Moving On

That overnight in COSTCO parking lot proved to be fortuitous. We woke to snow and a dead battery. Greg was able to walk in, buy a lithium battery jump starter, sit in the food court & charge it, then get us back on the road. It’s been a week so we gassed up, filled the propane, and I found an open campground (think holding tank dump, water fill up , showers!) about an hour southwest of the city for the next couple of nights. 

It was a blustery day but we made the best of it. We were headed into Boston from Waltham. Stopped & had lunch at Legal Seafood in Chestnut Hill. Drove past Boston College. Closer in passed by Cambridge & a peek at the Harvard campus. Then we got into trouble; all the overpasses were lower than our turtle camper. Yikes. Cause of some harried driving, quick lane changes, and rerouting. Finally got into town, found parking, and began walking the Freedom Trail.

Last year we didn’t get into Boston until 5:30ish. Were able to walk the Trail but not go into any buildings. This year we explored ALL the buildings. We got about half way and called it a day; still had that 1+hr commute. Second day was clear and cold (when the wind blew…& it did most of the day). We parked at the wharf and started our tour of the USS Constitution and The Cassin Young destroyer. Worked our way back along the Trail ending at the cool Paul Revere house checking that off Greg’s list. Ate on the Wharf then found our quirky stops: plaque commemorating the Molasses Flood and the Mapparium. In 1919 a steel tank burst at its rivets sending a 30’ wave of molasses that obliterated & suffocated all in its path. The Mapparium is a 3 story stained glass globe of the world that you walk through. Cool acoustics.

Then it was time to head west towards a visit with LJ & Tye. It’s a long way from Boston to Decatur, IL! We were sure to drive the Catskills Scenic Byway from Olive to Andes, NY. I must say, from someone who lives in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I was underwhelmed. But we did enjoy the Phoenicia Diner along the way. Found out after the fact that some episodes of Severance (tv show) were filmed there. We saw temps in the 60s again so we survived the cold front. Saw some blooming forsythia and leafing weeping willows but all other trees are still bare in this part of the country. We thought the rolling hills with farms between Andes & Elmira, NY were prettier than the vistas on the Byway. Slept at another (open) campground, High Pines, PA, just outside Allegheny National Forest. 

Our mad dash across mid America began winding through Allegheny National Forest and State Park. Lovely wooded rolling hills before we reached the flat plains of the US breadbasket. First tourist stop of the day was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH. It was a bit of a sensory overload for me but Greg loved it. Just what you’d expect—memorabilia, music, tributes to greatest rock & roll artists. 

Next stop was the magnificent stone Ohio State Reformatory, a former prison and the location for much of the filming for the movie Shawshank Redemption. It was an off-the-beaten-path gem. Loooooong day driving to arrive at LJ & Tye’s in time to chat a minute, hug necks, then climb into bed to crash. We’ll be here for a couple of days before heading back south.

Pics here.