Day Twenty Two: There and Back Again
We are finally home!
We left Erie, PA fairly early this morning and drove to Little Falls to see the Viking Ship Draken Harald Hårfarge. The ship has sailed from Norway, down the St. Lawrence, through the Great Lakes, and is now parked in Little Falls on the canal on its way to New York City.
We wanted to go aboard, but the line was very long and after all of the travel, we really wanted to get home. So we took our pictures, bought a t-shirt and headed home.
So here are the Top 10 Things I Learned Now That I’ve Been There and Back Again:
- Driving at 80 miles per hour legally is fun.
- Driving in Chicago and Ohio is decidedly NOT fun.
- I have a real appreciation for exactly how big this country really is.
- I’m kind of envious of the opportunities available in college that weren’t necessarily there when I went.
- I’m awed at the beauty of our nation; be it in the rough beauty of the Badlands, to the grandeur of Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, to the beauty of the mountains.
- Time and distance makes problems seem very small and insignificant.
- Hotel wifi is incredibly inconsistent.
- Most of the country seems to be covered in corn and soy beans.
- Home is where the heart is.
- There really is no place like home.
Now, I’m going to relax in my own house and sleep in my own bed tonight! I’m not sure when I’ll blog again, but it will be soon…maybe after I go back and face work after leaving for three weeks.
Happy journeys!
Mike
Read MoreDay Twenty One: Homeward Bound
Today,we said good bye to Cincinnati and headed northwest to our last hotel of our trip in Erie, PA.
I have to say, I couldn’t be happier to see this sign:
Because it meant: I DIDN’T HAVE TO DRIVE IN OHIO ANYMORE!
<begin rant>
Driving in Ohio has been an adventure that I do not want to do again for a while. I thought at first that it was because we were near Cincinnati – a city with its share of traffic issues. People would pass on either side of you and if there enough room to put a sheet of paper between your front bumper and their rear bumper, they had no qualms about cutting in front of you. They also seem to assume that you have to yield for them when they are cutting in front of you.
Like I said, I thought it was city related. But as we drove further and further away from Cincinnati, the driving didn’t change at all. Twice I had people cut in front of me such that I had put on my brakes because I would have hit them.
I know that I’m used to driving in the country, but I’ve now driven across the country and back. I’ve driven in Boston and all the way to Florida. I have to say I hated driving in Ohio more than anyplace else (except maybe Montreal, but that’s a different story).
And what’s with driving right up to my rear bumper so that all I can see is your grill when you can clearly see that I can’t move over or speed up? It’s not like I can go anywhere so doing that is only going to piss me off!
</end rant>
After we completed the “Escape From Ohio”, we found our hotel and ate at Quaker State and Lube.
My son and I had wings which where awesome! Tonight, we adjourned to a Barnes & Noble because the wifi in the hotel was sketchy at best…one of the hazards of traveling.
Tomorrow, we arrive home after taking a slight detour to Little Falls to see a Viking longboat that has sailed all the way from Norway, down the Saint Lawrence, through the Great Lakes and across New York State using the canal system. Gives a new definition to “Viking River Cruise”.
Happy journeys!
Mike
Read MoreDay Twenty: Under the Sea
Today, we went to the Newport Aquarium, across the river from Cincinnati. Here;s the view of downtown Cincinnati from Newport:
The aquarium was really great and we saw many things I’ve never seen before like a shark ray:
And weedy sea dragons:
And jelly fish:
And many other things like sharks:
Sea turtles:
Lion fish:
Dory:
Sea horses:
Chameleon:
“Mighty Mike” – the alligator:
And penguins:
As we finished touring the aquarium, we had to cross the Shark Bridge – a rope bridge above a tank filled with sharks with freakin’ laser beams on their head…OK, no, laser beams, but it was an enclosed rope bridge over a tank of sharks. Here’s the view from inside the bridge of the sharks below:
Here’s the view of the top bridge from inside the bridge:
It did make me feel like James Bond…okay, maybe Austin Powers…
After we finished the tour, we came back towards the hotel and stopped for Graeter’s Ice Cream (a Cincinnati favorite). We later went out to Montgomery Inn – home of my favorite ribs and barbecue sauce with other friends. We eat and talked for a long time.
Tomorrow, it’s on to Erie, PA – we’re almost home!
Happy journeys!
Mike
Read MoreDay Nineteen: An International Lazy Day
After what feels like a week in the car, today we had no place we had to be until later in the day, so we did…almost nothing. We had a very late start and went to Panera for a late breakfast. From there we went to Jungle Jim’s, a grocery store with almost every kind of food you can imagine. It had food from almost every country you can imagine. As a result, we were kind of in heaven!
My son, who likes to try all sorts of food, bought the following haul of snacks from Finland, England, Germany, Netherlands, and Japan:
And I purchased this: kvass, a drink popular in Russia made from rye bread. I mentioned it in The Reluctant Captain when Malcolm and Joan are talking about food.
It has a sour taste when it starts and a toffee after taste. I’m glad I tried it, but I don’t think I’ll be trying it again anytime soon.
Tonight we went out with friends to the Iron Chef Grill, a hibachi restaurant to cap off our international day.
Tomorrow, we’re thinking of popping over the river to Kentucky to Newport Aquarium and dinner with more friends.
Happy journeys!
Mike
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Day Eighteen: Hoosiers
Today, we toured Indiana University. Here was the view from the Admissions Parking Lot:
We took the shuttle bus up to the Admissions Building. After a presentation, we started the tour of the campus:
One of the cool things was next to the Chapel on campus is the family cemetery of the Dunn family (who donated much of the land where the campus is located):
After the Campus tour (which was very hot – it was over 90 degrees with humidity to match), we toured one of the resident halls and ended up eating at the dining area:
We left late in the afternoon and travelled out of Indiana to Ohio:
We survived the traffic and arrived in Cincinnati, hot and tired. Although now that we’ve had dinner, everyone is much happier!
Tomorrow, there isn’t much on the docket – our plans right now consist of going to dinner with friends.
Happy journeys!
Mike
Read MoreDay Seventeen: The Corn is as High as an Elephant’s Eye
With a not so early start today (we had fewer miles to drive today), we left Iowa and headed east. This was our view as we hit the road (which has kind of been our view for the last couple mornings):
Very soon, we crossed the Mississippi and entered into Illinois – this time we actually had a sign welcoming us:
We continued driving across Illinois (and avoiding Chicago). The following was our view when we ate lunch at one of the Rest Areas of Highway 74. It added a little je ne sais quoi to our lunch:
On we travelled across Illinois – swinging by Peoria:
And lots and lots of corn:
Eventually, we crossed into Indiana:
And after driving through the country, we finally arrived in Bloomington. After settling in at our hotel, we went to downtown Bloomington for dinner:
Tomorrow, we take our tour of Indiana University and then travel to Cincinnati to connect with friends.
Happy journeys!
Mike
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