Starting Data
Mileage: 65,854
Time: 7:20
Weather: 44º and sunny
Book: Pops
Today was our "5 state day." We traveled through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and into New York.
First, I want to share with you 3 sitings that cracked us up. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures for any of them, so use your imaginations :)
"New 2-year stamp required to use transfer station.
NO TICKY--NO DUMPY"
Picture a brown Smart Car. Got it? OK, now add 2 fuzzy dog ears on top and a fuzzy tail attached to the back. This is the car for Thomaston's Humane Society. We spotted it yesterday, sans ears and tail, in Rockland, and this morning--with ears and tail--sitting in front of the Community Center.
A sign overhead on I-95S as you enter New Hampshire announcing: "New Hampshire State Liquor Store and Lottery Sales. Next Right. Open Sundays!" They weren't kidding. There was an enormous red building immediately off the interstate. Seemed like a bad idea for a liquor store location to us.
Today's drive was not very exciting. We took a 20-minute stretch break around 9:30 at the Kennebunk S Service Plaza. Dave grabbed some breakfast at Burger King and some coffee at Starbucks. (Thanks, Amber!) I had eaten at the cottage before we left. We got back into the car and continued our journey.
We were very briefly in New Hampshire. (Not enough time to enjoy a lovely beverage at the N.H. State Liquor Store or to buy a lottery ticket. Dave did rename this stretch of our trip as The Foster Brooks Freeway.) We entered the state at 10:17 and were in Massachusetts at 10:30. Our route took us on an east to west trek through much of the state. We did not go south towards Boston, however. We stopped at what was purported to be a "Rest Area--Visitor Center--Information Center." Ugh. Bathrooms were dirty, toilet paper was scarce, graffiti was abundant, no soap and blow dryers that gave a weak puff of cold air before quitting altogether. We were only out of the car for about 10 minutes or so. You could see where there had been a visitor center/information center. They had vending machines covering one of the window areas and the other side was boarded up. Guess the state budget in Massachusetts did not budget for that rest area!
We were surprised by Worcester. We just went along the edge, but you could see an impressive skyline. We drove past an area that was still in use filled with old brick buildings used for manufacturing. There were some beautiful church spires (That's tall-pointy things to you, Lauren!) and some substantial buildings on the campus of Holy Cross. The scenery along the Massachusetts Turnpike was lovely. We drove through densely forested areas with deciduous trees just beginning to turn color. It was quite hilly. The traffic zoomed past us at an alarming speed. We were going 67 mph, just a tad above the posted speed limit, and you would have thought that we were moving at 35 mph. We also were unable to get into the correct lane to pick up the ticket for the Turnpike. So instead of it costing us $1.70 it cost us $3.80. It was less than we had anticipated.
We stopped again around 12:30 at the Ludlow Plaza Service Center for a much needed break from traffic and a stretch. Dave had a terrific lunch at a Boston Market. It was nice for him to have some "real food" as opposed to what is the usual road-fare along the interstate.
As we neared New York we saw signs for both Tanglewood and for The Berkshires. Maybe someday--not this trip. We entered New York at 1:55. We are staying tonight at a La Quinta in Latham, NY--a suburb of Albany. We drove through a beautiful little hamlet named Loudonville a part of the municipality of Colonie, right after we exited the interstate. There were beautiful old mansions along both sides of the street. We got to our stop at 3.
Tonight we ate supper at the Latham 76 Diner. It was nothing fancy, but the food was good and plentiful. I was able to have broiled scallops and a nice green salad, so all was good. Dave had a Greek spinach pie. Now, we just have to try to stay awake and let it digest! Our drive tomorrow is about five and a half hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment