Hello Roadies!!!
We managed to get on the road yesterday, Wed Feb 15 at about 9:30 am. Since the first day's trip is exactly the same as it has been for each of the past four years I didn't take many pictures nor is there an awful lot to say. Misty was busy taking a bath and didn't want to bother with good-byes. Betsy hugged us and waved us merrily on our way. I took a few shots of a frozen, well-behaved Ottaquechee and also a few shots of the damage a raging swollen river can wreck. Stopped in Saratoga for a late brunch at my sister's. As usual she set a beautiful table laden with enough food to feed an army--chorizo, sausage, bacon,Canadian bacon, English muffins with English butter and jam, coffee cake of three types, orange juice and coffee. She sets a pan and eggs at the stove for Bill to prepare eggs in whatever way he'd like them, since neither she nor I are fond of eggs. Needless to say I sampled everything else and left stuffed to the gills. We follow back roads through Florida and Maryland New York from Amsterdam to Saugerties where we pickup 88 to Binghampton. This time I got a few shots of Scotch Bush --a tiny enclave of large houses literally cheek by jowl on a curve in the road. I've always loved that little village. The picture of the curved highway as we entered it is a shot I take every year--some years it has been totally covered by snow and or ice. Not this year. The scene is much like late fall, very early winter. Just amazing. Got to Binghampton around 6 and as usual got lost. How do we do that each year--never find the right exit for the motel the first time and have to back track. I think it is a mental block. Went to Applebee's for dinner since our favorite local pub is being renovated and will reopen in March. Met a couple of darling college grad boys --aged 24. One employed in construction but currently laid off, the other out of work. It is sooooo sad--these kids with degrees and no jobs--or at least not in their fields or offering them salaries on which they can live independently. Shameful. Relaxed chatting with them until about 9 and then early to bed and early to rise this morning.
As soon as we left the motel we hit freezing rain which very shortly turned to heavy snow. The whole Scranton--Wilkes Barre strip was horrible weather, trucks, fog and just plain awful---but it always is. Once we got through Ravine Pa we continued with fog but the snow turned to torrential rain. Temperature rose from 32 to 35 degrees and that was the condition all the way to Winchester Va when the sun came out and lo and behold the fields were green. Temperature rose to 50 degrees and we appreciated being in the South, sort of. Stopped in Harrisonburg, Va for the night at 4 pm. Took a quick hop down to Chili's--chatted up the bartender--another adorable young man and then back to the room before 6.
Blogging, charging phone and camera battery, uploading pictures and then TV. The weather was so tiring--I napped several times --missed most of the half hour in Maryland and the one in West Virginia. I've seen them lots of time before. Staying on 81 in Virginia is different territory but with the rain and fog there really wasn't much to see. The Shenandoah Valley is gorgeous, though. I looked for a rainbow but no luck.
Tomorrow we will start eastward south of Roanoke--so that will be no land--or at least we haven't been there for 25 years--I'm sure it has changed. Until then---nightie night, all.
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