Road Trip Musings

Ephrata, Pennsylvania to Rye, New York,  a mere 181 miles although it felt double that (will explain later).  Last night was our The Shining experience.  The Twin Pine Manor is just a bit off.   The house is big and a bit eerie and Norm the innkeeper a bit odd.  Promptly at 8:30 am the player piano begins the morning wake up call and keeps on fora half an hour or so.  Our room was right next door, spooky.  We high tailed it out of the Twin Pine Manor and spent the morning meandering around the Amish countryside, stopping at a few farmer's markets, a cheese shop and a market which puts Whole Foods to shame - everything was sold in bulk.  We picked up some fresh apple cider doughnuts, who can resist?  It is beautiful countryside and experiencing the Amish way of life is a culture shock every west coaster should behold.   We hit the road at about 1 pm for Rye, New York.  It was a beautiful drive through Pennsylvania, although it is remarkable the amount of corn we grow in this country.  Our pleasant day came to a grinding halt when we hit New Jersey and the east coast summer traffic.  There were points during the drive when it seemed we were jockeying for position, just to pay a toll.  The best was the Vince Lombardi rest stop just before the George Washington bridge.  This is the 'last' food and fuel before leaving New Jersey.  It was Jersey at its finest: bootleg cds and movies, knock off perfume and scalped tickets to the Jets game could all be acquired in this cultural mecca.  It costs $13 to cross the George Washington bridge - who can afford that on a regular basis?  We wound our way around Manhattan and headed for Rye to spend some time with family before our final destination - Poughkeepsie.   Thanks to Katie, Ken and Sheila for the hospitality - a delicious dinner with family who are not so far away from Vassar.   Until tomorrow, the last leg of our journey..

Lexington Virginia to Ephrata. Pennsylvania today, via West Virginia, Maryland and the Pennsylvania turnpike, 281 miles. We awoke to a rainy day in Virginia but had a lovely breakfast at the Frog Hollow, packed the car and headed in to the quaint town of Lexington to explore. We stopped in a shop owned by the same women, in the same space, for 35 years. Washington & Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute are both in Lexington so there were lots of college students and parents prowling around. We stopped in the local artisan coffee and cheese shop, Lexington Roasters and Cheese to You (they share space). We partook of the coffee tasting, met another mom and daughter driving cross country and bought some cheese for a picnic lunch. As we had no wifi last night, we could not blog at the B&B so we popped a squat next to W&L University, borrowed the wifi and caught up on our blog, ate the cheese with an apple and then hit the road. It was raining for a good part of drive on the 81 until we hit about West Virginia. As we passed through Maryland and in to Pennsylvania we finished our book on tape, Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. The end brought with it a few tears and we immediately set about casting the film as there is no doubt this will be developed in to a movie. When we got off the Penna turnpike (some $5 dollars in tolls later) we drove in through “Dutch” country to Ephrata which is in the northern part of Lancaster County, home to large Amish and Mennonite communities. The Twin Pine Manor is, well, eclectic but it is a bed for the night. We dropped our bags and headed out to find a covered bridge to photograph and watch the sunset. What we found was the most magnificent country side, farm homes, barns, animals, welcome faces and corn, lots of corn. The streets in the farming communities are lined with beautifully tended homes and barns, cows, sheep and goats grazing in the yard and chickens pecking for food. Many of the families were still hard at work in their yards, tending to crops or mowing their lawns. We saw a small gathering which looked to be a service on some sort. Laundry was pinned up in front yards and side yards. It was all orderly in a welcoming sort of way. And to top it off, the sunset was brilliant. It is really exquisite here in Amish country. We bought some peaches from a farm, received many hand waves and hellos and took lots of pictures. We ended our evening with dinner at the Udder Choice and back to the Twin Pine Manor. Tomorrow we are off to the East Coast Nixon’s in Rye and looking forward to dinner with family. Until tomorrow…

Gatlinburg, Tennessee to Lexington, Virginia, 305 miles. We got up early this morning to watch the sunrise and go for an early morning hike in the Great Smokey Mountains. We hiked the Laurel Falls trail to the falls and a bit beyond to experience the 'old growth' forest. Fortunately we did not encounter any wasp nests, as this is the most common pest in the park. The falls were beautiful, we mucked around for awhile, taking pictures and climbing rocks. The park itself is beautiful and vast. It reminded us of the Blue Mountains in Australia, wet, mossy, tall trees. We would have liked to stay another day at The Lodge at Buckberry Creek, it really is spectacular, but we had some miles to cover. On our way out of Gatlinburg we were very, very excited to experience Dollyworld, Dolly Parton's personal theme park. When we arrived, we thought it quite strange how empty the parking lot was, after all, isn't everyone a Dolly fan? We forged on to the front of the park, oddly enough to find it closed for the day but there was nothing and no one to stop us from walking around. It was as if the apocalypse happened and we were stuck in Dollyworld. As it turns out, Dolly's Christmas special is being filmed at the park and honestly, we could feel her presence. Off we went, headed for Lexington Virginia for the night. We couldn't help but stop at the gigantic rock store and antique mall along the way. We picked up a few good mason jars to decorate the dorm room and a tiny le creuset pan, perfect for one egg. The 81 highway is beautiful, farming land on all sides. We picked up some road food at a Kroger's in Bristol, Virginia, where the NASCAR Winston cup is hosted but we passed on visiting the motor speedway. We arrived in Lexington at the Frog Hallow bed and breakfast at around 6:30 pm. John was a lovely host but it was really Daisy the cat who stole our hearts. We walked around Lexington, a very quaint (and historic) town, ate at the Bistro (wishing we had made reservations at the Red Hen) and had gelato at Pronto where they were sweet enough to open up for us even though we arrived just after closing. We thought about going to the local drive in to watch Wolverine but were just too fried last night. Tomorrow will find us further east, not too sure where, but somewhere equally as charming no doubt. This country is full of amazing places. Until tomorrow .....

Nashville to Gatlinburg Tennessee, a mere 222 miles but we figured that the Great Smokey Mountains National Park would make a good stop, even if brief. We did pass through to EST today, so that counts for something. We stopped at Crema in Nashville this morning for some really good coffee. We discovered Crema when we visited Nashville in the spring as a family... even better than remembered. Afterwards we took a walk--the new Music City Center in Nashville opened in May, and it is a spectacular building. Completely green, encompassing three city blocks, cool art and architecture. Worth a stop if you visit Nashville. No road trip is complete without some crazy story or adventure. So off we went to SafeHouse Tattoo in a very hip little area called EdgeHill Village. Hummm, no judging please. In celebration, we visited Legato Gelato across the street. It was divine, and then we hit the road, headed for Gatlinburg. A quiet road day, no real weather to speak of, but a beautiful drive through Tennessee. We stopped in Knoxville for dinner. Knoxville has a great downtown, who would have guessed? We ate at Cafe 54 in an outdoor promenade, musicians strumming away, mostly bluegrass. Imagine the 3rd Street Promenade with about 1% of the people. Somehow, the musicians are more interesting in Knoxville. We ate a meal tonight in honor of TR and Lucas (whom we are both missing): mac-n-cheese and fried chicken and waffles. Like I said, it is hard to eat healthy on the road. It was a beautiful full moon over Tennessee as we drove toward the Great Smokey Mountains, hope it was the same where ever you are tonight. We pulled in to The Lodge at Buckberry Creek at around 10:30 pm. It sits at the footsteps of the park. Up early tomorrow for a sunrise hike in the Great Smokey Mountains and then we head north, leaving the I40 and heading up the 81. A new highway to explore. Until tomorrow....

Gotta love the South! Knoxville, TN

A few learnings so far: Be flexible Respect the Semi’s Don’t expect to eat healthy, but when you can, do it Traveling east with the sun setting behind you each day is a wonder This American Life rocks Give your book on tape a chance, it may grow on you

McLean, Texas to Fort Smith, Arkansas, 370 miles on I40 with a few stops along the way. We left Texas, drove through Oklahoma and on in to Arkansas. Last night's lodging, The Cactus Inn, was a perfect motel stop, our co-residents all hit the road before us but we were on the road by 9:30. A Phillips gas station was pristinely restored in McLean and yes, they pump .19 cents per gallon. We stopped at Canute, Oklahoma, traveling some of the original R66 cement (that is groupie speak) and then on to the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma for a history lesson. Did you know that parking meters were invented by two professors at the University of Oklahoma? Pesky pesky. The museum houses a collection of R66 artifacts mostly donated by individuals who have dedicated their lives to maintaining the importance of the route. We stopped at Johnnie's Grill in El Reno for a fried onion burger, the local cuisine and then on to Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City National Memorial is extremely impactful, with 168 chairs on a green lawn, one for each individual killed in the 1995 Oklahoma bombing. Do visit the museum if you go to the memorial - it is intense and powerful. The memorial itself is peaceful. It seems to ground the city, sitting right in the middle with easy open access to everyone. The city had a lovely feel to it, with lots of ongoing gentrification. We walked through the Plaza district, stopping in on the dna galleries which sold and displayed local artists work and wares. Most of the other shops were closed on Monday but it looked like a fun part of town. We bid adue to our time on R66 at Oklahoma City as we are heading further east, while R66 heads north towards Chicago. Oklahoma is another vast and open state, seeing it one understands what is meant by the heartland of the country. Oklahoma's telephone area code is "405", three numbers coveted rather than cursed by its residents. We crossed through to Arkansas late in the day, headed for Ozark but got only as far as Fort Smith. We ate Vietnamese cuisine at the Green Papaya and then checked in to the Courtyard by Marriott for two clean beds and a good shower. As for the vietnamese food in Fort Smith, Arkansas, we learned from the clerk who checked us in that there is a large vietnamese community here in Fort Smith including his family and while he considers his mother the best cook, the Green Papaya passes muster. Until tomorrow...