West Coast to East Coast, July 2011

Day 1 - Yesterday (July 2nd) we set out for our long-awaited trip to New Jersey, our car sporting a brand new windshield. Why a new windshield? When we brought it to the mechanics for a "trip check" and oil change, they discovered a crack in the lower windshield on the driver side, so low that you wouldn't notice it because it was right in front of the dashboard. But it was long enough that it warranted replacement vs repair. Fortunately we were able to get it done before we left, without delaying our start.

The trip from San Diego to Hotel de la familia, in the Phoenix area, was a good one. We left later than we usually do for the 1st day of vacation, primarily because we were heading east (and not north through LA) and we didn't have a long day of traveling. As we passed Buckman Springs Rest Area, we noticed that it WAS OPEN. The next thing we noticed was a threatened construction area between In-Ko-Pah Road and Mountain Springs Road, in the mountains. Being Saturday, all the vehicles were off the road. Travelers are warned to be careful in that area, because it's on a blind curve.

Seeley Rest Area was open, on the west side of El Centro. (I think this rest area actually has a different name. However, we call it Seeley because that's the exit name that's closest to it.)

When we stopped in Yuma, we were only down a few gallons. After looking at the "cheapest gas in Yuma" station...crowded...we decided to go get some lunch at IHOP just down and across 16th Street. Here, I presented a coupon that I'd been sent via email, a thanks for joining the IHOP e-club. It had expired last week, but the store allowed me to use it. So my breakfast was FREE. Gotta love coupons!

As we drove yesterday, the HEAT was obnoxious. I know that car's temperature gauges, which show in our rear view mirror, are probably not completely accurate. Ours read 124F at one point. I look a picture at 122, but missed the 124 reading. As long as we were moving, our 9-year-old vehicle hung in there very well. It wasn't until we stopped and had to idle, that the engine temperature crept up.

We use AZ 84 and AZ 347, through the town of Maricopa, to go from I-8 to I-10 (rather than cutting off at Gila Bend on AZ 85, or going to Casa Grande to catch I-10 north. We've been using this route for years to get to my parents home in Tempe, as it's a "short cut". When we first started, AZ 347 didn't have a number and was just known to us as "Maricopa Road", and was a 2 lane highway all the way. Now it's 4 lane divided, but it's NOT a freeway. There are so many more stop lights than there used to be. Sometimes progress really isn't progress!

At one of those lights, we were delayed and watched our engine temp creep up. It turns out that there was a 3 car crash, and there were emergency vehicles on the scene. I said a little prayer for the people in those vehicles as we were directed around by a DPS officer.

We had an unexpected pleasure - as we pulled onto I-10, we "ran into" some rain! Now, those of you who live in other states might think, "She's excited about RAIN?!" Well, Arizona is a very dry state, and rain is amazing. Our brand new windshield, which was sporting dead bugs in places, got spanking clean. We also could test how well it was installed. (The installer said wait for 24 hours to wash the car. Nature's Car Wash happened 28 hours after the windshield was installed.)

We drove a little more than 360 miles in 6-1/2 hours, and that included one bathroom stop and one 50-min lunch stop. We came in on 1/4 tank, getting 26 mpg despite the A/C being on for 4+ hours.

In the evening, my parents, husband and I all went to dinner and entertainment. If you are ever in the Mesa area, ORGAN STOP PIZZA has good pizza and you are treated to a professional organist playing one of those Wurlitzer organs. The organist plays in 45 minute sets, in all sorts of music. In his second set last night, for instance, he played a Disney tune, an old-old-old standard "I Love You Truly", a disco tune "Play That Funky Music", and Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. It's definitely made for families. My parents introduced us to this place years ago, when it was in Tempe (or was it Chandler, can't remember). It's been near the corner of Southern and Stapley in Mesa for years.

We're on layover here, and won't depart until Tuesday. This was planned all along, to avoid (as much as possible) travel and sightseeing over the 4th of July weekend. So this thread won't be added to until then - this is a road trip report, not a family-visit report. :-)

Donna

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

ORGAN STOP PIZZA has good pizza and you are treated to a professional organist playing one of those Wurlitzer organs. The organist plays in 45 minute sets, in all sorts of music.

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That sounds really cool -- thanks for the updates...

Mark

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We had an unexpected pleasure - as we pulled onto I-10, we "ran into" some rain! Now, those of you who live in other states might think, "She's excited about RAIN?!" Well, Arizona is a very dry state, and rain is amazing.

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To this date one of the things I miss most about living in the Desert, is the amazing smell in the air after a rainstorm. Actually, it may be about the only thing I miss about living in the desert!

If memory serves, this should be about the start of the Monsoon season, so maybe you'll get to enjoy a few more rainstorms before you get a back out on the road.

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It wasn't until we stopped and had to idle, that the engine temperature crept up.

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Is your electric radiator fan working properly?

I so jealous that you are on a road trip and I'm stuck home for the summer! It's been HOT in California too...we're suppose to hit 104 today!

Thanks for the trip report so far....looking forward to the next edition.

Utahtea

The radiator fan checked out fine in the shop the other day. It was just **** hot here. Gila Bend hit an official high of 120, and Tempe was 116. Maricopa was about the same, which is where we hit the traffic snarl.

So far, none of the other places on our route are much above 100. Oklahoma City may hit 100 on Wednesday, but everything else is below that mark.


Donna

...isn't it?

I'm comfortable with the new water pump, serpentine belt, belt tensioner assbly, idler, fresh coolant, and radiator protection on the old pickup. Ditto the fresh transmission fluid and filter, fuel filter, air filter,rear differential fluid, and chassis lube. Easy on the skinny pedal and the coast to coast heat wave shouldn't present any issues this week. Ideally.

Foy

Thanks for the report, I am looking forward to more !

Some things I am finding out about when in AZ.

1] A rainy day can put you in a good mood.

2] You no longer associate bridges and rivers with water.

3]The best parking spot isn't the closest, it's the shadiest.

4]Your car can overheat before you have started the engine !

5] You get hot water from the cold tap.

6]You learn that Asphalt has a liquid state.

7] You only hug a cactus tree the once in a lifetime.

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3]The best parking spot isn't the closest, it's the shadiest.

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Absolutely, any Las Vegas local will park 100 yards away if the space is in the shade.

Mark

Day 4 - Tempe, AZ to Santa Rosa, NM - 598 miles, 10 hours 6 min.

"Beep, beep!" went the alarm at 2:00 am. By 2:50 we were out the door, having said goodbye to my parents and packed the car. It took the first 40 minutes just to traverse around Phoenix, which is why we left at that almost ungodly hour: we wanted to beat the rush hour and leave when it was cooler. Yeah, right - the thermometer read 90F at 3:00 am.

Once on I-17, things went swimmingly until 4:30. We came to a HALT on the freeway. In front of us, perhaps 1/2 mile, we could see yellow warning flashers. Once we had been there about 5 minutes, and it didn't look like it was going to move any time soon, most of us (including some semi's) shut down our engines. Some of us got out of our vehicles and started chatting with others. It took 45 minutes for ADOT to clear the mess and at least get us moving, and by this time, traffic was backed up probably 5 miles. (At 5:15 am, mind you, and still 40 minutes out of Flagstaff.) It turns out that a semi had plowed into a panel wagon, or so it looked like. I always say a little prayer when we pass something like that!

At Flagstaff, we went out for breakfast as the sun was peering up right into our faces as we turned east on I-40. Choosing not to eat at a chain restaurant, we picked Little America. What a mistake - food was "just okay", but it was very expensive for breakfast. The good news: they were fast, and we were in/out of there in 35 minutes. That allowed us to make up about 25 minutes of the lost 45.

Things went smoothly until Albuquerque. We had stopped for gas in Winslow with no problems. But suddenly, my husband's credit card started getting declined. He tried two different stations. Deciding that we had plenty of fuel to move on to Santa Rosa, I called our bank. Warning to others: warn your bank that you are about to go on a vacation, so that they won't notice "unfamiliar activity" on your card and put a sudden HOLD on it! Ours was rectified through the phone call. Whew!

We are now at the Quality Inn at Santa Rosa. It was about 95 here when we pulled in, which was a darn-sight cooler than the 110's we were getting in Tempe for 3 days. It also DOES cool off here at night. The motel seems to be very decent for the price (one of those coupon deals), everything clean, the pool and hot tub were both open and clean. They didn't seem to mind renting out a room at 2 pm when we pulled in.

I'll have to report later on dinner. I just read Howard's report of 3 places here in Santa Rosa, on someone else's thread (very timely!), so we'll have to choose. (My husband is determined to go for a DQ after dinner, though. Good idea - love ice cream!)

LATER: We ended up eating, by recommendation of the gal on duty at the hotel, at Santa Fe Grill. The food was very good. Hubby had steak, shrimp and fries. I had the 1/2 order of stuffed sopapilla and was very happy that I had not ordered the full order! No room for DQ, though.

Construction details: NMDOT leaves a lot of information off of their website, as did ADOT. ADOT lised the 1-lane over the bridge at AZ 77 near Holbrook, but failed to list 6 miles of single lane from exit 311 on, eastbound. The rest area near Munds Park along I-17 is permanently closed. In NM, there were several sections of "Road Work" signs where none was in evidence nor listed on their website. From mm127 to 133 there was a cone-zone. Eastbound wasn't very affected, but westbounders were down to 1-lane. At mm 140 to 141, both directions were single-lane on the same side of the freeway (with a barrier in between) going around a bridge that was being worked on. (An alternative would be to go drive on the frontage road and go over an old Route 66 bridge instead.)


Donna

Day 5 - Santa Rosa, NM to Sallisaw OK - 587 miles, 9 hours.

We departed from Santa Rosa this morning at 6:10 MDT, already fueled up, and heading east. Other than a rest area, our first stop was in Amarillo for Breakfast. The terrain we were crossing was high desert. We passed the Cadillac Ranch and saw that a group of motorcyclists were there. Our stomachs were growling, and we wanted to find breakfast instead.

A place that I found through some online reviews, all highly positive, was Calico County Cafe in Amarillo. The place was what I think of as "typical Texan" in decor, busy without being crowded, with locals (ours was the only out-of-state plate in the lot). Service was great. My husband ate the tall stack which was tall (those pancakes were thick and served with butter and HOT syrup). I had a Belgian waffle, which was served with already melted butter and hot syrup. We were served cinnamon rolls as well, but I admit that we were too full of breakfast to try them. The price was right. Definitely, this is on my "I would return here!" list.

Drive, drive, drive, stopping for a rest area and visitor information at the Oklahoma Tourist Bureau just inside the state. I have to get my hotel coupon books! The next stop was on the west side of Oklahoma City, at exit 140, for fuel. Word of warning: Oklahoma City is full of construction on I-40!

As far as other construction goes - there were a few places where there was a warning of a "cone zone", but it never existed. Yet others went to single-lane in both directions. None of these were on the OK DOT website! There was also quite a bit of traffic through the central part of Oklahoma. We finally lost most of it on the east side of OKC, when the vegetation changed from desert-like and ranches, to green trees and rolling hills!

We pulled into Sallisaw just after 4 pm CDT, which means we did almost 600 miles in 9 hours. That's not too shabby! We got a hotel through one of the coupon books. The Days Inn here is clean, but the room is TINY. It's comfortable, though. This is the first hotel we've stayed at in a couple of years that actually put 2 packets of decaf coffee in the room - - most of the time, we have to ask for decaf!

Dinner soon - will add more after.

UPDATE: From a couple of restaurant review websites and two personal recommendations on a cooking forum I've participated in, we asked our hotel about Shad's Catfish Hole. The hotel clerk said to definitely GO, it was the best place for the locals! It's about 7 miles down US 59, and then hidden behind a convenience store. It doesn't look like much on the outside, but the inside - all decorated in fishing and water decor. The food, though, is absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! My husband, who loves good catfish, was in his element, because it was an "all you can eat" place. I had the chicken fillets (not a catfish person). The meal comes with beans, cole slaw, and hush puppies served family style, then you get your main dish served to you. The price for two was under $30 and we came away STUFFED. We wonder if we'll even have room for breakfast in the morning!

Thanks, Michael, we're in OK now. In about 20 miles or so eastbound tomorrow, we'll be in Arkansas. :-)



Donna

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Warning to others: warn your bank that you are about to go on a vacation, so that they won't notice "unfamiliar activity" on your card and put a sudden HOLD on it! Ours was rectified through the phone call. Whew!

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That is always a good reminder.

I had a similar problem last fall. A gift shop at Custer State Park's credit card machine was down, so they were scanning by hand the old fashioned way with the old carbon-copy imprint. Except, the clerk wrote down the wrong expiration date. When they processed it, it flagged as fraud and put a block on my card.

The problem is that it was on a holiday my credit union was closed! I eventually figured it out, only after I checked my email and found a notice from a 3rd party company that was handling the fraud alert to call them. I really never would have thought to check my email, and in fact, since I was on the road and camping, I wouldn't have even checked my email that day, if I hadn't stopped to try to figure out a way to get a hold of my credit union.

Warning the credit card company is even more important for international visitors. I always notify Visa when I will be out of the country, and the estimated period of my absence, as well as the destinations. They are really on the ball these days. I have even had them contact me when I have made a significant (out of country) purchase online.

But I am not complaining. I am just happy they are watching it so closely.

Travelling with you Donna. Keep it coming.

Lifey

Day 6 - Sallisaw OK to Cookeville, TN - almost 600 miles, in 9 hours 20 minutes

What a different day when it comes to weather. Up to this point, we've had either sunny and hot, or partly cloudy and hot. We had only that one squall of rain as we came into Phoenix on Saturday.....until today.

We were out of the hotel by 6 this morning and on the road a few minutes later. Within minutes we traversed into Arkansas. The terrain stayed about the same - mostly hills, trees, with a few farmer's fields - with overcast skies, not overly warm (GOOD!). That is ... until we were about 50 miles outside of West Memphis. The skies opened up and DUMPED water everywhere! We were literally driving behind somebody else's tail lights, hoping that he (and the people HE was following) would stay on the highway! That squall lasted probably 15 or 20 miles!

At Memphis, we crossed the Mississippi - - something I've done many times in my life before, especially since attending college on the river bluffs above that river. Today it seemed pretty special, though, mainly because we weren't crossing at St Louis or even Quincy, IL.

More rain squalls occurred in the western Tennessee area, including one just as we were leaving Nashville. When it wasn't raining, we were enjoying that beautiful tree-lined highway, with rolling hills. When you are so used to desert and not too much green, this just seems so different to us!

Traffic ... well, my husband commented that the Nashville-Memphis-Little Rock section of I-40 is among the busiest corridors for commercial truckers, with St Louis - Kansas City I-70 right behind it! We saw our share of traffic, and hubby also said that he has never gotten on-and-off the cruise control so much in one day. It almost wasn't worth going on cruise control at all!

Due to last night's incredible dinner, neither of us felt like eating this morning. So there are no breakfast stops to report. We ate a "cooler and snack bag" lunch at a rest area, and are planning to go out to dinner someplace here in Cookeville.

We are settled in America's Best Value Inn, which is a cheap and clean place to stay for the night at less than $40. There is a lovely, inviting pool .. but with the storm here (rain, lightning, thunder), not a good idea.

My cell phone has been run down to no battery power. Our oldest daughter announced to us yesterday that she is making us grandparents (first one) next February, and our youngest daughter just landed a full-time position that she wanted. So of course that means we've been on the highway talking to everybody in the family, including my brother (our host in NJ).

UPDATE: Dinner tonight was next door at Nick's Restaurant. It seems odd (to me) to have a nicer casual restaurant, not your typical family place, right next door to a very budget-minded motel. But there it was, and they were reputed to have "the best prime rib in town". Since we had basically not eaten much all day, it was time to splurge a little. The service was excellent, the food was also excellent, and the ambiance lovely. It was a huge place! One of the ladies at the table next to us kept having her phone go off, which was a bit annoying. I went ahead and had the prime rib, something I never make at home. Hubby had the seafood pasta, which he enjoyed a LOT! With the prime rib and other meat dishes, the salad is included. For the pasta dishes, though, salad costs extra. That seemed "odd" to me.

Tomorrow's goal: Staunton, VA. Though we have done walk-in's for every hotel to today, we have already secured reservations there. It's a Friday and the place is close to a National Park. Our plan is to drive Skyline Drive on Saturday morning, if the weather is decent. Otherwise we will slowly drive to NJ and maybe even stop in Hershey, PA...my brother wants us to arrive late on Saturday!


Donna

I've just started a photo album under my member name, entitled "View from the Passenger Seat". This contains only those photos as taken from the road itself, when I'm riding (and not driving).

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...3442&username=

Other photos will be added to this album as we go, and I may also start other albums, too.


Donna

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Day 4 - Tempe, AZ to Santa Rosa, NM - 598 miles, 10 hours 6 min.

"Beep, beep!" went the alarm at 2:00 am. By 2:50 we were out the door, having said goodbye to my parents and packed the car.

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By my calculations this was July 5...and if so...you got out of there in the nick of time! There was a dust storm they called a Haboob late that afternoon! Amazing pictures http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-major-...tory?track=rss

Utahtea....just getting caught up on your report...memo to self...subscribe to this thread! ;)

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

I've just started a photo album under my member name, entitled "View from the Passenger Seat". This contains only those photos as taken from the road itself, when I'm riding (and not driving).

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...3442&username=

Other photos will be added to this album as we go, and I may also start other albums, too.


Donna

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So we've seen a picture of Mr. DonnaR57, where is your picture? ;)

Utahtea

Hey Donna, great photos. But buddy, could you get that hubby of yours to pull over long enough for you to get a good, face on shot of those roadside signs. I like to be able to read them.

Lifey

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Our oldest daughter announced to us yesterday that she is making us grandparents (first one) next February

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Congratulations! I love being a Grandma. They grow up so fast so enjoy!

Utahtea

Stop for photos??? Not when we're on a Speed Run. Hubby has this thing about not stopping for anything except gas, food, lodging, and an occasional bathroom. Our girls like to say that Dad taught them how to have a superbly strong bladder! Today I got some that were a bit slower - we got stuck in a major traffic jam (more on that in a bit) so I had the camera hanging out the window quite a bit.

As for my photo - you may see one yet. Most of the time, I'm behind the camera. Hubby hasn't had me do any of the driving yet!


Donna

Day 7 (I think?) - Cookeville, TN to Staunton VA - 432 miles, 7-1/2 hours

Our options this morning were to leave at our usual 6 am hour and then drive right into Knoxville's rush hour traffic, or leave a little later and avoid it. Since we knew we were only doing a little over 400 miles today, we took the latter and left late. I was able to try the continental breakfast at that chain (America's Best Value Inn). It was disappointing that they had NO fruit. Only sweet rolls and muffins, dry cereals (not even any oatmeal), milk, two kinds of juices, coffee, and a waffle maker. What I really wanted was a banana and some fruity oatmeal.

The rest of I-40 in TN was a relatively uneventful drive. We then got off on I-81 north to head towards our destination, New Jersey. By then we were finally getting hungry (it was just noon, EDT, but 11 am by our stomachs), so we did the first chain restaurant that we've done since Tuesday: Cracker Barrel. The only reason we hit that one, is that both of us had a hankering for chicken and dumplings, which they do very well. Yum. The service was excellent, the price is right, but we personally took our time. That was the one at Bristol, VA, at I-81's exit 7.

As we drove north, the scenery was just beautiful. AAA's Triptik strip map for 81 lists the drive as scenic, though our old atlas does not. (For some reason, I failed to get a Virginia map from AAA before we left, but thank goodness I brought that 5 year old atlas!) My camera came out as I tried to capture some of the views we were getting. (See note above about getting hubby to stop for photos - he won't on the freeway as it's illegal.) Rolling hills, sometimes the freeway going into a deep valley with hills above. I do know that folks here call these "mountains", but that is one thing that California does well, TALL mountains. These are shorties in comparison. Still beautiful, though.

We stopped for gasoline at Whyteville (?) - we have been using Flying J, Pilot, and Love's Truck Stops almost exclusively, with one stab at a Petro (because it was more convenient to get in/out of than Love's across the street). We have a Flying J/Pilot Frequent Fueler card, which saves us 2c a gallon (I think) on non-diesel fuel. Our mileage has been super. For some reason, premium runs 93 octane here on this side of the country, where CA premium is 91. Maybe that has helped our mileage???

One thing today: construction caused a big traffic jam! We got the warning ahead of time, "Bridge construction at mm 114, right lane closed." Then a "tune into AM 1620 if lights are flashing", which they were. While I was searching for the station on the radio, hubby brought the car to a standstill at mm 108.6. We inched slowly up to the one lane closure (mm 113), waiting in the left lane. It irks me that people race up as long as they can and then take cuts in front of people who moved to the left at mm 109 like the sign said. (That's what causes traffic jams.) We lost 15 minutes in that jam, but I think I gained some good photos. I'll find out after dinner when I upload them to the laptop.

After the traffic jam, about 50 miles out of Staunton, DOWNPOUR again. We saw the storm coming, and hopefully my photos will reflect that. Everyone moved slowly down the freeway with their emergency blinkers on, though some pulled over. Today we've seen a lot of touring motorcyclists. I always feel sorry for them when it's very hot, or when it rains. Many were waiting out the storm underneath the overpasses.

We are in the EconoLodge at Staunton, VA, the first time this trip that we made reservations ahead of time. I know this is close to the southern end of Skyline Drive and the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway (hubby declined driving the latter), and this is Friday, so we opted for reservations. As a result, it's the first time we have first floor room - the last 3, all coupon walk-ins, were on the 2nd floor. It's nice to park right outside your door and not have to tote our stuff!

UPDATE: Dinner tonight was at another local place, Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant here in Staunton. The food was pretty good - I enjoyed the chicken more than my husband did, because it was chicken breast (all the menu said was "country chicken" and he didn't ask what part of the chicken). We each had a piece of pie for dessert, which is highly unusual for us, and shame on me! (I am going to have to walk all of this off over the next week, I've been eating like a pig!) The prices were decent as well.

Tomorrow's plans, if the clouds and rain go away, is to drive Skyline Drive north, then pick up I-66 to I-81. Depending on the time we come into PA, we just might swing by Hershey and take the chocolate tour. YUM. My brother asked us not to arrive early, so we'll do some sightseeing. Besides, it's only about 350 miles from here to his house.


Donna

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Originally Posted by Utahtea

By my calculations this was July 5...and if so...you got out of there in the nick of time! There was a dust storm they called a Haboob late that afternoon! Amazing pictures http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-major-...tory?track=rss

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Yes, we missed it by a couple of days. My parents told us all about it. They didn't know it had been given a name. Dad was not happy about it. It's very difficult for he and Mom, at their ages, to wash a vehicle, and they definitely need to do that now. I told them, take the Saturn in for an oil change, they'll wash it. :-)

I'm getting a really weird message when I click on Post Quick Reply. It tells me my mesage is too short!




Donna

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I'm getting a really weird message when I click on Post Quick Reply. It tells me my mesage is too short!

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I got one of those today but then I was just saying "I agree" and had to add the name of the person I was agreeing with for it to accept it.

DH loves Cracker Barrel! We were introduced to them by my DIL when we visited them in South Carolina. We pass on by on the way to Zion but we're usually in a hurry to either get to Zion or get home so we don't stop.

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Originally Posted by Utahtea

I got one of those today but then I was just saying "I agree" and had to add the name of the person I was agreeing with for it to accept it.

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As I understand it, and learned the hard way, just like you guys, it needs to be at least 10 or 12 characters.

See you're just not talkative enough. LOL

Lifey

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

AAA's Triptik strip map for 81 lists the drive as scenic, though our old atlas does not. (For some reason, I failed to get a Virginia map from AAA before we left, but thank goodness I brought that 5 year old atlas!) My camera came out as I tried to capture some of the views we were getting.

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Would have to agree with AAA Triptik... I have always loved almost the completel length of I-81. Far prefer it over its alternatives.

Sure hope the clouds lift when you drive Skyline. It has always been misty and foggy for me. But... one day.......?

Lifey

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

I'm getting a really weird message when I click on Post Quick Reply. It tells me my message is too short!

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Donna, I've forgotten what I set the minimum word count on a reply message, but it was chosen to foster more complete dialogue on this forum. It's been a part of the forum since 2000. One word responses won't work -- that kind of discourse works better on the IM chat than on this forum.

Mark

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See you're just not talkative enough. LOL

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That's pretty bad when two women have to be told to talk more! ROFLOL!

I found out what the trouble was - I had used Reply with quote and then tried to type my reply inside the quote by mistake. Oops! Here goes the next two days' journal:


Day 8: Staunton VA to Stanhope VA via Skyline Drive, 432 mi in 9 hrs 50 min.

Sorry this has been delayed, but there's been a problem gaining entrance to the Internet here at my brother's (lost password).

Saturday morning, we slept in a little bit, and departed from the hotel around 8 am. It was 8:50 by the time we got over to the south end of the Skyline Drive and headed north. We were disappointed at first, because there was quite a bit of fog in the area, making it difficult to see the vistas. However, as it got later, we got a little further north and a little bit higher in elevation, we were able to see a bit more. Stopping for brunch at the Loft Mountain area in the park did two things: filled our bellies and gave more time for the sun to burn through the fog.

After that we stopped at many lookouts in the south end of the park, and into the northern section. Everything was beautiful. Unfortunately we didn't see any wildlife other than a few gutsy squirrels, some birds and a couple of very annoying bees! I took loads of photos from the lookouts and will post some here.

We looked down at the clock to realize that it was 12:50 and we were only a little more than halfway through. So the decision was made to cut the lookouts down to the essential ones and try to get to Front Royal before 2, which we succeeded in doing without defying the park's speed limit of 35 mph.

The rest of the day - - a little over 4 hours - - was spent on freeways I-66, I-81N, and I-80 E, arriving in Stanhope just after 6 pm. The traffic was heavy until just after Harrisburg, PA, where it got easier. It thickened up again just before the Delaware River in PA. I was surprised not to pay a toll going over the river into New Jersey (our 5th state in one day), but that's because you pay going west (according to my brother).

My brother and his wife are doing wonderfully – working on their home (an older home), and of course working for a living!


Day 9: No mileage except sightseeing mileage.

Today was spent going to church with my brother and his wife, and then doing some sightseeing in New Jersey. My husband, brother and I went down to Middletown to two places: Fort Nonsense, and then over to General Washington's Headquarters (during the Revolutionary War, in the winter of 1779-1780, he took over the Ford residence – the biggest home in Middletown. It was loads of fun and very interesting!

I will post photos here as I can, but will be starting new albums as well as keeping "Views from the Passenger Seat" going.


Donna

The small world keeps getting smaller - I grew up in Middletown Township.

I added two more photo albums today:

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...rname=donnar57

Shenandoah National Park photo album is just that - and complete. (I doubt if I will add any other photos to it.)

Historical Places is one that I will keep adding to, over the next few weeks. Today's photos include Fort Nonsense and General Washington's Headquarters.

I will be posting other albums too, as we go.


Donna

Nice pictures and you included a picture of yourself!

Day 10 - Sight-seeing New York City

We took the bus into the city from Willowbrook Mall (NJ). The bus took us through the Lincoln Tunnel. Since we took a 10:02 bus, we didn't catch the rush hour traffic. The bus was also a bit cheaper than the train and runs more often than the train. We were dropped at the Port Authority.

From there, we set out for the Theater District (face it, it's RIGHT THERE). I loved seeing the different theater facades (outsides). From there we hoofed it to Rockefeller Center. Both hubby and I were disappointed there - - it looked so small! Maybe it was that there were all these umbrellas covering the food court tables down there. Can't remember where else we went from there, but we ended up seeing quite a few stores, then hoofing it down to meet an email friend of mine at a deli near 44th and Lexington. We had to go back UP from there to go to Tiffany's (just to LOOK), and while around there, we went into FAO Schwartz. Loved that place and had to sample some fudge! BTW, this whole day put us on sensory overload!

Eventually we took a subway down to lower Manhattan, to the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Man, what a bridge!!!! You can walk on it, and we did ... as far as the first pylon. My right tendon (back of the leg) was starting to ache by that point, or we might have walked down to the South Street Pier.

Instead, we caught the subways all the way to Lincoln Center (poor planning on our part). I had REALLY hoped to do a couple of pique turns (dance turns) across the quad area there (near the fountain). Instead, there was a big celebration for the opening of the Harry Potter movie in that area, and the place was JAMMED wall to wall with people! Harry Potter fans, all of them. I think most of the main cast was there, but we couldn't see. My hubby was really disappointed that we hadn't gotten there an hour before, so that he could see some of the actors - he loves the HP movies!

So we hoofed it back up to Nathan's and got hot dogs at the food court there. After eating, we went around the corner to a pub that my brother likes, and each had a drink. We were waiting out rush hour so that we didn't have to fool with a crowded bus.

Down to Port Authority, where we solved the problem of how to buy bus tickets next time when we go back for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (DH and I are eligible for discounted tickets because he is retired military.) Then had to find our bus gate. There was one that was just loading, back to Willowbrook...great timing.

We had a FUN time. I am just nursing that tendon. Everytime I try to get exercise, something like this happens. I am trying not to let this destroy my vacation. My SIL is loaning me an ace bandage, but when I find a Rite Aid, CVS or Wal-Mart, I will pick up a knee brace.

Tomorrow....ferry ride to the Statue and Ellis Island....we already have tickets.


Donna

Day 11 -

This probably isn't the type of road trip report you like to read. Unfortunately, things happen in the middle of ones best laid plans and make us change our outlook, and sometimes, our direction.

About 5:00 this morning, we got a phone call from Missouri: my husband's mother lost her battle with cancer in the wee hours. Two hours later, we were packed, said our goodbyes and thanks to my brother and sister-in-law, and headed west (instead of east to the Statue Cruise). We drove 563 miles today along I-80, I-76, I-71, and I-70, and are currently in a hotel in Springfield, OH. We simply could not drive any further, still tired from yesterday's miles of walking (and riding on subways standing up). The hotel here - Comfort Suites (coupon again!) is very comfortable, very nice! The room is well equipped.

You may not hear from me about road trips for a little while. We'll be staying in mid-Missouri with either my SIL or my oldest daughter - they both have Internet. My husband and his sister have a lot to do, because they lost their dad 13 years ago. This means emptying the house, dealing with stuff, car, bills, etc. No time for traveling for either of us. We don't even know at this point, whether we will be driving home in the same car, or if we will have to drive a U-Haul and tow the car home.

I will still try to participate here, but my job is probably going to be keeping our niece out of her mom's hair while she and Uncle deal with the nitty gritty.


Donna

Sitting in the hotel room, I decided to dump my photos from camera to laptop, and then upload some here. The newest album is "New York, It's a Wonderful Town!"

I still hope to take my niece (and probably my daughter) to Hannibal MO, to do the Mark Twain Cave, Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher's house, and the Mark Twain Museum. Perhaps we'll also have an opportunity to go do some other things around Missouri.


Donna

Thinking of you. Take Care.

Lifey

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

This probably isn't the type of road trip report you like to read. Unfortunately, things happen in the middle of ones best laid plans and make us change our outlook, and sometimes, our direction.

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It's real life and that's often more interesting. Sorry to hear of your loss. Take it easy -- don't drive too long or too fast -- You need to be ready for restorative duty....

Mark

We made it safely to my SIL's home in central MO today. The family is gathered here, preparing for the onslaught of the next few days. I was even able to drive for a couple of hours yesterday and a couple today, as my hubby was tired and needed a little shut-eye. The two siblings have a meeting at the funeral home tomorrow (I have child-sitting duties and another one has phone duties, here), then we pick up our younger daughter at the airport on Friday. (Gee, a road trip repeating the last 2 hours of today's journey.) Saturday evening is the viewing (closed casket except for family); the church ladies are giving a luncheon to the family on Sunday (something my MIL was often in charge of, at church), and then the service is Sunday afternoon. Then comes the really hard part ... starting to empty a house that had been filled for almost 50 years. Those two have a difficult job ahead, though my SIL has a list of where some things are supposed to go (antiques and family heirlooms that have not already been disbursed). It's a possibility that we may be returning home driving a U-Haul truck and towing our car on a car trailer.

More later. Thanks for thinking of us.


Donna

So sorry to hear about your loss. Will be thinking about you. Take care!

Utahtea (was camping for last two days without internet)

Having just returned from my trip, I have just caught up with your report and I would like to offer my condolences as well.

Take care.