Road Trip 2013 Day 18

The best part of traveling is coming home. There is no place like home!  

The drive from Wheeling to Indy was not so bad. Leaving Ohio meant I was finally back in Indiana after 18 days on the road. 

Because I got to Indy early enough I was able to take a side trip up to Carmel to Quilt Quarters to pick up my Bernina babies. The "girls" were dropped off on Day 1 of the Road Trip for their annual clean, oil and adjust spa treatment. I am really looking forward to spending some time with them!

This has been a fabulous adventure. Really glad I went. I'm already thinking about where I should go on the next Road Trip Adventure. But right now I think a dip in the hot tub and a good night's sleep in my own bed sounds really really good!
 

Road Trip 2013 Day 17

The Road Trip adventure is coming to an end. I left Media Pennsylvania this morning and made it 354 miles to Wheeling West Virginia. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a pretty easy drive except for lots of construction and some very heavy rain. It rained so hard at times that I felt like I was driving through a car wash. 

I absolutely love the tunnels!

I feel really cozy and safe in these mile long tunnels. The pictures are kind of blurry because I really probably should not have been trying to take them. 

The turnpike has Service Centers with rest rooms, food and Starbucks.  Found another mug for the collection. The food is typical of all food we should not be eating but the mini pretzel dogs from Auntie Anne's were really tasty. 

There are some interesting names for towns or villages in Pennsylvania. How about the California University of Pennsylvania. 

Wonder what it would be like to live in Lover PA?  Or California PA? Wonder if there is a Pennsylvania CA?  Again, I probably had too much time alone in the car today, eh. 

Got checked in to the hotel in Wheeling then headed out for dinner at my favorite restaurant here, Ye Olde Alpha. Here is a picture from their menu. 

They "pride themselves in their dead animals."  You have to experience this place to fully understand. The description on the liver and onions entree says it is a generous serving of their "favorite organ."  Gotta love it! 

The shrimp Alfredo was terrific and I really did not need this piece of key lime pie but it was soooo good. 

Tomorrow will be the last day of Road Trip 2013. Kind of sad for it to be over but I am really anxious to be home again. It has been a very fun journey. 
 

 

Road Trip 2013 Day 16

Always a highlight of visiting the Harrington's in Media, PA is a drive to Amish country in Lancaster and Intercourse to check out the fabric stores and yarn and goodies and food. I forgot my phone so did not get many pictures but found some great treasures there. 

Here is an Amish bus. We did not get a ride but it looked like it would be fun. 
 

I found a really cool plant stand that stacks clay pots. Hard to describe so I will have to set it up at home and take a picture. 

Then there is always the handmade soaps. Besides being a fabric, yarn and thread junkie I am also a collector of good soaps. Probably have enough bars of soap to last more than a lifetime but I just love fun soap. What can I say, eh. 

It is always fun to go to the Old Country Store and see what they have. But it is the little stores just to the west of the main tourist center that have the best stuff. Beautiful batiks for just $6 a yard!  The back of my car is full of some really great treasures!

Nothing closes out a great day better than crackers and cheese with some good Chardonnay. 

I think I am ready to head back to Indiana before the holiday traffic so will be back on the road again headed west to Wheeling WV tomorrow. Should be home in Bloomington by Thursday night. Great big thank you to Susan and Chip for their hospitality here at the Harrington B & B!  

 

Road Trip 2013 Days 14 and 15

It has been quiet and peaceful here at the Harrington B & B for the past two days. 

Just what this traveler needed!  I did run out of clean socks yesterday but am not quite ready to get back on the road yet. 
 Laundry is done and the supply of clean socks restored!

Brother Chip had to make an unexpected trip to Tennessee to be with his 94 year old Uncle Bob in his final days. Uncle Bob suffered a massive stroke last week and Chip is his only family left. Susan and I have been hanging out, running errands and enjoying the energy of a Cairn puppy. 

Yesterday included a trip to the Elwyn Farms where the Harrington's have a membership. It's one of the farms that sell shares and members pick up whatever produce is ready that week. Yesterday Susan got tomatoes and potatoes and carrots, edamame and black berries. Very fun time picking black berries!  

The edamame was really tasty, too. 

Today Ramsey is going to Doggy Day Care while Susan and I go to Lancaster area to check out the quilt and yarn stores in Amish country. I'm starting to feel a little separation anxiety from my fabric and sewing machines. Must be almost time to go home, eh?  
 
 
 

 

Road Trip 2013 Day 13

This has been a very relaxing day as Road Trip Days go. The Harrington B & B is home to one of the cutest Cairn Terriers ever, Ramsey Harrington. Ramsey has more energy than should be allowed any one little dog!  

I could really get attached to this little guy. No, I do not want a dog!  

Susan and I walked over to a park right across the road and did some exploring. Glen Providence Park has been around for 80 or 90 years and is slowly being restored with paths and new plantings. Today there was a "pond walk" for the kids and we tagged along. Very informative about the Eco system in the park and ponds. 

This looks like a meadow but is actually a pond covered with algae and other water plants. 

Here is a snapping turtle on a log in the pond. 

We took a short drive over to Delaware to the Total wine store. I had never been to Delaware before today. Turns out that Pennsylvania has some strict liquor laws so people drive across the border to Delaware where there are these big box liquor stores with no sales tax. Such a deal!  Brother Chip needed to refill his wine cooler so we went shopping. For my quilting buddies I found a great label, Running With Scissors. 

Just wonder what is the history behind the label. 
 
 Terrific Day 13 on the Road Trip - no driving!  Still have clean socks so will stay here a little longer. 

 

Road Trip 2013 Day 12

Here I am at the end of Day 12 of my road trip adventure in Media, Pennsylvania. First, though, I have to include a picture of the sunset last night from my window on the tenth floor of the Marriott Courtyard in Niagara Falls. I was kind of feeling sorry for myself that my room was not facing the falls. Then this gorgeous sky reminded me not to miss the beauty around me no matter which way I am facing. 

 

It was a very good feeling to be coming back across the border from Canada to my country. The Rainbow Bridge is only 2 lanes crossing south and there were only 5 border gates open so it took about 30 minutes to cross. Here is the view from my car on the bridge. 

Again, the border guard was a Mr Grumpy Pants. Maybe the one just out of Michigan and this one are related. Anyway, after questioning me about what I purchased in Canada (I did not declare my 3 Starbucks mugs) I confessed that I had some fudge in the cooler. Apparently fudge is not subject to customs tax and I was allowed to pass. Whew!
 

The drive was supposed to be 394 miles and take about 7 hours.   I chose a route that took me through the beautiful little farm communities in New York state and the Allegheny mountains of Pennsylvania. The goal was to avoid the big cities as much as possible. It took more like 9 hours but what a beautiful country!

Again, my total lack of a sense of direction added some miles and time on the day's journey. When the annoying GPS lady said to stay to the right as I got on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I followed instruction as I heard it. Apparently I missed the part about the "second" right and found myself going north instead of south. It is hard to describe how totally frustrating this is so I will not try. When I explained my problem to the nice man in the toll booth about 8 miles to the north, he said, "Pay the toll, make a u-turn around these cones, take another toll ticket and try again."  Seems I may not be the only one to have had this problem, eh. 

Anyway, here I am safely checked in at the Harrington B & B in Media, PA where I intend to stay until I run out of clean socks. 

Road Trip 2013 Day 11

Niagara Falls is amazing!  Because I only have one day here I signed up for a 4 hour tour to hit all the highlights. There were only six of us on the tour and it was terrific. It started with the tunnels behind the Falls then to the Maid of the Mist boat. 

That is a lot of water!  They said that 20% of all the fresh water on earth flows over these falls. 

Very fun!

In the tourist trap plaza outside the boat ride, Elvis was singing. 

The guy was actually pretty good!
 

The bus stopped a a few tourist traps then to the flower clock and a butterfly conservatory. This one was much bigger than the conservatory on Mackinac. 

 

The tour gave me an idea of what was there and I got a walking map to set out on my own. For three hours I wandered the streets of Niagara marveling at all the trashy tourist stuff trying to drown out the beauty of this place. And so 

many people from all over the world!  

Found Starbucks and a new mug for the collection. Then I looked up at the Skylon Tower and decided I had to see this all from a different perspective. 
 
 

From the bottom. 
 

From the top. 

 

Very glad I got to see this amazing wonder!  Very glad to be heading back to US soil tomorrow. It will be a long day to get to Media, Pennsylvania to see my family there. But then, what's another 400 miles. On the road again!

Road Trip 2013 Day 10

Not much today except a lot of driving from Sudbury to Niagara Falls. My day started with a stop at the Best Buy to get a Garmin for the car. My cell service is not working in Canada and my sense of direction has never worked. The lady in the Garmin is annoying but so very helpful. 

The next stop was at a Starbucks where I picked up another mug for the coffee bar collection of Starbucks mugs.  This one just has Canada on it, not the city name but it will fit in just fine!

Before leaving Sudbury, I had to find the Big Nickel. Sudbury is a mining town, very industrial. The town is actually built around a very big hole in the ground that is a nickel mine. The Big Nickel represents the main product and economy of Sudbury. 

The GPS lady got me back out of Sudbury and on the Road south toward Toronto. I was amazed at the amount of road construction going on. Mile after mile- or I should say kilometer after kilometer. 

And then I got to Toronto. The road construction was not programmed in to the Garmin and my GPS lady sent me on an interesting drive. Now I really do not mind driving but in a big city at rush hour not so much!  It took us 1 hour to go about 5 miles on the QEW. Makes me really appreciate traffic in Bloomington. 

Here are a few observations about Canada and Canadians:

Canadians spell center "centre". That is so very British  

Canadians pronounce the word "about" to sound like "aboat". "Out" is "oat" and so on. 

Canadians finish sentences with "eh". It's like they want to make sure the sentence is ended, eh. 

So I think I had way too much time driving and thinking today. 

Niagara Falls is crazy with tourists right now and I am one of them!  Tomorrow I booked a trip through the Marriott to see all the highlights of the Falls. There were only 6 signed up when I checked with the concierge. That could be a very good thing ..... or not. Tomorrow will be another adventure, I am sure. 

Road Trip 2013 Day 9

Today was to be one with mostly just driving about 260 miles to Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. But first I had to cross the Mackinac Bridge, 5 miles of suspension bridge connecting the Michigan mitten with the Upper Peninsula. 

Just before crossing the International Bridge I stopped in Sault Ste Marie to see the Soo Locks between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. I had no idea that lake Huron was 20 feet lower than Superior. 10,000 ships a year pass through these locks in just the 9 months the are open for commerce. 

Locks open to lower water. 
 
 

Boats come in from Huron. 

Gates close. 
 

Water level rises the 20 feet in about 10 minutes. Very interesting!

I found a cute little coffee shop, got a latte and headed east across the International Bridge into Canada. The border agent was Mr. Grumpy Pants but he let me cross. 

There is not much to see or points of interest on the Trans Canadian highway. It is very pretty and dotted with tiny little burgs. However, just when I desperately needed my GPS I discovered that my Verizon service was not global!  So I got out my printed directions to the hotel in Sudbury and promptly got lost in downtown Sudbury at rush hour. Oh me oh my!  

The good part of getting lost in a city is that I see places I never planned on visiting. Not much in Sudbury, however!  The nice ladies at the TravelLodge gave me a map and directions and I finally  found the Town Place Suites. 

Three glasses of wine and a really good dinner later, I decided that a real GPS would be a good investment. The nearest Best Buy is just across the highway so this morning I will stop there to see what they have in the way of satellite GPS devices then back track a bit to the western edge of town to get a picture of ..... The Big Nickel!!!

 Today Wednesday will take me 300 miles east to Niagara Falls. With good navigation on board I should not have to drink so much tonight. 
 

Road Trip 2013 Day 8

Those of my friends who have traveled with me know that I have encountered a hurricane in Virginia and 2 tsunamis in Hawaii on my travels.  This trip it was a fire in the hotel adventure Monday morning!  At 6:30 am the fire alarm sounded then went off then on then off again. I am not one to panic which may or may not be a good thing. Since the alarm stopped I figured it was something minor. Until I opened the door to the hall and smelled the electrical fire smell and saw the hall filling with smoke. That's when I start to plan what to take with me and how fast do I need to leave. I checked out the window to see the fire trucks and firemen calmly carrying fire extinguishers toward the hotel laundry facilities. Hoses hooked to fire hydrants would make me nervous but fire extinguishers made me think this was not worth evacuating over. Turned out to be an electrical fire in the laundry. 

Whew!  My trip to Mackinac Island would not be delayed!  My dream of sitting on the porch of the Grand Hotel was going to come true!

I boarded the 9 am ferry at Shepler's dock and was off to the Island. The 9 am ferry takes a little jog under the big bridge then off into Lake Huron and Mackinac Island. I keep pinching myself to see if this is real. Ouch!  It is!  

After wandering a bit I got onto a tour carriage to see more of the island. 

Lots of horses here and thousands of bicycles. Very beautiful!  

And Starbucks!  And fudge! And more fudge!  The carriage dropped us off at a butterfly conservatory. 

Reminded me of my granddad who was a world renown butterfly collector. The ride around the island was informative and full of history lessons about the many wars fought to control the commerce and waterways of this area. 

I had the driver drops off at the Grand Hotel where I absolutely HAD to pay the $10 to experience the parlor and veranda where Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour filmed Somewhere In Time. It was spectacular!!!  

 
 We went up to the Cupola Bar where I could see the bridge and beyond. 

I think this is the phone booth where Christopher changed clothes in the movie. 

This was by far the best day yet on my adventure!  Today I head over the 5-mile long Mackinac Bridge to the UP and on to Canada.  Back on the road again!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Road Trip 2013 Day 7

It is Sunday, August 18, I think. I am seven days into my adventure and today was leisurely. Starting out in Bay Shore and Petosky I took M119 north along Lake Michigan. First stop was Harbor Springs. Parked the car and started wandering. Found this 124 foot yacht docked in the harbor.  

 Right across from the harbor was this beautiful home looking out over Traverse Bay. 

Wow!  So I bought some fudge and handmade carmel and decided this was way out of my league. Beautiful little resort town!

Back on 119 we headed up through the road known as the Tunnel of Trees road. Now my island of Kauai has a tree tunnel road about a half mile long but this one was miles and miles of road covered by a canopy of trees. 

 Stopped at Pond Hill Farms and checked out the pigs. So cute!  Six little piggies all in a row. 

Next stop was Good Hart General Store where I thought I should try a crepe. Oh me, oh my!  Way too much sugar today!  This is a cheesecake strawberry with chocolate crepe. Could not eat it all. 

Back on the road for another stop at Leg's Inn in Cross Village. Fabulous old, old inn with beautiful gardens and view of the islands and lighthouses in north Lake Michigan. They serve Polish food and had some lovely Polish dishes and such in the gift shop. 

From Cross Village I followed the lake shore as far as I could then headed north to Mackinaw City. My hotel is just at the bottom of the Mackinaw Bridge and within walking distance of the state park and lighthouse and downtown. 

Finally found the first penny crushing machine for Sara's collection. 

 Monday I will take the ferry to Mackinac Island and hopefully fulfill a dream of sitting on the porch of the Grand Hotel. Maybe a little bit of Somewhere In Time fantasy will come true. The adventure continues!