Looking at your 1 repeat ORD example: On Tue, Jan 18, 2022 at 12:17 AM PAUL R BARFORD <pb@cs.wisc.edu> wrote:
6 64.125.15.65 1.895 ms [x] (zayo.telia.ter1.ord7.us.zip.zayo.com., CAIDA-GEOLOC -> Chicago, IL, US)
7 62.115.118.59 99.242 ms [x] (prs-b3-link.ip.twelve99.net., CAIDA-GEOLOC -> Paris, FR)
65.15.125.64.in-addr.arpa name = zayo.telia.ter1.ord7.us.zip.zayo.com. 64.15.125.64.in-addr.arpa name = ae51.zayo.ter1.ord7.us.zip.zayo.com. it looks like the probes you selected (at least the depaul univ one(s)) are finding the 'best path' to whatever destinations via depaul -> zayo -> telia. It looks like zayo/telia interconnect at that /31. Based on: https://www.teliacarrier.com/dam/jcr:fc260a69-98a2-47d3-8d30-ca7095318413/te... i'd guess that: 1) telia has an mpls core with no-decrement-ttl enabled 2) the hidden hosp include NYC and possibly cleveland/wdc 3) judging the path information purely on traceroute hops is error prone.