I keep thinking we will be home today, but that will be tomorrow morning. We are getting an overnight flight (well 5pm our time, 10pm in the UK) and arriving into the crispy cold of dawn at about 6.40am.
We are checking out at 12 noon and returning the car (wish us luck) which is a few hours from now.
We are in an appt just shy of the airport. Staying still and just pottering about is very odd indeed, it feels like we need to be somewhere or doing something.
On arrival we emptied most of the car to see how much we had collected to return home with. We had purchased another suitcase a while back… but it wouldn’t hold everything. The sift and organising of three months of collections went into high gear.
There are lots of little shops around us including a Target where we bought a cabin bag sized backpack for any overspill. The car is empty and we had put it through a car wash (I have not documented that day but Matt certainly has).
We had contemplated getting the shuttle to the airport and navigating the tube system to go downtown, and the person on reception advised that it is Christmas markets weekend and the lights have been switched on to record crowds and the crowds and crush is at its peek this weekend, all sounded very exhausting. We know we haven’t really seen Chicago but there will be a next time. Organising, resting and packing have been the primary activities.
It has been restful just pottering and local exploring while gently packing,
The day before we settle into an apartment with a little kitchenette near the airport in Chicago. We took lovely pictures in Dwight and Matt explored the local library.
We woke in Joilet and only had 60 miles or so to fill, so it became it was a meandering day. We found Route 66 again, so turning full circle from the beginning of the journey.
We met a lovely lady who was responsible for a local theatre which had a rich history, dived into a hot fudge brownie ice cream on route66 (the shop we visited in 2016 was soon closing for the season on the 19th November). Also spotted Dicks on ‘66, a vehicle recovery service.
We had lunch in an empty cafe and served by a young fella who we hope was inspired to travel.
The last couple of hours of the day were spent in dense traffic as we approached Chicago, skipping past the equally jammed up toll roads. After stocking up for a few days at Walmart, we checked into an appt at dusk, parked our car to give it a good old rest. Freddy our adventure car was now on holiday until we drove him to the rental drop-off.
Is a little town in Illinois where a house was purchased with crowd-funding and now owned by the band and its label. Matt met the builder and sent videos to Max.
I have now booked the final apartment and we will be 50-70 miles from the airport (depending on the route).
Yesterday we drove over the state line into our final state, Indiana. Extra tipple tonight.
We were up and out early from the hotel which was ten shades of maddening primarily because I couldn’t locate our room in the maze of buildings with confusing number systems with little signage. After failing to pick up a light breakfast for Matt, I instead found myself directed to copious scrapbooking events with rooms full of… yes you guessed it… scrapbooks and tables. I gave up trying to find my room within the maze of corridors, and resorted to leaving the hotel in order to circumnavigate several car parks before re-entering the building to the room. It took a while to find my equilibrium.
We spent today in the Henry Ford Museum which was full of treasures and emotional moments, such as sitting on the original Rosa Parks’ bus which has been restored. The bus number above the driver seat hadn’t been touched, and we heard a recording from Rosa describing the day where she was arrested for failing to move to the segregated section of the bus. The well documented incident really hit me and I had a moment.
We then saw protected behind glass, the padded rocking chair in which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. He was at a theatre and had been shot from behind, before dying later that evening. We also saw one of the few original copies of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, which had faded but was so incredibly important. The museum also showcased the presidential vehicles, racing vehicles, trains, and heavy machinery and so much more.
I wanted to have a flat penny of the Rosa Parks bus, but the machine wasn’t working. Matt had spoken to someone who may arrange to post one to us, so that we can add to our growing collection.
In the hotel this evening, the host mentioned the remains of a fort in Defiance near a library which we will try to find in the morning.
We had no plan today, just an end point with the hotel booked just outside of Detroit. Just one more State remains, which we will likely get to explore in a couple of days. We have decided to spend the last three nights in Chicago, near the airport, so we can unwind, have a lie-in and explore locally, hopefully getting to see the Nighthawk at the Diner.
Today then was a joy, when we avoided the tolls, we were directed across a giant bridge to Lakeside Marblehead. We went off route to explore a beautiful peninsula. We had thought about driving around a safari, but we didnt want to risk damaging the car. We got to observe a wedding taking place near the lighthouse, I picked up a cosy wrap from the Ewe store and Matt spotted an unexpected giant muffler man to add to our collection.
All in all - a great day.
The hotel today is packed out, apparently Metallica was on tour yesterday and apparently the “scrapbookers” have taken over the hotel this evening (we have no clue what this is). We are having a quiet evening in, instead.
Forty six states down, with two to go. It was a cold night on an uncomfortable bed, so quite pleased to get into the car today. Our aim was to avoid the motorways as much as possible, and we ignored TomTom and took the scenic road clinging to the edge of a lake. We stopped at a bay, explored and took photos of a stone lighthouse. The scenic road meandered through little villages and we stopped at a library and post office.
We had lunch in Panera, where we overheard two people giving a presentation to a third person with the aim of that person committing to providing a significant ”gift” over a number of years. I left before he fully responded but could see he wasn’t convinced and letting them down gently.
We are spending the evening in an apartment in Ohio, it is quiet, cosy and comfortable. We have eaten a bowl of pasta and feel we will sleep well.
We left our hotel this morning and it was a gentle drive. We stopped to take photos of a farm building, and continued the journey. We were then diverted due to a car accident with lots of flashing lights from a number of services. We spent time at Niagara Falls and the hot chocolate thawed our fingers.
Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls located at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York. The three falls are Horseshoe Falls (also known as Canadian Falls), American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls and is the second largest set of falls in the World.
We could hear thunder of the falls long before we saw them. Indeeed the name Niagara means thundering waters. We paid the 10 dollar parking fee and went to find the loos.
I was captivated by the tame squirrels.
It was a good day, we spent most of it in Rochester.
Pretty library, followed by a good coffee in Imprint Coffee House.
A typical street in this area, I just love the different coloured houses.
Skipping over the Ontario Lake bridge… snapped this one out of the window.
Anyone for an elephant over a doorway in the “garden room”.
Firework trees on a cold autumnal day.
Who knew that New York was stunning and so very different from Manhattan which we have visited so many times previously. A series of towns connected by looping roads and little traffic. We are heading back towards Michigan and ended today in Syracuse.
We stopped several times, notably in Cherry Valley. We met Scott in Morrisville and gave a donation to their christmas tree.
Lunch was in a dinner called Kylies where we warmed up with a grilled cheese sandwich with home fries and dinner was at Daniella’s steakhouse just one floor down in the hotel, and the pasta dish followed by cheesecake was sublime.
It is whip-cold today but we had a fantastic chat with a chap in Union Station who had worked there 40 years before retiring, and was asked to return as a contractor six months later. He is 79 and he talked all of our legs off with stories of his trip to London. He had the broadest of accents and was a delight. We reluctantly peeled ourselves away only because the timer was ticking down on the parked car.
We saw the flying monkeys used in the wizard of oz, which are now on the roof of the union station.
Vermont is full of scenic byways, and is where many hiking routes commence, such as the Appalachian trail. We were charmed by the scenery and it is fast becoming a favourite. It is also home to Ben & Jerry’s Factory, the only ice cream factory which has tours so of course we had to attend.
A night off… or a night out.. so my blog is a little light. You can thank the Blue Moon or Baileys. :-) They are both equally to blame. Live music in a tavern, followed by pizza, crisps and lemon cake.
In America, the clocks go back this evening, so we will get a lie-in.
Tomorrow we visit the Ben & Jerry’s Factory Experience.
A restless cold night gave way to weak sunshine. We headed into Salem and parked in a multi-story which Matt had researched. A good five hours for parking was only a few dollars.
The local information office circled key stop off points in the town. The week before, Salem was heaving and every street was packed as it was a magnet for the crowds heading into Halloween. All parking was revoked and locals talked about the streets being so full, you couldn’t see your feet. Having attended a local event in Southend (light show) can I well believe it. Today we still saw groups of people all dressed up as witches… unless it is their normal wear.
We visited an art gallery in a Satan Church, a bewitched monument, a Witch Museum as well as a monument to the Salem Trials. These areas were packed with tour guides shepherding pockets of people who were enthralled by stories and over-acted theatre. When you dodged the touristy streets, Salem is lovely harbour town, full of tall wooden buildings and significant history.
We got chewed up by the Toll roads travelling up to Maine, but luckily they had cash lanes so this felt like a win.
We passed from Massachusetts into New Hampshire and then Maine. A Three State Day.
Another packed out day. We woke and had breakfast in bed (why not) and once again packed the car which is now a well-streamed process. Record was enabled on the TomTom in order to track the route. First stop today was HG Wells’ home (which had been moved to its current location. We parked the car nearby as Matt has spotted a lovely building with a green roof.
We then popped into a library and the kind person behind reception gave us stickers for our suitcase as they didn’t have any bookmarks. The library was hosting an extensive exhibition about mass incarceration documented by Mumia Abu-Jamal.
After leaving the library, we saw a lovely building and clock tower and added these to our camera snaps too.
The primary stop for the day was the John F Kennedy Presidential library and museum which is one of Boston’s most popular tourist attractions and has hosted 6 million visitors from around the world. We visited the museum, but wanted you to know that the Library’s Archives include more than 5 million pages of personal, congressional and presidential papers of John (Fitzgerald) Kennedy the 35th President. It also houses the papers for Robert F Kennedy and more than 400 individuals who were associated with the administration. The library also hosts the Ernest Hemingway Collection, holding 90% of the writers manuscripts. The Archives also hold 12000 reals of sound recordings, 5000 video tapes and 1.5 million feet of motion picture film as well as 25000 volumes of printed materials. I didn’t memorise this detail, luckily the details were in a brochure.
The John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, built with private donations from 36 million people from around the world. It overlooks the sea with views of the city that launched him into greatness. Mrs Kennedy selected I.M Pei as the architect for the library as she felt he was filled with promise and imagination.
On arrival we purchased tickets and received a sticker of the presidential seal for entry. Later in the day, I was kindly given a second set to use for suitcase stickers.
We took pictures of his boat which is part of the exhibition facing the sea, and watched a 20 minute introduction to his early life up until he was named the party nomination. We then wandered through a labyrinth of exhibitions including the 1960 Campaign Trail, watching recorded debates between Kennedy-Nixon, Election Results, Inauguration and the bible he used, through to a replica of the White House corridor with rooms peeling off each side with immersive sound and vision of significant events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and black Friday, the Civil Rights and replica of the Oval office with his desk.
We had lunch overlooking the bay watching planes taking off and turning in the sky.
To end the packed-out day, we visited the Museum of Bad Art which was relocated about a year ago to share space with a brewery. There were some real corkers, one looked like I do when faced with tangled up wires. We purchased a tshirt and a 2024 calendar. Matt walked out onto the terrace roof for pictures. Among the streets, were many homeless which was heartbreaking to see as we left Boston.
TomTom and Google Maps navigated around the Toll roads and the traffic was crawled to the apartment for the evening.
In the rain we travelled to see the museum for Mark Twain in his home town of Hartford. We picked up a few bits in the store, and then explored. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed, but we could walk around the grounds of the family home. In the exhibition, were stories if his family and what influenced him growing up. Mark Twain invested a fortune in the James W Paige automatic typesetting machine, and the most skilled composer could set over 1500 words an hour, six times faster than the leading machine, however it was prone to breaking down.
We had refreshment in the café and the host couldn’t have been kinder. Matt took her photo and the conversation flowed. I picked up some delicious handcrafted gourmet chocolates from Fascia’s Chocolates in Waterbury.
We briefly chatted to Max, who had picked up his developed film and had shared some of his photos.
A little less driving today. This side of the country is densely packed, we have left the long empty roads behind us.
This morning seems so long ago. It was a packed-out-day and left early, pointing the car towards the state capitol, Albany.
TomTom is keen to find all the toll roads, and whilst we absolutely don’t mind paying tolls which are typically just a few dollars, in cash, any electronic toll means our car rental will charge us 25 dollars for each instance. We followed Google Maps to avoid the tolls on Moxie instead, which was a breeze. It was only a short drive, and you wouldn’t have known we were heading into a city, until we approached the last few miles. We were again able to park directly outside the museum. Before heading in, we ascended the stairs to take photos of the Egg, which is a performing arts venue. We also got to glimpse the State Capitol when we left the city.
The museum was on one floor, with achives and the state library above. It was full of art, treasures, excavations through the history of the State (New York) ending in more recent events including seeing the set for The Muppets, and an unexpected exhibition for 9/11. A 20 minute interview from one of the firefighters who entered the tower filled the hall, and he was the only one from his station to survive. His words will haunt me. There was also a section of one of the planes, and my heart hurt when I placed my hand on it's cold crumpled surface. I can’t find the words to explain what I felt and how sobering it was to see displays with real stories behind each artifact. We also learnt that the towers had five permanent locksmiths along with hundreds of caretakers.
On our visit, we also helped a homeless man who was sat on the floor suffering from toothache. We briefly left him to get a bottle of water and pain meds out of the car, we hope is is ok.
We had a lovely lunch in a proper Cafe in a gorgeous town. We had an unplanned stop for an outside sculpture garden (by this time, my camera had filled up the card so I took mental photos instead). The garden was more like a field, full of trees, where eerie structures gathered. I can only imagine the shadows they will cast at dusk and dawn. There was a giant metal spider in the wooded walkway, built from twisted objects that would not have looked out of place on the set of War of the Worlds.
The total miles today was fewer than than yesterday but it was slow-paced through beautiful villages, crossing rivers and lakes in New York. We cut a corner across Massachusetts but we will be revisiting this state in the next few days to trace a line across the coast.
We were delighted to spot signs to Norfolk, a Whitby family favourite in the UK. This was a charming village and took a welcome break to explore.
The second half of the journey was tiring, through many winding villages but they were so very enchanting. I feel New York as a state, is now in my top 5 list.
Our hotel is comfortable, and the kind lady on the reception was able to rustle us up a carton of milk so we can have coffee.
This evening America is in full trick or treat mode. Do ask Matt about Truck & Treat.
We avoided the bread at breakfast - fruit flies! Anyway, fuelled by yoghurt and cereal we spoke to Maxy which was a delight, then packed up the car. The first stop was in Scranton where we located the paper mill from the opening credits of The Office. It truly is a paper mill and they had a dedicated area for the show in the lobby. It is located on Vine Street which was confusing, as there are two Vine Streets in Scranton four miles apart.
We had a coffee stop and got to speak to Cherry and Tim.
It rained heavily until 4pm but it didn’t dampen our adventurous spirits.
Played pool this evening in the hotel reception. I came second in each match we played. Practice makes perfect.
We are in New York (in Cobleskill) and tomorrow we head into Connecticut.
A week or so ago, in passing conversation, we mentioned we were visiting Centralia - and the people we were speaking to had no idea that this town has been all but abandoned, due to a 60 year old underground fire that cannot be extinguished and will likely burn for another 100-200 years. The film Silent Hill in 2006 was inspired by the events in Centralia and filmed in Virginia.
Today there are a few houses, with a handful of residents who fought to remain. It is the most famous of US Ghost Towns and has made the international press.
This was a world where no human could live, hotter than the planet Mercury, its atmosphere as poisonous as Saturn's. At the heart of the fire, temperatures easily exceeded 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit [540 degrees Celsius]. Lethal clouds of carbon monoxide and other gases swirled through the rock chambers [ David DeKok, Unseen Danger: A Tragedy of People, Government, and the Centralia Mine Fire (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986)]
This short video gives you a little more detail: https://youtu.be/NSIjB96H4Sc
We carefully criss-crossed some of the visible roads. The fire station sits lonely empty with a few houses. At the end of Big Mine Road, down the hill, we discovered a Geyser which can get as high as 15ft. Today it was a couple feet high.
The Geyser is on private land with a huddle of houses nearby. I left the car to take photos and was chased back by dogs, first you hear them, then you see them flying in your direction. Those that know me, know I don’t do running. If an Alsatian is barking and heading in your direction, you move. Luckily a fence held them back (I didn’t see the fence), you dont when you are running. Matt was super chilled out… he was in the car.
I took lots of photos of streets we passed later in the day on the way to the hotel. This is just one tracking our journey.
