Oct. 26th, 2012, Friday: It was time to leave Manhattan since Hurricane Sandy was barreling its way towards the east coast, so after a casual morning with our hosts, they took off for work and we packed up our things to go.
Leaving the island we were all set to pay toll fees again, but discovered you only had to pay going into Manhattan, not out. Sweet!
Back in New Jersey we hopped onto I-78 - a section of the freeway that was a toll road, catching us by surprise again. Luckily it was just a couple of dollars for this section.
We drove into Pennsylvania from New Jersey, stopping to prepare snacks at the visitor center where we cut up apples and cheese, then continued west on 78, exiting at Hamburg hoping to find a little shop to get a new highlighter and some ice. Instead we drove through town and marveled at the cozy houses, tucked right next to each other, almost on top of the sidewalks. We continued off the freeway for a ways then I helped direct Brad through Harrisburg - the capitol of Pennsylvania. Our goal was Gifford Pinchot State Park so we headed south on 83 and were happy to see the park listed on the freeway exit sign. We took hwy. 177 and followed a big RV, thinking they were on their way there too. Nope. We had to turn back, circle around the park until we found the correct road and entrance.
At the kiosk, we talked with a fellow that had a long white beard and heavy accent. Our campsite was next to a lake and right off I saw two turtles and a heron.
We settled in and had a nice dinner then sent texts and made a few phone calls while the moon climbed into the night sky. Children hollering, the splash of water, dogs, hummingbirds and crickets serenaded us as we sat outside on this late October night - balmy enough to not need a jacket. It felt more like August as we struggled to sleep in our overly warm truck.
