photos
We're home! Clay said he would post photos for each entry after we got home. He didn't say when so all I can suggest is checking back if you're interested.
We got up pretty early again. Clay expressed a desire last night to return to Mt. Airy so we needed to get on the road. I thought he meant to just return on the Interstate, but he had other plans so I was surprised today. He has been having better luck programming his custom maps in small segments so they have worked over his phone in the car. Today he programmed first stop at Bob Evans in S. Charleston. I finally got my fried mush! Last breakfast was worth the wait. Next he programmed to Mt. Airy's Snappy Lunch with no tolls. No tolls basically meant no Interstates through West Virginia but we didn't know that. So basically Google was toll booth hopping on and off the different Interstates to avoid tolls! It took us both a while to realize that is what was happening, but it did. So, we made pretty good time while still enjoying some small scenic drives. We drove along the Paint Creek Trail & Byway for a while and enjoyed a stop at a small park alongside the babbling stream. We hadn't planned it and Clay said he hadn't looked at the route when he programmed and saved it so we were both surprised but I found this later. Later we were able to stop and visit Tamarack, a kind of West Virginia showcase. We saw some glass blowing. We learned that Fiestaware is made in WV.
We got to Mt. Airy in time to see them close Snappy Lunch for the day! We had lunch instead at Walker's Soda Fountain. That was even better as Clay got his long awaited hot dog and I ordered a chocolate malt that was delicious and big enough for 2. Clay got the $5.99/lb. malted milk balls he wanted at Opie's Candy Store. Finally we went to Mayberry Spirit Co. for a distillery tour and tasting at $10pp. It was very interesting and we were not converted to be whiskey drinkers. It also turns out that in the last 20 years NC has gone from having no legal distilleries to I believe 35 or so. There is a NC Agriculture sponsored Distillery Trail through NC. It turns out there is a Brewery Trail through NC too. Clay would like that one better.
That was the end. We caught our last rain with a small heavy thunderstorm leaving Mt. Airy. We drove out of it pretty quickly. We got home about 5:30pm. Everything is fine here so that is always a relief.
Next trip is to South Carolina next month to view the total eclipse of the sun!
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Little Bob hits the road
Little Bob hits the road
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Friday, July 21, 2017
Canton Ohio to Charleston West Virginia
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We slept well even with the little square pillows and the uncomfortably damp air in our cheap Quality Inn room. I think we were just really tired plus we'd had a late rich meal. There is also the issue of my new medication which may be making me so tired. Dr. Carnes had me on 1mg Neupro patches for 2 weeks. Yesterday I doubled to 2mg patches. In 2 more weeks I am supposed to double to my target dose of 4mg. One problem is that evidently the size of the patch doubles with each increase! I guess inconveniently sized patches should be the least of my worries.
We got up early hoping to beat the teen football team to breakfast and just did. We left early so they could have our seats. The hot & cold buffet was good. We have been passing a lot of Bob Evans!
We got to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as they were just opening. They had almost all the parking covered with giant tents they were setting up for an event so there was a snafu with parking but it worked out. Clay had purchased our tickets and parking online in advance. We pretty much walked right in. It was more interesting than I had expected. We spent 2 hours.
As we were driving south on I-77 I asked Clay where he had put his tablet since it wasn't where he had put it each day. He didn't know. Now exits were scarce. After what seemed like a long time, we got off and found the tablet loose in the trunk. That was the best possible outcome since the other possibilities had been atop the car or by the TV at the Quality Inn! We stopped for lunch in Cambridge, OH for lunch. We joined a bunch of antique car owners at Mr. Lee's American Restaurant. It was good but it took longer than we expected. We had somewhere to be in West Virginia by 3pm! It was raining as we crossed the state line so no photos of the sign. It was only the 2nd time we have had a few hours of rain the whole trip. It rained between Chicago and Cleveland that afternoon we drove that stretch. We are spending the night tonight at the Four Points by Sheratonn in Charleston, WV. But a few miles beyond was something interesting I'd found online. We headed straight to J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works. It was fascinating. They gave us a private tour even though we arrived a few minutes after 3pm so it worked out. We drove back past the WV Capitol building to get to the hotel. It turns out they have no complimentary parking. I guess the website didn't mention that or Clay would never have chosen it. Otherwise it is very nice. We are on the 9th floor with a view of the parking garage.
We couldn't come to an agreement about where to eat dinner or what to eat. I finally conceded to Pies and Pints that Clay was pushing because it was so close and mine was a 20 minute walk or as I said we have a car. Anyway, we walked out the front door and there was a street fair with live music out along the river! We were surprised, though I guess they do it every Friday all summer. We were glad we hadn't arrived later since it was the road we drove here on that was shut down for the street party. It was 6pm and the food trucks weren't open for business until 6:30pm. Clay wanted to eat here. I balked. We walked 20 minutes to Pies and Pints where there was a half hour waitlist to be seated. Since I didn't want pizza anyway, I refused. We walked past a half dozen restaurants to get to that one! We walked back and went to Ichiban. It was just as busy but I think it was much larger and we were seated immediately. I cannot recommend it as the teriyaki chicken wasn't really but it was a full plate of stir fried bell peppers. Clay ordered some gyoza dumplings and a side salad. He had plans for a 4 bone rib serving from a BBQ street vendor when we returned to the Four Points. He had also noticed the Kettle Corn tent even though I pointed out popcorn had taken out his crown. Clay hit on success as he got his ribs and thought he had lucked out. He ate from Dem 2 Brothers & a Grill. Evidently they are very good and popular.
In the morning we'll start our last drive home by looking for a Bob Evans since no breakfast is included here. It will be good to be back home. That may be the new medication talking. I feel very dizzy and unsteady on my feet. It took me 3 days into the 4th day before side effects settled on the 1mg dose so I hope this one even out too. The bad news is that I don't think there is any positive effect on the tremor. If anything, the medication has strengthened or enhanced the tremor. Time will tell.
photos
We slept well even with the little square pillows and the uncomfortably damp air in our cheap Quality Inn room. I think we were just really tired plus we'd had a late rich meal. There is also the issue of my new medication which may be making me so tired. Dr. Carnes had me on 1mg Neupro patches for 2 weeks. Yesterday I doubled to 2mg patches. In 2 more weeks I am supposed to double to my target dose of 4mg. One problem is that evidently the size of the patch doubles with each increase! I guess inconveniently sized patches should be the least of my worries.
We got up early hoping to beat the teen football team to breakfast and just did. We left early so they could have our seats. The hot & cold buffet was good. We have been passing a lot of Bob Evans!
We got to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as they were just opening. They had almost all the parking covered with giant tents they were setting up for an event so there was a snafu with parking but it worked out. Clay had purchased our tickets and parking online in advance. We pretty much walked right in. It was more interesting than I had expected. We spent 2 hours.
As we were driving south on I-77 I asked Clay where he had put his tablet since it wasn't where he had put it each day. He didn't know. Now exits were scarce. After what seemed like a long time, we got off and found the tablet loose in the trunk. That was the best possible outcome since the other possibilities had been atop the car or by the TV at the Quality Inn! We stopped for lunch in Cambridge, OH for lunch. We joined a bunch of antique car owners at Mr. Lee's American Restaurant. It was good but it took longer than we expected. We had somewhere to be in West Virginia by 3pm! It was raining as we crossed the state line so no photos of the sign. It was only the 2nd time we have had a few hours of rain the whole trip. It rained between Chicago and Cleveland that afternoon we drove that stretch. We are spending the night tonight at the Four Points by Sheratonn in Charleston, WV. But a few miles beyond was something interesting I'd found online. We headed straight to J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works. It was fascinating. They gave us a private tour even though we arrived a few minutes after 3pm so it worked out. We drove back past the WV Capitol building to get to the hotel. It turns out they have no complimentary parking. I guess the website didn't mention that or Clay would never have chosen it. Otherwise it is very nice. We are on the 9th floor with a view of the parking garage.
We couldn't come to an agreement about where to eat dinner or what to eat. I finally conceded to Pies and Pints that Clay was pushing because it was so close and mine was a 20 minute walk or as I said we have a car. Anyway, we walked out the front door and there was a street fair with live music out along the river! We were surprised, though I guess they do it every Friday all summer. We were glad we hadn't arrived later since it was the road we drove here on that was shut down for the street party. It was 6pm and the food trucks weren't open for business until 6:30pm. Clay wanted to eat here. I balked. We walked 20 minutes to Pies and Pints where there was a half hour waitlist to be seated. Since I didn't want pizza anyway, I refused. We walked past a half dozen restaurants to get to that one! We walked back and went to Ichiban. It was just as busy but I think it was much larger and we were seated immediately. I cannot recommend it as the teriyaki chicken wasn't really but it was a full plate of stir fried bell peppers. Clay ordered some gyoza dumplings and a side salad. He had plans for a 4 bone rib serving from a BBQ street vendor when we returned to the Four Points. He had also noticed the Kettle Corn tent even though I pointed out popcorn had taken out his crown. Clay hit on success as he got his ribs and thought he had lucked out. He ate from Dem 2 Brothers & a Grill. Evidently they are very good and popular.
In the morning we'll start our last drive home by looking for a Bob Evans since no breakfast is included here. It will be good to be back home. That may be the new medication talking. I feel very dizzy and unsteady on my feet. It took me 3 days into the 4th day before side effects settled on the 1mg dose so I hope this one even out too. The bad news is that I don't think there is any positive effect on the tremor. If anything, the medication has strengthened or enhanced the tremor. Time will tell.
photos
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Cleveland Rock n Roll Hall of Fame
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We got an earlier start today given our bad luck yesterday. We went to the lobby of the Hampton Inn for their complimentary hot and cold breakfast buffet around 7am. It was good. We packed up and Clay spent more time trying to save route maps. He managed to get one sent to his phone just to get us out of Cleveland! I found a website of the rest of the southbound Ohio & Erie Canal Byway and wrote down directions and then used the computer and printer in the lobby to print some sections. That and using the phone's GPS function again served to navigate.
First stop after checkout though was to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame opening at 9:30am. Clay had bought our tickets online saving time today. Clay also found us a great place to park with a discount for validating at the HoF. We also found that by crossing to grass and going through a yellow glassed opening at the end of the street past the garage that we had a very nice waterfront walk and entered the lower quieter and less used but more convenient back door entrance to the HoF.
The scenic drive south was fine as we'd learned some things yesterday and were better coordinated today. We focused on Cuyahoga National Park. We only made one stop at the Canal Exploration Center. We were in a bit of a rush as I had a 4pm deadline for a chocolate tour. We got to the Fannie Mae/Harry London factory in time for the 3pm tour so we might well have had time for other stops but didn't want to chance it.
Tonight we are at the Quality Inn Hall of Fame in Canton. At under $90 a night this is the cheapest place we are staying on the road trip and it shows. It is fine for the price. Note that it has 3 floors and no elevators though! We were checked in we'd been assigned a room on the 3rd floor. We were in line in front of a high school football team. Clay balked and told the desk guy to find us a 1st floor room and put some teen athletes on the 3rd floor! Oh, and they have my hated 4 small square pillows on the bed! Will that fad never end?
We made an excellent choice for dinner though it was based on convenience more than anything else. We couldn't find any local specialties so we went with generic Italian. It was really excellent. Bravo Cucina Italiano.
Tomorrow we visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I have low expectations. One more overnight on the road and home. It has been a quick trip.
photos
We got an earlier start today given our bad luck yesterday. We went to the lobby of the Hampton Inn for their complimentary hot and cold breakfast buffet around 7am. It was good. We packed up and Clay spent more time trying to save route maps. He managed to get one sent to his phone just to get us out of Cleveland! I found a website of the rest of the southbound Ohio & Erie Canal Byway and wrote down directions and then used the computer and printer in the lobby to print some sections. That and using the phone's GPS function again served to navigate.
First stop after checkout though was to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame opening at 9:30am. Clay had bought our tickets online saving time today. Clay also found us a great place to park with a discount for validating at the HoF. We also found that by crossing to grass and going through a yellow glassed opening at the end of the street past the garage that we had a very nice waterfront walk and entered the lower quieter and less used but more convenient back door entrance to the HoF.
The scenic drive south was fine as we'd learned some things yesterday and were better coordinated today. We focused on Cuyahoga National Park. We only made one stop at the Canal Exploration Center. We were in a bit of a rush as I had a 4pm deadline for a chocolate tour. We got to the Fannie Mae/Harry London factory in time for the 3pm tour so we might well have had time for other stops but didn't want to chance it.
Tonight we are at the Quality Inn Hall of Fame in Canton. At under $90 a night this is the cheapest place we are staying on the road trip and it shows. It is fine for the price. Note that it has 3 floors and no elevators though! We were checked in we'd been assigned a room on the 3rd floor. We were in line in front of a high school football team. Clay balked and told the desk guy to find us a 1st floor room and put some teen athletes on the 3rd floor! Oh, and they have my hated 4 small square pillows on the bed! Will that fad never end?
We made an excellent choice for dinner though it was based on convenience more than anything else. We couldn't find any local specialties so we went with generic Italian. It was really excellent. Bravo Cucina Italiano.
Tomorrow we visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I have low expectations. One more overnight on the road and home. It has been a quick trip.
photos
Driving from Chicago to Cleveland
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Today was a long day in the car. It was made longer by the continuing map failures. I believe it is some functionality of Google Maps that Clay is trying and epically failing to use. I don't know whether it just doesn't work or if Clay doesn't understand how to use it. In any event, he has custom plotted scenic routes several dozen times and each time the saved map route either vanishes or we are instructed turn by turn to the closest Interstate or other main route. Today we got a late start leaving Chicago even though we were checked out around 8am. First Clay couldn't find the car,then he couldn't find his way back to the Cambria where I waited an hour at the valet stand with the luggage. When we finally headed out we got our first custom map failure of the day and so stopped for gas while Clay reprogrammed the map route at least 8 more times with each failing in every possible permutation. Another hour had passed. Finally Clay turned his phone GPS on navigation so I could just use it as a map and give him instructions. We were on our way. We spent some time on Interstates but mostly took Historic & Scenic Byways. First on US Route 20 where we went through Amish country. As we were running so behind we started eating leftover Garrett Popcorn in the car for our lunch. Disaster strikes again. Clay loses a crown. We stopped at an Arbys in Elkhart as one of the few places we drove by. I had a tooth repair kit in my suitcase and we ate before he tried to glue it back in with the kit. He tried and failed at least 3 times before deciding to just carry the crown home and deal with it next week. We'll see. Had we waited 30 minutes we could have had Amish, but we didn't know and Clay was wanting to stop now anyway.
In Ohio, we moved to Route 2 and Route 6 to travel along the coast of Lake Erie. Clay was not too happy. It was not a great day. I blame poor trip planning, preparation, a delayed start and Clay losing a tooth. Anyway, being Clay he started worrying about dinner especially since we would be eating around 8pm. We got checked in to the Hampton Inn at Westlake at about 7pm. Clay asked me to look for a nearby Skyline Chili in Cleveland. There was one about 20 minutes away open until 10pm Having a dinner plan made everyone happier. We were both happy to have the local specialty again.
That was our day!
photos
Today was a long day in the car. It was made longer by the continuing map failures. I believe it is some functionality of Google Maps that Clay is trying and epically failing to use. I don't know whether it just doesn't work or if Clay doesn't understand how to use it. In any event, he has custom plotted scenic routes several dozen times and each time the saved map route either vanishes or we are instructed turn by turn to the closest Interstate or other main route. Today we got a late start leaving Chicago even though we were checked out around 8am. First Clay couldn't find the car,then he couldn't find his way back to the Cambria where I waited an hour at the valet stand with the luggage. When we finally headed out we got our first custom map failure of the day and so stopped for gas while Clay reprogrammed the map route at least 8 more times with each failing in every possible permutation. Another hour had passed. Finally Clay turned his phone GPS on navigation so I could just use it as a map and give him instructions. We were on our way. We spent some time on Interstates but mostly took Historic & Scenic Byways. First on US Route 20 where we went through Amish country. As we were running so behind we started eating leftover Garrett Popcorn in the car for our lunch. Disaster strikes again. Clay loses a crown. We stopped at an Arbys in Elkhart as one of the few places we drove by. I had a tooth repair kit in my suitcase and we ate before he tried to glue it back in with the kit. He tried and failed at least 3 times before deciding to just carry the crown home and deal with it next week. We'll see. Had we waited 30 minutes we could have had Amish, but we didn't know and Clay was wanting to stop now anyway.
In Ohio, we moved to Route 2 and Route 6 to travel along the coast of Lake Erie. Clay was not too happy. It was not a great day. I blame poor trip planning, preparation, a delayed start and Clay losing a tooth. Anyway, being Clay he started worrying about dinner especially since we would be eating around 8pm. We got checked in to the Hampton Inn at Westlake at about 7pm. Clay asked me to look for a nearby Skyline Chili in Cleveland. There was one about 20 minutes away open until 10pm Having a dinner plan made everyone happier. We were both happy to have the local specialty again.
That was our day!
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Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Chicago Art Institute
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Today was devoted to the Art Institute. It opened at 10:30am so we got a late start. Clay had already bought our tickets online so we avoided a substantial line and walked right in. We walked through Millenium Park past the bean again and over a different pedestrian bridge to get there today. It was a walking day today! Even though we set out late, we were walking almost all day. We spent from 10:30am to about 3pm inside the Art Institute. We walked through all the contemporary art, modern art, American art from 1900 on and all the Impressionists. We saw some random other stuff in between. The Visitor Guide we picked up had a selected list of 12 museum highlight pieces. We tried to make sure we saw them, but didn't find all 12 and weren't sure they'd have been our choices. For example, American Gothic was excluded. Then in a room with several Jackson Pollock's they had City Landscape as one of the museum's top 12 pieces. We saw a lot in any event chasing down their list of 12. We had lunch at one of the museum cafes. We shared an Italian wrap and a root beer. After all the rest of the Impressionists, we went to the special Gauguin Exhibition that Clay had also already purchased tickets for online. I was more impressed with Gauguin's productivity than I had been previously but I still don't really love his work like some of the other Impressionists. Clay didn't have an answer when I asked him how or why he'd chosen this as I didn't know he held Gauguin as a particular favorite.
We decided to take the afternoon off with our feet up and returned to the Camria with a couple of bags of Garrett Popcorn. Around 5pm we set out again. It was just too hot and sunny out earlier for Clay's requested Riverwalk. We had a simple and quick Asian meal at Wow Bao on our way over to the River. It was excessively crowded and noisy out by the river. We had some gelato for dessert and walked the inland half from State St. to Franklin St. before walking back to the Cambria as it was getting dark.
Clay worked and failed several times to get his map for tomorrow. Honestly, a paper map is not this much work and they never fail unless you lose the paper. Anyway, he wanted to take the Interstate option that was 2 hours faster but it was an Indiana Toll Road clear across the state and he couldn't figure out what that cost. I pointed out that immediately parallel was an interesting non-toll road and he says he's saved that map to his phone after about 15 tries. So we'll say. He says both will be boring with nothing to see. He may be right. In any event we plan to drive on US Route 20 and Ohio Route 6. We'll see what happens tomorrow when the phone starts telling him where to go. In any event, we are turning back towards home starting tomorrow morning and we'll have done the whole trip without an actual physical map. It may have put us both off the road trip option permanently.
photos
Today was devoted to the Art Institute. It opened at 10:30am so we got a late start. Clay had already bought our tickets online so we avoided a substantial line and walked right in. We walked through Millenium Park past the bean again and over a different pedestrian bridge to get there today. It was a walking day today! Even though we set out late, we were walking almost all day. We spent from 10:30am to about 3pm inside the Art Institute. We walked through all the contemporary art, modern art, American art from 1900 on and all the Impressionists. We saw some random other stuff in between. The Visitor Guide we picked up had a selected list of 12 museum highlight pieces. We tried to make sure we saw them, but didn't find all 12 and weren't sure they'd have been our choices. For example, American Gothic was excluded. Then in a room with several Jackson Pollock's they had City Landscape as one of the museum's top 12 pieces. We saw a lot in any event chasing down their list of 12. We had lunch at one of the museum cafes. We shared an Italian wrap and a root beer. After all the rest of the Impressionists, we went to the special Gauguin Exhibition that Clay had also already purchased tickets for online. I was more impressed with Gauguin's productivity than I had been previously but I still don't really love his work like some of the other Impressionists. Clay didn't have an answer when I asked him how or why he'd chosen this as I didn't know he held Gauguin as a particular favorite.
We decided to take the afternoon off with our feet up and returned to the Camria with a couple of bags of Garrett Popcorn. Around 5pm we set out again. It was just too hot and sunny out earlier for Clay's requested Riverwalk. We had a simple and quick Asian meal at Wow Bao on our way over to the River. It was excessively crowded and noisy out by the river. We had some gelato for dessert and walked the inland half from State St. to Franklin St. before walking back to the Cambria as it was getting dark.
Clay worked and failed several times to get his map for tomorrow. Honestly, a paper map is not this much work and they never fail unless you lose the paper. Anyway, he wanted to take the Interstate option that was 2 hours faster but it was an Indiana Toll Road clear across the state and he couldn't figure out what that cost. I pointed out that immediately parallel was an interesting non-toll road and he says he's saved that map to his phone after about 15 tries. So we'll say. He says both will be boring with nothing to see. He may be right. In any event we plan to drive on US Route 20 and Ohio Route 6. We'll see what happens tomorrow when the phone starts telling him where to go. In any event, we are turning back towards home starting tomorrow morning and we'll have done the whole trip without an actual physical map. It may have put us both off the road trip option permanently.
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To Chicago on Interstates
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We were both up around 6 to 6:30am today. We slept much more soundly and comfortably than last night! There was an excellent included hot & cold breakfast buffet included at the Fairfield this morning. Clay ate at least 2 breakfasts. I ate a yogurt and a small cheese omelet like you could make a sandwich with. I had some tiny thin slices of Canadian bacon, a faux sausage patty and an English muffin with a cup of instant hot chocolate mocha coffee. Clay advised me to get a yogurt for the road as he had no intention of stopping for lunch. I did. Fairfield Inn also nicely validated parking for the public parking deck behind their hotel. It was worth $5!
We hit the road about 9:30am which meant very light traffic. It would be the only time all day! Clay stopped at Lebanon, IN freeway rest area. There we learned that we had fallen back an hour. We would now arrive in Chicago at the present rate an hour too soon. We started looking at signs for something to do for an hour or so. We found Fair Oaks Farms from their Cheese! signs. It was clearly filling a void on the route for food, tourism and recreation. It was packed at lunch time. We got to see the yogurt fermentation room, the yogurt packaging room and the ice cream room. We had a chocolate milk, a root beer float and I had a half grilled cheddar sandwich and Clay had a half grilled pepper Havarti sandwich. It was all excellent. They also made chocolates there. Clay had some peanut clusters and I had a giant chocolate covered marshmallow on a stick and an angel cup which was marshmallow creme in a chocolate cup. I shared both mine with Clay as they were too rich and sweet. I proposed going on a Slim-Fast diet in August! We bought a carton of Cheddar cheese curds and since they were BOGOF, we got 2! We bought a small strawberry yogurt parfait for me to have another time. Put it in the cooler with the one I picked up at breakfast. Now I have 2 days breakfast yogurts for our stay at the Cambria in Chicago which does not include breakfast or parking!
We killed nearly enough time there and got to Chicago only 15 minutes ahead of schedule. That turned out perfectly timed as well as it turned out that the pre-reserved/prepaid parking Clay had booked online a couple of blocks from the Cambria had a 15-minute grace period.
So, it was busy, construction zone freeways and Clay was contented. I think our Scenic Byways experiment has ended. We didn't see much. Cincinnait was still in the Appalachian foothills but a few miles out and into Indiana and it was all flat and featureless. About 110 to 100 miles from Chicago we drove through miles of giant windmills. What was amazing was that about 20 minutes earlier we'd been out of the car at that rest area and the air was so still that I had actually thought about how they'd never have wind power here. I guess I was wrong!
We are in the Cambria, a Marriott property, that is above the Oriental Theater. It is caddy cornered to the old Marshall-Fields building which is now a Macys. It is very nice. There is a valet stand entry on the ground floor.. You take an elevator up to the 9th floor to find the reception/check in lobby/bar. Our room is also on the 9th floor. The ice machine is on the 8th floor. The room is clean and stylish and on the small side but functionally well designed. The shower is the only downside. It has a giant shower head that sprinkles straight down on you and you just have to stand there and wait to get thoroughly wet. It was a zen shower.
We scheduled online a 2-hour 6pm Segway Tour as soon as we got to the room. Absolutely Chicago Segway Tours. We toured the Lake Shore/Park areas. It was fun and informative. We saw a 16-inch Chicago softball game. That was new to all of us!
We went to Giordano's for a small thin pizza for dinner with half of the rest of Chicago. We waited a very long time as the sun set and it got chilly outside where we sat. The pizza when it arrived was neither very thin or very small. We could barely eat half of it. Clay asked for it boxed as we have a fridge and microwave. I knew I wasn't eating any leftovers. Clay swore he would for breakfast. Instead a woman begged a sandwich of Clay and I told him to take the pizza back to her. She seemed happy enough with pizza instead of a sandwich. We were relieved not to have the pizza in the room later!
It was past our bedtime when we got back to the room, so I am a day late posting this.
photos
We were both up around 6 to 6:30am today. We slept much more soundly and comfortably than last night! There was an excellent included hot & cold breakfast buffet included at the Fairfield this morning. Clay ate at least 2 breakfasts. I ate a yogurt and a small cheese omelet like you could make a sandwich with. I had some tiny thin slices of Canadian bacon, a faux sausage patty and an English muffin with a cup of instant hot chocolate mocha coffee. Clay advised me to get a yogurt for the road as he had no intention of stopping for lunch. I did. Fairfield Inn also nicely validated parking for the public parking deck behind their hotel. It was worth $5!
We hit the road about 9:30am which meant very light traffic. It would be the only time all day! Clay stopped at Lebanon, IN freeway rest area. There we learned that we had fallen back an hour. We would now arrive in Chicago at the present rate an hour too soon. We started looking at signs for something to do for an hour or so. We found Fair Oaks Farms from their Cheese! signs. It was clearly filling a void on the route for food, tourism and recreation. It was packed at lunch time. We got to see the yogurt fermentation room, the yogurt packaging room and the ice cream room. We had a chocolate milk, a root beer float and I had a half grilled cheddar sandwich and Clay had a half grilled pepper Havarti sandwich. It was all excellent. They also made chocolates there. Clay had some peanut clusters and I had a giant chocolate covered marshmallow on a stick and an angel cup which was marshmallow creme in a chocolate cup. I shared both mine with Clay as they were too rich and sweet. I proposed going on a Slim-Fast diet in August! We bought a carton of Cheddar cheese curds and since they were BOGOF, we got 2! We bought a small strawberry yogurt parfait for me to have another time. Put it in the cooler with the one I picked up at breakfast. Now I have 2 days breakfast yogurts for our stay at the Cambria in Chicago which does not include breakfast or parking!
We killed nearly enough time there and got to Chicago only 15 minutes ahead of schedule. That turned out perfectly timed as well as it turned out that the pre-reserved/prepaid parking Clay had booked online a couple of blocks from the Cambria had a 15-minute grace period.
So, it was busy, construction zone freeways and Clay was contented. I think our Scenic Byways experiment has ended. We didn't see much. Cincinnait was still in the Appalachian foothills but a few miles out and into Indiana and it was all flat and featureless. About 110 to 100 miles from Chicago we drove through miles of giant windmills. What was amazing was that about 20 minutes earlier we'd been out of the car at that rest area and the air was so still that I had actually thought about how they'd never have wind power here. I guess I was wrong!
We are in the Cambria, a Marriott property, that is above the Oriental Theater. It is caddy cornered to the old Marshall-Fields building which is now a Macys. It is very nice. There is a valet stand entry on the ground floor.. You take an elevator up to the 9th floor to find the reception/check in lobby/bar. Our room is also on the 9th floor. The ice machine is on the 8th floor. The room is clean and stylish and on the small side but functionally well designed. The shower is the only downside. It has a giant shower head that sprinkles straight down on you and you just have to stand there and wait to get thoroughly wet. It was a zen shower.
We scheduled online a 2-hour 6pm Segway Tour as soon as we got to the room. Absolutely Chicago Segway Tours. We toured the Lake Shore/Park areas. It was fun and informative. We saw a 16-inch Chicago softball game. That was new to all of us!
We went to Giordano's for a small thin pizza for dinner with half of the rest of Chicago. We waited a very long time as the sun set and it got chilly outside where we sat. The pizza when it arrived was neither very thin or very small. We could barely eat half of it. Clay asked for it boxed as we have a fridge and microwave. I knew I wasn't eating any leftovers. Clay swore he would for breakfast. Instead a woman begged a sandwich of Clay and I told him to take the pizza back to her. She seemed happy enough with pizza instead of a sandwich. We were relieved not to have the pizza in the room later!
It was past our bedtime when we got back to the room, so I am a day late posting this.
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Sunday, July 16, 2017
Winging It
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So, we are really winging it. We started out on time, but... First I had a request to backtrack briefly for some missed photos. I will say that did not work out but we tried. The main problem was technical and operator error. First the car started out indicating low air pressure in a tire/tires. We used the air compressor we had in the trunk and it seemed all tires had within a pound of correct pressure but the dash light was still on. Clay blamed the compressor. We drove to a convenience store where we had filled the tank last night and spent $1.50 in quarters for industrial compressor air and overfilled the tires which keeps the indicator light on. We drove some more and pulled over and Clay let air out, too much. Back out of the trunk came the air compressor. Perfect. Light out! We gave up on the photo quest since we were now an hour overdue and would be late getting to Cincinatti. I had already given up on the Zoo because their website stated Fiona is not yet on public view. That is still true today. Then the check engine light came on more stopping and more futzing. The light is still on. Clay says he drove for weeks with it on before and it went off by itself eventually. OK. Finally, Clay was in a really bad mood by now and my morning granola was well gone. I begged him to stop at the first place that looked like we could get food. It was a Dairy Queen in Kermit, WV. Then he started to drive away again because he wasn't really hungry. I lost it. We parked and both went in to the restrooms. I ordered a Peanut Buster Parfait and he ordered a chili cheese dog. He ate all his and half of mine. I was too tired to fight anymore about the maps and the route. All I had asked was to take the scenic byways as much as possible and US Route 52 as close to Chicago as possible. Clay has fought and lost his custom maps battle every day in every possible permutation. Enough said. Also, I think he just wants to set the cruise and listen to an audiobook. So, somehow after "lunch" we lost our way and we wound up driving what must have been America's most boring non-Interstate road, AA/Kentucky 9 North all the way across Kentucky right into Cincinnati. Bypassing the Ohio River Scenic Byway across Southern Ohio. I am still not sure what happened. I was just trying to avoid 52's backtrack to Huntington, but Clay said he'd reprogrammed the map app and I should have realized it. Clay wouldn't let me turn his phone's wifi back on to check a map on the tablet to look at what went wrong or how to fix it. Then, I dozed off and on and wasn't really in a position to make a stink about it. Plus I think he was so happy to just be on a wide road with one high speed limit that he didn't want to leave it ever. We have done the map study again for tomorrow and I did not see anymore designated scenic byways to Chicago so I've told Clay to just go ahead and take Interstates. He has to drive not me so I'm not going to be a stick about since we've already missed an afternoon of scenic driving. So, anyway as far as I can tell the Scenic Byways experiment is over and if it is a roadtrip then we're cruising the Interstates.
We got to Cincinnati about 2 hours later than we expected. The Fairfield is magnificent compared to last night's Inn! The Fairfield is about $10 cheaper too! Seriously, I consider this place nearly perfect and it really points out what we were willing to forgive in last night's Inn. Well, that won't happen again especially since Clay doesn't intend to leave the Interstates for backroads again.
We only had Skyline Chili to visit here now. We went and since Mom had told me how bad it was and how much she disliked it, I ordered a small. Mistake! I loved it. I had spaghetti & chili with beans. Clay had a huge mound of cheese so we put the perfect amount on both servings. It was strongly cinnamon flavored. It reminded me of El Paso's Chicos Tacos. In that both are unusual adaptations of a dish that are only available in one city and if you grew up eating that and couldn't get it elsewhere it would be cult-like to get it again. I get it. Anyway, I really liked it and wished I'd had more.
We stopped at CVS on the back to the Fairfield because one my latest battery-operated toothbrush failed and two Clay has had some gastric distress most of the day. He wants to blame DQ but it started before that. We only had granola and OJ and milk and Clay had a blueberry muffin and half of a apple turnover too. I don't know what would have made him gut sick but now he has Immodium at hand when he needs it. I usually pack such a thing, but just missed the ziplock bag when packing.
We'll be early to bed tonight since there was literally a train every hour or so right outside our window at the Inn and we didn't get a very good night's sleep to start. We have a full hot buffet breakfast included tomorrow morning. Hopefully Clay will feel better by then. We'll see.
Tomorrow Chicago. It is a long day's drive tomorrow so I expect we'll get an early start.
photos
So, we are really winging it. We started out on time, but... First I had a request to backtrack briefly for some missed photos. I will say that did not work out but we tried. The main problem was technical and operator error. First the car started out indicating low air pressure in a tire/tires. We used the air compressor we had in the trunk and it seemed all tires had within a pound of correct pressure but the dash light was still on. Clay blamed the compressor. We drove to a convenience store where we had filled the tank last night and spent $1.50 in quarters for industrial compressor air and overfilled the tires which keeps the indicator light on. We drove some more and pulled over and Clay let air out, too much. Back out of the trunk came the air compressor. Perfect. Light out! We gave up on the photo quest since we were now an hour overdue and would be late getting to Cincinatti. I had already given up on the Zoo because their website stated Fiona is not yet on public view. That is still true today. Then the check engine light came on more stopping and more futzing. The light is still on. Clay says he drove for weeks with it on before and it went off by itself eventually. OK. Finally, Clay was in a really bad mood by now and my morning granola was well gone. I begged him to stop at the first place that looked like we could get food. It was a Dairy Queen in Kermit, WV. Then he started to drive away again because he wasn't really hungry. I lost it. We parked and both went in to the restrooms. I ordered a Peanut Buster Parfait and he ordered a chili cheese dog. He ate all his and half of mine. I was too tired to fight anymore about the maps and the route. All I had asked was to take the scenic byways as much as possible and US Route 52 as close to Chicago as possible. Clay has fought and lost his custom maps battle every day in every possible permutation. Enough said. Also, I think he just wants to set the cruise and listen to an audiobook. So, somehow after "lunch" we lost our way and we wound up driving what must have been America's most boring non-Interstate road, AA/Kentucky 9 North all the way across Kentucky right into Cincinnati. Bypassing the Ohio River Scenic Byway across Southern Ohio. I am still not sure what happened. I was just trying to avoid 52's backtrack to Huntington, but Clay said he'd reprogrammed the map app and I should have realized it. Clay wouldn't let me turn his phone's wifi back on to check a map on the tablet to look at what went wrong or how to fix it. Then, I dozed off and on and wasn't really in a position to make a stink about it. Plus I think he was so happy to just be on a wide road with one high speed limit that he didn't want to leave it ever. We have done the map study again for tomorrow and I did not see anymore designated scenic byways to Chicago so I've told Clay to just go ahead and take Interstates. He has to drive not me so I'm not going to be a stick about since we've already missed an afternoon of scenic driving. So, anyway as far as I can tell the Scenic Byways experiment is over and if it is a roadtrip then we're cruising the Interstates.
We got to Cincinnati about 2 hours later than we expected. The Fairfield is magnificent compared to last night's Inn! The Fairfield is about $10 cheaper too! Seriously, I consider this place nearly perfect and it really points out what we were willing to forgive in last night's Inn. Well, that won't happen again especially since Clay doesn't intend to leave the Interstates for backroads again.
We only had Skyline Chili to visit here now. We went and since Mom had told me how bad it was and how much she disliked it, I ordered a small. Mistake! I loved it. I had spaghetti & chili with beans. Clay had a huge mound of cheese so we put the perfect amount on both servings. It was strongly cinnamon flavored. It reminded me of El Paso's Chicos Tacos. In that both are unusual adaptations of a dish that are only available in one city and if you grew up eating that and couldn't get it elsewhere it would be cult-like to get it again. I get it. Anyway, I really liked it and wished I'd had more.
We stopped at CVS on the back to the Fairfield because one my latest battery-operated toothbrush failed and two Clay has had some gastric distress most of the day. He wants to blame DQ but it started before that. We only had granola and OJ and milk and Clay had a blueberry muffin and half of a apple turnover too. I don't know what would have made him gut sick but now he has Immodium at hand when he needs it. I usually pack such a thing, but just missed the ziplock bag when packing.
We'll be early to bed tonight since there was literally a train every hour or so right outside our window at the Inn and we didn't get a very good night's sleep to start. We have a full hot buffet breakfast included tomorrow morning. Hopefully Clay will feel better by then. We'll see.
Tomorrow Chicago. It is a long day's drive tomorrow so I expect we'll get an early start.
photos
Saturday, July 15, 2017
A Summer Road Trip Begins
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We are at the Elkhorn Inn in Eckman, WV. It was a good stopping point for us. It is at a narrow mountain pass between a railroad track and the Tug River. It is historic. We appear to be tonight's only guests. As far as we can tell, a frieght train comes past at least hourly. It will be a long night if true! This is coal country and also the region of Hatfield - McCoy fame, now for ATVing, as well as the Home of the Rocket Boys. Not that there is anything to see but the signage. It is interesting.
We left Raleigh around 9:30am this morning. We drove the Interstates until we turned North on US Route 52 towards Pilot Mountain and Mt. Airy. We plan to drive all the way to the southern outskirts of Chicago on US Route 52. It predates the Interstate system and goes from South Carolina to North Dakota! It has been very scenic so far and also not for those who get car sick. It has been a challenge for me. A few miles north of Mt. Airy and suddenly we were in the mountains and curvy roads. It was dramatic. Then we were in Virginia. When we crossed into West Virginia, we think we were in a tunnel! I was designated photographer most of the in the car and I was trying for road signs and I know I didn't get one for WV.
We stopped in Mt. Airy which was the model for TV's fictional Mayberry. We had pork chop sandwiches at Snappy Lunch. Reasonable prices and good sandwiches. The pork chops were breaded which was a surprise. It was a surprisingly busy little town and clearly making a good living off a long gone TV show. We could have spent more time there but didn't have it. It was a good thing we didn't take longer because traffic was horrible on both I-77 and US Route 52 N today. I have no idea why. I was glad it wasn't 4th of July weekend or something. Anyway we spent about an hour stopping and rolling and it took longer to get to our stop for the night than we'd planned.
We went to dinner at the Corner Shoppe which was not too close but nothing is. It was a good choice. They had a bunch of Mayberry theme named sandwiches continuing that theme. It was an old fashioned ice cream parlor. I had a chocolate malt and when Clay learned no root beer so no float, I convinced him to order a Purple Cow!
Tomorrow we go to Cincinnati where we hope to see Fiona! Clay is waitng for Skyline Chili.
Clay says he'll not look at or post photos until after we come home. Sorry! Check back later...
photos
We are at the Elkhorn Inn in Eckman, WV. It was a good stopping point for us. It is at a narrow mountain pass between a railroad track and the Tug River. It is historic. We appear to be tonight's only guests. As far as we can tell, a frieght train comes past at least hourly. It will be a long night if true! This is coal country and also the region of Hatfield - McCoy fame, now for ATVing, as well as the Home of the Rocket Boys. Not that there is anything to see but the signage. It is interesting.
We left Raleigh around 9:30am this morning. We drove the Interstates until we turned North on US Route 52 towards Pilot Mountain and Mt. Airy. We plan to drive all the way to the southern outskirts of Chicago on US Route 52. It predates the Interstate system and goes from South Carolina to North Dakota! It has been very scenic so far and also not for those who get car sick. It has been a challenge for me. A few miles north of Mt. Airy and suddenly we were in the mountains and curvy roads. It was dramatic. Then we were in Virginia. When we crossed into West Virginia, we think we were in a tunnel! I was designated photographer most of the in the car and I was trying for road signs and I know I didn't get one for WV.
We stopped in Mt. Airy which was the model for TV's fictional Mayberry. We had pork chop sandwiches at Snappy Lunch. Reasonable prices and good sandwiches. The pork chops were breaded which was a surprise. It was a surprisingly busy little town and clearly making a good living off a long gone TV show. We could have spent more time there but didn't have it. It was a good thing we didn't take longer because traffic was horrible on both I-77 and US Route 52 N today. I have no idea why. I was glad it wasn't 4th of July weekend or something. Anyway we spent about an hour stopping and rolling and it took longer to get to our stop for the night than we'd planned.
We went to dinner at the Corner Shoppe which was not too close but nothing is. It was a good choice. They had a bunch of Mayberry theme named sandwiches continuing that theme. It was an old fashioned ice cream parlor. I had a chocolate malt and when Clay learned no root beer so no float, I convinced him to order a Purple Cow!
Tomorrow we go to Cincinnati where we hope to see Fiona! Clay is waitng for Skyline Chili.
Clay says he'll not look at or post photos until after we come home. Sorry! Check back later...
photos
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