so here’s a detailed recap of the first day of our road trip. I pulled together little notes I wrote in my paper journal while I was on the road.
We got a late start on our road trip. The fact that we were too excited to fall asleep at a decent time had something to do with it.
We double-checked and triple checked everything before excitedly hitting the road at 11:45 A.M.
12:30 – We drove over the Throngs neck bridge entering the bronx, then crossed the Washington bridge into New Jersey… we were blasting music and happily singing along. So far so good…
12:58 - New Jersey – also lovingly referred to as “the toilet bowl state” greets us with a curtain of water, Dumping the skies onto our little automobile. The rain pounded so hard on the windshield that we could barely see the road.
The water-resistant but not water PROOF cloth bag strapped to the roof picked up a few gallons. With the extra weight bearing down on the metal, the ceiling slightly dented inwards into the cabin.
This left Eric swearing at New Jersey. “What a &#%(^& WELCOME! Thank you Garden State!”
1:35: The rain let up and we drove through Columbia, New Jersey. The sun came out from behind the clouds and it was all good.
1:55 – The odometer hit 170 miles. We stopped to fill up our tank at a little town in New Jersey called “hope”
2:15 – six miles from the Delaware Water gap. We stop for a scenic road side view. We added our names to a picnic table covered with graffiti from other road travelers over the years. If you ever happen to be there…check it out
2:25 – PENNSYLVANIA!
2:50 – checked out the Delaware Water Gap
3:35 – Driving through the beautiful Poconos. The view is breathtaking and the weather is beautiful. We have another “OH MY GOD! WE’RE ACTUALLY DOING THIS! WE’RE MOVING TO SAN FRANCISCO!!! WOO HOO!!” moment…
4:20 – We stop at Mom’s Dutch Kitchen in Dansville, PA
The Special is “All-you-can-eat-LIVER”. I’m not kidding. Look at the menu.
Eric ordered a big pile of YUCK. I stuck with the salad.
5:00 – Trapped in a long conversation with cashier when we try to pay for our meal. She tells us about her road trip to Alabama…every minute moment of it. She was really sweet, but we were already way behind schedule! We bought a Pennsylvania Dutch County shot glass at the gift shop.
7:00 – Sun is setting. We reached the highest point east of the missippi. Roads are swervy, we’re surrounded by trucks that are driving precariously. Beginning to feel a little uneasy.
And my cellphone fell somewhere in the boxes in the boxseat. I can hear it ringing but can’t reach it while I’m driving. I have NO idea where it is or where it fell. My family and friends now probably think we’re dead on the side of some road.
7:30 – Brooksville, PA – we have our first COW SIGHTING. “Cows! Cows!” Eric screamed out “We must be getting closer to Ohio!”
It’s starting to get dark.
8:30 – It’s dark. No sign of Ohio, just open road…
9:15 – Ohio!!!!
Now here we are in Newton Falls, Ohio and about to start Day 2 of our road trip.
I’ll update again when I reach our next motel stop.
