Gribblenation

One of the more interesting bridges found in Washington State is the Lyons Ferry Bridge. On the surface, the bridge may seem rather average. The Lyons Ferry Bridge is a steel cantilever bridge, spanning 530 feet across the Snake River near the confluence with the Palouse River, at the foot of Lyons Ferry State Park, and just a few miles south of the famous Palouse Falls. Washington State Route 261 (WA 261) is the highway that uses the Lyons Ferry Bridge to cross between Columbia County, Washington, and Franklin County, Washington. But what makes the bridge interesting is how the Lyons Ferry Bridge came to be. The story of the Lyons Ferry Bridge has a few different origin stories. The oldest human remains discovered in Washington State, just a few hundred yards from the current bridge site, dating back more than 11,000 years. For centuries, Native Americans crossed the Snake River here, followed by the explorations of Lewis & Clark. Later, early settlers following the ...

The Ochopee Post Office (Tom Fearer, 2017) I initially thought that Florida's Ochopee Post Office's claims of being the country's smallest was just another one of those attention-getting taglines to get you to stop in some remote area. But I was wrong - at 61.3 square feet, the Ochopee Post Office is the smallest operating post office in the United States . A Collier County Historical Marker tells the Ochopee Post Office History. (Adam Prince - August 2011) It has held its title since 1953 when a fire at a local country store disabled the remote Southwest Florida Post Office.  Fortunately, an old irrigation shed was nearby, and it was quickly commandeered to serve residents in a 130-square-mile area, including the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes. The Ochopee Post Office - closed when I stopped - is pretty tiny! (Adam Prince - August 2011) In operation since then, the 'blink and you'll miss it' post office has been a fun stop for many travelers over the years. Vis...

The historic corridor of US Route 80 and Interstate 8 through the borderlands of southern California share a largely mutual history.  Both highways originated in the city of San Diego and departed the state at the Colorado River into Yuma, Arizona.  Both highways share numerous famous geographical components such as the Mountain Springs Grade and Algodones Sand Dunes.  This article serves as a comprehensive history of the combined US Route 80/Interstate 8 corridor in California from the tolled stage route era of the nineteenth century to the development of the modern freeway.   The blog cover photo features US Route 80 along the Mountains Springs Grade through In-Ko-Pah Gorge during late 1920s.  This photo is part of the Caltrans McCurry Collection. Part 1; the history of US Route 80 and Interstate 8 in California US Route 80 and Interstate 8 in California share a largely mutual history.  The backstory of both highways is tied heavily to the corridor...