Gribblenation

In the Cayuga County town of Conquest, to the north of Port Byron, a few small islands were formed from channels of the Seneca River and Erie Canal, with one island (Howland Island) containing a wildlife refuge. The smallest of these islands, Haiti Island, has one bridge to mainland New York State, and more immediately, NY 38. I visited the bridge in 2002 and 2005, taking photos during my visits. The Haiti Island Bridge (also known as the Haiti Road Bridge) was built in 1908 and was moved to the Haiti Road location in 1964. The bridge was rickety, had a deck of wood planks and had been reinforced by a Bailey bridge to hold it up. Soon after my visits, in 2007, a portion of the bridge deck collapsed and in 2010, a concrete slab was put in place to replace the old Haiti Road Bridge. How to Get There: Sources and Links: Bridgehunter - Haiti Road Bridge

In the Ashtabula County town of Harpersfield, just a few miles south of Interstate 90, is the historic Harpersfield Covered Bridge. This Howe Truss style covered bridge, which is the third longest historic covered bridge in Ohio, was built in 1868 and spans over the scenic Grand River. One of the unique features about this covered bridge is that it is connected to a steel truss bridge, which was built in 1913 as a result of a flood in that washed away the land at the north end of the bridge. The steel span was subsequently attached as a result of that flood. At one time, OH 534 was routed to cross the bridge, but the highway was re-routed around Harpersfield onto a new alignment in 1962. The bridge features a walkway that was added during its renovation in 1991 and 1992. Today, the Harpersfield Covered Bridge is paralleled by nearby OH 534 and there is an adjacent park for visitors to enjoy the bridge and also to spend a quiet morning by going fishing. To get there, you can take Inters...

One of the more unique ways to get to the western annex of Pinnacles National Park requires an alternate route to US Route 101 via Sign County Route G15.  Sign County Route G15 rides the edge of the Gabilan Range above Salinas Valley and provides a view of the 1923 Metz Tunnel. Sign County Route G15 ("G15") is a 18.68 mile highway located entirely within Monterey County.  G15 begins at US Route 101 ("US 101") in King City and travels north along the westernmost flank of the Gabilan Range just above Salinas Valley to California State Route 146 ("CA 146").  As noted above G15 provides a view of the 1923 Metz Tunnel and incorporates some of the original alignment of US 101 in King City.   The approximate routing of G15 can be seen below.  Part 1; the history of Sign County Route G15 According to CAhighways.org what is now G15 was first defined in 1965.  At the time of G15's commissioning US 101 was still active on 1st Street and Broadway within downtown ...

Interstate 77 through the Virginias and Carolinas was not an original Interstate Highway proposal.  In 1957, Interstate 77 was born as an over 400-mile southwards extension of a previously approved Cleveland to Canton, Ohio Interstate.  The new road would extend through four states before terminating at Interstate 85 near Charlotte, North Carolina.  This extension would bring an additional north-south highway connecting the industrial Midwest to the South.   During the early planning stages of Interstate 77 from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, North Carolina and Virginia had different plans routing the Interstate that took over five years to settle. While the new Ohio to Charlotte Interstate would follow the WV Turnpike to its terminus at US 460 near Princeton, its route through the remainder of West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina was uncertain.  The route south from Princeton into Virginia and to Interstate 81 near Wytheville consisted of two...

Alberta is a small town of about 300 people just off of US 1 in Brunswick County.  Easily overlooked by both Interstate 85 and US 1, Alberta was established in 1928. Alberta General Store Brunswick County is the birthplace of Brunswick Stew - a tomato-based stew featuring beans, vegetables, and meat.  And the Alberta General Store is one of the stops on the Brunswick Stew Tour .  The store makes their homemade "Unkol" Chuck's Brunswick Stew - which can also be purchased at the store or numerous Farmer's Markets within Southside Virginia. Though Alberta is a very quiet town, its downtown has several great old buildings and ghost signs. A former bank in Alberta All photos were taken by post author - January 3, 2009. Site Navigation: Return to Small Towns of Virginia Series Index Links: Alberta General Store How To Get There: