Day 13: Change in Plans

After a good night's sleep, I'm up early (6am) to get on the road again.  I head south on 7 looking for the first ferry to cross Lake Champlain back into NY.  The first opportunity is in Charlotte, VT.  [I didn't know that there was one in VT either.]  I arrived at the dock at 7:10am, but on the weekends the ferry only runs "on the hour" so the next one was 8am, and then half an hour across the lake.  Hmmmm...  I don't want to wait so I drive back out to 7.

I've been watching the weather for the last couple of days, and it's gotten worse for the whole weekend which was planned for on and around Seneca Lake, wine-tasting at multiple wineries.  So.... I decided to drive back to Dayton (around 12 hours, I think) rather than heading to Amanda's in Michigan (which I believe at this point is 14+ hours).  Playing into my decision is that I am tired of being on the road -- in spite of so much fun and great company -- and I want to be in my own bed.  And also, that Amanda is expecting me Monday night, not Saturday night, and that it's a 3.5-hour drive between me and Amanda when I'm home.  So, I decide to head to Dayton.....  [I did a separate trip to visit Amanda and her family a month later...]

I start heading south on 7 again, heading for that next ferry, and guess what I pass??

I have to turn around and go back to take a picture.  It's a camel.  Or a dromedary?????  So I had to look it up.  Turns out that a one-humped camel is a dromedary, and a two-humped camel is a Bactrian camel -- and much less common.  I would have thought that VT would be much too cold for a camel, but "the Bactrian camel grows a thick coat of hair each winter which falls off every spring. This is to deal with the extreme variation of temperature in the Gobi desert (Mongolia) where summer highs often top 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and winter months can see significant amounts of snow."  Who knew?  Now the question still remains, why a camel in VT??

Just outside of Addison, I turn west for the next ferry crossing.  As I am approaching, I see pastures full of miniature donkeys. I'm really wondering if maybe I just got up too early, but I don't stop for a picture or to even look for some kind of sign.  But now back on my PC, I Google "Addison Vermont donkey miniature" and guess what I find....  A website for "Ass-pirin Acres" in Addison.  You can not make this stuff up!!!!  Check it out!  www.asspirinacres.com

On the ferry for the 5 minute crossing, and I end up in Port Henry, NY.

I had looked at the road atlas I had in the car, and it seemed as though heading on the 80s (e.g. 87S to 88W to 81S to 80W) was the way to get into Ohio and then take 71S to 70W.  Well....  that really isn't the fastest way, and Garmin kept trying to get me to 90W, but I just didn't want to listen.  Why would I go through Buffalo and Cleveland, that's just too far north.  I needed to head more southwest....  Yeah, in hindsight, listen to Garmin.    SPOILER ALERT:  the bottom line is that it took me 16 hours to get home (7am-11pm).  yes, that was with stops, and traffic, but ICK!  As per Google maps, the route that Garmin kept trying to get me on was estimated to take an hour less than the route I chose.  And if I hadn't been on 80W, I also wouldn't have hit all the orange barrel construction that I did.  I actually estimate that I lost 2+ hours by not listening to Garmin.    I really should have just found a Starbuck's (for free wi-fi) and spent a few minutes with the laptop.

...I've finished listening to "The Last Child" and my next book is "Swimming" by Nicola Keegan.  Good narrator, and the story starts off well, so I'm still thinking that I've got about 12 hours of driving ahead of me, and a good book and hopefully no rain until I'm well through PA.

A few things I notice driving through PA.....  on 81S there are a lot of billboards advertising Massages.  Now, when I pick a spa to get a massage, I'm not typically swayed by billboard advertising, so I think that this is odd.  Then I notice that some of them say "Truckers Welcome" or "Truck Parking Available".  Hmmmm...  This is probably a different type of massage than what I'm used to.....

I drive through Scranton -- location of "The Office", and then head west on 80.  And into orange barrel h-e-double hockey sticks....  Lots of people-watching, vehicle-watching....  speaking of that, I passed a tow truck (then he passed me) towing a beater of a white truck.  Scratched into the paint on the driver's side door of the beater was "It's not for sale so quit asking."  hee hee...  junker humor.....

I stopped for gas in DuBois, PA.  [Pronounced "dew boys", not "du bwa" as you might expect.]  Slowed way down when I saw a deer standing in the curve of the onramp.  Just before I reached the OH border, the sheets of rain came down.  The thing obscuring the "Welcome to Ohio" sign is my windshield wiper.

Now it's dark, I've just passed through Youngstown on my way to Akron, then Columbus, then home.  I still have 4+ hours to go and the rain is just coming down in buckets.  Do I stop and get a hotel room for the night???  Nope!  That's not how I want to spend my Sat night.  :-)  So I keep on truckin', I'm almost there.

I roll into Columbus about 9:45pm and when I get home at 11pm, I've never been so glad to get OUT of a car before.  :-)

All in all, a fantastic, fabulous trip, and I would love to do it again -- in a little while -- after not driving for a time -- and in a different direction....  :-)

2,955.5 miles in 13 days!  Yee-haw!

Day 12: The Green Mountain State

Kim had put the girls to sleep in bed with her (I think), so I wasn't disturbed at all in the morning.  So thoughtful! :-)  We all did get up pretty early though to pack up the girls who were staying with Kim's parents while she and Dennis were in CA.  [Kim's parents, the Rowes, live just across the lake -- as the crow flies -- still on the NY side of Lake Champlain, but we had about a 20-minute drive back across the peninsula to the mainland and then a little south on the lake.]  And Dunkin Donuts for breakfast as we were running a little later than we originally wanted.  :-)

After a few minutes with the Rowes, Kim said good-bye to the girls while they were occupied with grandpa and then we were on the road again.  Kim was riding with me across the lake on the ferry and then into the Burlington airport so that we could have some more time together.  On her return, her sister was going to pick her up in Burlington and she'd take the ferry back over.  This was the first time I'd ever driven onto a ferry, and it was easy.  The guys working on the boats might look like a bunch of slackers, but they really know what they are doing, and are pretty efficient!  :-)

After dropping Kim off at the airport, I headed into the town of Burlington and my destination for lunch, the Skinny Pancake!  A fabulous crepe place on Lake Road.

The line was pretty long, and the service is not actually what you call efficient, but very friendly, and gives you time to read the gigantic menu written on chalkboards above the counter.  And gave me time to change my mind several times.....  Let's see, do I really want breakfast?  and have a crepe with eggs and cheese and mushrooms and spinach?  or maybe an all-veggie one?  Or a sweet breakfast with nutella and strawberries?  what about eggs and bacon and a crepe on the side?  Or stick with lunch and have the chicken and mushroom crepe?  Hmmmmm....  I ended up with a "Johnny crepe", a cornmeal crepe stuffed with BBQ pulled pork and cheese, and served with a root veggie coleslaw. Yum!!!  I did manage to snag a table outside, so powered up the laptop to check email and look up some things I wanted to do in Burlington, while I waited on my food.  Well worth the wait, it was fabulous!!

Kim had been nice enough to call her sister and ask her for spa recommendations in Burlington.  At this point, I've been driving a lot, and could use a good massage, so I looked up the places that were recommended.  And I also checked out the geography of the Church Street pedestrian mall (where to park?) and the hours for the bar I wanted to go to that night (Nectar's).  After leaving the Skinny Pancake, I did wander along the lake walking path for a while, and sat down in the grass and soaked up some sun for a few minutes.  But I had my laptop with me, not my book, and I was afraid that I would actually fall asleep if I sat for more than a few minutes.  :-)

I then went back to my car and parked near Church Street for some window-shopping as well as some actual shopping.  They had a "Life Is Good" store, and that's one of my weaknesses, so I had to visit there, plus some of the Vermont stores (gotta' get my Christmas ornament!).  I also browsed a few clothing stores, but remember that I'm actually unemployed and shouldn't be spending a lot of $$ on things I don't need.  [Like I need another "Life is Good" tshirt.......  Oh well!]

They had these painted cows all up and down the pedestrian mall.  This one was done by Ben and Jerry's and was outside the B&J store.  [go figure!]  I was going to get some ice cream while wandering, but when I went in, seemed as though the entire population of Montreal had gotten there just before me, and the line snaked around several times within the store itself full of French-speakers translating the flavors.  I decided that I'd wait on the ice cream.  [and no, I never got any, so I left Vermont with no B&J.]

Realizing that if I had any hope of staying awake that evening for my plans at Nectar's, I decided to go check in at my hotel (a Quality Inn in Shelburne about 4 miles south), take a nap and a shower, and then come back out.  And I felt like a whole new person after!  [maybe I should have fit in that massage as well!]

I went back to the pedestrian mall area for dinner -- great recommendations and superb people-watching.  I had dinner (outside) at an Irish pub called Ri Ra.  A nice glass of sauvignon blanc, an okay potato soup, and then a phenomenal grilled salmon club sandwich (who knew that grilled salmon, tomato and bacon would be so yummy together???).  Inside of regular fries, I had "chips and curry" which meant fries with a curry dipping sauce.  Not sure it was the best choice with the grilled salmon, but really good anyway.  The live music started up in all the bars restaurants up and down this stretch of Church Street, and it was a beautiful evening.

After dinner, I went around the corner to Nectar's.  They are known for their gravy fries, but I was stuffed and there was no way I was having any more fries!

So I go in, and the first band is about to start (one guy on guitar, so do you call that a band?), but the place is pretty empty.  And it's divided into two spaces really -- one side is more lounging and pool tables, with a bar; and the other side is more a bar and music venue.  So I sit at the bar (on the music side) and order a drink and then tell the bartender (Dorsey) that I also need to buy a tshirt.  She says that the manager has just left with the key to the merchandise cabinet, but that he'll be back by 9pm.  Okay, so I settle in.

I'm people-watching, talking to a few people and Dorsey, listening to the guy (Lionel Thompson maybe?) and his guitar and watching a group in a corner set up for a high school reunion (that's just weird to me, and they all get nametags with pictures of themselves from their high school yearbooks).  It's around 8:40pm when Dorsey comes over to me and says that my drinks are on the house because I've sat there almost two hours, and her manager just got back and reminded her that they've lost the key to the merchandise cabinet (for two weeks now) and don't have any way to get into it.
I stayed for the start of the next band, but didn't really like them that much, and wanted to get to bed relatively early as I was getting up early to head to the Finger Lakes region of NY for a weekend of wine tasting!  :-)  Headed on back to the Quality Inn and bedtime!

Day 11: Upstate NY

After a wonderful night with Les and Swanson, I slept in.  I got up around 9am and spent some time with Swanson on the deck while doing some email.  And yes, watching "Project Runway" on my laptop!  :-)  After a little bit of chillin' out time, I headed out for NY State (again) and the Manion home!

Taking I-84W I was forced to keep a leisurely pace as the "America Recovery and Reinvestment Act" put lots and lots and lots of people to work!  There were orange barrels all over the place!  ]I was still listening to "The Last Child" so that was keeping my attention.]  I hadn't gotten too far into the trip and it was around lunchtime, and then I saw the billboard -- "The Eveready Diner as seen on 'The Food Network'"  Well, duh!  You knew that I was going to stop for lunch!  :-)

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any pictures as my camera battery was dying.  But you can check out their website:  theevereadydiner.com.  :-)  I stopped at the one in Brewster, NY.  And yep, it's got the old-fashioned diner feel.  [Listen to me, as if I was frequenting diners in the 1940s and 1950s!  Okay, it looks like the diners do on TV shows from that time period!  :-)  ]  Red vinyl booths, with the mini jukebox at each table.  The waittresses in black dresses with white aprons and the little black and white caps.  Counter service with the red vinyl stools.  And the pie display.  Oh, the pies!  I went a little off-program with an Italian panini (yep, sausage and peppers and loads of mozzarella in a panini), with sweet potato fries.  From the tables around me, I should have had either a cheeseburger with a pile of onion rings, or a giant omelet with toast and potatoes.  I left happy and stuffed, with several diet cokes in me as well.  :-)

Shortly after leaving the diner, I took the Taconic State Parkway headed north.  This parkway is for passenger vehicles only -- no commercial traffic.  I really liked that as I'm still sometimes a little nervous to have semi-trucks surrounding me.  One or two don't bother me, but when they are beside me and behind me and we're in the Adirondack Mountains, then yeah, I get a little nervous.  [You may or may not know that I was run off the road by a semi several years ago.]

This was really a beautiful drive even though it took me a lot longer than I had expected.  I was very close to Woodstock, NY and also drove through Saratoga Springs (on the interstate).  I rolled up into Plattsburgh around 5pm, and found Kim and Dennis's house on a peninsula called Cumberland Head, jutting out into Lake Champlain.  Just gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous!

Kim and her two daughters were in the yard, playing on the jungle gym as I pulled up.  I joined them (and one of their cats) until it got too "buggy" and we had to go inside.  [Dennis was away on work so unfortunately I didn't get to visit with him at all.  :-(  ]  We were inside long enough for a quick tour of the house, then we went outside to shuck corn for dinner and to head down to the lake to put our feet in the water.  This is the view from their backyard....  You have to walk down a few steps to get to the water.  :-)

After playing in the water for a little while, Kim fed the girls and got them ready for bed, and I spent some time on Google maps checking out my next stop -- Burlington, VT.

Kim and I had a wonderful dinner, with a great bottle of wine and caught up on the last 3 years!  The Manion family (Dennis's family) has a tradition where they celebrate the traditions of a different country each year at Christmas.  This year, it's the Caribbean.  And they have a side tradition where Kim gets a cookbook each Feb for her birthday with foods of that country, so they also cook food throughout the year from that country.  What a really cool idea!  And meant that we had some really yummy jerk chicken and rice with a light dressing and roasted cashew nuts.

We did end up having a really late night!  Which was bad because Kim had to be up really early as she was leaving town to meet Dennis in CA for a long weekend, however.... which was GREAT because we hadn't seen each other in over 3 years, since I visited them in Egypt in April of 2007 with my girlfriends Jan and Missy.

Day 10: Hanging in Fairfield

When I woke up in my yellow sunny room on the second floor of Leslie's home, Les was already gone taking Swanson to the vet for his first checkup.  [Mostly good news BTW.  A few small issues that should (hopefully) be easily resolved.]


I needed to do some laundry at this point, so I started that while channel-surfing.  [Did ya'll know that there is a school called the Universal Technical Institute?  The acronym is "UTI", and their website is uti.edu.  Ladies, anyone else laughing at this????]  Les and Swanson came home and we hung out in the backyard for a little while waiting on the Invisible Fence guy.  [Uh-oh, Swanson!]

After he came by to put up a new set of flags (Les already had the fence from her previous dog, beloved Brody), and test the fence, we went to the Firehouse Deli for lunch.  Gorgeous day outside!  We then had to head north to the city of Trumbull to pick up trophies and medals for the Bridgewater World Cup tournament.  [more on that later...]  The trophies were pretty cheesy, but Les said that she tried for a high cheese factor so that people will be proud to display the trophies on their desks.  :-)

When we got home, we spent some more time with Swanson on the deck (sit, Swanson!  Sit!), and then got ready to go to the soccer match.  Okay, here's the scoop on that....  Les is an event planner at Bridgewater (a privately-held hedge fund).  She really gets to do some fun things for the 1000 or so employees, and just so happens that this Wed was the last match -- the championship -- of their company soccer tournament.  This was the second year they did it, and they decided on a World Cup theme.  They had 4 teams (about 25 players each) -- Ghana, Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands.  And it just so happened that Spain and the Netherlands were playing each other in the final!  :-)  The company had even provided country jerseys for the team members.  They played 2 20-minute halves (remember that these co-ed teams include weekend warriors and people who had never played soccer before), and then did play the World Cup rules in case of a tie.  Of course, the championship game was tied at the end of regulation (3-3) so they went to a 5-person shoot-out.  And by this time it's 8pm (in CT) and it's getting really dark, and the field has no lights.  So, at least both goalies had the same handicap (completely unable to see!).  The Netherlands ended up re-writing history by beating Espana in the shoot-out for the 2010 Bridgewater World Cup.  :-)

After the game, there was a post-game party at Bobby Q's in downtown Westport.  [really good BBQ]  Les had taken the day off, but because this event was going on, we did watch the game and then went to the party so that she could be sure everything happened as it was supposed to.  Oh, and also so we could have a great dinner and hang out with some of her work friends!  We did pretty much close the rooftop down -- me and Les and about 10 of her co-workers.  Seems to be a REALLY great group of guys, although I question some of their favorite events and activities.....  An event where cheap beer is paired with fast food (the Natty Light really complements the White Castle jalapeno slider).  Really??  Although I guess I shouldn't be suprised.  Les's annual White Trash (WT) party is Saturday night......  :-)

I think that the last time I spent time with just Leslie was the spring of 2006.  She had joined us in Dayton in March 2009 for a Girl Movie Day weekend, but that was with a lot of other women so we didn't really have a lot of quality time.  But she did meet some of my crazy friends -- including having lunch with Karyn and Mike D at Tank's before heading out of town on Sunday!  So, we pretty much spent the 40 or so hours we had together talking and talking and talking and talking.  I feel badly for Sal having to put up with us Tuesday night, and then poor Swanson all day/night on Wednesday.  :-)

Of course, when we got home that night, more talking until we just finally had to go to bed since Les had to actually go to work the next day!

Day 9: Three States in less than an Hour

After a great night catching up with Lisa but then spending waaaay to much time finishing that book, I decide to completely ignore my alarm and sleep through breakfast!  Lisa had already left for work, but told me that the Residence Inn breakfast was pretty darn good.  Oh well.  Wanted more zzzzzzs instead.  :-)

Finally got up then hit the road.  I will have to admit that the northern part of New Jersey is more aptly referred to as the Garden State.  Drove through Oakland and Franklin Lakes, and really very nice.  I was keeping my eyes out for the NJ cell phone towers because they are camoflauged as pine trees.  Yep!  So here's a picture of one that I took -- and I was way too close when I took it so I've also pulled one of the inter-webs to include so that you can really see what I'm talking about.  The one I took is on the right side of the photo and the "tree" sticking up.  :-)

It was a very quick trip to the Tappan Zee bridge over the Hudson into NY, with NYC on my far, far, far right.  And then noticed --  55-mph speed limit.  Really??????

I was faked out by a motorcycle cop, and so I was very careful to do 62 and no more all the way through.  :-)  I was so very close to Sleepy Hollow, but didn't stop.  Maybe next time.  And it will have to be night.  And a full moon.

I realized that there are lots and lots and lots of country clubs in this neck of the woods, as I headed up 95 N into CT and all the "ports" straight up Long Island Sound.  It was a little odd to be so close to the water, but no real view from the interstate.

I stopped for lunch at a Panera in Westport.  I wanted to just take a break from driving for a while (two long stretches in two days) and also wanted to catch up on email and the blog.  :-)  So I needed some place that I knew would have free wi-fi.  It was actually pretty crowded in there, but found a quiet corner and had a sandwich while blogging.  :-)  [of course, you can tell that I'm still a couple days behind!]

I drove the rest of the way into Fairfield, and then set up camp at another free wi-fi spot -- Starbuck's!  Leslie wasn't going to be home until around 6pm, so I had a smoothie and watched the world go by -- or at least the people of Fairfield.  I also mapped out my next couple of legs and looked up a few things I wanted to do in Burlington when I got there.

I met Leslie at her house, and her beau, Sal, and their new puppy, Swanson.  I use the terms puppy loosely, as he's almost 2 years old, and 60 pounds, but he's a rescue dog and pretty much acts just like a puppy -- including full spaz mode.  :-)  We sat in the living room and talked.  Leslie cooked dinner and we talked.  We had a couple bottles of wine and sat in the living room again and talked.  :-)  Then had to finally go to bed as it was getting LATE!  I crashed hard looking forward to a full day with Les -- and Swanson -- on Wednesday!

Day 8: The Garden State

7 days into the road trip, and the time is flying by.  I really can't believe that it's been a week....

Slept pretty well at the Sheraton, but I think that I had 4 separate, detailed dreams -- all of them incorporating the ice machine (just outside my door).  I checked out and headed down to the waterfront.  I had looked at the inner harbor online the night before, and it seemed like lots of parking around that area, and right near the Visitor Center, etc.  I really just wanted to wander around a little bit, and the one destination I had was a store called "The Best of Baltimore" which was supposed to have items from Charm City Cakes.  [All of you Food Network fans with me????]  I had thought about driving to the actual bakery, but as their website is emphatic on the subject of "you can't come in", "the windows are covered and you can't see in", etc. I decided that I would simply pick up a few Charm City related items.

I was able to park right next to the visitor center, but I quickly regretted moving my car at all (versus leaving everything at the hotel), as it cost me $10 to park for less than an hour.  Constant re-emphasizing to me of all the reasons I don't want to live in a super-size city.  Medium-size is PERFECT for me!

I found the store, and the very limited selection of Charm City items.  I didn't buy any of that at all, but did pick up a few things including a Baltimore Christmas ornament.  Something I started doing years ago when I was traveling a lot, and getting tired of t-shirts and sweatshirts.  Now, it's really fun to decorate the Christmas tree and remember all the places I've been and all the great times/stories.  [Oh, and sometimes I buy jewelry when I travel too!  ;-)  ]

Leaving the city, I drove past Camden Yards, where both the Orioles and Ravens have their fields.  And then a HUGE flyover ramp to get onto I-95 north.  [I was thinking that Tiff would have seen that coming up on her right and had to have found SOME way to get around/past it and into NY a totally different route!]  Along the MD portion of 95N were many "Service Centers" which were like what I've been through in/out of Chicago where you find gas and food and tourist information in one center accessible from both north and south of that particular interstate.  However, something I thought was totally different was the fact that they also seemed to have real "service" centers, like auto repair shops.  Tires, oil changes, repair bays, etc.  Pretty sweet, but, of course, also very crowded.

[And, oh by the way, why again did I pick the month of August for a road trip??????  It's hot, hot, hot no matter where I go -- at least so far -- and it's crowded.  EVERYONE is traveling too.  Shouldn't all those kids be in school???  And all those adults be working????]

Something else I quickly noticed were unmarked police vehicles.  And, yes, I only knew what they were because they had cars pulled over about every mile for the first hour or so of my trip.  Mostly Ford Explorers, but really a mix of a lot of types of cars.  Must be more cautious.  :-)

I haven't carried a whole lot of cash with me so far on this trip, and haven't really needed it thanks to gift cards, generous friends, and my own credit cards.  :-)  And I start hitting tolls.  The first one is $2.  "okay, I think, I've got about $10, I should be fine."  The next toll is $4, then $5.  Really????  I dig in my console for the quarters I keep there for parking meters.  Hmmmmm.....  So the next exit I see with any type of convenience store, I pull over to get some cash from the ATM.  [by the end of this leg of the trip, almost $20 in tolls, and they certainly aren't spending it on the roads!]

I pass signs for Aberdeen Proving Ground and then the Decoy Museum.  [In conversation with Lisa later that night, we discussed whether this meant it was a fake museum designed to lure people away from the real museum (e.g. a "decoy") or if it was a museum full of wooden ducks.  Turns out the latter.  Apparently, there are a lot of people interested in the history of wooden duck decoys in the Chesapeake Bay Area, and the sport of "waterfowling" in general.]

I knew that I had crossed the Jersey state line when I passed a white Cadillac on the shoulder -- all tricked out in gold detailing -- with a man standing behind it wearing black socks and white loafers, with black knit shorts, and a red.velour.sleeveless.vest!  zipped halfway up and covering about 1/3 of his stomach.  Lovely!  Oh, and gold chains, and a huge watch.  So.... if I had been asked for a description of the man, that's all I could have told anyone.  No idea roughly how old, or what he looked like, any facial hair or whatever.  In that brief moment of me passing him I was able to completely absorb the outfit, but nothing about him.  I would have been no help to the police if they needed me!  :-)

Throughout this whole road trip, I've got some rough idea of where I am and where I'm heading from Google Maps, but I'm really relying on Garmin for the tactical day-to-day driving.  And Garmin decides that I should approach Wayne, NJ via what Lisa affectionately calls "the "A$$-crack of NJ".  I will say that I have to agree with her.  At one point, I had to text her to tell her that I was on Main Street (of Paterson, NJ) and that Garmin said I was only 4 minutes from her house, and I was scared for her......  Turns out that she lives in a very nice part of the state, and has just bought a home in another very nice part of the state.  Whew!

And when Garmin said "Arriving at Destination", I was actually in front of a hockey arena.  Huh???  I followed the road up and around the arena, and the Residence Inn was behind it.  Okay.  [she's in temporary housing until she closes on and moves into her house.]

Lisa had left me a key, so I went on in and got caught up on email and daytime TV.  She arrived home with mini bottles of wine (as per the day she had!),  and we chatted for a while before deciding on dinner at The Office.  Not the sitcom, but the sportsbar in Ridgeway.  [which is actually a very nice part of NJ also -- kinda like Oakwood.]

We found seats at the bar just in time for kickoff of the Giants/Jets game, so yes, we pretty much had front-row seats for the gouge to Eli Manning's head.  Ick!  We started with parmesean and truffle chips, then I had a lobster roll (Yay!) and sweet potato fries!  More conversation -- did you know that property taxes in NJ are 12.5%????? -- and then back to the Residence for a final round of chatting then bed.

Lisa needed to get up early, but my brain wasn't quite ready to shut down, so I finished a book I was reading "Think Twice" (pretty good) and then turned off the light around 1am.  Again, the witching hour!

Day 7: Baltimore-bound

Martha and I slept in 'til late morning.  It was FANTASTIC!  Then stayed in our beds and chatted for some time more.  And then -- yes, you guessed it! -- on the road to Baltimore, MD.  This was a somewhat random choice for this road trip, as I had friends to visit in NC and then in NJ, but not really in between.  :-)  And it's about a 9.5 hour drive, so I knew that I would have to break it up.  Just about half-way were both DC and Baltimore, and I've been to DC many times, so voila!  Baltimore!

Leaving Raleigh, I headed north on US 1.  A smaller highway, but a shorter way to get to I-85 and beautiful rolling hills.  I played leap-frog with these guys -- the "Steel Warriors" according to their jackets -- for many miles on 85.

Also, still listening to "The Last Child" and enjoying it.  A somewhat complex story, and I wasn't sure it would hold my attention either, but I stuck with it.  Between Raleigh and southern Virginia, no problem, but then I started to hit the traffic.    and the rain     I guess that I shouldn't complain as I'd been on the road a week with clear skies and easy driving.  [well, once I got out of Cincy anyway.]

I-95 N out of Richmond was pretty much at a standstill.  There were many sections where several major roads fed into and off of the interstate, and those were just gridlock.  And then just when I thought I was all clear, several more roads would empty into the interstate, and then the interstate itself would go from 5 to 3 lanes.    And on one of those 5 to 3 lane changes, the Steel Warriors came past me again, threading in and out of the lanes between cars -- not in their own lane.  And in the rain.  So dangerous!

I was also wondering if this was all Sunday evening commuter traffic into the DC area.  Yikes!  Approaching DC, I passed Quantico (and yes, thought of "Silence of the Lambs"); I wonder if there are tours available.  As much as I enjoy the "CSI" type shows, I would really enjoy seeing some of that technology up close and personal.  Also passed the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  Really interesting building.

While passing the Pentagon (on the interstate still, so not really close), I took this picture thinking that it was the monument to 9/11 at the Pentagon:  

However, it was actually the United States Air Force Memorial (which is pretty close to the Pentagon).  Was interesting to drive around DC.  Pretty darn close to the Washington monument, and I could kinda see the top of the capital building too.

Yes, Mom.  I'll stop taking pictures while driving and focus on the road.......  :-)

What felt like just a few minutes past all the major roads of DC was Baltimore.  No disrespect intended, but feels a little bit like a suburb of DC.  I'll bet there are a lot of MD commuters into DC as well.  Instead of a 5-hour trip, it was more like a 7-hour trip, so I was into downtown Baltimore a little later than I wanted to be.  Just checked into my hotel (on airline miles!  woo-hoo!) then walked to Luna del Sea for dinner.  Recommended by the concierge at the Sheraton, it was truly fabulous.  Just a short walk, near the convention center.  Very nice staff, and a patio for outdoor dining, but it was stuffy, and I noticed that there were TVs over the bar, so I was seated inside.  At a window seat (perfect for people watching), with a good view of both pre-season football and baseball.  I started with a glass of Matua sauvignon blanc while reading the menu.  [oh, and the music playing the whole time I was there was Frank Sinatra.  I think that they had a satellite radio station that was "all Sinatra all the time".  :-)  ]

This picture does NOT do the crab cake justice, as I took it with my phone.  But it was the best crab cake I've ever had.  Followed by a good filet mignon (not the best I've ever had), with something called "crab imperial".  Never had this before.  I asked the server what it was, and he described it as jumbo lump crab in a casserole.  I was expecting something like a gratin, and this was very different.  Definitely lump crab, just like the crab cake, but pieces of tomato and red pepper and a little bit of sauce to hold it together -- but not rich and creamy -- and then baked in a ramekin.

I checked out foodnetwork.com, and they have several recipes for it, which include diced green and red peppers, cayenne pepper, onion, shallots, celery and then a little mayo to hold it together and a breadcrumb topping.  Hmmmm....  I might have to play around with a couple of these recipes because this was delicious with the beef.

I will admit here, that all the crab items said "market price" on the menu, and no, I didn't ask.  [I know that Mom is appalled right now!  :-)  ]  I thought how much could this be??  And I was going to eat there, and being in Baltimore, was going to have crab, so I pretty much steeled myself for an expensive dinner.  Well, the lone crab cake -- again, fabulous -- was $18.  Ack!  So I'll let you decide what the filet/crab dinner cost.  :-)  Yep, it was a big one!  I know.  I'm unemployed now.  I'll have to eat cheap the next few meals.  :-)

But, now that I think about it, I'm really only eating once per day.  Breakfast has never been my strong suit (unless it's brunch around noon with the Sunday paper, or at Tank's!) and I'm typically on the road over lunchtime, so I pull through McD's and get a large diet coke and maybe a wrap or small fries.  [It has to be McD's -- at least for now -- as I'm using the gift cards that my Dayton team gave me before I started on my road trip!  So thoughtful and so very useful, and makes me smile and think of them often.]

I walked back to the hotel (needed the walk at this point) in a light rain that had just started, then got in my jammies, climbed into bed with pillows all around and channel-surfed while I caught up on email.  A nice relaxing evening, and I was so looking forward to sleeping in!

Day 6: On the Road to Raleigh

so......  because we went to bed so late, the Schmidt household didn't really begin stirring until 9-10am or so.  Or rather, the human residents were in bed that late.  The critters were up quite a bit earlier.  :-)  I kept Millie entertained by moving my toes under the sheets so that she played at the foot of the bed and I stayed snuggled under the covers.

Ryan had to jump right back in to kitchen work -- lots and lots of mudding and getting ready for all the new electrical features.  [from 2 outlets in the kitchen to about 14!]  So Kara and I lounged on the sofas while she checked out Groupon, and I looked again at my Raleigh plans and double-checked my route.  After a shower, I got back on the road.  1,082 miles into it........

Starting listening again to my next book on CD, "The Wedding Girl".  I had listened to it for a little bit on the last stretch into Charlotte, and I wasn't really into it, and was pretty annoyed by the reader and all the voices that she was trying to do for all the different characters.  I was only about 20 minutes into this leg of the journey, and had to stop listening.  Ugh.  The storyline was pretty interesting, but I just couldn't take the voices anymore!!!  The synopsis so far was that:  in the UK, as an 18-year old, a woman marries a friend of hers (who happens to be gay and American) so that he can stay in the UK with his boyfriend (e.g. get his green card).  flash-forward 10 years later, and the woman is now engaged to a man who really loves her, but hates his multi-millionaire father more.  And her sister is a diplomatic interpreter who has just discovered she is pregnant (and sounds like a big issue).  And her mother is a social climber who loves name-dropping the fiance's father into conversations.  And no one knows that she was married before, and the photographer for this wedding happens to have been at her first wedding (as a student just passing through), and is now threatening her......  And that's where I stopped.  So many plots that could have been developed in many ways -- oh, and I don't think that she was ever divorced from this first husband -- but I just couldn't take it any more.  Any of the book club ladies want to read it and tell me what happens?????

Anyway...  on to a different book, "The Last Child".  And a very easy and pretty drive into Raleigh.  I got to the Marriott ahead of Martha (a friend from Winston-Salem), so I spent some time on the PC and watching Sports Center.  [So glad that football season has started, but I haven't watched a single game yet!]

Martha joined me (coming in from a visit to Camp LeJune, NC) and we spent several hours just lying around in the hotel room jumping from story to story.  We changed clothes for dinner and headed out to Oxford (a British Pub and sportsbar, huh???).  We had made a dinner reservation and expected Jeanne (from Cary) to join us as well.  Martha and I had a cocktail at the bar, and panko-fried avocados.  Odd, but good.  Jeanne's brother and his family were also in town, and had some toddler drama before she could join us, so we went on into dinner -- talking all the way.  [I know that's hard to believe!]

Jeanne did join us for dessert, but at this point, a band had started playing in the bar area of the restaurant.  [We didn't realize it, but we had wandered into THE place to be on a Saturday night in downtown Raleigh.  When we left, there was a line to get in.  And, to be honest, lots of discussion of "what not to wear".  :-)  ] We decided to go back to our hotel bar so that we could hear each other.  Martha lasted about another 30 minutes, and then she went upstairs to bed, and Jeanne and I kept going until about 1:30am.  [that seems to be the magic hour for me on this trip!]  And, the bar was quite fun, as there was a firefighter's convention in town, and they were all staying at the Marriot.  ;-)

Was GREAT to catch up with both Martha and Jeanne; though I missed Tek and Debbie.  :-(  And Jeanne did start a little bit of a "recruiting" pitch for Raleigh.  :-)

Day 5: Carolina on my mind

Remembering my mis-calculation when driving from Nashville to Suwanee, I made sure that I'd have plenty of time to get to Charlotte before lunch!

This drive was only going to be 3.5 hours, so the shortest one yet.  I finished listening to the first book on CD I had, and it was pretty good.  Spent the rest of the time with silence just thinking.  I have a lot to think about these days.  :-)

And the Gaffney, SC, water tower:

There's actually an article about this on the Internet, on the Roadside America site.  From that site:
"It's rumored that in the early '90's, civic authorities ordered the Peachoid water tower repainted so it would look less like a big butt -- reducing rubbernecking fatalities on nearby I-85. It may be safer today, but from the right angle, the one-million gallon watersphere STILL looks like a bright orange butt....  According to official literature, the Peachoid boldly "sets the record straight about which state is the biggest peach producer in the South. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT Georgia."


Hee hee....  :-)  I think that it looks like a big butt.

I make good time getting into Charlotte, so that I can meet the Kobsiks for lunch, but a little drama along the way.  I'm about 3 miles from their house, on a major road -- 3 lanes each way -- and a car came from my right just driving across all three lanes.  We both slam on brakes, and I go onto the shoulder and around him.  Whew!  A little shaky and paranoid for the rest of the drive!


Becky and Rick are the proud (new) parents of a little girl, and she is just the cutest thing ever!  We spent a few minutes in their living room while the baby went to sleep in my arms :-)  and their boxer, Murphy, also tried to get my attention!  :-)

We woke up the baby and headed to lunch at Dish.  I felt really special 'cause Rick joined us as well!  I suggested Dish to Becky, as "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" (on the Food Network) had done a segment there.  Becky and Rick had been many times and really enjoyed it; and after my experience, I can heartily agree.  We started with hot pimento cheese dip, and then I had old-style chicken pot pie with squash casserole.  And just about every meal comes with a biscuit and deviled egg -- yum!  www.eatatdish.com


After lunch, I headed over to the Schmidt homestead.  [They live just a few minutes from the Kobsiks.]  Kara and Ryan's home is fabulous.  They have done so much work to really make it a home and tailor it to their lifestyle.  Currently in the middle of a kitchen renovation, it's so cool to see a room pretty much stripped down to the foundation, and then see the plans for what it will look like when they are done.  


Spent the afternoon hanging out with them and the menagerie -- Maggie, a chocolate lab; Janis, a tortoiseshell cat; and, Millie Grace, their newest addition (see below).  I found out later that they actually have a third cat, Quinto, but I didn't see him until later that night.  And never got closer to him than 5 feet or so.  :-)

Ryan had been finishing up some work on the kitchen -- while Kara and I watched Julia Roberts on "Oprah"! -- and then we all got cleaned up and headed out on the town.  [Oh, and I met Neighbor Dave in the interim, and also another neighbor I don't remember right now.]


We pretty much did a progressive happy hour, as they shared a lot of their favorite places with me.  :-)  First stop, a margarita at Loco Lime on Central Avenue, then on to Loft 1523, a rooftop bar with a great pear martini.  But it was HOT outside so we weren't there too long.


Off to the Philosopher's Stone (on East 7th), which was easily my favorite watering hole of the night.  A really interesting bar that just feels like it started small and then organically expanded so that you go around a corner to a screened-in patio, then walk through that and take a sharp right and you're in another room with a bar and tables, and then outside to long picnic tables.  The bartenders were great fun, and it was obvious that Kara and Ryan were regulars.  I met Chase and Stump, and we spent quite a bit of time talking to John, a really unique individual.


We decided that we were ready for some food and headed to Soul Gastrolounge back on Central Avenue.  It was the first time any of us had been there, and it was orgasmic.  [I'm not kidding.  Early in the meal, Kara insisted that she was mid-orgasm.  ;-)  ]


FOODIE ALERT:  Yep, I have to tell you all about the food.....  lots of flavors, served tapas-style.  So, get your glass of wine or good beer, and then just start ordering small plates.  We started with a lobster and sweet corn saute, and blue crab fritters.  Then serrano ham and manchego cheese on toast.  Shrimp ceviche with coconut milk and lime, served with fried plantain "scoops".  A sushi "soul roll" -- spicy salmon, cucumber and jalapeno, topped with white tuna and wasabi aioli.  We had lamb lollipops, a ham plate, and then finished with sashami tuna tacos.  A veritable feast!  Great atmosphere (check out their website:  www.soulgastrolounge.com), fantastic service, and some of the best food I've had in a LONG time!  Go there!  If you are anywhere close!  It's worth the drive!!!!  All with good friends and good conversation equalled lots of laughs and the time just FLYING by.


One more stop after dinner, at the Thomas Street Tavern just around the corner from Soul.  This was a "see and be seen" place, but they do have PBR in bottles, and if you guess the number and suit of the "card" that's on the inside of the bottlecap (e.g. Jack of Spades), you get the beer for free!  :-)  We struck up a conversation with a Russian named Greg (and his girlfriend? Steph).  Ryan kept asking him about his Texas belt buckle........


Back home on the ranch ("this ranch is the Schmidt's"), we had a few more drinks on the deck and then wandered inside to bed just before 2am.......  Oh, and this is when I had a Quinto-sighting.

Day 4: Foodies in GA

I'm not getting as much sleep as I thought I'd get on this "vacation".  :-)  Jan and I were both up before 10am (after going to bed at almost 2am!), and headed down to Buckhead around lunchtime.

WARNING:  if you are NOT a "foodie", you may want to just read the short narration of the day.  If you are, enjoy the detailed version......  :-)

SHORT VERSION:  Jan and I had decided to have lunch at Nava in Buckhead, so we plugged the address into Garmin, and away we went.  Lunch was fabulous, and then we went in search of Filene's Basement to walk off some of the calories while shopping for deals.  :-)  We did round up some great finds, and then went out into the 98+ degree heat to decide where to go next.  It was almost 5pm at that point, so we headed north back towards Buford with two stops along the way.  The first stop was at World Beverage where we browsed the wine selection and ended up splitting a mixed case of some very fun (and inexpensively-priced wines).  Our second stop was at Whole Foods (for both of us, our first visit to one, and hoping that it would be similar to our own beloved Dorothy Lane Market -- DLM).  We wandered through the store, picking up items that caught our fancy, to make dinner at home that evening.  We finally ended up back at Jan's around 8pm.  She had some work to do, and I caught up on emails.  We made dinner, split a bottle of wine from a GA vineyard -- nice! -- and then finished up on our respective PCs for the evening and headed to bed.  I was getting up early to hit to the road north to Charlotte, and Jan had to be up even earlier to be in the office for a 7:30am meeting.  We had a wonderful, relaxing day!

LONGER VERSION OF THE FOOD:  Lunch at Nava....  The restaurant itself was a beautiful and interesting place.  Great wood beams, and what looked like navaho blankets used as pillow covers as well as the seat cushion covers.  It wasn't very crowded (but it was 1pm on a Thursday!), and we had a wonderful server.  We started with prickly pear margaritas and a trio of salsas.  These included:  mango habanero, avocado-tomatillo lime and chipotle-tomatillo cilantro.  All three were really good and each very different.  We also shared a carpaccio that was fantastic, but was served with baby greens and a spicy sauce and the delicate flavor of the beef was a little overwhelmed by the sauce.

For our entrees, Jan ordered red chile seared salmon which was served over a herbed goat cheese risotto, with a cranberry compote, and I had a lobster soft taco (made with green chiles) with black beans and rice.  Yum!!!!  We also used some of our salsa trio to try different flavors with the entrees.  Our server talked us into splitting a dessert (no, she didn't have to try very hard!), but I have to admit that I was disappointed.  [Jan really liked it though.]  It was described as banana enchiladas with spiced caramel sauce.  The presentation was fantastic, and served with two "bullets" of banana bread as garnish, but the enchiladas themselves were filled with banana cream cheese, not actual bananas.  Way too much cheese for me.  And there were a few slices of bananas on the side, but I would have preferred them inside the enchilada maybe topped with the flavored cream cheese.  Oh well!  You can't pick a winner every time!  :-)

The reason we went to Whole Foods Market is that Jan was looking for a grocery store comparable to Dayton's Dorothy Lane Market (an upscale locally-owned store known for their prepared foods, high-quality meat and seafood, and attentive customer service).  Our visit really was enjoyable as we found whole sections of chutneys and honey and fresh salsas, as well as a very well-stocked seafood counter, cheese section, and prepared foods beyond belief.  We picked up fresh peach salsa, black bean and corn salsa, avocados (to make our own guacamole), sushi and vegetable pot stickers, and peach chutney to have with brie and crackers.  Truly, we had no theme for dinner, unless you were just going to call it "international".  :-)  And then, in the last corner of the store, just when we thought we were getting out of there, a made-in-house gelato bar.  Yum!!!!!  We tried the pineapple upside-down cake gelato, but were blown away by the salted caramel gelato, so that's what we took home.  :-)  And, the bakery person who was helping us, went and got two small bags of shaved ice to pack our gelato pint in for the 40-minute drive back to Buford.  Way to go!

Our "grazing" dinner was really fabulous -- with the peach salsa far and away our favorite.  It was really, really fresh, and just burst in your mouth with all that amazing fresh ripe peach flavor, and then just a hint of pepper and onion and cilantro.  I could have just eaten it with a spoon!  And we talked about how it would be great heated up and served over a grilled fish like mahi-mahi.  We did have one bad purchase -- but Jan thinks that she can rescue it.  The peach chutney was called "hot peach chutney", but what it actually tasted like was pure peppers and heat with a pretty mushy texture.  We totally should have read the ingredients at the store, as the first ingredient was apples (huh?) then brown sugar, then peaches, and HABANERO peppers.  Yikes!  It was just bitter (to me) and HOT!  Good thing I had brought Jan some homemade blackberry jam, so we used that with the brie instead.  :-)  [Jan's going to cut the hot peach chutney with cream cheese to see if she can save it.  :-)  ]

And, I have to say that our guac was pretty darn good too!  Made with DLM chunky guac spice mix, grilled corn, fresh tomatoes and a little onion.  We're pretty good cooks!  Or I guess in this case, assemblers.  :-)

So, a full day of hanging out, talking about anything and everything, having great food and drink, a little bit of retail therapy (e.g. shopping) to support the local economy.  All in all, a great stop on my great American road trip!

Day 3: On that midnight train to Georgia

Actually, a car, not a train.  And leaving around 7am, not midnight.  But there's no song for that.  :-)
Connie had to head into work early on Wed, so I went ahead and got on the road to give myself plenty of time to get to lunch with friends in Suwanee.  I missed pretty much all of Nashville morning traffic.  [maybe 7am is too early for that?]  Was an easy drive, and a very pretty one.

I stopped for gas about 10-15 miles outside of Nashville (along I-24E) at what seemed to be a relatively ok travel plaza type place.  Not a name brand (e.g Pilot, Flying J, Love's, etc.) but lots of trucks and very convenient exit ramps.  However.....  as I stood by the car filling up, I was looking around and thought, "if I were going to write an episode of 'Criminal Minds' or 'CSI' or a book by Stephen King or Dean R. Koontz, this is the type of place I'd use as a setting, and these are the type of characters I'd populate the story with."  So a little creeped out and telling myself that all of these people were probably really nice, I went inside to grab a Diet Coke and go to the bathroom.

[so, what's the difference between "bathroom" and "restroom"?  why do we use one word versus the other?  and why do we shy away from just saying "toilet" as many European countries do?  of course, the British use the "loo", and many other nationalities use a "water closet", etc. so maybe Americans aren't that delicate about language.  actually, I know that we're not; I watch TV!  :-)  I'm sure it has to do with what your parents taught you to call it growing up, and I honestly can't remember what my Mom calls the bathroom.  did anyone every used to "rest" in the bathroom, is that where it came from?  okay, so now I'm going to have to Google it....  so there isn't really a way to Google that easily.  and now that I think about it, there did used to be -- in "olden times" the separate sitting kind of area where women would sit and rest and talk, etc. away from the menfolk, so maybe that's where that came from.  anyway, enough on that topic.]

The staff in the store were really nice, but I wasn't able to buy a lottery ticket as they were switching out shifts so I missed my Powerball and MegaMillions chances last night.  Oh well, will just have to buy them for Saturday.  :-)

Back on the road and listening to an audio book (on CD, checked out from the Dayton library).  This one is "Pretend You Don't See Her" by Mary Higgins Clark.  7 discs; about an hour a disc, I guess.  I checked out a lot of these, as it's a great way to pass the time while driving.  The miles just fly by.  [and if you don't use the library feature of going online and requesting materials and then conveniently picking them up at your local branch, you are really missing out!  they can get pretty much anything, they figure out which branch/city has it, and then get it to you. ]

It was a little hard to get back into though as I had started listening to it on my last couple hours into Nashville, and then was reading a book ("One Dangerous Lady" by Jane Stanton-Hitchcock) at Connie's, and then back into the car listening to the first book.  I just needed a few minutes to switch my brain processors and pull up those mental files and all was good.

The drive though Chattanooga is really pretty, but lots of mountains and slower speeds.  And I realized that I was back in eastern time, which meant that I lost an hour and actually wasn't going to be in time to meet friends for lunch in Suwanee.  Hmmmm.....  so could I make up that time?  Yeah, no way.  So I sent a text to push lunch out.

And when I got back on 75 South, heading into GA from Chattanooga, I was surrounded by semis.  In the mountains, all going pretty fast.  Well, I'm a fast driver myself, but these trucks scare me.  [and I'm sure that all relates to the December accident when a semi ran me off the road about 5-6 years ago.]  Made it through that and then took 20-E north of Allatoona Lake through Canton and Cumming and then into Suwanee.  I was really surprised at how far north (of Metro ATL) that suburbia had spread.  All along 20 were new subdivisions advertising "from the $200s", "starting at $170s", "mid-$300s" which must have been at least an hour commute (on a good day) from most of the jobs in and around ATL.  Wow.

Made it to Jim N' Nick's BBQ (if you haven't been and have the opportunity -- go!  www.jimnnicks.com  in 7 states, but every location is locally owned) for lunch with Onj.  Em tried to join us, but couldn't find us in the restaurant (she should have checked the bar!) so she took her toddler to lunch at McDonald's.  :-)

After lunch, headed to Jan's home in Buford (my fabulous host for this part of the journey) and relaxed/read/napped/checked email until I met her and GC for dinner at my favorite ATL-area restaurant, Aqua Terra.  Great atmosphere, great service, great food and great company.  We pretty much didn't stop talking -- and laughing -- for several hours.  Thanks for going OTP, GC!  We appreciate the effort!  :-)

Jan and I got back to her house, changed into jammies, and got comfy in the living room and talked until the wee hours.  Finally, started yawning and realized that it was 1:30am!  Yikes!  But she's taking tomorrow off and we're playing in Buckhead, so it was all good!

Day 2: Easy does it

Connie and I watched Bravo television until the wee hours in bed with both dogs.  Cocoa sleeping on my stomach and Max lying in between us so that we both could pet him.  They slept with us all night.  [Connie's nephew is staying with her this summer while completing an internship, so he's in the guest room!]

This morning, Connie had to do a little bit of work, so I ran a couple of errands (had forgotten sunscreen and my camera USB cable) and then came back planning to relax by the pool.  However......

Yes, 100 degrees outside!  And no shade at all by the pool at her complex.  So, instead, we called around and found a place to get us in for massages (yay!!!), then did some shopping and had a fabulous Mexican dinner at US Border.

At dinner, a LOT of conversation about what I want to be when I grow up.  I'm so fortunate to have a friend like Connie who accepts all my ramblings and asks questions that really make me focus and frequently turn my thoughts in different directions.  Have a lot more to think about now....

Back home, with the pups and watching "Master Chef" while Connie crams for a test tomorrow.

Going to be a little early tonight so that I can hit the road to Buford, GA.  Night-night!

Day 1: 65 South to the Home of Country Music

So.....  when asked what I was going to do after my last day at NCR (after 14 years), and I answered, "going to visit some friends around the country I haven't seen in a while," the majority of YOU responded, "oh cool, you should blog about that".  [or something to that effect.]

I've never blogged before; never thought that I'd have anything I'd want to blog about.  But I'm going to try it.  I will warn you ahead of time; I'm detailed-oriented.  And I tend to think and talk -- and I assume, write -- in stream of consciousness.  That means a lot of meandering; if you're like my Dad ("what's the bottom line?") you may get frustrated and just skip to the end or stop entirely.  That's okay, you won't hurt my feelings.  :-)

Day 1:  the car is packed and I hit the road in the early afternoon to head south through Cincy and Louisville to Nashville and my best girlfriend, Connie.

It's a gorgeous day, and I'm listening to Lady Gaga's "Monster Ball" as I head south through Cincy.  [anyone else think that Lady Gaga's "Monster" sounds a lot like Ne Yo's "Beautiful Monster"?]  Flowing along just fine until I hit traffic just as I cross the Ohio River into Kentucky.  All lanes bumper-to-bumper; all the way through the 275 outer-belt.  What is that, like 10-15 miles at least???

And then when it thins out, there is no apparent reason for why it was bumper-to-bumper.  No construction with lanes merging, no cars pulled over to the side (not even on the northbound side of 75), no evidence of an accident.  Nothing.  So why the traffic???  Yes, I do just need to know!  Maybe we were punk'd by a group of truckers?


The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful.  I was tempted to stop at both the Maker's Mark distillery (yes, it has been designated a "National Historical Landmark", you can look it up) and Dinosaur World, but kept on going.  :-)  I did take a picture of the T-Rex as I was driving by.

I really only lost half an hour for the traffic south of Cincy, and missed rush hour in both Louisville and Nashville, so pulled into Connie's place right around 7pm.  I had kept her posted on my progress, and she had dinner ready about 5 minutes after I walked in the door!  Fantastic salmon -- she's set the bar really high for the rest of my hosts.  ;-)

We're hanging out -- she's doing some work around the house, and I'm learning how to blog -- talking and catching up.  Max and Cocoa (her pups) are sitting on the couch with me.

288 miles down........