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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Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...

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