Alps' Roads Special - Southeast PA Road Meet

The route for this meet was a simple out and back with the co-owner of Gribblenation, Doug Kerr. After NJ 24, I-78, Garden State Parkway, and US 1 over to NJ 27, we followed CR 518 to NJ 165 (now wholly part of NJ 29 and across NJ 179 to PA 179. We turned down PA 32 to PA 232 and followed it to the other end in Philadelphia at US 1. We took 1 past I-76 to PA 23 and 23 up to US 202 South onto the freeway, exiting at PA 252 to US 30 and west to PA 29. 29 goes to Phoenixville, but with a little extra time on our hands, we made a little loop beyond town via PA 100 to PA 401 and back on PA 113. If we'd had more time, we would have headed far enough west on 29 to clinch 401, but instead we pulled in right on schedule to Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery, the home of Route 113 IPA and thus a mandatory road meet gathering spot.


It's also a mandatory old-car-owning spot, which is another perk. This one's a 1960 Plymouth Belvedere, back in the days when a Savoy and a Fury were the same car with slightly different options and prices. Back before America caught on to using strange combinations of letters like L, S, T, and X.


Above, Adam Prince describes his travels as Erin Joseph, Anthony Costanzo, Oscar Voss, and Adam Moss (I believe Voss and Moss rhyme) look on raptly. Mike Tantillo appears to be somewhat less rapt. But there were many more attendees than that. Below, from left to right: Len Pundt, his kids, Oscar Voss, Michael Pruett, Laura Bianca, H. B. Elkins, C. C. Slater, Doug Kerr, Anthony Costanzo, Mike Tantillo, myself (helping to send help), Adam Prince, Adam Moss, our host Jeff Kitsko, John Krakoff, Adam Froehlig, Ian Ligget, Corey Dukes, Erin Joseph, and finally Brian Reynolds all the way from Michigan. Click for a closeup that actually lets you see the faces. If not for the Baltimore meet, this would hold the best-attended record. This unwiedly crowd made its way east on PA 23 to PennDOT District 6-0 headquarters and the angular Traffic Management Center in King of Prussia (just east of US 422):



We had a nice tour of the inside of the facility thanks to Len Pundt. After satisfying our endless curiosity, we continued east on PA 23 to the overpass of the abandoned Schuylkill Parkway. I'd previously been down on the Parkway itself, but this was a nice vantage point for more photography. We continued via old US 202 (Dekalb St.) and some small Norristown roads to Sandy Hill Rd., Plymouth Rd., and onto I-276 at Exit 333. We got out at Exit 339 onto PA 309 and headed north for views inside and above the ongoing reconstruction, including some new ramps at Norristown Rd. We went up to Cedar Hill Rd. via the old 309 (Bethlehem Pike), then continued up to PA 63 NB for views of US 202 construction, ongoing to extend the Doylestown bypass as a two- to four-lane "parkway" that's a cop-out from the originally planned freeway. The end of the meet came down US 202 to Germantown Pike, one of US 422's old alignments, and down PA 29 SB to the Brewhouse where we all parted ways. Well, most of us did, but some joined Doug and me at the Reading Phillies game. Our route there was simple and direct to make time: back up 29 to US 422 WB and PA 12 NB to PA 61 and the stadium. After the game, I got back to NJ via PA 12, PA 662, US 222, I-78, and I-287. In closing, the only tradition prouder than road meets is road meets followed by sports outings. And, of course, beverages.

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