Looping the USA

We finally got to start our summer trip, after months of planning and questions. Hopefully we will be able to complete this one. This is the 3rd East coast trip we have planned in the past 20 years; the previous two got aborted for one reason or another.

Our first day out was a simple 360 miles from our home in Southern California, to my parents home in Tempe. It was uneventful, thank goodness. We stopped for brunch in Yuma at IHOP, armed with a coupon so at least my meal was free. We spent the evening visiting with my parents and some friends of theirs who were also visiting.

The second day out, which was the real first day, was full of delays. We were up quite early, knowing that this day of travel was going to give us two lost hours when we went from Mountain Standard Time to Mountain Daylight Time and then into Central Daylight Time before reaching our day's destination. Getting fuel at 5 am wasn't particularly tough, and really is the best time of day to fill up with diesel in the heat of the desert! Getting onto I-10 Eastbound was another matter -- traffic accident closed the freeway and rerouted all of the traffic onto streets. We had to go further south to pick up the freeway!

One of my favorite views, approaching Tucson, is the ever-changing vision of Picacho Peak. (Pronounced "pih-kah-choh")

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo..._Picacho_3.JPG

Going through Tucson was an eye-opener. (Hi, AZBuck!) I'd lived there in the early '70s but haven't been back since about 1988. BOY, have things changed! The place where we lived no longer exists -- I think it might be under a brand new intersection (Twin Peaks Rd). We did have a lovely breakfast at the Crying Onion Cafe on Orange Grove Ave. Great service and good food.

However, there is always the blight on ones' views: the billboards trying to entice one to visit "The Thing". They start before Tucson and don't end until Exit 322. No thanks, never been, don't want to.

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...ona_Blight.JPG

Second delay was in Las Cruces. We'd intended to fill up at a Flying J or a Pilot Station at a specific exit. Well, New Mexico was plum full of construction. More slowdowns and one-lanes drove us nuts anyway, but when they closed the exit from eastbound I-10 to the fuel station, we were mad! We tried getting off at the next exit to see if we could take a frontage road back -- nope. We ended up getting fuel at the NM/TX border. Our truck is getting 16+ mpg and our fuel ran $3.37/gal this morning and $3.60/gal at Anthony, TX. (Diesel.)

Here's one shot from the road in New Mexico:
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...w_Mexico_1.JPG

Third delay was in El Paso. Another accident brought traffic into the left 3 lanes which were stop and go for about 3+ miles. YUCK! Then more congestion in El Paso. We could see into Mexico at several points along the route. I'm so glad we live where we do.

Last delay was at the Border Patrol checkpoint. Frankly, I'm glad they're doing their job. The big trucks seemed to wail through the point, but the Greyhound was there for a long time, and we waited 12 minutes or so before we got up front in line. The people in front of us were sent to the side. We were just asked a few questions, they told us to have a great vacation, and sent us on our way after peering into the back of the pickup (camper shell).

Texas has 80 mph speed limits in places, so hubby chose to hit 80 to make up for the lost time. We made it into a Ramada Inn in Van Horn. We were in "early", so the manager gave us a first floor room with a brand new king size bed. It's nice and clean, we can park right outside the door. We hit the grocery store and then the pool before making dinner in the room. I used an electric fry-pan to make a hamburger type casserole. Served with a salad, it turned out to be a nice (cheap!) meal. Believe me, there wasn't much choice in Van Horn. It was fast-food, a Mexican sit-down, or do-it-yourself.


Donna

Looking forward to reading more of your report (and please go ahead and add those photos!)

And I loved this....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

Well, New Mexico was plum full of construction.

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I think you might have meant "plumb full".... I can't imagine New Mexico full of plums....

Mark

Sounds like you got off to a great start, despite the delays. It reads just wonderfully, and not at all full of the frustration you must have felt. Lovely pics. I love the Tucson region, despsite its proximity to the Mexican border.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

Last delay was at the Border Patrol checkpoint. Frankly, I'm glad they're doing their job.

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Yes, I agree, I am always happy to wait when security is the issue. But what border crossing is this? Did you go into Mexico?

Lifey

No, these are Border Patrol checkpoints -- none are near the border, some are more-or-less stationary, but most are set-up within a few hours and stay operational for a day or so before moving someplace else.

Mark

Sounds like you're having a great time so far! Hope the folks are doing well!

One question: just what is "The Thing?"

Stay safe, and remember to buckle up!

No Spoilers on this forum!

You have to stop and pay the toll to see "The Thing"

Mark

I would have NO idea what "THE THING" is. It's one of those places that we don't ever have any plans to stop.

Day three went just okay. My poor husband almost didn't get his morning coffee, though, because we had troubles with the coffeemaker we brought, then troubles with the one in the hotel room. Finally he got coffee at Love's Truck Stop, but had to take regular (with caffeine), as they hadn't brewed any decaf yet.

It took us almost 9 hours to make the trip from Van Horn up to Decatur, TX, where we were visiting with friends for a couple of days. Most of the trip was on I-20 until we left the interstate at Weatherford, TX.

In Weatherford, we made a brief detour to see the childhood home of one of my favorite actor, Larry Hagman. I leaned out the window of the car as hubby pulled up, shot a few photos, and we moved on.

Our friends are well set-up in a rural area, with a pool, lots of sun, and more. We enjoyed their pool but it was too hot to be in the jacuzzi.

To be continued....


Donna

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

I would have NO idea what "THE THING" is. It's one of those places that we don't ever have any plans to stop.

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What? A RoadTrip Enthusiast who doesn't stop at road trip attractions? How peculiar... if you want a few hints... Look at this article penned by Chris Epting...

I've stopped at just about all of these kinds of places and if you'd like to see a few more of our favorites... be sure to look at the RoadTrip Attractions pages.... (listed by state).

Mark

Well - there's a pretty blurry distinction between a road trip attraction and a tourist trap..........

Tourist traps can be road trip attractions, but not all road trip attractions are tourists traps...

Mark

DAY 5 and 6:

Drive, drive, drive, and then keep driving. One thing about a modified speed-run, and that's that it can be considered like a work day. After a visit with friends near Fort Worth, which was very relaxing, it was back to the grindstone. There's usually a light at the end of a tunnel after the drive, though. Our routing was to get around Fort Worth and Dallas in a quick way (thankful that it was not a weekday and rush hour). I was humming the “DALLAS” TV show theme song as we came into view of the downtown Dallas area. Once we traversed that area, we were on I-20, to US 49 out of Jackson, down to I-10, I-75 and the FL Turnpike.

Vicksburg was a stop along I-20. We viewed the movie, watched a demonstration of a cannon being shot, and then started along the 16 mile drive. My husband was fascinated: he likes Civil War history and really didn't need the movie. Along the drive, we stopped at a monument or two, especially the Illinois marble building, and then spent a lot of time at the USS Cairo. Too much time, as a matter of fact. We learned that we are not the type of traveler to stop and see things along the way. We will stick to our own method, which is to pull into an area, stay overnight, and see what's there. If we miss something along the way in this manner, there's usually another trip!

Night #5 was spent at a Best Western in Wiggins, MS. We arrived at 6:30 pm and they had no more 1st floor rooms left, despite that I made reservations for this several weeks before. It was a nice place for the price ($68).

Eating out was almost a CHORE! The hotel staff gave us directions to a local grill, but we couldn't find it. Our GPS had no record of it at all. Then GyPSy tried to send us down a wooded drive in search of Popeye's, which we later found by ourselves.

The drive from Wiggins to Orlando was mostly rainy. Tropical Storm Debby is rearing her ugly head and reminding us that she's out there. We did fine until just after Pensacola, where the rain started to come down. Our windshield wipers, who usually get very little exercise, got quite a workout. In many places, the rain was barely coming down, but the spray from other vehicles caused a lot more wetness landing on the windshield.

The traffic was HORRIBLE after Pensacola, too. That did not help us at all. We seemed to flow from one “pocket” of traffic to the next one. Thank goodness we did not have any sightseeing stops planned. We had made a breakfast stop in Pensacola (Ryan's Cafeteria) and then a Wal-Mart stop in Lake City, just after we got on I-75.

We took the turnpike to Orlando area - $3.00 charge – then took Toll Road 429 down to Disney rather than staying on the Turnpike. That was another $1.25. No, we don't have a Sun Pass, because we'd decided that it was too much trouble to have 3 different types of highway toll systems with us!

Fuel prices were LOWEST in Mississippi. Diesel fuel has been running $3.63/gal most of the way across the country. I've noticed $3.29 for unleaded. However, in MS, diesel was $3.39 – 3.45, and unleaded showed in some places as under $3!

Disney World is well signed, from the time we left the turnpike all the way to our hotel. We had no problems finding our way (“the back way”, along Whigham Way) to PopCentury Resort. Check in was a breeze, with a helpful concierge. Disney “cast members” (as employees are called) are well-trained. Our concierge told us that the Magic Kingdom (MK) was open late that night for those staying “on property” (Disney-owned hotels).

With a 4-day passport, we decided to go to MK that evening. Wow, what a parallel universe! Some things looked just like “our” California park, at least at night, and other things were so different. We did Tomorrowland, then walked over to the other side of the park to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and do the Haunted Mansion. We'd have tried Big Thunder in the dark, too, but they were having trouble with it.

We bought ponchos because the rain was still coming down. It has the makings of being able to destroy this week for us, but I'm trying not to let it. It DOES keep the crowds down as the “locals” cancel plans to make a daytime trip.

Pictures when I can....the Internet connection is slow, I've had trouble with RTA PhotoShare and am having trouble with creating albums in another way.



Donna

DAY 7:

First full day in the parks, and we had to waste quite a bit of it. We needed to prepare for upcoming parts of the trip by buying Universal and Kennedy Space Center tickets. When one is military, that should be done at a military facility. I took a bus, a monorail, and another bus to Shades of Green military resort on the Disney property, stood in yet-another-line to buy the tickets, and then took a bus and a monorail to meet hubby at Epcot.

We rode Spaceship: Earth, then walked our feet off by going around World Showcase. We missed an attraction because hubby was hungry, then didn't go back to it. We did China's CircleVision: lots of PR in that one for China! Later, we caught dinner in the France area and ALMOST did not make the fireworks.

The rains in Orlando continued to dampen the spirits but we tried to enjoy the experience anyway -- or at least, I did. That day, it was mostly dry, but we occasionally jumped into the ponchos ($8.50 each) and that helped keep the camera dry!

DAY 8:

We jumped out of the Disney Experience and into the Universal Experience, for the better part of a day. Hubby is a big Harry Potter fan and wanted to go to Harry Potter World. AAMOF, it was the initial reason for including Orlando and FL on our vacation list. We managed to do two of the major attractions in that area before the rains started. First off, hubby actually got me on a roller coaster that goes upside down in loop-de-loops! And then he insisted that we ride IN FRONT, which in retrospect at least I knew we where we were going. I just did NOT look down. When I got off the ride, I was shakey and dizzy. I know that there's a roller coaster in Disney's Animal Kingdom that goes loop-de-loop AND backwards, and I'm sure hubby will insist that we ride it.

The attraction that I enjoyed the most all day was Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey. GREAT ride -- like Soarin' but it also goes along a track.

A LOT of the other attractions in Universal's Islands of Adventure had 75+ minutes wait, such as Spiderman.

We came back to the hotel with tired legs, tired feet, and with two more days of this type of stuff, we know we should rest up!

Pictures when I can....

Donna

Sounds like you're having fun, in spite of our East Coast weather! Really early for a tropical storm here - they're more famous for hitting in September the past few years. Looking forward to seeing some pics of your Harry Potter experience!

DAYS 9 and 10:

Finally, we started to see some sun. After all, Florida IS the "Sunshine State", but we didn't believe it until our 4th day in the state. It was all the residuals from Tropical Storm Debby.

We spent part of the 9th day in Disney's Animal Kingdom. As soon as we walked in and started down a path, I felt like I was walking through the San Diego Zoo. We came into an area and did a "Kilimanjaro Safari" that was strangely like the San Diego Wild Animal Park (now known as the Safari Park). Chatting with a park conservationist on Rafiki's Planet Watch, we told him how we'd felt. It turns out that the park was designed by a former exec from the San Diego Zoo!!!! Hubby actually got me on another roller coaster, this one called "Expedition Everest". Similar to the Matterhorn from the CA Disneyland, this one stops at one point, the track switches, and you go BACKWARDS! I was a little shakey when I came off that one. Earlier that day we'd ridden a couple of other things, plus a spinning roller coasters. One of these days, I'll be more used to roller coasters!

That evening, we went back to the Magic Kingdom. With no rain in sight, my favorite Disney parade was going to run - - the Main Street Electrical Parade. I've loved it since I first saw it 35 years ago and miss it every time they pull it out of the park. I was happy to see it again! The parade and the fireworks afterwards are always beautiful.

The last day in Disney, Day #10, was spent in 3 different areas of "The World". We started at Magic Kingdom, switched to Hollywood Studios (hubby got me onto another roller coaster, this one goes upside down too), saw two shows there. One was for me --- "Beauty and the Beast" -- the other was for hubby --- "Indiana Jones Stunt Show". Third place we went was Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island for dinner at Fulton's Crab House. Hubby had crab, I had chicken. (Allergies.) Then it was back to the room so we could pack out for the next day's departure.


Donna

DAY 11: WDW to Jacksonville FL via Kennedy Space Center

It was another long day, but it was especially interesting! It was also really sad to check out of Disney after the fun we had there. I will add: if you want to get the most out of WDW, go in the off-season. During the summer, everybody and his brother is there, the crowds are thick and the lines are long. Using Fast Pass is a great alternative, though, and we took advantage of those where we could.

Driving from Orlando out towards Port Canaveral, we were toll-roaded a lot. We had to stop every few miles to drop some money. (It was reminiscent of the Dan Ryan in Chicago, I think.) We drove south on A-1-A to Patrick AFB....GyPSy died completely and needed to be replaced after 5 or 6 years (old Garmin Nuvi). We replaced her with another Garmin Nuvi, this one with LMT -- lifetime maps. I got 'er going when we headed north as we were trying to locate something special.

One of my hobbies is collecting things related to the old TV show "I Dream of Jeannie" whose fictional location was Coco Beach, FL. (It was actually filmed in Burbank at the Columbia lot there.) However, they referenced a few places in Cocoa Beach, which we passed by. We also stopped by the Lori Wilson Park for two reasons: one was because the entrance to it is called "I Dream of Jeannie Lane", and the other was because I wanted to photograph the Atlantic Ocean. That way I know that we have literally gone "from sea to shining sea". It was a pretty beach!

Off we went towards Kennedy Space Center. We had allotted ourselves 5 hours and used every bit of it doing the bus tour and some of the exhibits in the visitor center. I hadn't been to KSC since 1969, and my mom told me that the tour was FREE back then -- well, at $39 for a military ticket (purchased at Shades of Green) it's hardly free any more, but VERY worthwhile. (Regular price $45, or $41 for 55 and up or active duty military who didn't buy the ticket at the base.)

The bus tour took us first to the Observation Platform where one could see Launch Pads 39 A and 39B. The last time I laid eyes on Launch Pad 39-A, I was a little girl and Apollo 13 was on the pad ready to go. We spent a little time at the Platform and moved on with the next bus, to the Apollo/Saturn V building.

That's where we spent the majority of our time. There are 2 films you are required to see before entering the museum area, about early Apollo. Hubby and I remember Apollo and none of the info was new, but it was good review for what you were about to experience. We were most impressed with the Saturn V rocket bolstered on its side down the length of the building, and with the LM (lunar module) that was suspended from the ceiling -- a real one that didn't get to the moon because they used a different one that was modified to house the Lunar Buggy. They had some moon rocks, one which you could reach in and touch, but I preferred the ones that had not been touched except by astronaut's gloved hands, and those of the scientists later.

Riding back on the bus to the Visitor Complex, we stopped at the Rocket Garden to sit in Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsule mock-ups. Hubby commented that the Gemini capsule must have been extremely uncomfortable to sit that way and not stretch ones legs for the 14 days that the 2 astronauts had to be in it! Makes our road trips seem a whole lot easier!

It was time to be on our way, as our reservations in Jacksonville awaited us, as did at least two loads of laundry. We had been gone this long without doing laundry, and our suitcases were mighty empty. We'd chosen the motel, Best Western Jacksonville Airport, because of its location and the availability of a coin-op laundry on site. Usually while on a road trip, we stay enough with family not to worry about coin-op laundries. They are running $2.25/load these days. At least this motel gave you 60 minutes worth of dryer time.

And the saga continues....


Donna

Quite a story saga thus far.

and yeah, sitting in the Gemini capsule was not for the weak!

Mark

DAY 12:

This was the day that we learned WHY one should try to use some other route besides I-95!

Off we went in the morning, knowing that this would be an "easy day" of around 300-350 miles. We had no set stops, no set plans for the evening. The weather had gotten VERY hot and, because of the storms heading across the USA and Tropical Storm Debby, very humid. The first 90 miles or so were pretty easy, all on I-95 with fairly light traffic. Then we pulled into South Carolina, stopped at the Welcome Center, and tried to get back onto I-95. Goodness knows what must have happened ahead, but the traffic was STOPPED on the freeway. We got off at one of the next exits and made our way up to US-17 via other routes. There were some traffic lights but, as hubby said, at least we were moving!

Most of the day was spent along US-17. It's a pretty drive from Gardens Center up to Myrtle Beach, especially when you're a Southern Californian not used to wide, wide rivers and lots of beautiful forests and swamplands.

Traffic started at Litchfield, eased up again, got tough again at Murriett Inlet, and into Myrtle Beach. We pulled into a Super 8. Here was an example of how coupons do not always work. They had no more "coupon rooms" available, as only a specific percentage of their rooms can be sold at that rate. We took a discounted rack rate -- about $100/night. At least it was a decent room. To make up for it, we cooked dinner in the room. We needed a break again from eating out.

Donna

DAY 13:

Another day of driving. We have decided that we're really not US-highway drivers. It IS a great way to see something other than the sides of the interstates and what's at the exits. But it also means a lot of slow speeds, stop lights, stop signs, and no way to pass slow drivers.

We were on US-17 going north out of Myrtle Beach. Of course, that's a big tourist area, and we were only "just passin' through". One stop light after another, and despite being early in the morning (before the beach-goers were out), traffic. It was like that for miles. At Wilmington we finally lost a lot of traffic.

We caught US-13 a little later, and it wasn't any better. AAMOF, it was narrower and full of bumps, with more stops. We kept thinking that I-95 couldn't have been much slower!

The other bummer to driving on US highways is the lack of rest areas. You have to "make do" by stopping for fuel, as we did, or at Wal-Mart. (My commuter mug had cracked and was leaking, so we stopped to replace it at Wal-Mart. Why does everyone else in the world have a Super Wal-Mart but not our city in SoCal??! -rhetorical question.) The day before, we'd stopped at a Food Lion. That day, we also stopped at McDonald's, because I needed the facilities, and besides -- it was so hot and humid -- and their dollar menu ice cream cone tasted so good.

We found ourselves at a place that used to be Springhill Suites in Chesapeake VA. I had a coupon that actually expired, but when I went to check in, the clerk was so nice. He told me that they are no longer Springhill Suites, but are now Studios and Suites 4 Less. He also said that many of the facilities like the exercise room, pool, and continental breakfast were shut down. The pool had to be drained -- that was disappointing, but we didn't care about the breakfast or the exercise room. (Though maybe after Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast, we should have been using the exercise room! We can't get KK donuts any more, so that was a treat.)

I should add that the reason I haven't uploaded photos recently is that they are in the neighborhood of 4 - 6 MGs each. I still have to learn how to cut the size down for uploading to RTA....not RTA's fault at all!

Donna

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

I should add that the reason I haven't uploaded photos recently is that they are in the neighborhood of 4 - 6 MGs each. I still have to learn how to cut the size down for uploading to RTA....not RTA's fault at all!

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As I understand it, the uploading automatically alters the size to an acceptable size for the site. I couldn't tell you how big my pics are, I just upload them. The site takes care of the rest (I think!).

Lifey

Yes, that's correct.

I actually size mine to be no larger than 600 pixels wide, but I resize photos all day long.

The photo uploading tool we use will resize as needed.

Mark

DAY 14:

The last day of driving for a little bit, at least long-distance driving. We pulled out of Chesapeake VA after rush hour.

First wonderful place was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. What a great bridge and tunnel. One minute you're skimming over the top of the water. The next, you're going under it (tunnel). Then you repeat.

We saw that Chincoteague and Assateague were only 10 miles off of our route through Virginia, so we decided to take a little side trip. Drove through the reserve and saw two of the wild ponies! On the way out, we stopped at Goddard Space Visitor Center. There went 2 hours.

Hubby was so glad to see freeway when we hit I-295. He's not much on the state and US highways because of all the start and stop, yet our fuel mileage was at 18 (and we were happy!). Freeways make him so happy. Getting on US-206 after Trenton made him most annoyed, especially when we hit it during rush hour.

Family was glad to see us, and we had so much to catch up on, plus many plans for the area.


Donna

Day 15 -

Finally! This was the day for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island! Those who followed my trip report for 2011 (West Coast to East Coast July 2011) may remember that our trip was aborted due to a death in the family, and we had to give up this part of our trip.

Off we went, early in the morning this year, for a 10:00 am cruise. For the two island facilities, both run by National Park Services, you must have tickets and ride a ferry run by Statue Cruises. Visitors should realize that you will go through an airline-type security before getting on the ferry. You can take the ferry either from Battery Park on Manhattan, or from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ. Due to the fact that we're staying with family in NJ, we left from that side.

Our ferry, Miss New Jersey, took us out to Ellis Island first. The Statue AND Ellis Island can be viewed from Liberty State Park and from the ferry. Our ferry was 3 stories tall so you could stand inside or outside, or sit in either.

Our tickets came with an audio tour available. You get a set of headphones and a little iPod type thing in which you type in display numbers to hear speeches about what you are viewing. We followed the 24 settings for the main tour and the Journeys exhibit had 10 others. You can choose detailed ones too. The only building open at Ellis right now is the main building, with its Baggage Room, Inspection Rooms, The Great Hall, and more rooms. They are busy restoring the hospital, which was the largest hospital ever built for a while with 29 buildings.

The Statue of Liberty is another 10 minute cruise. Unfortunately, this year the statue is not open inside at all. They are restoring the base, the pedestal, and the inside of the statue itself. You can see that windows in the pedestal have been removed and replaced by boards for now. I gather that NYC is also on high security alert this summer, so they're being careful for those reasons.

We waited for the ferry for longer than we were on the island itself. While the NY ferry picks people up at the statue and Ellis every 15 minutes in the afternoons, the NJ ferry only runs every 40 minutes.

If you are driving in NJ, be aware of a few things: Traffic circles can be a headache anyway if you're not used to them. They can be a MIGRAINE if there is construction on them, particularly since many GyPSy units don't have construction warnings. Also, signs can be confusing. The NJ version of "next right" may not be yours! Our new GyPSy messed us up with an under construction traffic circle, and the fact that there are two separate sections of freeway along I-78, known as "Local" and "Express". We had to get off the freeway at one of the rare exits from the "Express" lane because we couldn't get over from the Express Lanes at our needed exit. Fortunately, GyPSy got us to where we were going in the first place.


Donna

DAY 16 & 17:

Day 16 was a nice, relaxing layover day with NOTHING planned. It was just for visiting with family and trying to stay cool (since much of our continent appears to be in either hot or humid weather, or both).

Day 17 was spent down in Philadelphia. It was a 2-hour drive from the family's house, more than half of it over US-206. Hubby hates that road since it is pretty well like driving for 60 miles on a surface street. We had to go down part of it to get to Liberty State Park two days earlier, and then again to get to Philadelphia.

Finding a parking spot for our big pick-up truck near the historic district of Philadelphia was NOT easy. Most of the parking garages were limited to 6'7" vehicles, and lots that we saw were all full. Finally found one where the limit was 6'9". Since our vehicle is 6'8", it was a bit crunched. We made it. More on that later in this post.

I was able to get my Philly cheese steak for lunch. We had 3:15 tour tickets, obtained online, for Independence Hall. By the time we got to the Visitor Center that morning, the day's tickets had been given out, so we were glad to have gotten them online. We walked around the historic district to get our bearings, had lunch, looked at Carpenters Hall and the Portrait Gallery (inside the Second Bank of Philadelphia), and then went to go through security for Independence Hall.

Yes, there is security. They do check bags, purses, and make you do a little "twirl" to see what you could be carrying. Definitely leave pocket knives and the like in your vehicle, which hubby did.

Independence Hall Tour takes you to three areas, with a ranger-talk at each of the three. When you are done, it's recommended that you take the tour of Congress Hall, which goes every 20 minutes. We did that, too. Independence Hall wasn't really air conditioned, but Congress Hall has been air conditioned (thank goodness).

From there we got in line for the Liberty Bell. Now, years ago, when I was a very little girl, the Bell was hanging just inside Independence Hall, and you could walk up and touch it. Even my brother, who was a toddler at the time, remembers touching the bell! Now you must go through a museum all about the bell's history before you are shown the bell, which is at least 5 ft away from the closest visitor. Trying to photograph it without someone else in your photo is virtually impossible!

After the Liberty Bell, we walked over to the Christ Church Graveyard to see Benjamin Franklin's and his wife Deborah's gravesite. It's protected by an iron fence, but visible.

There was a store beckoning me, about 7 blocks up Market Street in Philadelphia. Macy's, which has been Lord & Taylor and before that, Wanamaker's, was calling out to me. The world's largest pipe organ is in that store, and there is an organist that gives a concert most days, from the console on the 2nd floor. For the day of the week that we were there, concerts were at noon and at 5:30 pm. Since we did not want to get involved with Philadelphia weekday rush hour traffic, the 5:30 concert was perfect. Check out this website, if you love organ music!

We listened from 3 different places. The final one was the best: right on the 2nd floor where we could see the organ console and many of the pipes. It was really a unique experience, listening to a classical organ concert in a STORE. The organist finished with a medley from Bizet's opera CARMEN.

The long walk back to the vehicle, and that's where we had an incident. Trying to get out of the car garage safely with a longer vehicle, we had a small fender bender when the front bumper and passenger side head-lamp came into contact with a concrete pole. It busted the head lamp cover, head lamp, orange lights, and put a lovely huge dent in the bumper. It remains to be seen, how much this is going to cost us and how much it is going to delay us. Was it preventable? Yes, probably. The one time I didn't call out to hubby to "watch out for that pole!", he hits it. I can be quite a back-seat driver and was so mad at myself for deciding to keep my mouth shut for once!

The rest of the trip back to northern New Jersey, including the dreaded US-206North, was uneventful. I was on the phone for at least 20 minutes with our insurance agent back in California; it pays to have State Farm as they are so good to deal with.

To be continued....


Donna

Sounds like you guys are still having lots of fun! Sorry about the fender-bender, though.

DAY 18 & 19:

We spent most of the next day (Day 18) trying to figure out the fender bender and what to do about it. Meeting first with an auto body specialist, he stated that parts would take a little while to come in and he'd probably need the truck for a full week. With other parts of our vacation reserved, and this problem not being a big deal, we decided to forego getting it repaired right away. Talking to State Farm about the insurance issue, they said they can cover it when we are ready to get it repaired.

Day 19 was therefore spent on the road. Back again on interstate highways, we were able to make decent time. Driving I-80/I-287/I-87 (New York Thru-Way)/I-84 and then eventually hitting I-95 on the southeast of New Hampshire, traffic flowed. We were very relaxed by the scenery, which was mainly forested roads.

Frankly, though, somewhere along the Thru Way (I think) there was a sign that bragged, "Elevation 985 ft" and hubby and I had a good laugh over that one. We said we'd remember this when on I-70 in Colorado later in our trip and see 11,000 ft elevations!

The weather went from partly cloudy to cloudy with a few little rain showers, to sunny. In Maine, it was not awfully hot.

Finding a place to stay in Maine was a problem. This is one place that we should have made reservations! We finally found Super 8 in Portland with some space, though not on a coupon deal or even for AAA members. They allot 10% of their rooms for each of those, and they were full up. They gave us a decent room on the first floor right next to the door, though, and they had an indoor pool.

Hubby HAD to have lobster for dinner, though. That was a given. The hotel desk was able to give us directions and a map to get us down to the wharf. He had great lobster (I had a hamburger). The price was right, too.


Donna

DAY 20:

From Portland out to the Acadia NP vicinity is only about 150 miles, but we'd allotted the entire day to travel I-295 then US-1 and ME-3. We started out leisurely in beautiful weather, almost no traffic, heading north and east.

US-1 is almost a perfect US highway. You travel along at 55 mph, slowing down only occasionally. It takes you down picture-perfect scenic byways. The route was partially marked as a scenic road, by the AAA maps, so we expected coastal views. We were slightly disappointed that most of the sea views were blocked by forests. However, so many of the buildings and shops were picturesque in their own way. It seems that every third shop was some sort of antiques shop, and most restaurants bragged at having lobster. The little shacks that sold lobster were advertising $3.99/lb, for the ones you cook yourself. This drive was SO enjoyable.

There were several little restaurants in some of the towns that looked inviting for breakfast. But we are in a big pick-up truck and we didn't find parking to fit, so we had to pass them by. Finally found a place in Searsport called Anglers' Restaurant. Good food, plenty of it, and we chose to have lunch since it was already past 11. The place was a bakery as well, so dessert was ordered. Hubby had the best coconut creme pie he'd had in a long time, and I had Maine blueberry pie (sugar-free).

Our accommodations were at a motel/cottages combination just over the bridge from Mount Desert Island, Isleview in Trenton. The price was reasonable at $180 for two nights. The cabin was rather small, but very clean, with A/C, a small college-sized refrigerator, small microwave, and coffeemaker. They had a small continental breakfast in the mornings.

Once settled in, we headed for Bar Harbor to check out that side of the island. There were times when we felt like a bull charging through a china shop, because the roads were so narrow and our rig is large. We were on Historic West Street when I spotted a sign, "MAINE SEA COAST MISSION." I asked hubby to stop and find a place to park. Surprisingly, there was parking right in front (probably because the mission is closed on Sundays). This is a mission that my sorority supported when I was in college. We were able to walk on the property and see some beautiful views from the backyard of the mission.

Dinner was another seafood meal for hubby. It was our anniversary dinner, so we didn't go to one of the "lobster shacks" this time. He wanted clams and more, and got them, while I enjoyed a good, tender steak.

DAY 21:

At this point, we were really surprised at ourselves, that we'd already been gone for 3 weeks and still have things to see and do! The sightseeing has only a few more stops, though, before we spend time with our daughter, her husband and new granddaughter.

The day's agenda was ACADIA and Mount Desert Island. We learned years ago that you get out into a national park in the early morning hours. It increases your chances of seeing wildlife and the crowds are minimal. Therefore we practically opened the Hulls Cove Visitor Center. I enquired about a cassette tape version of their audio tour (since our older model pickup does not have a CD player in it). They had one, but then I saw the book version and decided to buy that. It's less expensive and a nicer keepsake than a cassette tape!

We followed the book's suggested stops along the Park Loop Drive. So many beautiful seacoast views, lots of pretty forests, some beautiful flowers, and the weather just couldn't have been much nicer! At Sand Beach, we walked down to the water -- something that I had not done back when I was here as a kid (because it was cold and rainy that day). I took off my sandals and waded a little in the water .... BRRRRRRR!!!! COLD!!!!!!!! I had to giggle because there was a small child who evidently felt comfortable enough to run around the beach stark-naked, and absolutely NO ONE told the child to put clothes on! (I could see the nude fanny but the child was far enough away not to see boy vs girl, and the child was wearing a neutral colored hat.)

Thunder Hole was another favorite. Years ago, it was better because a storm was blowing in, the tide was high, so that blow hole made more noise and splashed a lot higher. The public fence was wooden back then. This year, it was low tide, beautiful weather, and we only got a few loud "thunder-y" noises. They have put better public fences in.

We got in line for Jordan Pond Restaurant before they opened for lunch. What a good meal hubby had ... more lobster! (He's going to start swimming if he eats any more lobster.) I had a roast beef sandwich and desperately wished it had been a HOT one.

Cadillac Mountain -- well, once again we had to laugh. At home, 1530' elevation is a HILL! But the views were stupendous -- we could see Mount Katahdin in the distance, because it was so clear.

Our next drive was down the non-NP portion of the island. We stopped at Echo Lake, parked in the shade, and just took a rest break. Then headed for the Bass Harbor Head Light -- lighthouse. It was smaller than I would have thought. The caretaker and his family live there so the lighthouse is not open for tours, or the caretaker's home. That's fine, but I'm sure they are rather relieved when winter rolls around and there aren't 36 cars in their backyard for hours at a time!

We absolutely loved Maine and hated to leave it. It is definitely on our consideration list for places to retire! It would have to be coastal Maine, though, as there isn't so much snow here as in the interior. The only negatives we've heard about are nor'easters and mosquitoes (which a few bit us last night).

Donna

DAY 22 and 23:

Basically, Day 22 was just a driving day. However, it was notable for one reason: I reached my goal of 50 states that day! Before this trip started, I'd been to 47 of the 50 states. I was only missing the two Carolinas and Vermont. Earlier this trip, we drove through South and North Carolina, and stayed overnight in South Carolina. So all I had left was Vermont, which we drove through on Day 22. To celebrate, we stopped at Friendly's for ice cream. Good, but we really do like DQ better!

Our day's drive was about half interstates (Maine and New York) and half on state and US highways (NH and VT). We took US-4 and NH-9 through NH, and then VT-9 and NY-7 before getting back to the interstates.

That evening we stayed at Super 8 in Johnstown, NY. We liked it except for two things: they had only a third floor room available and there was no elevator, and there was no pool. We hoisted a lot of stuff up and down those stairs.

The following day was back to being a tourist. Our first place was the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
My husband spent more than 5 hours there and was poring over everything. After purchasing your ticket (his was free as he is retired military), you start on the second floor. There, it's baseball history from the very start all the way to the present day. There's a section about women in baseball, another one about baseball in other countries, and a special section devoted to Babe Ruth. Technically, you're supposed to start with a 13-minute film, but it only runs every 30 minutes so we skipped that. (We've seen Ken Burns' BASEBALL.)

The third floor had loads to do with statistics. While hubby was enjoying this, I found the recording of Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First" routine and I think I watched it four times. Finally we went back to the first floor which was the actual Hall of Fame. At that point, I left hubby to read the plaques and went out to the street to look at the shops there. I'm not much of a baseball fan, I guess.

Another one hour drive took us up to Rome, NY. By the time we got up there to the Erie Canal Village, it had already stopped selling tickets to the Village and Museum, and the train ride that goes along the canal. The latter didn't bother me, but I was dreadfully disappointed about the village. However, the woman said we were welcome to look around at what was open without a charge, until the train returned from its last trip.

This was the enlarged, "later" canal, with a bridge that was much too high to have been an original bridge. They had one of the boats in the water, and then there was a better view of the inside of a boat in the museum.

As we drove into Syracuse, our new GyPSy took us along the old canal. In places we could see that there was very little water. Some of the old bridges were there, though.

That evening, we situated ourselves in a newly renovated Days Inn, at University in Syracuse. The management and staff here were friendly, and accommodating! Though we had requested a first-floor room when we made reservations, they explained that the 2nd and 3rd floor rooms all had been renovated but they were still working on the 1st floor rooms. When I asked about an elevator, they said that they HAD one, AND had a luggage cart. In short, we highly recommend this particular Days Inn.


Donna

DAY 24:

Another driving day! We made 607 miles that day, from East Syracuse to the eastern side of Dayton, OH, in Fairborn. Breaking some of our habits, we left a little later and enjoyed a bit of the hotel's continental breakfast before we left. We were "on a roll" with this speed run, so we snacked in the car, stopping for fuel ($3.79 gallon for diesel! UGH!), and pit stops only. One exception: we had ice cream at a DQ in central Ohio.

We checked in to a former Comfort Inn in Fairborn, OH, which is about a mile from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The place is now called Broad Street Inn, but the Comfort Inn sign is still up. Evidently the hotel was repossessed by the bank at the end of 2011, and set under new management. Most of the same amenities are there, and we found this through a first use of expedia.com for $55/night. The area seems to be in a depressed state, but there are workers staying here so we felt plenty safe right away. The only downsides to the hotel are no pool and no refrigerators in every room. The rooms are huge and the bathtub had a whirlpool, and the beds fairly new and comfortable.


Donna

DAY 25:

This is the day that hubby had looked forward to for awhile: visiting the National Museum of the US Air Force, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, OH. We made sure we were there pretty close to opening time of 9 am. The museum is FREE, BTW, though if you want to do such things as the IMAX films, those have costs involved. Parking is also free.

One of the purposes to get there right near opening was to get on the stand-by list for the Back Stage Tour, which happens only on certain days. Once on the list, we headed for the "Early Days of Flight" gallery. We were in there for well over 2-1/4 hours and still didn't see everything in that gallery, and there were at least 6 other galleries to go through!

The Behind the Scenes Tour kept us standing on our feet for more time than we expected. We also hadn't been told how long it was, so when we got in line we had not eaten lunch nor had we had breakfast. (The hotel we were staying at does not offer one.) But the tour was well worth it. They bussed us out to three hangars where volunteers are restoring old planes. The one I really wanted to see was the MEMPHIS BELLE, of WWII fame. I was not disappointed! She is in many pieces but she is still worth seeing.

Once done with the BTS Tour, we were bussed back to the Museum and the Cafe was the next stop for these two ravenous people. Then we headed for the World War II gallery. Hubby hadn't even gotten halfway through that one when it was announced that they were closing the museum in 25 minutes. As for me, I found a wonderful tribute to Glenn Miller, including his trombone and some of the artifacts left from the Glenn Miller Band. I was far more interested in that than in some of the planes hanging around!

On the way back to the hotel, we managed to find the Wright-Patt Commissary to stop for a few groceries. We were disappointed to find that Housekeeping did not find one of the refrigerators for us. That was surprising as this large hotel is not even 1/3rd full and surely there would be one fridge available???? (According to the ads for the room, they have them "by request".)


Donna

DAY 26:

Another day at Wright-Patterson's National Museum of the Air Force. The place is immense! It's listed as 17 acres of museum on the brochure. There are about 7 inside galleries, plus the Presidential Aircraft hangars (separate tour) and the restoration hangars described in a previous post. If I were to give someone advice about how much time to allot: a full day if you are just a little bit interested in aviation history, two to three days if you are more than a little bit interested, and a full week if you are a thick fan of military aircraft! My husband falls in the middle category, while I fall in the initial one.

We started in the World War II gallery, on this second day of our visit. Hubby needed to finish it. As for me, being in the "only a little interested" category, I roamed the gift shop/bookstore, then watched the Bob Hope tribute videos at least once each, before hubby was done.

After an early but quick lunch in the Cafe, we walked out to the farthest gallery, Space and Missiles. After NASA's Kennedy, I think I was expecting more in the NMUSAF museum than I got, for space, but I was treated to Apollo 15's actual splashdown capsule, a Mercury and a Gemini capsule.

Hubby loved the Cold War and Present Day Aircraft galleries, which were next on our agenda. I admit to looking around for a little, viewing a few little videos, and then finding a quiet chair in a corner where I dozed off. A docent woke me to ask if I was okay, and I was trying to be polite and not say, "I'm fine, just bored!" Not my cup of tea, I guess. When hubby was ready, we moved into Korean War and Vietnam War era galleries, where I got engrossed in one display about POW/MIA's. Somewhere in the displays was one about the Air Force equivalent of NCIS -- OSI, I believe it's called.

Finally we called it quits and tried to find the Presidential Aircraft hangars. Since we have military ID's, we would be allowed to drive over there ourselves. Well, I guess we went too late as the gate was closed. Disappointing! On the way to Huffman Field (Wright Bros test field), our truck began to act up, so we headed back to the motel instead. The truck settled back down, so we went back to Huffman a little later and did the 1-mile trek around the field.


Donna

DAY 27:

We reluctantly left the Dayton area in the morning, but looking forward to seeing our family in Central Missouri that day. The truck, which had been acting up the day previous, decided to continue to do so. But only for the first 150 miles! Periodically, the battery icon would flicker a little bit and the battery gauge would jump between 12 and 15 amps. Then it would settle down, only to repeat the same thing about 10 miles later. We were getting concerned that we could have a battery problem, an alternator problem, or just an issue with the wiring. (Ford.) After 150 miles, everything settled and we drove on, hoping that we weren't causing a bigger problem.

This day's trip was all interstate. We had a nice breakfast at an IHOP in Terre Haute, IN (western side of IN), and then stopped in Warrenton MO for ice cream.

Fuel prices ... for diesel ... we had paid $3.49 in Fairborn, OH. We knew better than to fuel up in Illinois, so we picked up a load at the same price in Terre Haute. (Gasbuddy helped there!) Then we didn't get any until Kingdom City, MO, where the price was $3.35, which I believe is the cheapest on the trip so far!

Family was glad to see us, and vice versa. My granddaughter is getting so big, and almost crawling! This was a fairly long stop, allowing us time to get the truck serviced and that "oopsy" repaired, while I attended a professional conference and then babysit the granddaughter while daughter worked at a summer camp.

Something in my wireless settings has not allowed me to share photos for the last few weeks. Since I am now at a hard-wired situation, I was able to add more photos to the Eastbound! album. I will be uploading more as the time goes on. Here is the link to the start of the album (I hope).


Donna

(MS edit: When I get some time, I'll drop in some of your images into the previous posts - but probably not until Wed or Thurs)

I got emailed, "what happened with your truck?"

In regards to the little incident in Philadelphia back a few weeks ago, we decided to file a claim with our insurance company and get it fixed while we were in Missouri. It now looks as good as new.

As far as the electrical problem is concerned: the alternator was showing signs of "being out of whack". Ford dealer determined that replacement was necessary, especially since we still had another few thousand miles of our trip before we got home. So the alternator was replaced. An oil change took place at the same time, and as long as it was in, we had the power lock on the passenger side door fixed. IT needed a new actuator (it would lock but not unlock with the power fob).

Thanks for asking!

Donna

I had a free hour (for once) and decided to hop on RTA and check out some reports tonight. Of course I gravitate to yours since you're A) also from SoCal, B) doing quite a bit of a speed-run, C) getting highly annoyed at all the construction and traffic (hehe) and D) taking the exact same counter-clockwise routes around the U.S. that I would normally take. The same wavelength we're on is astounding.

Sounds like an amazing trip, minus the vehicle snafu(s). But it's kinda bound to happen on a trip of that magnitude. Sounds like you're keeping on top things in that arena.

Since I'm just catching up, I take it you're in Missouri with family right now, and plan to come home through Colorado, yes?

Thanks for the kudos. Counterclockwise made sense for us, because of where we wanted to go and the need to be in central Missouri by a specific time frame for my conference. It's been an amazing trip.

So far, we're under budget for fuel -- big time. For overnights, we are slightly over budget, but not by very much. For food, we're right on, but only because I've chosen to cook in the motels more often this trip.

My conference was fabulous -- well worth going to! Besides the professional development, I ran into some old friends from college and got to catch up. Babysitting the granddaughter, another reason for the mid-Missouri stop, has been fun!

We'll be driving through Colorado, but not stopping. I finally talked hubby into seeing Arches, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands. Our first stop will be in western Kansas overnight, but then in Moab and perhaps in Escalante. Then on the way home, either in St George or at Mesquite (I've passed the Virgin River Resort and Casino many times since it was built, but we've never stayed there).


Donna

I hope you're enjoying your trip through Utah. UT 12 is a beautiful drive.

If I were to give someone advice about how much time to allot: a full day if you are just a little bit interested in aviation history, two to three days if you are more than a little bit interested, and a full week if you are a thick fan of military aircraft!

I reckon I'd best plan for a full week!

It occurred to me that I hadn't finished writing up our trip yet. During the final week on the road, our laptop decided IT wanted a vacation too and slowed down so much that I stopped using it. We've yet to get it looked at -- in good time.

Our first day departing Columbia, MO, was a full day of driving, about 569 miles. We didn't stop much except for breakfast at IHOP/Blue Springs MO, for fuel, and for restroom facilities. At the end of the day we found ourselves at our usual motel in Burlington, CO. That evening, we watched a severe thunderstorm hit eastern Colorado with a vengeance. Lightning lit up the sky, thunder crashed, the winds were so bad that they shook power lines and made the motel's electricity flicker, but no tornado was even threatened. Within 45 minutes, the rain continued but the winds were down and there was no more thunder or lightning.

The next day was our favorite drive -- I-70 between Denver CO and the time we left the freeway. We stopped a lot in the mountains, but not so much in the Glenwood Canyon area. We had made the decision to take UT-128 down to Moab. Leaving the freeway at exit 214, we found ourselves on a BLM road (we think) to the "townsite" of Cisco. What we saw of Cisco indicated that it was mostly deserted. We turned south on UT-128 and soon found ourselves following the Colorado River. This is not a road for the faint-hearted, especially if driving south towards Moab. The road is narrow and occasionally southbound travelers find themselves on the edge of the road, no guardrail, looking several hundred feet DOWN towards the Colorado River. Breathtakingly gorgeous, we loved the drive!

We stayed at the Apache Motel in Moab. It was reported to be the place where many actors such as John Wayne have stayed, while filming in the area. The motel has been renovated. It is clean, the folks that run it were friendly, there were amenities in the room such as refrigerators and microwave, our room had plenty of space, and the price was right. The pool was comfortable as well. I didn't test the wi-fi, since our laptop was dead, but it was available.

On the third day, we were up early and over at Arches to start the day. We drove, hiked, drove, and hiked some more. Since my laptop was down, I had not noted that there was no restaurant or cafe in the park, so we had to drive out and back to Moab for lunch. Then we were back in the park to do more driving and hiking. The camera was going all day.

When we felt we had seen enough of Arches, we moved on and drove over to Dead Horse Point State Park. At first, hubby was annoyed that we had to pay $10 to go to one view point: until he took at the Canyon. He made the comment that it was like looking at the Grand Canyon (which he'd been to), but it wasn't. He now understood why I wanted us to go to both Arches and DHP. (I had been to both, 30+ years ago.) Once again, the camera was going like gangbusters.

On the 4th day, we knew it was time to head home. We had decided, a few days earlier, to save Capitol Reef and UT-24/12 for another trip. (After all, we go down I-70 quite often.) We enjoyed driving through the San Rafael Swell and into St. George. Our original intention was to overnight in St George, then changed our plans and decided on Mesquite NV. However, it turned out that we would be arriving so early in the day, that we decided to push on to Primm, NV. One reason for that was to avoid Las Vegas rush hour on the following morning and still avoid Riverside/San Bernardino rush hour in the afternoon.

So we checked into Whiskey Pete's Casino Resort at Primm (State line between NV/CA) that day. It was amazing we were able to find our room, as we'd only been given rudimentary directions. The hallways in the north wing smelled like stale smoke, but our room was fresh and clean and didn't have that smell, so we were okay. No refrigerator, no microwave, but we figured we were almost home and the price of the room was "right". Then things started to go downhill.

The pool, which we'd been looking forward to swimming, was CLOSED. Nothing was said at check-in, we had to find out by ourselves. Then we found out that the only on-site restaurant was MC DONALD'S. The pool was a disappointment, but at least for food, the casino provides a free shuttle over to the other 2 casinos at Primm, and food was plenty to choose from over there. We ended up at the Primm Valley Buffet. Food was just okay. We walked the Primm Valley Outlet Center, where hubby bought me a fun tool at the Williams-Sonoma shop there. Went back, hubby did a little gambling, didn't win anything and didn't lose much.

We were both sound asleep at 1:40 am when there was an AWFUL, LOUD noise that woke us. Both of us tried to shut off the alarm clock, our cell phones, banged on the phone keys -- well, the noise was out in the hallway. Come to find out that the fire alarm was going off! NO ONE was running up and down the hallways yelling, there were no Security guards anywhere, and no smell of smoke (other than the stale smell in the hallways). Several of us walked down to the Registration Desk. They had NO idea that the alarms were going off. Security finally alerted them, but didn't find a cause, nor did the "engineers" that were supposedly checking it out. (I do not think there were such people checking it.) Come to find out that the stair well doors LOCKED automatically and some folks had trouble getting down from the 3rd floor, and the elevators stopped as well. UNSAFE! UNSAFE! UNSAFE! This hotel needs some serious work!

Neither of us really fell back into a deep sleep, so by 5:30 we were back up, by 7 we were on the road, and by noon we were home. And very happy to be home. Hubby took a two hour nap that day, and the day after we arrived home!

I still haven't figured statistics, but will post them when I do.

Donna

It's taken me a few months to reckon with the expenses of the trip. With others planning long trips, though, and my husband bugging me to figure it out (so we can calculate WHEN we can take another long trip), I finally got around to completing the statistics!

Total miles added to our pickup truck = 8971.

Overnights = $1852.26. (Average=$84.19 for paid nights; highest was $104.85 in Portland, ME, and lowest was $43.51 in Dayton, OH. Oh, WDW's Pop Century was around $130/night.)

Fuel = $1808.88. This did not include fuel for the rental while in MO. Our lowest price per gallon was $3.35 in Kingdom City, MO, where our highest (other than home in CA at initial fill-up) was $3.89 in Primm, NV. This was for diesel. Our MPG was between 14 and 16, usually.

Restaurants = $1120.80. Does not include 4 meals at WDW (I can't find the bill right now)

Other food/snacks/drinks = $73.29.

Sightseeing =- $632.00. This includes 2 people for 4-day-park-hopper tickets at WDW (military special rate), 2 people at Universal 1 day-1 park, 2 people at Kennedy Space Center, National Park admissions, and 2 tickets to Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty. We prepaid some of these online or at our local base to get a better price.

Ice = $55.15. This surprised me. The price of keeping our stuff cold, I guess.

Tolls = $45.30, despite attempting to avoid tolls wherever possible.

Parking = UGH = $47.00 (Universal, Philadelphia, other)

Misc = $22.00 (laundry, etc)

Souvenirs = $218.60

Total normal expenses = $5875.28

Repairs = $1300.12 (included alternator, actuator, oil change, and the deductible to repair the broken headlamp and crunched corner of the truck from Philadelphia)

Total expenses = $7175.40


Trip reflections (written down several weeks after we got home):

* Good trip!
* Enjoyed Maine the best, would love to retire there but it's too far from our family.
* Liked the Florida parks, but we still are mad about the rain!
* Don't take the campstove and pots next time unless we really intend to camp out. Stick to the electric fry pan.
* Don't haul a lot of food stuff. Stick to the simple, it will lighten loads and keep us from the need to supply TWO coolers with ice.
* Plan around family and friends as it really gives us a nice break from sightseeing and the road, and allows us to keep in touch with those around. We really enjoyed this!


Donna

Thanks so much Donna. We have family living on Cape Cod and more in Florida. Our daughter and her family live in Queen Creek, AZ so we wanted to hit them up on the way back.

Dave