On the road to New England
Wednesday 9th April, 2008
Sadly today we had to leave Greenwood and our friends Jim and Bette.
Jim left for work at 7:00am and Bette left for an appointment at 7:15am. We were on our way at a bit after 8:00am.
We had good directions and found our way back to the Interstate very easily. We were on 25 to I85 and were soon in North Carolina. Just before Charlotte we headed onto I77 and 80 or so miles later we were on I81. We arrived in Staunton, Virginia around 3:45pm. It was a very scenic drive today, beautiful countryside.
Tomorrow we intend taking the Skyline Drive through the Shennandoah National Park.
We had dinner at a Cracker Barrell and rang both Bette and Amy in Utah before an early night.
Around 7:30pm there was a bit of excitement as the emergency services came into the hotel car park and spent time in the unit next door to ours before someone was taken off to hospital. Second time we have had things happening next door.
By the way..... 12 Wal-Mart trucks today which makes the tally for the trip 75.
Swear words, thanks to our friend in Texas who was arrested is now at 8.
Going to the wrong side of the car and errors with windscreen wipers/indicators remains unchanged - we have worked that out for now.
Thursday 10th April, 2008
Great day - started out in Staunton, Virginia and finished in Ronks which is just out of Lancaster, Pennyslvania.
We started out on the Skyline Drive through Shennandoah National Park, what an awesome place. 110 miles of great views - lots of photos and video taken. We`started out around 9am and finished the drive at 2pm. Then we headed to Toms Brook a small town featured in one of Rayls favourite books.
Around 3:30pm we headed down I81 towards Harrisburg and finished up in Ronks, PA around 6pm.
4 states today. Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennyslvania.
No Wal-Mart trucks on the Skyline Drive but we saw 10 on the road to Ronks for a grand total of 85.
Weàre just a few minutes from the Amish Community, Rayls will check out the quilt shops tomorrow.
Applebees for dinner - service was poor, food OK.
Friday 11th April, 2008
A day for Rayls in the Amish community near Lancaster, Pennyslvania. We started out at a fabric and quilt shop in a place called Bird in Hand. Then it was off to another fabric/quilt shop in Bird in Hand, this one Rayls had been too in 2006. After this it was off to the town of Intercourse where Rayls checked out some more shops. We did some filming and at one stage we were in an area where a jazz band was playing - this kept Gary occupied for a while.
The whole Amish area is fascinating, almost a blast from the past with the horse and buggies and manner of dress. They have single room schools and it is like a scene from Little House On the Praire. Rayls had a great time and around 2:30pm we headed north from Middletown, New York where we had booked a hotel.
This was a tough drive, local traffic, some wet weather and just downright blah conditions for driving - the scenery was good though.
It was just after 6pm when we hot into our Super 8 hotel. This hotel was anything but super. No internet when it said there would be access. No fridge or microwave and worst of all a person on the floor above us who walked the squeaky floor from the moment we got there to the moment we left. How much walking can a person do in a small hotel room. A complaint to reception at 11pm and 3am resulted in a promise of action but nothing happened. Indeed the 3am call took ages to be answered and the person who did answer had obviously been asleep - she promised to call the person but who knows???? The loud walking continued till we left. A complaint when checking out resulted in a shrug os shoulders. To get it off our chest, let it be known....... the Super 8 in Middletown New York is a bad hotel with reception people who care nothing about anything. Never will we go there again.
We did manage a bit of shopping prior to trying to sleep. JC Penney, Sears, Macys, Borders and Wal-Mart. Subway for dinner from a store attached to the Wal-Mart - shocking service from a guy I think once worked in St George, Utah and the food was just as bad.
Good first part of the day, average middle and bad end.
Saturday 12th April, 2008
Having slept little through the night we got out of this hell hole of a hotel. Gary did complain when checking out, fat lot of good. We were on the road - I84, around 8:30am and soon thereafter stopped at Montgomery for a Maccas breakfast - lovely service and good food. Feeling better already.
We soon left New York behind and entered Connecticut - then Massachusets and finally New Hampshire. It was good driving today, 320 miles to Center Harbor in NH. Here Rayls checked out Keepsake Quilting whilst Gary checked out the scenery. This area is very scenic around Lake Winnipesaukee where On Golden Pond was filmed. After shopping we headed the scenic way to Tilton and another Super 8. We think this was the same hotel we stayed in with Jim and Bette back in July 2001. Much better hotel tonight - the internet works, although the email won't send and we are on the second floor (first floor in Australia) so no noise from above. Jim and Bette have a contact in this area and stay here often, hopefully we may be able to spend time with them in this area on a future trip.
We had originally intended to go to Boston and into the state of Maine but we have changed our minds and hopefully will do those things with Jim and Bette on a future trip.
Tomorrow we will start our trip home by getting as close to Buffalo in New York state as possible - Buffalo is where Niagara Falls is - we have been there before but depending on how we feel we may visit again, this time from the US side.
