24 States in 27 Days - Day 19:

Oct. 28th, 2012, Sunday:  Brad and I crawled out of the truck at the rest area the next morning and as we walked back from the restroom we noticed people sleeping in cars on either side of us. Wonder if they slept any better than we did? 

We took off after sips of apple juice, pulling out a banana and mandarin to eat on way. We exited at Roanoke Virginia and drove the strip, not seeing any good coffee shops. Looking for gas also, we drove into Salem, a suburb of Roanoke. Gas was only 3.16/gal, the least expensive we’d seen so far! While Brad was pumping gas I noticed a nearby Starbucks. Soon we were sitting in our truck, sipping our beverages and logging onto their wifi to check up on a few things - one of which was to see if I could find a replacement for my work shift at the gallery the coming week. 

OK, OK!

Back on I-81, we spotted towering Kudzu covered trees that looked like giant monsters!  

We stopped at the Tennessee border info center for a little break then kept going, watching 100’s of power bucket trucks and semi’s hauling what looked like huge generators, heading north towards where Hurricane Sandy was expected to hit.   

We veered south onto I-26 across the Tennessee Appalachians then dropped into Asheville North Carolina around 2:00. 

Brad was excited to see so many cool signs in town as we drove around looking for a spot to park. For the first time on our trip we encountered poor weather. It was raining and icy cold out. My thin rain jacket did not keep me warm while we tromped around town pausing while Brad stopped often to shoot pics of signs. I kept thinking we’d warm up, but it was just way too cold and windy compared to the tee shirt weather we’d enjoyed. 

Finally we went inside an old Woolworth store which had been converted into artist booth spaces. It was great to be out of the rain.  

When we left there the rain had diminished so we continued our trek around the downtown area, me a bit less cold and grumpy, content to read menus outside restaurants while Brad collected sign photos. 

Eventually we worked our way back to where we’d parked and I happily traded my thin rain jacket for my down coat. We had dinner at Scully’s pub and hung out there for a couple of hours, once we discovered they had wifi. We sat at a table beyond the bar where excited patrons were watching football. 

A hot bowl of jerk chicken chili diminished our inner frost, while sipping a martini (me) and beer (Brad) chased away any lingering ice! Our waitress was darling, very friendly and real, and her favorite reply was “okey-dokey” as she brought our sandwiches and sweet potato fries. After leaving Scully’s we drove across town, looking for gas and trying to figure where to sleep that night. The rain had stopped and we could see the moon through light cloud cover. We took off south towards a campground we spotted on our map on North Mills River road where we pulled into a campsite in the dark. Since it was still so icy cold I ended up going to sleep wearing my down jacket beneath our two quilts. 

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! 

24 States in 27 Days - Day 8:

Oct. 17th, 2012, Wednesday: After a rainy night, we woke to sunshine. It was 5:15 Oregon time, but 8:15 Michigan time. An amazing breakfast was prepared and waiting for us as we appeared in our morning glory. Homemade biscuits with cherry jam, sauteed onions, peppers and jalapenos in eggs, fresh hot coffee, delish! Outside a fat groundhog was busy rummaging in the compost pile, enjoying breakfast too. Later we took off with my Aunt and Uncle on a tour of Williamston. Since they were moving soon, this was a chance for them to see some friends and share some of their favorite spots with us. We walked through a park along the Red Cedar river that had been hit by a tornado 2 years prior, leaving broken trees in its wake. These stumps had been carved by different artists and were cool to see. 

Walking around town, in and out of shops, we especially enjoyed visiting a local letterpress business. From there we drove west to East Lansing and through the Michigan State campus - it’s huge! In 2005, Eliza and I had visited, but we only saw part of the campus that time. We were dropped off nearby to explore while my aunt and uncle headed off to an appointment. 

We walked all over, taking sign photos (Brad) and autumn colors or architecture photos (Jana) along with checking out a couple of galleries and shops. 

The sun was out and temperatures climbed into the 70’s, heating us up as we wandered around. After we were picked up we went to the downtown area of Old Lansing. The Grand River flowed nearby and we checked out the fish ladder before walking through the shopping district. 

More signs for Brad to photograph! 

After a snack of gourmet popcorns, we drove past the capitol building where my uncle used to work before starting his own consulting business. 

We offered to fix dinner that night, but they had a gift certificate to a local restaurant they wanted to use and suggested going out to eat there. Our meals were delicious, but soon after we sat down a three piece band started playing and pretty much drowned out any possibility of conversation! Another group at a nearby table ended up leaving, but we’d already ordered, so we stayed, trying to talk during pauses in the music. Back at their house I worked on uploading photos while we visited, sharing pictures of our trip so far, and looking at photos they had. That night we opened the window and slept to the sounds of dripping rain outside.