NORTH CAROLINA/EASTERN U.S.
Dec. 28-30 2008
PART 1
This 7-part shoot is from my now-legendary fact-finding mission in North Carolina, Virginia, and other bippin' great states. This is the trip during which mustaches and beards were drawn on photos of Bill O'Reilly and Laura Schlessinger that graced the cover of a phone book in a motel room. So peep this set of road pictures now before they peep you!
This automobile trip has us going south on KY 627, north of Winchester, KY. This is in the 5000 block of Paris Road. KY 627 was generally part of the now-defunct US 227 until 1972.
"Hey Bert!" This is southeast on the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway. Here, the road appears to be in the process of narrowing from 4 to 2 lanes near Campton, KY. Past here, the Bert is a rare 2-lane freeway. This is in Wolfe County, which John McCain lost - so this is real Kentucky!
This is 28 minutes further on the Bert. The road paralleling the Bert on the left could be KY 30 near Salyersville.
This has to be east on KY 114 just east of Salyersville.
KY 114 at KY 1888 near Ivyton. It's hard to see because it was so cloudy, but we're just about to go under a rail overpass.
This has to be around Prestonsburg. I don't know whether we've turned off KY 114 onto US 23 yet.
Seventeen minutes later, this would be on US 23 south between Prestonsburg and Pikeville (near where some maniac pulled off a side street out in front of us and almost killed us).
US 23 on the north side of Pikeville, at the 26 mile marker. US 23 here also carries US 460 and KY 80, and here it also picks up US 119.
Only blocks later, this is US 23 approaching KY 3495 (an old US 23 stretch).
This overpass has to be KY 1384 where it goes over US 23 in Pikeville. US 23 through here is a modern highway built by blasting out this mountain. This project was the biggest earth-moving feat ever except for the Panama Canal.
Looking at the mountain cut, as it features another roadway.
Continuing on US 23 near the end of the mountain cut.
Humanity versus nature? Seven minutes out of Pikeville, this is still US 23.
This is clearly US 23, but I'm guessing this is where it goes under the old rail overpass near Sarah Branham Drive in Pike County.
US 23 entering Virginia! This divided highway is known as Blu Cantrell Highway, I mean Orby Cantrell Highway. Travelers who enter Virginia are greeted with numerous signs warning of the many things that are illegal in that state. For instance, one sign skeeps, "RADAR DETECTORS ILLEGAL." I call it the Virginia lecture. The Old Dominion has so many Allowed Clouds that the Virginia lecture lasts most of the length of this video.
Seven minutes south of the state line, near Pound, VA, this is still our ol' pal US 23. The left side of this divided highway appears to be on slightly higher ground.
"When I'm old and Wise..." US 23 continues near Wise, VA.
This is Norton, VA. I surmise that this street is Park Avenue (Biz US 23).
Southwestern Virginia is still rife with old-fashioned cutout route markers. Some of the ones seen here in Norton though have a bad case of sine rot!
Going back northeast on Park Avenue.
Continuing northeast on Park, probably at the junction with VA 74 (Coeburn Avenue).
Still in Norton, looking at where the US 23 bypass goes over VA 74. VA 74 actually looks like it would be fun to explore!
Just east of Norton on Alt US 58, we drove under this hulking blue pipe. I have no idea what this is for, but it seems to go pretty far up the hill.
Continuing east on Alt US 58, this has to be around Banners Corner, VA. Notice that according to the signs this is a (sniffle...sniffle) congested area.