The Abandoned Turnpike Trip
I just got back from an overnight trip exploring the abandoned section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Mike, D’Arcy, Steve and I went over to Breezewood, PA on Saturday morning. After having a bite of lunch we found the western end of the abandoned section and started hiking east. The route is still mostly asphalt, but it is broken up and covered in debris. After a mile and a half we came upon the entrance of the first tunnel, Ray’s Hill. It looks much like the entrance of the tunnels that are currently in use on the PA turnpike, but there are only two lanes running through it. This was the primary reason for abandoning the tunnels in the first place. It is surpisingly in good shape inside. It is still paved and you could drive your car inside the tunnel without any problems. There is a lot of graffiti and no lights. The tunnel was short enough that we could see the other end as we entered. We made it to the eastern end and hiked a little further to try to see a lake we could see on the map. The lake ended up being further down in a gully than we thought, and we only caught a glimpse of it.
We hiked back to the car, then drove over to the other end of the abandoned section (the eastern end). We hiked another mile and a half to the eastern entrance of the Sideling Hill tunnel. This tunnel was much longer, but we could still see the reflection of the light on the other end, so we were never in complete darkness. This tunnel was just like the first, with lots of graffiti, but generally in good shape.
After we hiked back to the car, my GPS unit showed we had hiked for about 12 miles. This was much further than I had expected, and we were all pretty tired. It was definitely worth it. We had a great time, and saw some pretty interesting sights.
For more info on the abandoned turnpike section: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandoned_Turnpike
For photos and video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/srgdog/sets/72157615325009466/
One more video: http://www.vimeo.com/3673777
srg
