Author Archives: mwdonnelly

One Day, Four States

Day 5
Start: Duncannon, PA
End: Burlington, KY
Miles Driven: 504

West Virginia

Welcome to West Virginia

Ohio

Welcome to Ohio

Kentucky

Welcome to Kentucky

Today was a travel day. Eleven hours, 504 miles and one emergency pit stop later, we arrived in Kentucky. We left Duncannon around 8 a.m. and hopped on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Even though it was a fast-moving Interstate, it snaked through some lovely country. Rolling hills, farmland, barns painted with tobacco ads…we saw another bit of Americana.

To get to our destination, we crossed three state lines, making the day a four-state extravaganza! West Virginia was just a blur–we were barely there for fifteen minutes before we catapulted into Ohio. But hey, we got a picture of the Welcome sign. It counts!

We were about half-way across Ohio, and I was getting a bit weary of large semis and road construction. I suggested that we get off the Interstate and venture on some back roads. We got off at Route 79 and made a stop at Buckeye Lake. Juliet especially enjoyed the stop as she rolled around in goose poop! It was another beautiful day, and we sat in the sun for a few minutes and watched families picnic and a fisherman catch a sizable fish. Then it was off to Route 22 West.

Buckeye Lake

Buckeye Lake, OH.

Aside: We have been noticing that this driving tour is turning out to be a water tour as well. South of Pittsburg, we crossed the Monongahela River. We also crossed the Ohio River (WV border), the Licking River, and the Scioto River (OH). On our way to Duncannon, we were around the Chesapeake Basin, and we criss-crossed the Susquehanna river many times. We went over the East Branch of the Delaware River around the Pepacton Reservoir. We’ll cross the Mississippi, and maybe even the Rio Grande.

We drove through Lancaster, Circleville, and on to Wilmington. We were going to take Route 22 all the way to highway 275 near the Ohio/Kentucky border, but Jasmine’s tender stomach required an emergency pit stop, lots of wipes and a very large trash bag. 😦 So we made our way back to the Interstate and motored on to Kentucky.

We arrived at our destination around 7 p.m. and were immediately greeted by Minda and Pete, their kids Sam and Grace, and their dog Sparky. You’ll have to wait for the next post to find out what happened next!

Racing Around

Day 4
Visited: Perry and Cumberland Counties, Newville, Wormleysburg
Miles Driven: None (passengers)

We decided to spend another day with Bob and Sharon rather than meandering half-way to Cincinnati. We’ll have a long day of driving tomorrow, but we didn’t want to cut our visit short. And boy, am I glad that we decided to stay.

Cobra

Vroooom!

Bob is a former race car driver and car builder. He built this Cobra by himself, and I was fortunate enough to be taken for a ride around the back roads of Duncannon.

WOW!

WOW!

WOW does not capture how much fun it was to ride in this custom sportster. We drove through tree-lined roads in the warm sunshine and listened to the roar of the engine. The four-part strap made me feel like a passenger in a race car. All along the way, people stopped to look at this magnificent piece of machinery. It was a fine, fine morning!

Waggoners Gap

What a view!

What a view!

After my joy ride, we all decided to take another drive. We drove up to Waggoners Gap with a view of both Perry and Cumberland counties. When we stopped to look a the sadly obstructed view (chain link fence is my nemesis), a couple stopped to let us know that there was a trail up to a vista that would give us a view of both sides of the mountain. We hiked up the very short trail and found a well-groomed area with a picnic area and a stone amphitheater above the unobstructed view of Cumberland county.

We enjoyed the view and the sunshine (a perfect day!) and then headed down into the valley. Sharon had brought her newly-purchased Quilt Store directory, and we found the Honey Bee Quilt Shop in Newville. This was the third quilt shop in two days…what a treat! Sharon and I had a ball, and the boys were entertained by the husband of the owner. The shop was in the basement of the owner’s home. Needless to say, Sharon was tickled pink!

Another day, another great drive…followed by a waterfront dinner at the Rock Bass Grill. We leave tomorrow morning, but we still have another night around the dining room table. By far, this has been my favorite part of the visit–catching up with good friends.

Amish Country

Day 3
Visited: Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse, PA
Miles Driven: None (passengers)

In the heart of Amish Country

In the heart of Amish Country

Today was absolutely beautiful. Bob and Sharon took us to Amish Country–specifically to Bird-in-Hand and to Intercourse (which caused a lot of sniggering over my FourSquare check in).

We started out on our food and shopping odyssey at Smile Spinners in Marysville to work up a hearty appetite. The boys opted to stay in the truck. Smart men! 🙂

We had lunch at the Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant and ate our way across the Smorgasbord spread. Ham balls, broasted chicken, chicken pot pie (really, chicken & dumplings) and Shoo Fly pie were the staples. After we waddled out of the place, we went on to Intercourse to shop at The Old Country Store and the accompanying Quilt Museum. Lots of great quilts, fabrics and handmade Amish crafts. We also visited Kitchen Kettle Village and sampled the handmade jams, jellies and pickles made there (not easy to do on a full stomach).

Buggy TimeWe then drove around the area, seeing the Amish and Mennonite farmers tilling their fields, traveling with their families in horse-drawn buggies…everything you would expect in this idyllic part of America. The sun was shining, the conversation and the company were wonderful, and we just had great day immersed in a different culture and a piece of our country’s history.

Amish CountryWe are going to stay here until Friday morning instead of leaving tomorrow. We’ll have to make some good time to our next stop, but it will be well worth the extra time we can spend with Bob and Sharon.

Corning Museum and Central PA

Day Two
Start: Corning, NY
End: Duncannon, PA
Miles Driven: 157

Bob

Bob – He doesn’t bite (very often)

What a lovely smile!

Doesn’t Sharon have a lovely smile!

We’re sitting here in Duncannon, PA, sipping cold, frosty beverages and greatly enjoying the hospitality and company of our friends, Bob and Sharon. We met Bob and Sharon a number of years ago during our (then) annual trek to Maui, and got to know them from years of great evening conversations around the stone table, soft breezes fanning the friendship. And here we are in their home, picking up on those conversations again.

We had another great day. We started out at the Corning Museum of Glass. If you thought that Corning was just about Corningware, you are sadly mistaken. From Thomas Edison’s light bulb to the most wonderful art glass, Corning’s history is fascinating, and their collection of glass is beyond imagination. From millefiori canes depicting Egyptian kings to contemporary sculpture, the HUGE collection is magnificent and somewhat overwhelming! We watched the Hot Glass demo (the first vase broke!), the lampwork demo and the Breaking Glass show (HINT: Volunteer to break the glass and get a free figurine–I got a penguin) and went through the galleries. After a few hours, we were glassy-eyed (yeah, a bad pun) and started on our trek down to Duncannon.

Swirly bowl

Swirly bowl

Chihuly Sculpture in the CMOG lobby

Chihuly Sculpture in the CMOG lobby

The drive to Duncannon was pleasant. Route 15 is a four-lane semi-highway (and sometimes local two-lane road) through pretty country. When you think of PA, you think of the urban areas…but the rolling hills and the drive along Susquehanna River made for another pleasant journey. Of course, there were sights that made us both laugh and scratch our heads–the Nipple Convalescent home, the propensity for Adult Bookstores…hmmmm. We did have a great lunch at Fry Bros. Turkey Ranch Restaurant (truck stop decor, the best Turkey Vegetable Soup I’ve had anywhere) in Trout Run, PA, and an even more fabulous dinner thanks to Sharon.

We’re now sitting around the dining room, once again sharing good conversation and laughs. Tomorrow, we are going to visit Amish country and go to a restaurant that serves ham balls. When in Rome…

Another great day in Paradise, USA.

– Margaret

P.S. Any grammatical or spelling errors are directly attributable to the Vodka Cranberry beverages coursing through my bloodstream as I type.

Welcome to Margaretville

Welcome to Margaretville

A place after my own heart


Day 1

Start: Amherst, NH
End: Painted Post, NY
Miles Driven: 404.5

We made it to Corning, NY today after a long day of lovely roads and a serendipitous detour. We started the morning at home, and drove West across Route 101 in New Hampshire and continued West into Vermont on Route 9. Even though it was a grey day, the drive was lovely. Barely any cars were on the road, and we chose a lovely two-lane highway rather than the interstate. We even got to pass a lovely store that proclaimed that they sold “Garage Sale Quality Merchandise.” No, we didn’t stop. Maybe on the way back.

We passed through Brattleboro, Wilmington and Bennington, Vermont, and then crossed into New York and onto Route 7. When we got to Albany, however, we had to get on I-87. We were going to go the 87-90-88 (hut hut hike!) route, but became a bit confused at the tolls and missed the entrance to 90. So there we were on the (ick) New York Throughway. The next exit was over six miles away. As I was looking at our alternatives, I saw a big patch of green on the map…the Catskills! So, instead of looping back to get onto I-88, we decided to meander across Route 28 through the Catskills. What a great detour!

Catskills

Wonderful roads and byways through the Catskills

Even though the day was gloomy and the trees were just starting to blossom, we were in awe. What an absolutely beautiful region. I was thinking how lucky we were to have missed our turn-off and to have taken this detour. And of course, driving through Margaretville…it was definitely meant to be!

We detoured off our detour and went down Route 30, which followed the edges of Pepacton Reservoir. This huge reservoir was made by creating a dam at the East Branch of the Delaware River. All along the reservoir’s edges, there were signs marking the towns that USED to be there. According to the NY State website:

The Pepacton watershed’s drainage basin is 371 square miles, and includes parts of 13 towns in three counties: Andes, Bovina, Colchester, Delhi, Hamden, Middletown, Roxbury and Stamford in Delaware County; Denning, Hardenburgh and Shandaken in Ulster; and Halcott and Lexington in Greene.

This windy, picturesque drive was definitely worth the extra hour or two that we spent on the road. After leaving the Catskills, we also got to drive Route 17 (a highway, but so pretty) before reaching Binghamton and the busier stretch of the road.

We’re now relaxing at the hotel and getting excited about the Corning Museum in the morning. It was a great start to our road trip–a plan, an oops and an aaaaaah…

🙂

Margaretville…out.

Our Adventure Begins

On The Road

We’re Movin!


Well, we’re on the road! At 9:30 this morning, we finished packing the car and headed for the open road! Our first stop will be Corning, NY. We’ll get to the motel sometime this evening (depending on how much we want to stop, if we see anything fun along the way) and then spend a couple of hours at the Corning Museum of Glass tomorrow morning. If it’s as fascinating as we hope, we’ll probably stop by on the way back. They have hands-on classes (I always wanted to try lampwork) that would be fun!

We’ll leave Corning after lunch and head to PA to visit our friends Bob and Sharon near Harrisburg. We want to visit Amish country and see the sights…and have some time to visit with good friends.

I can’t believe the trip is finally here! Stay tuned for some fun and adventure!

(Posted via my iPad in the car…isn’t technology wonderful?)

– Margaret

Tell Us Where to Go!

US road map

Not much on the agenda…and we like it that way!

Okay, so that title is a LITTLE funny, isn’t it? 🙂

We have lots of books that showcase ‘places to see before we die’ (ahem), spectacular drives, fun stuff on Route 66, etc. But I think the best kinds of places are those that have been experienced first-hand by people you know.

Was that trading post on the way to the Grand Canyon extra special? Do you love a restaurant in Santa Fe–so much so that you HAVE to go there every time you visit? Is Carhenge all it’s cracked up to be? Let us know YOUR ‘must sees.’ Perhaps we’ll stumble over to it just to get a kitschy picture next to it (posted on this blog with a shout out to you).

Tell us what (and where) you love to visit. We love unusual, beautiful, uncrowded and just plain fun.

And just for you Bob Becker, I have removed the comment restrictions. No more pledging of your firstborn child to leave a comment here!

We Are Going

To Do List for Lost in America Trip

Lists are SO easy with Evernote!

Four years ago, we moved from sunny San Jose, California to the wilds of New Hampshire. When we were to make our final move, we had planned a “Lost in America” drive from California to New Hampshire over a span of several weeks. We wanted to see the country—small town America, with all it’s normal (and unusual) sites, and some larger “must see” places. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The World’s Largest Ball of String. The Grand Canyon. Yellowstone. Santa Fe. Sedona. Route 66.

Well, it didn’t happen. I got a job a bit sooner than I had anticipated. So Tom made the trek by himself over a four-day period. He saw the country zoom by on Highway 80, and only stopped for food, fuel and a good night’s sleep. Well, except for the traffic jam caused by President Obama’s graduation address at Notre Dame.

Now that we both have a little time, we’re going to make the trip. Jasmine, Juliet, Tom and I are going to explore the (dog-friendly) country over a four- to six-week time span. We have a rough idea of where we’d like to go, but no real itinerary. If we like a place, we’ll stay a day or two. We’ll decide our agenda on a day-by-day basis.

May 1 is the target date…we may leave a few days later…who knows? That’s the beauty of a trip with an open agenda!

I’m making my lists to prep for the trip, but in all reality, we’ll get what we need on the road. Clothes, doggie stuff and a few essentials (cooler, camera, coffee) and we’re ready to roll!