Alps' Roads Special - State College Road Meet

Pressed for time, my route to Johnson City, NY the Friday before the meet took me out I-280 and I-80 to I-380. I introduced some variation by following US 6 to Business 6 (via Meredith St.) to PA 171. After a short accidental detour, I found the right turnoff for the Starrucca Viaduct and came back to 171. I followed PA 171 past its end to US 11, jogging southward to Susquehanna Ave. and taking SR 1037 (Church St.) north until it turned into NY 7A. I clinched NY 7 with a quick U-turn, then took NY 363 to Riverside Drive (reference routes 992E and 990D).

Doug Kerr and I set off the next day on a roundabout excursion via NY 201, NY 17, and NY 17C. We then followed NY 96 into former NY 17 and took Tioga CR 54 back to NY 17 until US 220. Other than a short stop in Towanda on old 220, we took US 220 straight into I-180 and then continued on PA 87 to PA 973. You'll see on that page it visits many interestingly named towns. From the other end of 973, we took PA 44 back to US 220 and then onto old 220, PA 150. Running a little long on time and seeing the beauty of Bellefonte, and also being blessed with perfect weather, we took an hour to explore that town, walking up and down PA 550. We left town on PA 150, shedding PA 550 and ending at PA 26. The meet location at Hoss's was west on US 322 (which joined I-99/US 220), south on adorably named Waddle Rd., and east on Business 322 via Vairo Blvd.


With Business US 322 in the background, we staged a meet photo with me (Steve Alpert), H.B. Elkins, Doug Lowmaster, Mike Barron, John Krakoff, Doug Kerr, host Jeff Kitsko kneeling, Brian Rawson-Ketchum, Denny Pine, Scott Onson, Brian Powell, Adam Froehlig, and Oscar Voss.

The meet then headed down Business 322 into current US 322/I-99/US 220 then onto Old US 322. Most of the meet turned onto PA 550 to the first stop, but our car decided it would be more exciting to accidentally visit the next meet location and then U-turn. This stop showed off a new overpass and some acid rock remediation. There would be much more to look at when the meet came back out PA 550 to Old US 322 and up to the top of Skytop Mountain, the acid rock headquarters. The meet then returned to Hoss's after much discussion via Old US 322 to I-99/US 220/US 322 and the Waddle Rd. route (there is in fact a nearby location known as Waddle, but I hesitate to call it a town). At my suggestion, the post-meet tour then continued east on Business 322 to PA 26 and its freeway stub, then turned north to follow PA 26 into I-99/US 220 and the current end of I-99 at the I-80 interchange. The meet turned around and followed the same route I did to get to the meet, taking Waddle Rd. a decisive third time.

The route back to to Johnson City took Waddle Rd. for the fourth and last time (but northbound this time) and followed US 322 east to PA 45. Doug and I wound our way back via PA 445, PA 192, PA 880, PA 44, and PA 654 to US 15. We then followed old 15 as best we could, since the routing in Williamsport is unclear, to PA 14 and PA 414. The bridge to the right was taken as we lost the sun on John Rd. just off of PA 414 near Franklindale. Looking for something new, we took SR 3013 (Grange Hall and Franklindale Rds.) to the Berwick Tpk., Burlington Rd., and Milan Rd. (SR 4014) back to US 220. We then took PA 199 to NY 17, not entering NY until the top of the ramp, and NY 17C back to Johnson City.

Not ready to bid farewell to road exploration just yet, Doug led me on a little jaunt in the Binghamton area. The route out was NY 17C, old NY 7 (also Broome CR 129 and reference route 990H), NY 12A, NY 12 and old 12 in Greene, NY 23 with a quick detour down reference route 990L, Otsego CR 18, NY 80, NY 51, Otsego CR 8, Ceperley Ave., and NY 23 (including a multiplex with NY 7). The route back was NY 28, NY 357, NY 7, NY 7B (old 7), looping onto NY 369 north to get back to I-88/NY 7, then NY 363, NY 434, and NY 201 back to Johnson City.

After that, we met with Mark Sinsabaugh, a sometimes meet participant but on this day was at least a Mets fan. We enjoyed a win by the Binghamton Mets before I left on my way home. My route was NY 17C to US 11, NY 7 (with a cutoff via I-81) into PA 29. I detoured to drive Business US 6 in Tunkhannock, then continued to the end of the northern PA 29 (there are two sections) and went north on I-81 to Business PA 309, former US 309. In fact, there's a sign on that road dating to when it was US 309. I then took PA 115 via PA 309. When I ran out of route and daylight, I finished on US 209 to I-80, I-280 and home.

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