Please Come to Boston....

The west-to-east leg of our journey ended last night in Boston. Once again, it was an anti-climatic end...no sign...nothing to say "job well done"...just pictures at the approximate spot where Highway 20 ends.

After a night in a very nice motel and a quick breakfast this morning it was out of Massachusetts and into New York, Rhode Island, Connecticutt, New Jersey, Deleware, and Maryland where we are staying the night before beginning the last day of what has been an amazing journey!

The highlight of today's adventures was the ferry ride from Cape May, New Jersey to Lewes, Deleware. The 80 minute ride was sort of a mini-cruise that included pictures on deck; wind-blown hair and all.

I know there will be adventures tomorrow as there has been everyday of this incredible trip. While I will be glad to get home, I am already thinking about our next Big Adventure.

Wining and Dining

It was a late start this morning which might have been a good thing since we were doing more wineries. It was a great day weatherwise...a little overcast, a breeze, and just right temperatures. We decided to do a few wineries on Seneca Lake today since we did Cayuga Lake yesterday.

When we got to our first winery, it was already lunchtime.  We headed out to the patio for a great view and paninis.  Service was very slow...the 10 minutes we were told it would take to have our sandwiches ready turned into almost thirty!

We did a total of 5 wineries today - 3 were at Three Brothers. Bagg Dare was the most unique place you could imagine. The wine we tasted there was too sweet for even me, but the atmosphere was great.

After our wine-tasting tour, we headed back to the motel for a nap. After napping it was dinner time (see why I called this blog wining and dining?!). We headed out to the Lake and a placed called Cascades. It must have been our day for bad service; 10 minutes into our arrival and still no service. I was really concerned when our salads arrived - iceberg lettuce, two cherry tomatoes, and three slices of cucumbers! All was forgiven when our food arrived...it was probably the best meal I have had this entire trip!

Of course no evening on the Fingerlakes is complete without ice cream. Tonight we passed on Tom Thumb's and instead went to Dee Dee's. What Dee Dee's lacked in view they made up for in cuteness. It was then back to the motel to get thing packed up for an early start towards Boston in the morning.

History in the Making...

Today Mike and I explored Auburn. We started the day with breakfast at the Auburn Diner...my first real diner experience! It was interesting to read the framed article about how the diner was saved and restored by Steve Bianco. A neat piece of Auburn History and a great breakfast.

After breakfast we headed to the Auburn Theological Seminary to tour Willard Chapel. Pictures will not do justice to the magnificant Tiffany glasswork in the small chapel. Two daughters consigned with the Tiffany Glass Company to build the chapel to honor their parents. As we were finishing the tour, the sun beamed through two of the windows...it was breath-taking.



It was going to be hard to beat the beauty of Willard Chapel, but we thought we would try by taking a self-guided tour of the mansions on State Street. Among these stately houses (hmmm, wonder if that is how State Street got its name?) was the home of William Henry Seward - Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln.

From grand to austure...we drove further down State Street to the home of Harriet Tubman.  It was a simple white house with no signs of grandure except for the purple clematis climbing up a post on the porch.  After taking pictures of her home, we headed out to Fort Hill Cemetary to find her place of burial. Her resting place was as simple as the place she lived.  A plain headstone with a few tokens to prove this great lady has not been totally forgotten.

Lunch was another diner experience at the Green Shutter...quick sandwiches before we were off to tour several local wineries surrounding Lake Cayuga. The Buttonwood Grove, The Thirsty Owl, Cayuga Ridge Estate, and Bet the Farm were our choices for today. The surprise of the day for me was the Cranberry Frost!

After a great dinner on the patio at Curly's, we took a drive around the lake for a sunset and an ice cream...a great nightly ritual.  It was a perfect end to a perfect day.

Mike calls Auburn his "spiritual place" and I understand why. There is such history here, great man-made beauty, and natural wonders that can't be rivaled. While there is no familial connection for me with Auburn, there is a heart connection that is growing stronger by the day.

New York State of Mind...Upstate, That Is!

This morning we left Erie, Pennsylvania and headed towards New York. It was a short drive to the New York stateline. I told Mike that whenever anyone says "New York" I automatically think of skyscrapers, cabbies blowing their horns, busy streets,  and people too harried to smile. What I saw instead were old ivy-covered barns, vineyards everywhere, white farm houses with clothes hanging on a line blowing in the breeze, and a Menonite couple in their buggy. It was idyllic, peaceful, refreshing...it was beautiful!

Driving though this serene countryside made the time fly and soon we were in Seneca Falls. A stop to take pictures and we were on our way to Auburn. Mike took me on a quick tour that included a couple of his favorite diners, the house where his mother was born, his grandparent's homes (and the middle of the street where one use to stand), the town of Skaneateles, and of course the Finger Lakes.

We found a quaint little motel called Sleepy Hollow - the yellow and white exterior beckoned us. It was check-in, change clothes, and off to dinner at the Oak & Vine. After a meal of great food, great wine, and great service; Mike finished the tour with a drive around Lake Owasco for the sunset and a stop at Tom Thumb's for ice cream and more great scenery.

Back at the Sleepy Hollow, we realized that we were the only guests...it was a little creepy...kind of like one of those horror movies where the couple ends up being chased by a guy with an ax. I like adventure (and we have had many), but that would be one that I could pass on...we will see! If we make it to the morning, we plan on a visit to the Owasco Lake Park, more site-seeing, and lunch at one of Mike's diners.

Those States That Begin With an "I"...

And a few others...this has been our travel log of the past couple of days...Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and now Pennsylvania. Iowa was beautiful - lots and lots of farmland with pristine little towns interspersed. Indiana and Illinois were the same except for Chicago (of course). However, we did see a deer standing on the side of the road in one of the suburbs just outside of the Windy City. Today took us into Ohio and Pennsylvania and more of the same...small towns (except for Cleveland of course) and lots of farmland. Since I didn't charge my camera for yesterday, some of these pictures are on loan from Mike...he does a really good job and has a keen eye, so I don't mind "borrowing" from him at all.

Tonight we made it to the ourtskirts of Erie, PA.  We found a very nice Mom & Pop place to stay the night - The Glass House Inn.  You can feel the festivities in the air...people are in the parking lot setting off fireworks and families are sitting out by the pool watching; the door to our room is open and we are watching too.

Our journey is winding down; New York tomorrow for a day or two and then (hopefully) on to Boston and then the trek homeward. We never know what a day on the road is going to bring to us - kind of like life, isn't it?!

The Long Highway Just Got a Little Shorter

This morning we left Cody, Wyoming with the intent to made it to Nebraska by nightfall. It was going to be a long drive, but we thought we had seen all to be seen in Wyoming and Nebraska is just farmland...right? 569 miles later we realized that we were not totally right.

The town of Thermopolis gave us gorgeous hot springs and rainbow terraces where the mineral water flows over rocks into a pool - a 127 degree pool! Then outside of Thermopolis was a sight even more breath-taking than the beaches in Oregon...the Wind River Canyon. It is hard to describe the majesty of the mountains and I don't think these pictures can do it justice.

I knew it was going to be hard to top this with anything in Nebraska; I was right, all the Corn Huskers state has offered so far are storm clouds (albeit amazing storm clouds) and grasslands. The storm cloud picture was taken by Mike from the car while I was driving...thanks Mike for sharing this one with me!

We lost an hour by crossing over into the Central Time Zone; so instead of stopping at an early 8pm like we had hoped, it is now after 9. We found a nice little Mom and Pop place to stay. Tomorrow the rest of Nebraska and into more farland in Iowa and we are not even going near Ottumwa...

Wild, Wild West...

We got an early start from Mountain Home, Idaho this morning; thanks in big part to Mike prodding me to hurry - which also resulted in me losing the car keys! Luckily, we did not have to unpack the entire trunk to find them. A quick breakfast and we were on the road to Wyoming!

On our way to Wyoming we saw the signs for and the signs of Craters of the Moon - an ancient volcanic eruption covered about 400 sq miles (thanks Wikipedia!) with lava flow.  At first glace this area looks like it has been destroyed by strip mining but when you realize what this is, it suddenly looks mysterious and interesting.

After a car tour of the lava fields, we were back on Hwy 20 our destination of Wyoming getting closer. Hwy 20 took us through Yellowstone National Park and a side-trip to see (yep, you guessed it) Old Faithful.  Just as we were heading up the walk to this natural wonder, it started to erupt.  Mike and I dashed ahead and were able to capture this moment. I was a little disappointed; I expected something monumental. There were geysers along the road that were much more spectacular and dramatic. And I learned that Old Faithful really isn't that faithful...no set-your-watch-by-it eruptions and the spewing can last anywhere from a minute to five minutes. But, it was Old Faithful and it was beautiful and it was a check off on my bucket list.

Our night ended in Cody, Wyoming. A cute little town that definitely embraces its western heritage. There is a rodeo going on in town, but we had no problems finding a very nice room.  A soak in the hot tub and a dip in the pool washed away some of the stress of the day. Tomorrow we finish up Wyoming and head (hopefully) into Nebraska. Everyday has brought a new wonder, new sites, new adventures and it ain't over yet!