7/30/08 7/30/08 7/30/08 7/30/08- Alternate US 58, Norton to St. Paul, Va.
- Drive through the mountains of southwestern Virginia across the major highway linking the US 23 corridor with US 19 and I-81. (4:35; 22 MB)
- Alternate US 58, St. Paul to Hansonville, Va.
- Finish the drive on US 58 from St. Paul and the Clinch River crossing to US 19, outside Abingdon. (4:35, 21 MB)
- US 220 (Future I-73 and I-74), Asheboro to Greensboro, N.C. (Richard Petty Freeway)
- What are the two most out-of-place interstates in the system, not counting California's I-238? I-73 and I-74, which are popping up in various places in North Carolina. The freeway segment of US 220 south of Greensboro also carries the designation of the future route of one or both interstates. This route also passes Randleman and Level Cross, the traditional home of seven-time NASCAR champion and 200-race winner Richard Petty. A portion of the freeway is named after the legendary racer. Also included is another trip through Death Valley in Greensboro. (5:59, 28.3 MB)
- NC 3 and Dale Earnhardt Blvd., Mooresville to Kannapolis/Concord, N.C.
- Once upon a time, the road running from Mooresville to Kannapolis bore the number NC 136. NC 3 was posted on a short dead-end road in extreme northeastern North Carolina, not too far from the Outer Banks. After the death of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, NCDOT reversed those route number designations. Now, NC 3 runs from Mooresville, where Earnhardt built his race team's headquarters, to Kannapolis, Earnhardt's hometown, and NC 136 has been moved to the other route. Part of NC 3 runs across Dale Earnhardt Blvd. in Kannapolis. This video gives a passing glimpse of the Dale Earnhardt, Inc. headquarters and also the "Dale Trail," a marked touring route highlighting places key in Earnhardt's life in yet another way his hometown has paid tribute to its late, great native son. (6:40, 31.6 MB)
- US 321, Boone to Lenoir, N.C.
- Travel through the mountains of North Carolina, cross the Eastern Continental Divide, and drive (virtually, of course) a major construction project that involves moving tons of rock. (8:47, 41.6 MB)
- US 119, Whitesburg to Payne Gap, Ky.
- US 119, a part of Appalachian Corridor F, runs diagonally from I-75 in Tennessee to US 23 in Kentucky. This section, from Whitesburg to Payne Gap, Ky., runs along the northern base of Pine Mountain, one of the area's key geological features. This video ends near the headwaters of the Kentucky River in Letcher County. (3:31; 16.5 MB)
- I-75 southbound through Greater Cincinnati
- Check out I-75 from I-275 in Ohio to the I-71 split in Kentucky. (9:27; 45 MB)
- Business I-40, Greensboro, N.C.
- This route recently became Business I-40 when mainline I-40 was rerouted to a new highway on the south side of Greensboro. This video includes a trip through "Death Valley," the historic eastern national end of I-40 at I-85, which is now the intersection of Business I-40 and Business I-85. As a bonus, see six highways on one piece of pavement going three different directions. (4:18; 19.6 MB)
- KY/VA 80, Elkhorn City, Ky. to Haysi, Va
- The Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River cuts through Pine Mountain in what many call "The Grand Canyon of the East." Breaks Interstate Park, jointly operated by Kentucky and Virginia, allows tourist access to this natural wonder. State Route 80, running from Elkhorn City, Ky. to Haysi, Va., provides access to the interstate park. This mountainous road is very scenic and is also heavily traveled by turtle-slow coal trucks. (7:59; 38.2 MB)
- KY 15, Vicco to Isom
- If you saw the movie "Fire Down Below" featuring Steven Seagal, which was set in eastern Kentucky, you may remember an aerial shot of a highway beside a lake. That route was KY 15 alongside Carr Fork Reservoir in Knott County. See it from driver's seat level. (3:48; 18.4 MB)
- I-74, US 52 to Virginia state line in North Carolina
- Journey along one of the country's newest interstates from where it springs from US 52 near Mt. Airy to where it disappears into thin air at the Virginia state line while running concurrently with I-77. (4:08; 19.3 MB)
- I-81 and I-77 concurrency in Virginia
- In the world of roadgeekery, one of the most famous stretches of roadway is this short portion of interstate highway in the southwestern Virginia mountains. At the same time, you are going both north and south on four numbered highways: I-77, I-81, US 11 and US 52. Take a ride into the setting afternoon sun on this bit of directional duplicity. (4:49; 21.9 MB)
- NC 147, Durham Freeway
- NC 147 makes for a great alternate route when I-40 is tied up due to construction in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. Enjoy this totally non, non, non non, non heinous video drive from I-40 northwest to I-85. (3:29; 16.8 MB)
- US 23, Wise, Va. to Payne Gap, Ky.
- Otherwise known as Appalachian Corridor B, US 23 provides a modern link from Asheville, N.C. all the way north to Columbus, Ohio. The portion featured in this video includes the most expensive highway project ever in the history of Kentucky. Journey across Pine Mountain at Pound Gap on the Virginia side, then down the mountain on the Kentucky side. (4:26; 21.6 MB)
- VA/TN 91, Damascus, Va. to Mountain City, Tenn.
- This route has been called one of the most scenic drives in all of central Appalachia. It's also the fastest and best route from the Bristol-Abingdon area of Virginia and the I-81 corridor to Boone, N.C. (5:21; 26 MB)
- US 35 in Dayton, Ohio
- US 35 is the east-west expressway through Dayton. It's full freeway from I-675 on the east side of town to beyond I-75 on the west side, and a surface route with at-grade crossings the rest of the way. See Dayton's skyline and the massive I-75 stack interchange. (3:42; 17.7 MB)
- I-70 north of Dayton, Ohio
- I-70 passes to the north of Dayton, where it crosses I-75. A massive reconstruction of the 70-75 interchange was underway when this video was shot. (3:32; 17 MB)
- I-255 in Illinois and Missouri
- I-255 crosses I-64, picks up US 50, crosses the Mississippi River, loses US 50 and becomes I-270 at the I-55 interchange for no good reason at all. (6:36; 33.3 MB)
- US 41 twin bridges crossing Ohio River, Henderson, Ky.
- The only place, besides Pennsylvania, where you can cross the Ohio River without crossing a state line is in Henderson, Ky., where the Ohio River is completely within the Bluegrass State and the border with Indiana lies north of the river. Check out this phenomenon and cross both bridges via a unique traffic control setup due to a bridge painting project. (7:38; 36.4 MB)
- KY 11, Red River Gorge Scenic Byway, Slade to Beattyville, Ky.
- Follow the twists and turns of KY 11 as it winds from the Mountain Parkway's Exit 33 at Slade through Natural Bridge State Resort Park and the Daniel Boone National Forest, as part of the Red River Gorge Scenic Byway, and continue on a modern highway to Beattyville. (4:54; 24 MB)
- US 50 "Super 2" highway, Lebanon to Carlyle, Ill.
- Cutting through south-central Illinois, US 50 runs north of and parallel to I-64. This route contains a large section of two-lane "super 2" highway with right-of-way for four lanes, and in several locations bridges were built for the second carriageway with no corresponding roadway. (6:51, 32.4 MB)
- I-64 westbound through Louisville, Ky.
- From I-265 in Kentucky to I-265 in Indiana, follow I-64 past two encounters with I-264, an intersection nicknamed after pasta, a tunnel and a double-decker bridge. (4:35; 21.9 MB)
- I-64 eastbound through St. Louis, Mo. and East St. Louis, Ill.
- Journey along I-64 (and US 40, too) through two double-decker freeway sections in St. Louis, then cross the Mississippi River into Illinois and head toward Louisville. (3:28; 16.7 MB)
- I-265, IND 265 and IND 62
- Take a ride across I-265 and IND 265, and continue east on IND 62 on the north side of the Ohio River near Louisville. No nighttime videos here; this was shot in broad daylight. (4:06; 19.7 MB)
- Blowout!!!
- You never know what you'll encounter out on the highway. During a peaceful drive across I-64 in southern Indiana, the reverie of Sean Hannity's radio show was interrupted by a blowout on the tractor-trailer that had just passed me. I caught it all on video. This one's short and sweet. (0:07; 808 KB)
- I-64 meets the Mountain Parkway
- This was the first video I ever shot and produced. On the way home from Lexington, the day I bought the camera, I held the camera as steady as I could with one hand as I negotiated eastbound I-64 and the entrance ramp to the Mountain Parkway. (2:12; 13.1 MB)
Hardware:
Aiptek ISDV 2.4 video camera
Sunpak Click-n-Stick suction cup monopod
Apple MacBook 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Software:
Apple iMovie HD v6.0.4 (for producing movies)
EasyWMV and VisualHub (for converting movies from their native format)
MPEG Streamclip (for editing the length of movies before importing into
iMovie)