Travel has always been one of my greatest pleasures in life. I’ve written several blog posts about the more interesting places I’ve traveled. Not all of my favorite trips have been exotic, however. I’ve garnered a great deal of enjoyment from good old fashioned road trips right here in the U.S.of A.
Part of what I like about an American road trip is planning the route. I take into consideration many factors, such as natural wonders found along the way, scenic variety, and of course, convenience, especially when time is limited. When it comes to convenience, the Internet has proven to be a terrific aid, particularly Mapquest. I don’t rely solely on Mapquest, but its tool that allows you to specify your beginning and ending points of a trip to determine the optimal route is really quite impressive, definitely a factor to consider when plotting the route.
This summer, I plan to take the family on a vacation from our home in Northern Illinois to Washington D.C. Not being one to wait until the last minute to plan the trip, I went to Mapquest this afternoon and asked for directions. The result looks pretty good on the map. Fairly direct, with some interesting scenery along the way. However, when I pulled out my Rand McNally Road Atlas, I noticed nearly the entire route has me on green highways, not the usual blue Interstates. Green, of course, is Rand McNally-ese for toll roads.
The good folks at Mapquest inform me that the best route from Northern Illinois to Washington D.C. involves 659 miles of tollways, including the entire route through Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, plus about half of Pennsylvania. The total of all tolls will be $42.00.
I know it is expensive to maintain highways, and the concept of a user’s fee is something I understand. However, $42.00 just seems a bit steep to me. I can choose an alternate route that has absolutely NO tollways, and will involve about 75 more miles of driving. This alternate route will provide better scenery, take me through some interesting towns, and still take place on the Interstate highway system.
So what would you do on a two-day trip? Spend $42.00 on toll roads, or take an hour of extra time and spend a little more gas money and avoid all those toll booths? Are the Illlinois/Indiana/Ohio/Pennsylvania turnpikes really worth it?
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Comments
The PA Turnpike does give the advantage of putting you near (relatively) Gettysburg--which might appeal to you. Need to take smaller roads for a distance to get there. Following I-81 into Maryland (which you can do from the Turnpike) brings you near Antietam, a quieter (much less visited) battlefield, and then you can take I-270 past Frederick (Barbara Fritchie's town) down to DC.
BTW, PA Turnpike tolls went up this month--is that cost based on the new tolls?
Let us know what route you choose!
That cost is based on the new rates, per the turnpike's website. The alternate route I'd take goes through Wheeling, to Washington PA, then down to Morgantown and I-68, or perhaps Rt. 40 through Uniontown to I-68.
It looks like AtHomePilgrim has given you some very helpful and solid advice about your route! There is so much to see in D.C. that I am never able to take in but a fraction of it at a time.
R
I would definitely take the 75 mile longer route, especially on a 2 day trip. I'm surprised bbd hasn't commented here. He's a strong proponent of blue highways and it's not the interstates that are blue on his maps. :)
I like some of Pilgrim's suggestions, such as a detour to Gettysburg (beautiful and haunting), then on to I-81, etc. Beyond Harrisburg, continuing towards Philly just leads to a lot of congestion and annoyance if you're looking at I-476 and I-95.
If you did something like I-39 south to I-74 east to I-70 east, you could pick up the PA turnpike south of Pittsburgh. US 15 is a bit of small town rambling from the turnpike to Gettysburg. If you've never visited the battlefield, it's well worth spending a day and exploring it in depth. I recommend the Brickhouse Inn if you stay there.
If you want to continue a bit of small road wandering before getting back on the interstate, continue south on US 15 from Gettysburg to Frederick, MD, where you're relatively close to Antietam and Harpers Ferry. Then you can pick up I-70 to 270 to DC.
I've always liked mixing up interstate travel with some sections on small roads. Blue Highways is one of my all-time favorite books.
I hope you have an excellent trip with plenty of good memories.