time-consuming through the steamboat era of the 1800s. This treacherous area of the river known as “Turnbull’s Bend” was where the mouth of the Red River was located that the upriver end of the bend and the Atchafalaya River, then effectively an outflow

Interstate 10S and the original Interstate 110 in California

Interstate 10S is a short spur of Interstate 10 along San Bernardino Freeway in downtown Los Angeles.  Interstate 10S begins at the Santa Ana Freeway (US Route 101) and extends east to Interstate 5 where it merges into mainline Interstate 10.  Interstate 10S is one of the oldest freeway segments in Los Angeles having been part of US Routes 60, 70 and 99 when it was part of the corridor of the Ramona Expressway.  The current corridor of Interstate 10S was assigned as Chargeable Corridor H following the passage of the 1956 Federal Highway Aid Act.  Interstate 110 was a short-lived designation which comprised the segment San Bernardino Freeway from US Route 101 to Interstate 5 between 1964-1968.  The original Interstate 110 was dropped as a Chargeable Corridor during 1965 and consolidated as Interstate 10S during 1968.   The original Interstate 110 can be seen as the blog cover photo as it was featured on the 1964 Division of Highways Map.  Below the entire 0.65-mile length of Interstate

Vicksburg Bridge (Vicksburg, MS)

  Located a few hundred feet downriver from the Old Vicksburg Bridge, the Vicksburg Bridge, or the “New” Bridge, serves as the city’s vehicular crossing of the Mississippi River on the main highway connecting Vicksburg with northeastern Louisiana to the west and the state capital of Jackson to the east. The completion of the original Vicksburg Bridge in 1930 was seen as a huge success and the bridge proved to be a profitable entity for both road and railroad interests along the path of the Dixie Overland Highway and the subsequent US Highway 80 corridor. In the years after the creation of the National Interstate Highway System, planning commenced on a new bridge at the site that would relieve the congestion on the existing bridge while providing for a more modern crossing of the river that would be safe for all vehicles. The construction of the new bridge at Vicksburg was completed in 1973 and its design intentionally mimics that of its predecessor nearby. This was due in large part