State Route 19

The road south out of nearby Houghton College (“HO-tin;” as in “oh,” not “how” or “who”), State Route 19, is open and inviting.
In the ‘60s I attended Houghton and graduated in 1966. I’ve never regretted it, although I graduated as somewhat of a ne’er-do-well, without their blessing.
Houghton is a religious liberal arts college.
Route 19 was straight and flat, a wide concrete two-lane.
I remember driving a friend’s 1964 383 four-speed full-size Plymouth coupe south out of town.
It was red.
We were quickly up to 120 mph — on the clock.
I backed off. I hadn’t intended to drive that fast.
Route 19 went straight a long way before finally arcing southeast toward Caneadea (“Kan-ee-ya-DEE-yuh”).
That road was also the kind I loved to encounter driving Park-and-Ride bus.
For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove bus for Regional Transit Service (RTS), the transit-bus operator in Rochester and environs. My stroke October 26, 1993 ended that.
My most pleasant rides were Park-and-Rides into the hinterlands; e.g. Hamlin and East Avon (“AH-vahn;” not the cosmetic).
In from East Avon included 5&20 and 15A, way more interesting than a city street.
Another was 31 to Newark.
And driving bus was no fun unless you could put the hammer down at least once per day, 60-65 mph on the expressway.
With Park-and-Rides you usually could.
I-490 or 390 into Rochester. Head for the passing-lane, and pedal-to-the-metal.
19 goes south all the way to Wellsville, and north to Fillmore, the next town north of Houghton.
There the road became State Route 19A to Letchworth Park.
We’re following the Genesee River, the Genesee valley, the first bread-basket of our nation.
Before his ’64 Plymouth my friend owned a 300 series Chrysler, probably a 300F.
He took it off Route 19 into what he thought was a ditch.
Actually, it was the bed of the abandoned Genesee Valley Canal.
That canal connected with the Erie in Rochester, and shipped wheat north.
Which is why Rochester was at first called “the flour city.”

• “383” cubic-inches engine displacement (fairly large); “four-speed” standard transmission.
• RE: “On the clock” means on the speedometer, and they were imprecise at the time; usually reading fast.
• “Hamlin,” a small rural town, was far west of Rochester, over an hour away.
• “5&20” is the main east-west road (a two-lane highway) through our area; State Route 5 and U.S. Route 20, both on the same road. 5&20 is just south of where we live. 15A is a parallel adjunct of what used to be U.S. Route 15, the main highway into Rochester from the south. (15A was a state highway. as Route 15 now is.) —U.S. Route 15 was replaced by Interstate 390, the main interstate into Rochester from the south. Interstate 490 is/are the interstate expressways into Rochester from the NY State Thruway, south of Rochester. 490 comes in from both the west and east.
• “Newark,” NY is a fairly substantial rural town. (State Route 31, a west-east highway, goes through it.)
• “Wellsville” is just north of the PA border.
• “Letchworth Park” is where the Genesee River carves through a high rock-walled canyon. It’s a state park.