So I’m on my little road trip after leaving Earl in Philadelphia this morning. Yesterday we got up early (what happened to sleeping in on the weekends?) and headed to Earl’s dad’s for a visit. It was all good; we caught up on family activities and what not and then headed over to Earl’s stepbrother Rick’s house to watch the Eagles game and hang out with them. Rick made a great meatloaf in the crockpot, Helen whipped up the mashed potatoes and we all had a great supper together. For dessert we headed over to their new Cold Stone Creamery. Wow! They give really big portions there. I couldn’t even begin to polish it off, since I’m not a huge fan of ice cream, but I made a reasonable effort.
This morning Earl and I picked up some items he needed for work and then I got him settled in his hotel room, where his boss and co-worker were meeting him for a customer meeting in Wilmington, Del. Earl’s now in full travel mode, from Philly he flies to Burlington, Vt. tomorrow then he drives home on Wednesday. I’ll be meeting him in Albany so he can drop off the rental car he’ll have. Lots of driving!
Since Earl was out of town and I had some vacation time to burn, I decided that the Acura needed to go on it’s first long road trip. After leaving Earl in Philly, I headed south on I-95 and drove all the way down to Washington, D.C. Well, actually around it, on the Beltway. I then picked up I-66 and drove across the top of Virginia. It’s been a long while since I’ve been through there and I find the scenery quite nice. The scenery was also quite nice in the traffic jam I sat in around Manassas. Eye candy galore though a little on the yuppy side for my tastes. Enjoyable, nonetheless.
After I-66 I took I-81 up to Hagerstown, Md. and jumped on I-70 west. I figured I’d drive up through Central Pa. tomorrow and get home in the early afternoon. If you ever drive on I-70 in this area, you’ll find the odd experience of I-70 not quite making it’s connection to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It actually misses the junction by about a mile or so, forcing you to travel through Breezewood, Pa.
Now this is an experience. I feel like I’m in the middle of nowhere, yet it’s lit up with neon like Las Vegas. There’s more neon here than one can ever imagine. Big signs for fireworks, travel plazas, Wendy’s and assorted gift shops and other odds and ends. Always a sucker for tacky, I decided to stay at the Holiday Inn Express here in Breezewood. It’s 7:46 p.m. and I have no idea what I’m going to do for the rest of the night.
But it’s an interesting adventure.
Tomorrow before heading home I think I’m going to check out one of the abandoned tunnels on the Pa. Turnpike. I even remembered my flashlight!
