Michael Czarnecki’s 2010 U.S. Route 20 Journey

Michael Czarnecki, author of the book "Twenty Days on Route 20" will be making another cross country journey on US Route 20 this year, and will be making stops along the way to talk about his trip and share in his past experiences.

Details, which include his 2010 schedule, are listed on the web site for Foothills Publishing. Stops are planned in the following communities: Watertown and West Springfield, MA; New Lebanon, Voorheesville and Seneca Falls, NY; North East, PA; Painesville and Fremont, OH; Elkhart, IN; Dubuque, IA; South Sioux City, Ainsworth and Crawford, NE; Casper, WY; Idaho Falls and Boise, ID; Burns, Bend, Sisters, Lebanon and Newport, OR.

Further details, including contact information for Michael, can be found on the Foothills Publishing web site.






The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found at usroutetwenty.blogspot.com, here.

US Route 20 Video: Just For Fun

Things have been slow on the US Route 20 front. So when Google made available a feature where one could make a personalized Google search commercial, I decided to make one for US Route 20. It highlights all the different information you can find on the internet about the longest road in the United States – and that includes this blog! So here is my own little 35- second spot – just for fun (or for shameless self-promotion).







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The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found at usroutetwenty.blogspot.com, here.

US20 In Ohio: The (Haunted?) Riders Inn

US Route 20 has been around for a long time, and it passes by some older buildings which have a lot of history. Every now and then, stories float around about some of these buildings being haunted. One famous landmark building in my home town of Mentor, Ohio, that is reportedly haunted is “Lawnfield,” the home of President James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States . Stories vary, some say it’s Garfield himself that roams the halls, and some say it’s his wife Lucretia.

Just a few miles east of the Garfield home on US Route 20 in the neighboring city of Painesville Ohio is the Rider’s Inn, a very quaint restaurant/Bed and Breakfast that seems to also have one or more residents from “the other side” who make their presence known by either making themselves seen and/or heard.

According to About.com, the Rider’s Inn "opened in 1812 as a hospitality stop along the rough stagecoach road between Buffalo and Cleveland. The inn, named for its founder and his wife, Joe and Suzanne Rider, was also a major stop along the underground railroad and a refuge for Union soldiers returning home after the Civil War."
There are many local stories of what guests and visitors have seen and heard at Rider's Inn. But forget the ghosts. The Rider’s Inn is a nice place to stop in for a visit, a meal, or a stay if you’re travelling cross country on US Route 20. Here is the address and web site information:

Rider’s Inn
792 Mentor Ave.
Painesville, OH 44077
440 354-8200



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The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found at usroutetwenty.blogspot.com, here.

US20 in New York: The Finger Lakes

(Click on map for larger view)

One of the nicest areas in the US to which US Route 20 leads is in New York State, as US 20 passes through the Finger Lakes region. US 20 runs concurrently with New York State Route 5 in the Finger Lakes region and travels directly north of the following lakes: Canandaigua, Geneva, Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Otisco. The Finger Lakes were formed many years ago by glaciers which first carved out the land, then their melt water helped to create the lakes. The lakes’ distinctive formation – long and narrow like fingers – makes them easy to spot on satellite imagery.

NASA aerial shot of the Finger Lakes

The Finger Lakes area is a well known vacation spot for water related recreation, and there are also plenty of things to do and see not having to do with the lakes themselves. There are many scenic places for sightseeing, camping, hiking, and picnicking, along with wineries, shopping, antiquing, and other family fun places. With many lodging choices, it’s also a perfect area for a getaway.

The area was once populated by the Iroquois, and two of the largest lakes (Seneca and Cayuga) are named after Iroquois tribes.


If you would like more information on travel to US Route 20 and the Finger Lakes, here are a few resources:

routes5and20.com
fingerlakes.org
fimgerlakes.com
fimgerlakeswinecountry.com

US20 Sign outside Geneva

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The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found at usroutetwenty.blogspot.com, here.

US20 in Oregon: Pilot Butte

On the eastern side of Bend, Oregon, US Route 20 is called Greenwood Avenue. It runs at the southern side of Pilot Butte, which is an extinct volcanic cinder cone. According to Wikipedia, Bend is one of the very few cities in the United States with volcanoes located within their boundaries.

View from US 20

There are three trails that cover the state park. All lead to the summit, which provides a fantastic view of the surrounding area, including the city of Bend, and many prominent Cascade Mountain peaks. It sounds like another one of those scenic wonders that the longest road in the United States can bring!

View from the summit

Aerial View

Additional Information on Pilot Butte can be found here:

Wikipedia: Pilot Butte

Oregon State Parks: Pilot Butte

US Geological Survey Information on Pilot Butte



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The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found at usroutetwenty.blogspot.com, here.

US20 In Ohio: Dangerous Intersections

US20/SR 306 Intersection (Google Street View)

When driving US Route 20, one can see some beautiful sights. But there is also a dangerous side to the nation’s longest road. A news story published today by the Cleveland Plain Dealer indicates that the intersection of US Route 20 (Mentor Avenue) and State Route 306 (Reynolds Road) in Mentor, Ohio (Lake County) is the second most dangerous intersection in the Greater Cleveland area. The rankings were compiled using the top crash locations between 2005-2007, in a report published by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency in 2009. As Route 306 connects 2 freeways, I-90 and State Route 2, separating them by only a few miles, significant car and heavy truck traffic travels through the US 20 intersection, which lies midway between both freeways. The city of Mentor has already made improvements to the intersection based on the findings from this report, which wasn’t released until mid-2009.

In addition, US20 is also listed two other times on the list for dangerous intersections in the same county: US 20 and State Route 84 (Mentor) and US Route 20 and State Route 91 in Willoughby.


The chart showing the rankings can be found at this link for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found at usroutetwenty.blogspot.com, here.

US20 In Ohio: Cleveland’s Public Square

Public Square (Google Maps)

US Route 20 has a very prominent place in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the key roads to and through Public Square, which is the center of the city of Cleveland and has its roots all the way back to the "Original Plan of the Town and Village of Cleaveland" (yes, it was originally spelled “Cleaveland”), prepared in 1796 by the Connecticut Land Company. While passing the Square on the south and east side, it is known as Euclid Avenue. On the north and west side of the Square, it runs concurrently with US Route 6 (AKA the Grand Army of the Republic Highway) and US Route 42, and is called Superior Avenue, and then later Detroit Avenue after it crosses the Cuyahoga River.

US 20 Euclid Ave. westbound into Public Square, the Terminal Tower and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in view

Public Square, Old Stone Church in background (note the shadow of the Terminal Tower on the buildings to the left of the church) © chrisazimmer, used with permission

As it skirts Public Square, US 20 passes many landmarks, both old and new; The Old Stone Church, The Soldiers and Sailors Monument , and 200 Public Square are some examples. The Terminal Tower is on the Square itself, and US 20 passes only a few hundred feet from the entrance of Cleveland’s most famous landmark.

Old Postcard (undated) of Public Square with US 20 notations added



US 20 and base of 200 Public Square (Tower) (Google Earth)

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The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found at usroutetwenty.blogspot.com, here.