Butte, Montana to Spokane, Washington

HOME....oooh so sweet.

We're looking out from our crow's nest on the 48th parallel with a backward view of the USA. There are so many memories of adventure and fond thoughts of super people circulating and distilling in each of us. The trip has become part of our beings. We are grateful for safe passage.

Final Odometer: 10141
States: Montana, Idaho, Washington  Total: 28
Countries: 2

From Rapid City, South Dakota to Butte, Montana

On the road again.....and no planned sights to see, but there were some sights that we couldn't avoid seeing.

Just a short distance outside of Rapid City, near Spearfish,  we were one of the first to come upon a truck on fire on the freeway. We gawked until the fire fighters arrived and then gawked some more as they emptied one foam filled truck and then another onto the fire. No one was injured, and fortunately, there was a nearby exit that kept the traffic moving.

Then, in mid-Montana we passed a man running along pushing a 3-wheeled baby jogger. He had a bright yellow 'coast-to-coast' sign on the stroller, and I was able to find his blog tonight, (thank you Google). Evidently, he started in Westport, Washington and is running to Georgia doing about a marathon worth of miles every day. He's Swedish and has done the run once before from the east coast to the west. He carries all of his supplies in the stroller.Wow!

We also passed a prairie dog town with a big sign reading "no shooting/prairie dog study area". The little guys must believe in "don't fence me in", because their burrows were both inside the study area and out.

I've been living with a no shopping rule for the entire trip, (there really is no extra space in the boxster). Today I snapped. We stopped at an intriguing second hand store in a teeny Montana town and found the most wonderful old galvanized steel watering cans; so I bought three. :) One fit in the trunk, one beneath my feet, and one in my lap. Just a few hundred miles to go...

Giving symmetry to our trip, here we are in Butte, with Tom Mulcahy. Dinner at the Uptown Cafe, across the street from the historic Finlen Hotel. Great stories, great fun.

Running Odometer: 9819
States: South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana  Total:  28
Countries:  2

Albert Lea, Minnesota to Rapid City, South Dakota

Driving all day in a straight line we finished off Minnesota and most of South Dakota, Sturgis...Deadwood...Wall. The prairies are strikingly beautiful today dressed in greens of every hue. The grasses look soft, velvety, mossy, a real prairie dog paradise. There's been rain, and that's left many areas of standing water, pools and ponds that are wetlands now, but will be sipped dry by the summer sun. We stop at Wall Drug, just because it's there. We're in earlyish. One long day to go and then home is a chip shot.

Running Odometer: 9261
States: Minnesota, South Dakota  Total:  28

Lansing, Michigan to Albert Lea, Minnesota

Lots of miles today and late getting off the road, but we are once again west of the Mississippi and that's the appropriate river bank for us. Sight seeing is no longer a goal. We are headed for home.

The highlight of our day was lunch in Wheaton, Illinois with Ram and Rani Ramaswamy. Rani treated us to crispy hot dosai with chutney and sambar. Delicious! The dosai is similar to a crepe, but thinner and more savory. We were honored to enjoy Rani's cooking. While we were together, the four of us gathered in front of the computer and visited with Vivek and Sophia via webcam. This is the first time all four grandparents have been together since Sophia was born and we all oohed and aahed  in unison over our darling baby. Thank you to Vivek's mom and dad for being such gracious hosts.

Running Odometer: 8708
States: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota  Total:  28
Countries: 2

Niagara Falls, Ontario to Lansing, Michigan

Water, water, everywhere, which brings with it the threat of hypothermia.
We voyage on the Maid of the Mist, (which has been in operation since 1846), out into the Niagara basin. A hint of what is to come are the dark blue rain ponchos issued to each passenger. The boat putt-putts past American Falls and we feel some of its spray; then the boat heads to Horseshoe Falls and turns directly into the face of the waterfall and holds there....forever. The tour guide, speaking over the PA system, intones, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Niagara Falls." Indeed. Being in such close proximity to this tremendous force of nature was very awe inspiring, BUT, also like standing in a cold, unrelenting shower.

Our second adventure is the Journey Behind the Falls. This time it's a bright yellow poncho. We are taken by elevator down the equivalent of 14 stories and then allowed to wander long concrete corridors that open to viewing platforms deep in the gorge, below the falls. The ponchos are a necessity, but standing in the splash zone is an option this time. The striking feature to me, is the thunderous roar.
Next stop is Niagara's Fury, a multi-media presentation which is inside a theater, so I'm suspicious when we are handed green ponchos. I ask if we're going to get wet and the answer is "just a little bit". We learn about the geology of the area culminating with a big screen shot of the waterfall complete with heavy mist descending on us from above.
Last stop is the White Water Walk, which is a boardwalk along the Niagara River. No ponchos, and the class 6 rapids are astounding.
Niagara Falls is a beautiful natural phenomenon. The area is surrounded by a lovely park, but it is bordered with a casino, a ferris wheel, a water park, Hard Rock Cafe and a Ripley's Believe It Or Not. WHY???

Running Odometer: 8048
States: Michigan  Total:  25
Countries: 2

Montreal, Quebec to Niagara Falls, Ontario

Today's scenery is wide expanses of green fields, an occasional smattering of trees and large tracts of range land. Compared to what we've seen in the past weeks, it's "pretty", not spectacular. We skim the outskirts of Toronto on an expressway. It's a city of 2.5 million, but we shoot right by. We can see the CN Tower, (the world's tallest free standing structure), in the distance. We pass over a finger of Lake Ontario....and it is indeed a 'great' lake as far as the eye can see.

Arriving in Niagara Falls we turn towards our hotel and see the American Falls portion of the cataract at the end of the street. It's enough to cause a double-take. We walk the viewing pathway and the mist in the air is refreshing and amazing that it's infused in the air even at this distance.
Rainbows come and go in the watery air. One makes a full-scale arc, framing completely American Falls, with the pot of gold somewhere under the water's depths.

Standing just at the verge of Horseshoe Falls where the water rushes over the edge I  feel like I'm going with it even though my feet are firmly on the pathway.
Our hotel balcony overlooks the spectacle of water and sound. We plan to leave the glass door open so we can fall asleep to the rush of the falls.

Running Odometer: 7718
States: 0  Total:  24
Countries:  2

Quebec City, Quebec to Montreal, Quebec

We are in the land of bonjour, bienvenue and au revoir, but this time we haven't left the continent. Old Quebec City looks just as if a cookie cutter piece has been dislodged from the side streets of Paris and set down along the St Lawrence River. This is the only walled city in the US and Canada.

We walk the Dufferin Terrace lined with cannons left over from the days when protection was critical. The terrace fronts the St Lawerence, above the Old Port. The Chateau Frontenac, a sister hotel to the Banff Springs Hotel, was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1893. It is an imposing chateau rising above the walkway like an enormous castle complete with turrets and a slanted copper roof, gone green. The narrow streets are populated by horse-drawn carriages, or caleches, offering journeys through the venerable city.

A funiculaire which has been in operation for 130 years takes us down to the Old Port. The track is 64 meters in length, dropping down 59 meters. Here we find old-world cobbled streets and the Place Royale, the oldest French settlement in North America.

The Citadelle of Quebec was built in 1820 to secure the area against the Americans. It was used in more modern times as a meeting place for Churchill and FDR during the second world war. It is still in use as a military installation by the Canadian armed forces. To enter the fortress we travel a narrow walled drive that we cannot move into until the light turns green, as it is the only path in and out and is one car at a time, one way at a time.

Downtown Montreal is sleek, clean and modern; but we head into the old city near the quais where we enjoy the Basilica of Notre Dame and the Rue Saint Paul and savor a delicious Mother's Day dinner, (they have lobster in Montreal).

As we take the exit to our hotel, a rusty red fox scoots in front of the car reminding us that we are not far from the wilds of Canada.

Happy Mother's Day to all my 'Mom' friends and family; especially to the mother's of the singularly exceptional Sean, Anna, and Sophia.

Running Odometer: 7259
States: 0 Total:  24
Countries:  2

Bar Harbor, Maine to Quebec City, Quebec

We were alerted to the sunrise by a cacophony of gulls and terns, and were grateful for the wake-up call. Thanks to the birds, we were up and out early enough to hear the buoys rocking and chiming and the foghorns off in the distance.

Acadia National Park is a next door neighbor to Bar Harbor. The park is on Mount Desert Island and is a commanding combination of beaches, meadows and mountains where larch, hemlock, cottonwood and yellow birch create a texture of leaves, needles and colors. We hike the Ocean Cliffs Trail and stop at Thunder Hole, a small cavern in the rocky shore where waves force air out of the hole in a thunderous roar. As we walk, we look out towards the Cranberry Islands, and admire the colossal slabs of granite strewn with abandon along the shore. They are painted with a thin patina of lime green moss.

The Wild Gardens of Acadia, within the park, is a specimen garden created by the Bar Harbor garden club. They have collected flora from throughout the park, and arranged it in categories, (beach, meadow, mountain), along a winding pathway. The plants are all labeled for easy identification.

As we leave the park there are two deer standing just off the road. We stop, roll down the window and advise them about the 'stop, look and listen' rule. We pass under an old stone bridge that has a 10 foot 4 inch clearance, going where no RV can go.

We head out across the 'neck' of Maine, and into the backwoods, following the Kennebec River. The apple-pie order of the homes and villages of the coast give way to collections of old cars and improvised personal landfills at provincial homesteads carved into the trees. One homeowner has accumulated more than 30 power mowers, with no formal grass in sight.

We travel most of the day in the rain. And the rain in Maine falls mainly on the...moose. There are moose crossing signs everywhere, at least one every 5 miles across the width of the state. Fortunately, we didn't 'run into any'.

Tonight we are as far north as we will go on this trip, and have made the big left turn towards the West and home.

Running Odometer: 7078
States: Maine Total: 24
Countries :2

Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts to Bar Harbor, Maine

We are doing what we came to do...driving scenic highways with the top down and drinking in the views. This was a perfect day and the perfect terrain to further our goal. The foliage and the crisp freshness of the air feels more familiar and more like home; perhaps it's because Maine and the state of Washington are the northern bookends of our country. 
Small harbor towns, trucks on the roadside selling lobster, scallops, clams and crab, white tips of church steeples peeking above the tree tops, (another church, another steeple), antique shops, moose habitat, and blueberry fields; Maine lives up to its reputation.
Wiscasset calls itself "the prettiest little village" in Maine, and we won't argue.
We stopped in Portland to visit the old port section of the city. Some of the streets are still cobbled, the buildings are quaint, and the harbor is busy. We found a dock-side restaurant, sat under an umbrella and enjoyed.

Chowdah for lunch, lobstah for dinner.

Running Odometer: 6760
States:  Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine  Total: 24

Chicopee Falls and Springfield, Massachusetts

FAMILY.  Today we experienced the unique love and care of a special group of people. To Claire, age 87,  a gracious lady who can talk books and give perspective on possible travel stops,  to Katie, age 8, who had us all doing math problems and listening to her read expressively (and way beyond her second grade level), to Erin and Maryellen who cooked a delicious feast, to Frank who worked all night and still came to dinner, to Tommy who drove for two hours to see everyone, to Sandy who shared her home with us for the night (and served the perfect breakfast), we say thank you so much. This is the Massachusetts contingent of the Bresnahan clan, and the genealogy proves true. An exceptional lineage.
We left replete with travel tips and good advice and refortified by home cooking and clean laundry!

Running Odometer: 6360
States: Massachusetts  Total: 22

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts

A quick stop to connect with another moment in more recent history before we leave the city of brotherly love is the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where Rocky Balboa hangs out in statue form at the foot of those long laborious stairs we remember from the movie. The Rock is standing with fists raised in triumph. He should have quit while he was a winner and not bothered with the sequels.

Valley Forge is pastoral and serene this morning; in stark contrast to the winter encampment of George and his 12,000 Continental Army troops that took place here in 1777-78. Canada Geese are enjoying a pond, a woodpecker is beating out a rhythm, the sun shines, and green is the pervasive color. The army lived here in severe winter conditions for six months in small cramped (12 to a hut) log huts constructed by the men. They persevered to march off in pursuit of the British having survived a test of will and commitment.

Following along after George and his army, we crossed the Delaware....via a toll bridge, and landed on the Jersey shore where we encountered, not the British Army, but many miles of "crazy". We skirted New York City, but even at this distance we could feel the impact of this enormous city. We surfed through 12 lanes of fast moving traffic, underpasses, overpasses, criss-crossing and swooping, each segment following its own twisting path. Planes, with landing gear down,  flew overhead at seemingly eye-level as they neared touch down. Absolute, organized, chaos. The New York skyline was visible in the distance with the Empire State Building still holding dominance. We crossed the GWB...the George Washington Bridge... spanning the Hudson River, and officially touched the isle of Manhattan before we were swept through this mill race and back onto the semi-sanity of  I-95.

In Hartford, we stopped to pay a visit to Samuel Clemens, or at least his memory, and to discover that his next door neighbor was Harriet Beecher Stowe. Some lively over the fence discussions, no doubt. His home was designed by an architect who's forte was cathedrals, and that influence is very evident in the magnificent red brick mansion. This is where Clemens was most prolific in his writing and it is interesting to see how he 'disciplined' himself to focus on the task by positioning his desk in a corner away from all windows, with his back to the billiards table.

Last stop, the haven of Chicopee Falls, and Jim's cousins, Sandy and Mary Ellen.

Running Odometer: 6320
States: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts  Total: 22

Philadelphia

We were dorks. Wearing round red CD players around our necks and ear plugs in our ears we followed the audio tour of historic Philadelphia. We stood in front of buildings or sat on a convenient bench and listened to stories of bygone days, most of which we'd first heard in elementary school. The people are American heroes, the places, icons of American lore. These documents and deeds, men and women, are the foundations of our patriotism. Today was a reminder of what it means to live in this country, where it started and why and what it took to make it all possible. When in the course of human events...

Free to be dorks and fortunate to have today's inspirational reminder.

Running Odometer: 6020
States: Pennsylvania  Total: 18

Virginia Beach, Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Early this morning Virginia Beach was being groomed by a beach Zamboni...a small John Deere tractor pulling a device that lifted litter and smoothed the sand in a single pass. We walked (part of) the three mile beach promenade before we got into the car for the day's adventures.

We drove the Hampton Roads area, which kept us on the coast and kept us island hopping. As a matter of fact, we traveled over and under water, in the car! The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is over 17 miles long and includes two tunnel segments each one mile long. Viewed from above, the bridge portion disappears under water, then reemerges, then disappears again and finally pops up once more. Huge container ships steam across the bay between bridge segments and tough looking military coastal patrol craft glide across the open channel at half hour intervals. It's all reminiscent of the BART tunnel and the Chunnel, but is somewhat more dramatic because the roadway appears to vanish; nose diving into the bay.

The mouth of Chesapeake Bay was the site of the battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack during the Civil War and where German U-boats sank the SS Tiger in 1942 during World War II.

We got a head start on historic Philadelphia with a tour of Independence Hall and a visit to the Liberty Bell. We're refreshing our history lessons and brushing elbows with the ghosts of the Founding Fathers.

And finally, a visit to South Street for a Philly cheese steak, with Whiz.

Congratulations to KC, Valedictorian of the Masters of Public Affairs Program at Sciences Po!

Running Odometer: 6020
States: Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania  Total: 18

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Virginia Beach, Virginia

Today, we drove the Outer Banks, a string of islands off the coast of North Carolina, through towns so small the GPS didn't recognize them.

These barrier islands protect the intra-coastal waterways, (which consist of rivers, inlets, canals, and sloughs),  from the open ocean. There are several long beautifully sculpted bridges that connect islands, and there is also a ferry system. We completely flunked ferries. We mis-timed the first one and drove right past the landing for the second one. Oh well, it's not exactly the Washington State ferry system. The boats hold 28 cars, run only a few times a day, and take 2 1/2 hours to cross the longer channels which were looking pretty choppy today.

Unfortunately, the Bodie Island lighthouse was swathed in scaffolding (and it looks like it may be undercover for quite some time). It was like arriving at the Guggenheim in Bilbao to find Jeff Koons' 'puppy' caged in construction frameworks....which did happen to us last November. Oh well, once again.

As a wonderful consolation prize, the medians of the highway were strewn with ribbons of a lacy blue wild flower which alternated with broad streams of yellow blooms. Maybe the blues were gentian, not sure since we were moving a little too quickly (ahem) for plant identification. Another lovely sight were the homes whose entire yards had been given over to pink or lavender phlox. You gotta have a wide, deep porch, and you gotta have several high backed rockers sitting on it, and a few pillars supporting the porch roof are an added bonus. There is a definite 'look' to homes in North Carolina. They are stately, well-kept and very traditional.

Kitty Hawk is in the Outer Banks, and there is a national park chronicling the accomplishments of the Wright brothers in nearby Kill Devil Hills. We walked the field where Wilbur and Orville flew and where there are stone markers indicating  the length of each of the first four flights at 120 feet, 175 feet, 200 feet and 852 feet, (that flight lasted 59 seconds).

Congratulations to Lesley, Bloomsday finisher!

Running Odometer: 5738
States: South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia  Total: 15

Daytona Beach, Florida to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Last night we drove into Daytona/Daytona Beach and were bowled away by the sheer size of the Daytona Speedway facility. This is a big deal. I guess the rest of the world already knew that. It was a revelation to me. And then as we neared the beach, a huge neon arc hung across the sky stating: "World's Most Famous Beach", and yes, since the grand-daddy of Nascar races takes place right next door, you can drive on this beach. 

This morning we walked the beach walk accompanied by a battalion of brown pelicans flying in sloppy formation. 

As we headed up the Palm Coast we passed fruit stands touting fresh Florida citrus. We couldn't resist a bag of sweet deep orange tangerines to eat in the car.

We drove through the Georgia Sea Islands over long arching bridges, and stopped on Jekyll Island. In the late 1800's a group of millionaires (including the Morgans, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts), bought the entire island and built summer homes there. They arrived in their yachts, as the island was only accessible by water in those days. They called themselves the Jekyll Island Club and combined efforts to build a spectacular "clubhouse." It's an uber mansion complete with turret. The grounds are studded with live oak trees draped with flowing sheets of Spanish moss.Their club lasted 54 years until World War II intervened.

We passed a sign for a terrapin crossing with instructions to stop and assist the turtle across the road in the direction it was going. Very critical.

We took an off-freeway route through rural Georgia, passing Darien a town established in 1736, a multicolored striped big-top with a sign announcing a tent revival, and the smallest church in America. The church is 10 feet by 15 feet and holds exactly 12 chairs.

Running Odometer: 5285

States: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina  Total: 14