The Road to Rochester
Oct 6th, 2008 by Alex
Staying in the same place for months, it’s easy to forget how beautiful this county is. Driving up 83N through northern Maryland and up 15N through Pennsylvania and New York this time of year is a rich and colorful experience. The leaves are turning and there’s a great mixture of green, red, orange, and yellow the entire way up to Rochester. I’m really glad I decided to drive rather than fly. When I was in college I’d just try to get from point A to point B as fast as vehicularly possible. The idea of spending any more than six hours in the car due to gas stops and restroom necessities was exasperating, let alone scenic detours. I wouldn’t say that I’m a lot wiser now, but I’m definitely glad that I took some time to pull over and enjoy the views on this trip.
It’s been two years (I think) since I last drove up to Rochester and in that time things have certainly changed. There’s plenty of evidence of the housing sprawl near York PA, the McMansions pushing right up against the highway. Lots of people went in for the area’s low prices, many still commuting into Baltimore (and some, DC) every day via train. It’s weird to see the clutter of houses densely packed into an otherwise rural area that used to be… well, entirely rural.
The York barbell factory is still to the right of the highway — 20 miles from Harrisburg — with their rotating statue of a man power cleaning 300+ pounds. Some things don’t change.
I diverged from my usual route around Harrisburg (by way of 581W) and took a straight shot through (83N to 81S to 22W), per the suggestion of GPS. I had never gone that way and wasn’t in a hurry, so I figured I’d try it. It’s fast, but not as scenic as I like. Definitely not like taking winding 11/15N along the west bank of the Susquehanna River with a stop at the Duncannon Sheetz for breakfast. Even if that’s your only stop, the view on the drive through is much better. It sounds silly, but I missed that.
Like earlier in Pennsylvania, I decided not to bypass downtown Williamsport (by way of the 180 loop) and followed the GPS-provided route. I’m glad I did, because the mountains are positively beautiful just south of the city. There’s a scenic overlook on the northbound side of Montgomery Pike atop Bald Eagle Mountain and it’s got a nice little area to stop to stretch. It was a bit overcast and the pictures don’t capture the full view, but it was still a good view of the towns sprinkled below.
The views from the (relatively) new Tioga Welcome Center — accessible southbound 15 only — are even better. The place is huge, looks like a ski lodge, and is perched atop the mountain. The Senator John Heinz Memorial Overlook is there too, offering some great views of a natural land dam (neat idea, there) and spillway, with the Tioga Reservoir in the distance.
It’s been more than a decade since I first drove up to Rochester. Ten years later, they are still working on the New York sections of the 99 Corridor. It’s amazing how slowly a large highway comes into being. There’s definitely evidence of progress and it seems they’re working from the north to the south. There were blasting crew signs and workers moving out tons of rock with front-end loaders, indicating that work is continuing. There are also large stretches of divided 65mph blacktop cutting through the mountains that simply were not there the last time I drove through. The creation of something so large and vast is a marvel in and of itself. These folks are literally moving mountains. I wonder when it’ll be finished.
Six miles south of Wayland NY I saw wind-powered turbines atop the mountains. None were spinning, but it was neat to see them at a distance. Even at a distance, you can tell that they’re enormous. Based on their location, they’re probably part of the Cohocton Wind Farm. A quick Google search indicates that the local residents aren’t as thrilled, so perhaps that’s why they aren’t spinning.
The road up to Rochester involves cutting through some large mountain passes, lined with the autumn leaves of millions of trees. The air is crisp, cool, and clear here. There’s no smog or housing sprawl. Most noticeable to me, there’s cloud formations up north that we simply do not have in our urban areas.
I’m looking forward to my next road trip up to New York, even if it’s in the spring and the trees aren’t as lovely.
Growing up in Buffalo, we would often take trips south to go visit my sister who lives in Maryland. For us, the route would be I-90 to I-390 then 15 South all the rest of the way. It was usually a great drive with my parents, beautiful views of the Susquehannah, peering out over Lamade Stadium in Williamsport (side note: avoid Williamsport when the Little League World Series is being played), and just about always a stop at the Country Cupboard in Lewisburg.
I saw some wind turbines along 81, I think it wasn’t too far from the Lehigh tunnel.
Thanks for the pictures.
Nice photos! It’s funny, I actually recognize a few of those areas by sight from our semi-regular trips up to the fingerlakes.
Also, the route via 22W is for SHIZZLE. I’m all for scenic lookouts and what-not, but getting stuck behind an 18-wheeler wavering between 20 and 35 MPH on 11/15N sucks ASS.
Nuts, this was your weekend up to Rochester? I wish I’d remembered to try to join you for a beer someplace.
Awesome pictures Alex. This makes me want to head up to Potter County REALLY bad. I don’t ever recall seeing it past Labor Day and before Thanksgiving. If this is what I am missing I’m going to have to figure out a way to get up that way and soon. Thanks for the show.
Paul: Good call about Williamsport, I think part of the regular 180 detour was laid out to avoid any of the hassle of driving through a congested area. I got lucky this time, but I’d definitely want to consider local events in all the major cities I pass through.
mokiejovis: Aside from the 5-10 minutes along the west bank of the Susquehanna River, the rest of 15 is four lane interstate now. Progress.
Mike: Damnit, we definitely should have met up. If you’ll still be living up that way in the spring, I’ll be back.
Tamra: It’s a nice break away from the city, I can’t recommend it enough.