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Amusing line in an article from a geographically challenged columnist ...

Tom McAndrew

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May 29, 2001
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Bob Brookover is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He's recently traveled with the Reading Phillies, where many of the Phillies' top farm prospects are playing, to provide some observations and analysis of those prospects. His series of articles (titled On The Read With Reading) has been excellent for those that are Phils fans.

Today's article starts off with him in Erie, where the Phils had played. He attempted to leave the stadium only to find that he was the last one at the complex, and it had already been locked up. He goes into a bit of detail of how he had to climb a water pipe to get over the fence. I'm guessing he stayed in the park to write an article, and didn't realize that everyone else had left.

Anyway, the Reading Phillies' next game was in Harrisburg, so after exiting the Erie stadium the columnist proceeded to drive to Harrisburg. Here's what is in today's article:

"A five-hour drive that included a harrowing descent down Mount Nittany followed before the writer arrived in Harrisburg at 1 am."

Perhaps I am lucky that I've traveled a good bit in the Commonwealth. Still, I'm often disappointed when people from one part of Pennsylvania exhibit so little knowledge about other areas.

Since there aren't any roads that Brookover could have driven down Mount Nittany, I'm assuming that he took the fastest driving route, which is I-79 South, I-80 East, US 220 South, and US 322 East, and as such had the pleasure of driving down Seven Mountains on US 322. (it's actually shorter to avoid I-79, and US 20, US 19, PA 97, PA 8, PA 27, etc. but while that's shorter in miles, it takes longer then the I-79 route.)

If you're interested in reading the article, you can view it at THIS LINK.
 
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Bob Brookover is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He's recently traveled with the Reading Phillies, where many of the Phillies' top farm prospects are playing, to provide some observations and analysis of those prospects. His series of articles (titled On The Read With Reading) has been excellent for those that are Phils fans.

Today's article starts off with him in Erie, where the Phils had played. He attempted to leave the stadium only to find that he was the last one at the complex, and it had already been locked up. He goes into a bit of detail of how he had to climb a water pipe to get over the fence. I'm guessing he stayed in the park to write an article, and didn't realize that everyone else had left.

Anyway, the Reading Phillies' next game was in Harrisburg, so after exiting the Erie stadium the columnist proceeded to drive to Harrisburg. Here's what is in today's article:

"A five-hour drive that included a harrowing descent down Mount Nittany followed before the writer arrived in Harrisburg at 1 am."

Perhaps I am lucky that I've traveled a good bit in the Commonwealth. Still, I'm often disappointed when people from one part of Pennsylvania exhibit so little knowledge about other areas.

Since there aren't any roads that Brookover could have driven down Mount Nittany, I'm assuming that he took the fastest driving route, which is I-79 South, I-80 East, US 220 South, and US 322 East, and as such had the pleasure of driving down Seven Mountains on US 322. (it's actually shorter to avoid I-79, and US 20, US 19, PA 97, PA 8, PA 27, etc. but while that's shorter in miles, it takes longer then the I-79 route.)

If you're interested in reading the article, you can view it at THIS LINK.
I suppose it's possible his GPS had him get off I-99 at the Pleasant Gap exit and then took him on Rt 144 over Mt. Nittany/Centre Hall Mt. to get to Rt 322 at Potters Mill. Depending on what settings he had set in his GPS, the routes can be a little strange sometimes.
 
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I suppose it's possible his GPS had him get off I-99 at the Pleasant Gap exit and then took him on Rt 144 over Mt. Nittany/Centre Hall Mt. to get to Rt 322 at Potters Mill. Depending on what settings he had set in his GPS, the routes can be a little strange sometimes.
Actually, that's what I used to take all the time back in the day. I suppose that the roads have changed in the past 20 years or so (I don't recall I-99) but I'm not sure how Tom's suggestion (US220 to 322) goes. My google maps says that Rte. 144 is the way to go too.
 
I suppose it's possible his GPS had him get off I-99 at the Pleasant Gap exit and then took him on Rt 144 over Mt. Nittany/Centre Hall Mt. to get to Rt 322 at Potters Mill. Depending on what settings he had set in his GPS, the routes can be a little strange sometimes.

Hmm, been awhile since I used that route. If I recall, you still end up going down Seven Mountains on 322. If so, I'd still rate the descent down Seven Mountains as more harrowing (from Brookover's column) than what he would have faced on 144.

Woodpecker, there are several options for getting from I-80 to US322. I just listed a simple one that is usually pretty fast, but should have been clearer.
 
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