Our Wander Years

TS_10 wrapup

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Sparky

The 10th trip south was longer than the 10th trip north (TN_10), both in miles and time. It knocked some items off my bucket list. And Marlene and I arrived home still liking each other. I call that a success.

By the numbers:

11 days, 10 nights, 8 hops, 2,482 miles (310 miles per hop).
129 extra miles due to trips to casinos, two trips into Nashville and a trip to Hershey Chocolate World.
76.3 gallons of fuel consumed (34.2 miles per gallon).
Total fuel cost: $223.04 ($2.92 per gallon).
8 nights in a hotel: $737.31 ($92.16 per night).

Highlights:

Visiting our cousins in Louisville KY. I see my cousin frequently as he lives near me half the year but had never visited him at his Louisville home. Marlene hadn’t seen her cousin in over 30 years. Both visits were very nice.
Visiting the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville PA. Somber but beautiful.
Visiting Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey PA. Fun with chocolate treats.
Visiting the Ben & Jerry’s factory in VT. Entertaining with delicious ice cream.
Visiting Nashville TN. Seeing Lower Broadway in full swing at night was a treat.
The Drury Inn in Nashville. This was our most expensive hotel but worth every penny.

Lowlights:

Finding Fort Ticonderoga closed. Disappointing as this was one of the reasons I routed TS_10 through Vermont.
Losses at the casinos. Marlene did okay but I did poorly at all of them.
Some disappointing Wyndham hotels. I expect a certain quality from all the Wyndham brands, but some of my choices – the La Quinta in Tallahassee being the worst – were not the quality I expected.

Planned and actual routes:

The plan and actual only resemble each other in that they both were routed through Louisville with a stop at Hershey PA. Everything else changed. Most notably, we started via VT and NY. We also made the last stop Tallahassee rather than Destin FL.

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TS_10 Hop 8: Tallahassee FL to Lehigh Acres FL

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Sparky

415 miles via I-10, US 19, US 98, FL 60, US 27, FL 29 and FL 82. Cumulative route miles: 2,482. Auto miles on this hop: 415. Cumulative auto miles: 2,519. This was a LONG trip – over 8 hours on the road – mostly because I chose to avoid I-75. And because Marlene wanted one last casino. We stopped for fuel on US 98 north of Crystal Springs.

I like US 19/US 98. It is flat, smooth and has little traffic. But it does go through a lot of small towns. We also went through Lakeland which is not a small town and has a lot of traffic.

I lost my usual $100 at the casino; Marlene broke even. We made it home around 10pm.

Our home for the night was the La Quinta in Tallahassee. Not a great choice. Inexpensive but after the Drury was a real downer. The bed, TV, shower and fridge were fine, so it wasn’t bad for an overnight. But the free breakfast was terrible, including sour waffles. Never had sour waffles before. They were inedible. Not recommended.

I will provide a TS_10 wrapup soon.

Categories: FL, Hotels, Routes, TS_10 | Leave a comment

TS_10 Hop 7: Nashville TN to Tallahassee FL

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Sparky

486 miles via I-40, I-440 (around Nashville), I-65 and US 27. Cumulative route miles: 2,067. Auto miles: 615. Cumulative auto miles: 2,196. We had one snack/bio stop at a Wendy’s in Mongomery AL.

The weather was very good, fortunately, because this was a LONG day of driving. About 8 hours behind the wheel. But the navigation was simple, the roads were good and there were very few delays.

Our home in Nashville was the Drury Inn near the airport. The choice of this hotel was a bit accidental. When I first looked for an inexpensive hotel in Nashville I found several hotels of acceptable quality for under $100 per night. But when I booked just before we started this hop I could find nothing under $100. I took the Drury because it wasn’t outrageously expensive (about $270 total or $135 per night) and I recalled staying at a Drury in St Louis many years ago and remembered it as a fine hotel.

When we arrived the hotel could not find my reservation. But they did find a reservation for me in NOVEMBER. I have no idea how I booked for November instead of September, but it took me about half an hour to get it straightened out. I think this error was the reason that I couldn’t find an inexpensive hotel. But I stayed with Drury. And am very glad I did.

This hotel was AWESOME. Not only was the room more than adequate, but it had a wonderful free breakfast and an indoor/outdoor pool that we actually used. But the big surprise was the free dinner with drinks. The dinner was just tacos, but very good tacos. And both Marlene and I were given tickets for 3 free drinks. We got buzzed on two margaritas each. We didn’t even use the third ticket.

This hotel was a bargain at $130 per night (which is what I paid).

We took a driving tour of Nashville in the morning – the Grand Ole Opry (which we didn’t go in, just walked around the grounds), Opry Mills and downtown Nashville. We then went back to downtown after 9pm to see the music scene. Both trips were fun.

Categories: Food, Hotels, Music, Routes, TN, TS_10 | Leave a comment

TS_10 Hop 6: Louisville KY to Nashville TN

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Sparky

212 miles via I-264, US 31W, KY 841, I-65, I-24 and I-40. Cumulative route miles: 1,581. Auto miles on this hop: 22. Cumulative auto miles: 1,656. There were no extra auto miles. However, the route was rather tortuous: first to Churchill Downs where we tried (and failed) to get a souvenir, then to a gas station to fill up (cheaply, at $2.74) and to search for souvenirs in nearby shops (we failed but did find some CDs to play), then to Marlene’s cousin’s house to catch up on old time (they hadn’t seen each other in over 30 years), then to a Pilot to try again for a souvenir (success!), then, finally, on the road to Nashville.

We spent 3.5 hours with Marlene’s cousin Jeanette and her family. It was a pleasure. Nice people, including the grandchildren. I don’t say that often.

We were guests of my cousin for the two nights we spent in Louisville, so it was a cousin-oriented couple of days. They were very gracious hosts, providing us with a comfortable bed and two very fine breakfasts (my cousin Keith is a fine cook). He also treated us to a tour of some of the highlights of Louisville – the University of Louisville, the parks, Churchill Downs and the graves of Colonel Sanders and Muhammed Ali. He also treated us to a sunset dinner at Captain’s Quarters Riverside Grille on the banks of the Ohio River. It was a lovely evening and there was live music. We danced.

An unexpected highlight of the stay was frequent visits from Phil, their resident groundhog. Neither Marlene nor I had ever seen a groundhog in the wild. He was very amusing. And had an insatiable appetite for carrots.

Two very enjoyable nights in Louisville. Thank you, Keith and Debbie!

Categories: Family, KY, Routes, TN, TS_10 | Leave a comment

TS_10 Hop 5: St Clairsville OH to Louisville KY

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Sparky

323 miles via US 40 (through St Clairsville), I-70, I-270 (south of Columbus OH), I-71 and I-264 into Louisville KY. Cumulative route miles: 1,369. Auto miles on this hop: 340. Cumulative auto miles: 1,434. The extra miles on this hop were due to a trip to the Wheeling Island Casino in Wheeling WV.

We started the trip by going through downtown St Clairsville and stopping to take a photo of the stunning county courthouse there. Then we hopped on I-70, switched to I-71 at Columbus and took that pretty much the rest of the way to Louisville. We did make one brief snack/bio stop south of Cincinatti.

The weather was nice and the roads were not very crowded. A long but pleasant hop.

The trip to the casino was an adventure. We apparently entered the wrong address because it took us down some roads in bad neighborhoods, including one that was so narrow and dark that I thought it was someone’s driveway. We corrected the address but when we found the hotel it was dark. Never seen a dark casino. But there were many cars in the lot so we figured it must be open. We asked a guy in the parking lot where was the entrance. He pointed us back to the dark entry that we had already seen, saying “they are working on the lights.” Yeah.

We eventually found an entrance with lights, then had to go through the most severe security screening we have ever seen at a casino. Empty my pockets, walk through the metal detector. We got in finally.

The lobby (the one with lights) was attractive, but the casino was pretty drab. No table games. And the slot machines weren’t kind. Both Marlene and I lost money. We won’t go out of our way to return to Wheeling Island.

Our hotel for the one night in St Clairsville was the Super 8. The accommodations were satisfactory – comfortable bed, warm shower, mini fridge, microwave. Decent breakfast, too, and 24-hour coffee. But the TV was crap and the sink leaked. Not great, but really cheap – $52.

Categories: Hotels, KY, OH, Routes, TS_10 | Leave a comment

TS_10 Hop 4: Harrisburg PA to St Clairsville OH

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Sparky

270 miles via I-81, US 30, I-70, I-470 (around Wheeling) and I-70 (again). Cumulative route miles: 1,046. Auto miles: 286. Cumulative auto miles: 1,094. We stopped at the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville PA. The extra miles were from the trip to the Hershey Chocolate World.

This was a clear, warm day with relatively little traffic. A lot of it was on US 30 which is a narrow, winding road through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Very scenic but not very fast.

The Flight 93 Memorial is the site of the crash, on 9/11 2001, when the plane hijacked by terrorists and apparently headed for the Capitol Building in Washington DC was intentionally crashed when the passengers fought back against the hijackers. Very heroic and very tragic. 44 people died – 33 passengers, 7 crew and 4 hijackers. A wall commemorates each victim – one panel per person. There is a Visitor’s Center about a half mile from the crash site. We got our steps in walking to the Visitor’s Center and back to the site.

About a mile from the site there is a tower of chimes. We stopped there on our way out.

We stayed two nights at the Quality Inn in Harrisburg PA, near Hershey PA. We liked the hotel. Very clean, very comfortable, good WiFi, a very nice complimentary breakfast. The two nights allowed us to visit the Hershey Chocolate World in a leisurely way.

Categories: Hotels, OH, PA, Routes, WV | Leave a comment

Hershey Chocolate World

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Sparky

Milton Hershey did much more than create a chocolate bar in 1900 – he created an entire community. And it is now a destination with something for everyone – an amusement park, a private boarding school, a botanical garden, several hotels and resorts and Hershey Chocolate World – a place where one can learn how Hershey’s chocolate is made and can pig out on the chocolates made there. There is a free ride that ends with a complimentary chocolate treat.

We rode the free ride and took a look at the hotel, the school and the gardens but did not go in. But we did buy some chocolate.

Categories: Adventures, Food, PA, TS_10 | Leave a comment

TS_10 Hop 3: Schenectady NY to Harrisburg PA

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Sparky

361 miles via NY 7, I-88, I-81, PA 347, I-380, I-81 (again), PA 309, US 202, PA 772, US 30, PA 283, I-283, I-81 (yet again) and US 22. Cumulative route miles: 776. Auto miles: 373. Cumulative auto miles: 808. The 12 non-route miles were the trip to the casino.

This hop included several stops. First, we stopped for gas in Dunmore PA. We then stopped for cash at an ATM in Wilkes-Barre PA (and got some Frosty treats at the adjacent Wendy’s). The third stop was at a Dollar General to try to return an item we had purchased the day before. The fourth stop was at a quilt shop in Bird in Hand PA. We stopped at the Bird in Hand Family Restaurant with the intention of dining there but found the place overwhelmed with 4 busloads of tourists. We then drove to the hotel and had dinner (sandwiches and soup) in our room.

The route included a lot of back roads, including some of the curviest up-and-down roads I have ever traveled. This made the trip interesting and kept me awake. It was a long trip.

Marlene LOVED the quilt shop. All of the quilts there were handmade by Amish women. The workmanship was amazing. We didn’t bother to look at prices.

It was a bit disappointing that we couldn’t dine at the Bird in Hand Family Restaurant but at least we got to see the place. It is in a temporary – but very impressive – location due to a fire in its original location.

This “temporary” building was an historic one – owned at one time by James Buchanon.

Our home for the one night in Schenectady was the Quality Inn. Very nice hotel. Equal in quality to the La Quinta the night before.

Categories: Historical Markers, NY, PA, Routes, TS_10 | Leave a comment

TS_10 Hop 2: Plattsburgh NY to Schenectady NY

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Sparky

185 miles via I-87, NY 9N, I-87 again, NY 50 and I-87 (yet again). Cumulative route miles: 415. Auto miles: 185. Cumulative auto miles: 435.

This hop was mostly on I-87. I have never driven I-87 north of Albany so this was a new road for me. It was beautiful! Soft mountains and deep valleys. And much of it with a view of Lake Champlain.

We gassed up when we left the hotel in Plattsburgh, stopped for a snack and a bit of shopping somewhere on NY 9N and got lost briefly near Albany (we accidentally shut off the GPS and missed our exit). We tried to visit Fort Ticonderoga but it is closed on Mondays. We did stop for a couple of hours in Saratoga Springs, to window shop.

Saratoga Springs is a lovely town, even on a cloudy and sometimes drizzly day. It has some interesting architecture and equally interesting shops. Very pricy shops. Marlene saw a very nice leather jacket for only $1,300. Saw but didn’t purchase.

We got into our hotel after 7pm but that didn’t stop us from visiting yet another casino – the Rivers Casino in Schenectady. Marlene won nearly $200 but I lost my usual $100. Still, up $100 as a couple.

Our home for the one night in Plattsburgh was the La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham. Our room was not a suite but it was more than adequate. Very comfortable and quiet. Good free breakfast too.

Categories: Hotels, NY, Routes, TS_10 | Leave a comment

TS_10 Hop 1: New Salem MA to Plattsburgh NY

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Sparky

230 miles via US 202, MA 122, MA 2, MA 10, I-91, I-89, US 2 and US 9. Cumulative route miles: 230. Total auto miles: 250. Cumulative auto miles: 250. The extra auto miles were due to a shopping trip before leaving the cabin.

This was a trip made on a beautiful but cool Sunday in light traffic. It was a pleasant drive from start to finish. The highlights were a tour of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory in Waterbury VT, a couple of hours browsing stores in downtown Burlington VT and an auto ferry to New York.

We got a late start and had to hustle to get to the Ben & Jerry’s tour for the 1:30 start (yes, you need to reserve a time to do this tour). In fact we didn’t make it on time – we arrived at the tour desk at 1:40. But we were allowed to hurry upstairs and join the group, missing only the 10-minute video. We saw the production floor, which was very small compared to the Tillamook cheese factory. But there is a second factory in NH which produces most of the B&J products so this original factory is now the public face of the corporation. It is also where new flavors are created. And where decisions about terminating flavors are made. One of the fun features of the site is a “flavor graveyard” that contains a headstone for each flavor that has been withdrawn.

We ended our tour by sharing a pint of Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz ice cream. Delicious. That was after the free sample of Mango.

Burlington is about 30 miles from the Ben & Jerry’s factory. Because it was Sunday the traffic was light and the parking was free. We walked the entire length of the Church Street Marketplace which is about 4 blocks long. It is a first-rate people watching experience. Burlington is a funky college town. And if that was not enough there was a gay pride party in progress. If you ever get a chance to visit, do it. Great city.

The route to the ferry to New York took us past the Apple Island Resort where Jett and I spent the summer of 2016. The marina where I worked was closed – too late and too cold.

The ferry was also cold. But the sun broke through long enough to get some nice photos. This was Marlene’s first auto ferry ride.