From Pine View Farm

Detours 1

I would not want to climb Sideling Hill on US 30, so I’m glad I headed south, not west, this weekend:

A 65-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is to close for five hours starting late Saturday night so two bridges in Cumberland County can be demolished.

The closing affects the area between Breezewood and Carlisle. Eastbound traffic is to be diverted off the turnpike starting at 11 p.m. Saturday and westbound traffic at 11:30 p.m.

I know the Pa. Turnpike very well. It is an amazing feat of engineering.

No state other than Pennsylvania could manage to turn a road through some of the most beautiful mountains in the world into a tremendously boring and dreary ordeal. Except for the drop from the Laurel Highlands down towards Pittsburgh, it is sleep-inducing. And that’s for the driver.

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1 comment

  1. Bill

    March 28, 2009 at 9:11 pm

    I’ve been over, well actually over and through Sideling Hill on the Maryland side.  I-68 cuts through Sideling Hill.  You can see the 340 -foot deep “notch” from miles away.  The excavation reveals one of the best rock exposures in the eastern U.S.  Maryland has a rest stop and visitors center at the notch offering some excellent views.

    Unlike the Pennsylvania side, the drive along I-68 in Western Maryland is very scenic.  But if you want real views, you need to drive down Rt. 219 in West (By God) Virginia.