October 2005 - Adirondacks Trip

In October 2005, I did a brief explore trip in the Adirondacks. I pretty much took NY 22, NY 9N, and NY 8 to the Riparius bridge and back to Albany via I-87. My entire flickr set from the trip can be found here.

NY 22:

North of Whitehall, NY 22 does offer some scenic views. I pulled over along the shoulder near an open field to capture some nice views.

NY 8:

From Route 9N to Interstate 87, NY 8 is a fairly scenic drive with a number of turnouts for a variety of scenic vistas.

The top two photos are of North Pond.

Riparius Bridge:

The highlight of the journey was the then recently new Riparius Bridge that carries Route 8 over the Hudson River. The bridge was barely two years old when I took these photos. I had wanted to come back to this spot since my trip earlier that April with Chris and Doug. I wasn't able to take photos of the bridge because my camera died and I ran over the curb and got a flat tire.

The two lane through truss bridge opened in 2003. It replaced a narrow camelback truss bridge that had been in existence since 1919. The new bridge allows for pedestrian and bike crossing and allows for excellent views of the Hudson River.

I was also fortunate to catch a glimpse of the Upper Hudson River Railroad Excursion Train that ended in Riparius. The Upper Hudson River Railroad would run until 2010 when service ended. It has since been replaced by the Saratoga and North Creek Railroad which continues rail service northwards to North Creek and has a southern terminus at the Saratoga Amtrak Station.

All photos taken by post author - October 4, 2005.

Comments

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...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog