24 States in 27 Days - Day 17:

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.

24 States in 27 Days - Day 14:

Oct. 23rd, 2012, Tuesday: This morning, rain on our canopy roof was the first thing we heard - uh oh… It changed to just a drizzle so Brad went and made coffee at the picnic table outside. I didn’t want to leave the warm, cozy bed and said I’d just stay there and let Brad drive us into NYC. Ha, no chance! 

Once up, we ate our granola in the cab of the truck, and watched the rain stream down the windshield. The rain continued on and off on our drive through Pennsylvania. We went west towards Hanover, then northeast through York, then to Lancaster. Driving south we took a break to wander in the small town of Strasburg where we met a friendly fellow there, walking his antsy dog. He offered to take our photo while we held the dog’s leash. He and Brad talked microbrew beers while I popped into a few shops. It was cool to see so many homes built in the 1700’s, not a common sight on the west coast. 

From there we continued through the countryside and I put the telephoto lens on the camera to see how it would work on drive-by photos as we rolled up and down the hills past many Amish farms. 

A detour took us further south than we’d initially planned but we found our way back north, then onto I-76 and I-95 where we buzzed along, crossing into New Jersey, eventually exiting onto hwy. 1. There were a lot of stop lights, with fast 50+ mph sprints to the next light which didn’t seem very fuel efficient! 

I followed the signs and our map to direct Brad through and over the skybridge to the Holland Tunnel into New York City - right around 5:00 pm. 

We quickly found the street Brad’s cousin Jerry lived on but we weren’t sure which building was his. After a bit of driving around, Brad pulled over and called Jerry. He told us where to go, stop, and double park, then wait for someone to leave - it was 5:30ish by then. Brad did as he suggested and within 2-5 minutes someone drove off and we slipped into their parking spot. Perfect! We gathered up our bags, tucked things away, then went in search of the door. The usual entrance was under construction so we had to find the back door. The condo building took up the whole block with some businesses on the street level but also front doors to what must have been townhouses. Checked in by the doorman we were given a key to the apartment. Upstairs Brad struggled to get the key to work in what we thought was the correct home when the door swung open! Jerry was at work, so our first thought was we were at the wrong apartment! Nope, it was his house cleaner. She let us in and we relaxed as she finished up. Jerry arrived home a bit after she left. For dinner we went to Tavern on Jane, a nice walk several blocks away. Over burgers we talked and enjoyed the stories Jerry had to tell. It was raining pretty steadily on our walk back, so we were pretty damp once we arrived. Time for jammies! We visited and I uploaded our latest batch of photos while thinking: “Woo hoo - we’re in Manhattan!!” 

24 States in 27 Days - Day 13:

Oct. 22nd, 2012, Monday: Kathy was off to work 8:15ish, so we said good bye with big hugs and much gratitude for our comfortable stay. 

Our cozy bedroom with steps into the room.

Kevin works at home and was happy to show us the best way to drive out of town on the map while I took notes. After hugs 'bye we took off, thinking we were taking every turn he suggested until we suddenly hit a dead end! Oops! Turning around we soon found the road we should have taken, and laughed thinking we might still be going the wrong way if the previous road hadn’t been a dead end! Once on I-68 we cruised past the Coopers Rock exit eventually getting off on hwy. 381, north into Pennsylvania, a fun curving backroad through brown oak forests. 

We stopped at Ohiopyle to see the falls and slick rock creek nearby - I guess it’s quite the hot spot for kayakers. 

We turned east onto hwy. 653 towards Somerset where we then headed onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike I-70/76, picking up a toll slip at the entrance while I sat with a handful of scrounged up change we didn’t need.  Glancing at the toll slip we were shocked to see how expensive the fees were depending on which exit you took. I looked on the map to find a route that didn’t need the turnpike, and we took the 2nd exit which was “just” $5.20, not the $11 to go as far as we’d originally planned. On hwy. 30 we drove through Breezewood, then through Chambersburg which looked tired with buildings pressed up against the sidewalk. Our next stop was Gettysburg, which seemed fancy and clean. 

We considered doing an auto tour of the battle sites, but instead walked through the town square so Brad could shoot sign photos while I took pics of architecture. Quite the touristy area! Back in the truck we looked at the map together and decided to drive to Hanover, then just a bit further to Codorus State Park. 

Once we found a spot to camp we took a long walk, crunching through dry leaves in search of the lake. It was nice to arrive before dark and have a chance to explore while it was still light out. 

Interesting rocks alongside the lake.

When we returned to our site it was almost dark. Time for sandwiches with hummus, Larrupin sauce, sliced hard boiled eggs and homegrown tomatoes while sitting on the tailgate swinging our legs. This campsite had the cleanest bathrooms we’d ever seen in a public venue! Very impressive Pennsylvania! After dinner we sat in the cab of the truck and I worked on my laptop while Brad looked at the map with his flashlight, so when a truck pulled up in front of us, there was no way to see who it might be. I told Brad to lock our doors then we realized it was just the park ranger, a nice friendly young woman, stopping by to say hi. It made Brad laugh at my overly cautious reaction! Best to be safe is my motto - especially when it’s pitch black outside!