Gribblenation Roadcast

Hope you have gotten your metal pole out of the crawl space and prepared for the Feats of Strength because Festivus is here again!  Before you prepare for the Airing of the Grievances why not give a listen to the Gribblenation Roadcast and find out what Tom has been up to for 2021?   There certainly was lots of older US Route segments explored, some National Parks, stuff along California State Route 1 you likely haven't heard of, O'ahu and lots more!

In this episode, Dan closes out the year 2021 with a recap of his busy year. Included here are summaries and discussions on his memorable road trips, professional undertakings, and maybe a couple other significant developments during this time. This episode focuses on summaries of road trips and other developments in the months of January thru the end of June.

Dan's back from his podcasting hiatus (YAY) to bring you this special episode, featuring an all-encompassing discussion on the Hawaiian Interstate Highway System, other major highways on the island of Oahu, and a few other interesting Hawaii-themed tidbits with Gribblenation's "Challenger Tom". Hawaii is a part of the United States that is often talked about but rarely visited within the road enthusiasts community; we hope to shed some new light for our listeners on this fascinating corner of our country in this latest podcast offering.

Doug talks about some of his picks and stories for fall foliage drives throughout the United States and Canada.

Piggybacking off of Doug's recap of his summer road trips in this episode of the Gribblenation Roadcast Tom discusses what he did during the summer.  How many old US Route segments did Tom drive and which were his favorites?  How old is Rim Drive in Crater Lake National Park?  What is the ION Highway and why was Nevada so pushy getting US Route 95?  Is Boise an interesting place to visit?  What is up with all the US Route gaps in Yellowstone National Park?  Listen in for answers to all and more! 

In the second episode of a two part series, Doug summarizes what he did travel-wise during this past summer. For the second episode, the focus is  on New England, Northeast Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. There is also a preview of what's coming down the pike for travel and content.

In the first episode of a two part series, Doug summarizes what he did travel-wise during this past summer. For the first episode, the focus is on California, Oregon and Washington State.

Prior to November 1937 California State Route 1 was carried over Montara Mountain via Old Pedro Mountain Road by way of the 922 foot high Saddle Pass.  Old Pedro Mountain Road itself was opened by San Mateo County as Coastline Highway in 1915 as a replacement for the Half Moon Bay-Colma.  Old Pedro Mountain Road was one of first asphalted highways in California but despite it being a major improvement over the Half Moon Bay-Colma Road it quickly grew functionally obsolete.  Old Pedro Mountain Road was added to the State Highway System during 1933 when Legislative Route Number 56 was extended from Cambria via the coastline to Fernbridge.  Old Pedro Mountain Road was later announced as part of California State Route 1 during August of 1934.  Old Pedro Mountain Road was replaced by Devils Slide during November 1937 which hugged the coastal bluffs on western Montara Mountain.  Devils Slide featured a 4.7 mile shorter alignment, carried 1,174 feet less in elevation variance, and featured 13,821 feet less turning radius compared to Old Pedro Mountain Road.  Old Pedro Mountain Road would in time erode over the decades but remains surprisingly well preserved as part of a multi-use trail in Montara State Beach connecting Montara north to Pacifica.

Looking for something different or obscure to see on California State Route 1?  Old Pedro Mountain certainly meets both those criteria and isn't something you won't see posted typically on popular social media.  We also have Gribblenation blog feature on Old Pedro Mountain Road which can be found below:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2021/07/former-california-state-route-1-over.html

US Route 466 is in my opinion one of the most underrated US Routes to exist historically given it has been grossly overshadowed by it's parent route.  US Route 466 also has one of the oddest alignments ever to exist in the US Route System via the rugged dirt grades of Rocky Canyon of San Luis Obispo County, California.  The alignment of US Route 466 existed via the unsurfaced route via Rocky Canyon for a quarter century amid the early boom of freeway development in California.  Like abandoned roadways, obscure places and general road related oddities?  If so, former US Route 466 via Rocky Canyon and the Rocky Canyon Trail has you covered!

To find out more about the alignment of US Route 466 in San Luis Obispo County check the Gribblenation blog series:

Legacy of US Route 466 Part 3; Morro Bay to Shandon via Rocky Canyon (gribblenation.org)