It was before dawn when I set out towards the border and the Rainbow Bridge. There were no cars... no queue. It was a very quick crossing. Being the only car on the bridge enabled me to stop for a moment and admire the Falls from that vantagepoint. I had seen the Falls several times before, but seeing them on this morning in the glow of dawn, was something special.

Soon after lunch I was in Detroit, and figured I would be able to get well on the way south of Detroit before evening. Not so! Business took much longer than anticipated, and it was well after 10pm when I settled for the night.

Wednesday morning was a late start. I was tired, and just wandered from one park to the next. First up was Sterling State Park MI, which turned out to be mostly parking and boat launching facilities, as well as fishing and swiming. Not really anywhere to go for a walk. Later I pulled off the road to Magee Marsh OH. A bird watchers' paradise! Spent some time here, passing the time of day with a gentleman who was fishing. A retired gent who comes here regularly to fish. Always throws the fish back. (Some of them were the perfect size for a meal for me!) He told me lots about the local area, the lake, the island, Canada - 'there in the distance', and the nuclear power plant visible to the west. It was an hour or more, well spent.

I continued sautering along route 2. Called in at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Enjoyed the detour to Port Clinton and through Sandusky, before stopping in Huron for some necessary groceries. At Vermilion I headed down the River Road towards I-80, where I planned to spend the night at the Service Plaza. It was pouring rain, lightning, with storm warnings on the radio, which was not conducive to me enjoying this scenic road as I might have under different conditions.

Ohio encourages travellers on the turnpike to stop and rest, and towards that goal, make limited hookups available. There is the electricity hookup, with water available at the end of the RV lot - for $20. A good few people availed themselves of this service. The phylosophy is, so I heard, that they want people to stop and have a good night's rest, in an effort to reduce crashes.

By Thursday I figured I best put a few miles away, and stayed on I-80 well into PA. All day she cruised along at a steady pace through the lush green roadside of western PA, stopping only at the rest areas. At Milton it seemed time to stop, and I pulled into another Flying J for the night.

Well aware that by now there was no way I could get to West Chester and Wilmington during business hours on Friday, and not wanting to 'hang around' that area over the weekend, I proceeded to make my way to Jim Thorpe.

At White Haven, I headed south and made my way to Weatherly. I'd never heard of it, so here was a chance to check it out. It did not disappoint. Another quaint little village tucked away in the mountains, much like Jim Thorpe, and in many way, just like Jim Thorpe. It was a great place to get out of the van.

When I eventually got to Jim Thorpe I stopped at their supermarket. I recalled being here in 2009. I needed milk and a few other essentials. As always, I checked to see if they had Rennet Tablets. [These are no longer available at home, and I only recently found them in a supermarket somewhere along the way. Since then I have wanted to get some more, and keep looking for them.]

At the service desk I asked if they had them, and Ann said, they did... but there were not any on the shelf. I explained why I wanted them, and she said she could get them for me. I then explained my situation to her, and she recalled, I had been in there in 2009. Ever since, Ann has dreamt of travelling as well. So of course, there was a whole lot more time gone, chinwagging!

Bottom line is, I will have to pass through Jim Thorpe on the way back to Boston, and pick up a whole box she is ordering for me... 72 packets. That will be sufficient for me to surprise family and friends for some time to come. It will also be an opportunity for me to cover the trip originally planned, but which went by the way when my plans changed.

Lifey