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ebonyandivory
ebonyandivory UltraDork
12/8/16 3:20 p.m.

Just learned tonight that Route 20 goes from Boston, 3 miles from the Atlantic Ocean well over 3,000 miles to Newport Oregon. One mile from the Pacific Ocean.

I've lived in southeast Massachusetts all my life and I never knew this? Sounds like a road trip!

Streetwiseguy
Streetwiseguy PowerDork
12/8/16 3:47 p.m.

So, alongside I90/94. That would feed you through every jerkwater town in the north half of the USA, I'd imagine.

spitfirebill
spitfirebill UltimaDork
12/8/16 3:50 p.m.

Because Route 66 had a better press agent.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce UltimaDork
12/8/16 3:59 p.m.

Is it fun? US 2 runs from Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan to Everett Washington. There is the Maine part too but Canada gets in the way. The amount of nothing it goes through is staggering. It's an interesting drive but I think nobody talks about it because they wouldn't ever recommend it to anyone. Maybe 20 is the same?

ae86andkp61
ae86andkp61 GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
12/8/16 4:06 p.m.

Probably because it is actually Highway 20.

In all seriousness, I never realized that Highway 20 we have here in Oregon (parts of which are scenic and reasonably fun to drive) is the same road as the Highway 20 I drove across central NY with my brother...I presumed they were both state highways.

jimbbski
jimbbski Dork
12/8/16 4:26 p.m.

I drove Rt 20 from IL into PA last summer instead of taking the interstates/tollways. If I'm not in hurry in my travels, and since retiring I'm usually not, I take the road less traveled!

ebonyandivory
ebonyandivory UltraDork
12/8/16 4:26 p.m.

In reply to ae86andkp61:

You'd have to explain the "Highway" 20 thing to me I guess.

The story on TV referred to it as Route 20, every single article and reference on the internet referred to it as Route 20 and I didn't see a single one refer to it as Highway 20 so stupid me assumed it was Route 20.

Let me guess, you get your kicks on Highway 66?

SilverFleet
SilverFleet UberDork
12/8/16 4:29 p.m.

I've never heard of it either, up until it ended up on the news this morning. Sounds like I'll have to plan a road trip too...

02Pilot
02Pilot Dork
12/8/16 4:43 p.m.

Route 6, the Grand Army of the Republic highway, runs from MA to CA. And half a mile from my house.

Trackmouse
Trackmouse Dork
12/8/16 4:49 p.m.

Hey I live on hwy 20, here in Sisters,Oregon. If you are ever out this way, take a detour to hwy 126 up to Dee Wright Observatory. During daylight it's cyclists city, but after the sun goes down, we car people run them streets. It's the sweetest touge I've ever ran in Oregon.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid
SyntheticBlinkerFluid UltimaDork
12/8/16 4:57 p.m.

You'd surprised at the amount of US Highways that cross the country. The pros are that they can be as expansive as an interstate And the con is a two lane blacktop that goes through every po-dunk town in a state. State Highways can be a faster way through a state than the interstate some times.

I actually had a something to say about this recently:

http://carburetorcounty.blogspot.com/2016/08/us-and-state-highways-roads-less.html?m=1

XLR99
XLR99 GRM+ Memberand Dork
12/8/16 5:08 p.m.

My dad used to take 20 from CLE to Boston in the 60s, to avoid the tolls on I-90. He said he could do it in ~10hrs with his Corvette, but required lots of passing.

outasite
outasite Reader
12/8/16 5:13 p.m.

Been driving the less used highways for years if I am not on a mission that requires direct/sometimes quicker and miles of boring interstate and fast food.

chandlerGTi
chandlerGTi UberDork
12/8/16 5:23 p.m.
02Pilot wrote: Route 6, the Grand Army of the Republic highway, runs from MA to CA. And half a mile from my house.

Hwy 6 is about twenty minutes from my house, 20 is about 25 minutes from my house. 30 is fifteen minutes the other way. Any of those will give you a great small town road trip.

ae86andkp61
ae86andkp61 GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
12/8/16 5:27 p.m.
ebonyandivory wrote: In reply to ae86andkp61: You'd have to explain the "Highway" 20 thing to me I guess.

Just poking fun at the regional differences in terminology, like pop vs. soda, or hoagie vs. sub sandwich! In Oregon, the state calls it highway 20, signs label it highway 20, and construction reports in the news call it highway 20. Out here on the west coast, a major road that spans a long distance is a highway. A really big multi-lane highway is a freeway or an interstate (we don't really have toll roads.) For us, a route is your individual choice of the way you piece together the specific roads, streets, and highways you use to get from point A to point B, i.e. "What route did you take to get to work?" And a root is how plants get nourishment from the soil.

I know that back east route is used to describe a major through road, smaller than an interstate, but longer than a street, but it always sounds strange to me when I visit.

iceracer
iceracer PowerDork
12/8/16 5:28 p.m.

I have driven US 20 from Cleveland to eastern CT.

In most places it follows the local terrain and the small towns can be interesting. Unlike the interstates it is not boring.

Furious_E
Furious_E GRM+ Memberand Dork
12/8/16 5:30 p.m.

Pretty sure Route 20 was where I got pulled over for driving on a (unbeknownst to me at the time, long story) suspended license just outside of Albany.

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/8/16 5:35 p.m.

interesting note: numbers tell you more than direction. Odd Numbers go north and south and even numbers east to west.. but the numbers themselves tell you how far from the border you are. Route 1 on the east coast is only 1% of the way across the country from the Atlantic, just like Pacific Coast 1 on the West Coast. Likewise, Route 50, which starts just south of here in SeaVille NJ, is half way between the borders.

jstand
jstand HalfDork
12/8/16 5:41 p.m.

I've used Rt 20 in MA for as long as I can remember. Either as a passenger growing up or as a driver once I got you license.

I never thought of it as anything special in Central mass, but when I lived in western mass, it made a nice loop on the motorcycle when combined with Rt 57 and Rt 8 in western mass.

JohnRW1621
JohnRW1621 MegaDork
12/8/16 6:39 p.m.

About 30 minutes away from me in Fremont, OH, Route 20 and Route 6 are the same road for a brief period. Mostly to both cross the same river.

T.J.
T.J. UltimaDork
12/8/16 7:20 p.m.

In reply to mad_machine:

Interesting. I grew up close to route 50 in WV and always thought it started in DC. I guess it must go up towards Philly and over into NJ. The other end makes it at least to Sacramento.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/8/16 7:25 p.m.
02Pilot wrote: Route 6, the Grand Army of the Republic highway, runs from MA to CA. And half a mile from my house.

Hey, Route 6 is half a mile from my house. We're practically neighbors!

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/8/16 7:38 p.m.
T.J. wrote: In reply to mad_machine: Interesting. I grew up close to route 50 in WV and always thought it started in DC. I guess it must go up towards Philly and over into NJ. The other end makes it at least to Sacramento.

there is a big break in the road... but then, people forget that Cape May NJ is actually further south than Washington DC. So, yes, the road goes up towards philly (but never reaches as it joins Rt 322) and then magically reappears in MD.

crxmike
crxmike Reader
12/8/16 8:43 p.m.
Woody wrote:
02Pilot wrote: Route 6, the Grand Army of the Republic highway, runs from MA to CA. And half a mile from my house.
Hey, Route 6 is half a mile from *my* house. We're practically neighbors!

And I live on rt6. Let's have a block party!

vwcorvette
vwcorvette GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
12/8/16 8:57 p.m.

Went to Cazenovia College in central NY. Route 20 cuts right through it. You like antique shops? Drive Rte 20 from Albany to Syracuse.
Downtown Caz.

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