2014 - CONNECTICUT TO TEXAS

MARYLAND to PENNSYLVANIA

Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - Annapolis, MD, to Easton, MD

The last 5 days have been spent at the Annapolis Sailboat Show...

...which, given my increasing dislike of boat shows (worked only to help out my old business partner, to whom I owe many favors) means I'm more than ready to get back on the road.

Stopped on the way out of town for fuel and fresh groceries, then retraced our route from last week, back over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Annapolis to the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Although heading east means going back over our tracks a little it's unlikely we would make this kind of detour to the southern part of the Delmarva peninsular any other time.

Winding down scenic Route 662 has us crossing back and forth over the main - and arrow-straight - north-south Route 50.

We're still in the middle of cornfields, with unexpected sights popping up at the side of the road, like this restored one-room school-house.

The first planned stop on this loop south on the peninsular is the popular summer sailing destination of picturesque (and rather touristy) St Michaels where I take a leisurely stroll around town, chocolate chip ice-cream in hand.

Seasonal fall and Halloween decorations are much in evidence everywhere we go - in front yards and on porches of private houses, in store windows of every kind and tied to utilty poles, street lamps and parking meters.

From St Michaels we head inland and round to Oxford, a rather smaller and, to my eye, more attractive town - though without the picture-perfect harbor that makes St Michaels so popular with tourists (in whose number I guess I must be counted...).

I had debated taking what is billed as the "nations oldest privately operated ferry service" from Belleville, on the peninsular south of St Michaels, across the river to Oxford, but at $12 to sit and wait for the fairly short ride this seemed a little excessive.

So the 20-mile inland drive was taken in preference and from Oxford we returned to Easton for an overnight at another Walmart parking lot.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014 - Easton, MD

Less than ideal evening and overnight - local teens and their trucks with loud V8 engines and busted mufflers seem to like gathering in the remote section of the car park where I'm located; then the usual parking lot sweeper van working early; then highway noise building at first light accompanied by diesel engines and chatter from local community service buses, who also seem to like gathering in this spot...

So I was rather glad to move across the parking lot after breakfast, close to the Giant grocery store and its WiFi where I settled in for a couple of hours work.

Into the in-store Starbucks at 11:00am for another couple of hours work and the opportunity to charge the laptop (one of the many on-the-road management issues we RVers face...).

After lunch headed across town to find the AT&T store to check out the Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 6, and the alternative plans on offer as I really need to get a regular US cell phone. Despite my creative set-up on my UK iPhone of Skype numbers and call forwarding and voice-mail, the constraints of constantly having to find WiFi to get online to check e-mails and messages on my UK cell just isn't going to work out.

No stock of either the iPhone 5S or 6 at the Easton AT&T store, however, so the decision put off for another 24 hours until we visit the AT&T store in Salisbury tomorrow.

On to Lowes parking lot for WiFi and overnight - a severe frontal system coming through early evening, and a lesser one later, with high winds and torrential rain.

At least it keeps any local teens off the streets...

Thursday, October 16, 2014 - Easton, MD, to Salisbury, MD

Fairly humid for an early morning run, but at least I found a reasonable route, keeping off any major roads for the most part.

Having visited "Oxford" on Tuesday, today we stopped in "Cambridge", walking down to the waterfront and marina where a classic Chesapeake Bay lighthouse has been recreated.

On the walk down to the waterfront I passed strange large green cauliflower-type fruits falling from a large tree overhanging the road, most being flattened by passing cars.

Later research suggested this is an Osage Orange, proper name Maclura Pomifera. A new one on me...

On through Vienna (!) to Salisbury and a visit to the AT&T store there to try to sort out a US cell phone.

Having decided to stick with my UK iPhone 4S with a US sim card I went through the motions to set this up only to find my UK cell phone is not unlocked, as I had believed it was. So went online to request this from my UK carrier, Vodaphone (by now, of course, late in the day over there, customer service lines had signed off) with the hope of an answer by tomorrow morning to allow me to return and complete the US sim set-up.

Pleasant parking spot at Home Depot, just off a duck pond at the bottom of their car park and far enough away from the highway to hardly hear any traffic.

Friday, October 17, 2014 - Salisbury, MD, to Dover, DE

Parking spot not quite so peaceful at 4:00am, with ducks on the pond quacking (which I eventually had to get up to shoo away) and a truck loading nearby.

But slept reasonably late after this, so only arriving at the AT&T store at 10:15am, just after a family with five girls (why were they not in school?) who proceeded to take up TWO HOURS of my AT&T rep's time buying up the whole store. One of those "if only I had known..." situations where I should have left but it always looked as if they were about to conclude but just went on and on and on.

I finally broke away from examining every phone and case on display in the store to go for a Starbucks (conveniently next door) and then returned for 20 minutes of on-line work on a display iPad in the AT&T store before finally getting to sit down and work through the options on a new iPhone 5S which was eventually bought outright along with a basic monthly plan (predictably, I had not heard back from Vodaphone regarding unlocking my UK iPhone, so not much choice but a new US cell phone).

All of which meant a late departure from Salisbury, heading off to Ocean City on the Atlantic coast of Maryland for a quick stroll down to the inlet and along the boardwalk lined by slot fairgrounds, machine arcades and typical seaside resort outlets selling junk food and tat.

Then on north along the overly developed coastal highway, a poor man's version of southern Florida, eventually giving way to a short run of undeveloped barrier island roadway before Rehoboth and its smart suburbs (like Darien or Greenwich) and a quaint, bustling downtown.

Drove one loop around and then headed on to Dover and an overnight stop in a Sams Club parking lot.

Saturday, October 18, 2014 - Dover, DE, to Lancaster, PA

Quiet night once the booming rock music had finished at a nearby outdoor event (Terry College campus party?).

Decided to go for a run, as the Terry campus nearby offered a quiet one-mile loop, then headed out for what turned out to be a really great hour's drive along small, scenic roads on the western shore of the Delaware River.

Then back to "civilization", or built-up areas at least, heading west out of Delware, briefly into Maryland and then into Pennsylvania.

As on our earlier drive down through Pennsylvania, many Amish buggies in evidence on the roads, as well as many boys on "scooter bikes" (apparently the Pennsylvania Amish church has placed a taboo on regular pedal bicycles in order to keep their youth close to home), go-carts, and working with horses in the fields cutting corn.

One amusing farm name spotted (genuine, I believe) as I was passing through horse country, saying "Small Ass Farm"...!

Stopped at Strasburg to see the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

It was too late to go into the museum itself, where many restored locomotives were under cover, but fortunately I arrived just as a steam train was shunting around to pick up carriages for the last ride of the day.

Good sounds and smells, massive metal. Unfortunately rather cloudy and windy by now, so only a few pictures taken.

Then on for the last stretch of a long day in the driving seat to Lancaster, PA, for the night.

Sunday, October 19, 2014 - From Lancaster, PA, to Bedford, PA

Chilly start to the day so first stop was Starbucks on the (general) way out of town to connect with a scenic route.

Long sojourn there, plugged in with multiple devices hanging off the laptop, working away in a corner for 3 hours and two Grande Cappuccinos...

Quick stop at the adjacent grocery store then off for the afternoon's fairly long drive west, essentially along the southern border of Pennsylvania.

Much of the drive scenic, even the main chunk of the drive along Interstate 76, crossing the Susquehanna River, winding alongside the Blue Mountains, then through a succession of three tunnels.

Stopped for a couple of scenic views of the Susquehanna River...

...as well as less scenic views of Three Mile Island power plant where the nuclear accident occurred back in 1979 - now an event that has earned an historical marker.

But mostly the afternoon was a long drive, though alleviated by great scenery and the odd amusing roadside sign - such as "Autumn leaves, Jesus doesn't"...

(Quite a collection of witty signs and aphorisms were to await me on my travels. Maybe enough to be collected into a gallery one day)

Finally parked up for the night just outside Bedford, PA, in yet another trusty Walmart parking lot, looking forward to Sunday Night Football (digital over-the-air broadcast received by my rooftop antenna).

Monday, October 20, 2014 - from Bedford, PA, to Somerset, PA

Cold overnight and first thing this morning - 45 degrees inside and out. So did some early weather checking and schedule planning in the warmth of my bed before making a break for it and getting my clothes on mucho pronto.

Note to self: I really must find out how much propane the heater uses. I'm avoiding using it on the assumption that consumption could be significant, and propane is needed for refrigeration and hot water in the shower - both priorities. Or maybe I just need to develop a propane refill habit that becomes as routine as filling up with fuel.

Drove 100 yards to McDonalds to shelter in the warmth there, grab a hot mouthful of fast-food breakfast and coffee, and connect to their WiFi to confirm the day's plan. After a long day driving yesterday, and with a cloudy day forecast, decided to make it a shorter day today.

Parked up in nearby Bedford first thing for a short stroll, stopped on the way up the winding scenic road into the Allegheny Mountains to see a log-built church dating from 1806, then made an unplanned detour to visit the Flight 63 memorial signed just off the route - rather a somber experience, particularly on an overcast gray day - and a final short side-trip to see a classic covered bridge, lit briefly by a break in the cloud cover.

On then to Somerset and another long warming (and WiFi) spell over coffee - this time at Starbucks - before heading north out of town to our overnight Walmart stop where we found a very quiet corner of the parking lot.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014 - From Somerset, PA, to Ohiopyle State Park, PA

Cold again overnight - down to 45 degrees once more by dawn - so resorted to unzipping the two sleeping bags (which had been acting as a spacious double bag) and zipping them back up as singles and putting one inside the other... Worked a treat!

First stop Ligonier where we parked up for a short stroll around the cutesified central green on Main Street.

While walking back to the RV, out of the corner of my eye I thought I glimpsed, just for a second, and in the distance between some trees at the end of a side-street, a man dressed in Revolutionary period hat and cape.

With curiosity getting the better of me I headed off in that direction and stumbled across the recreation of the original Fort Ligonier, built on that spot during 1758, the recreation now sitting behind some chain-link fencing.

Headed off to search for the entrance, only to find 3 bus-loads of school-kids preparing to be marched in for their edification. Decided to not tour the fort with them and so headed back to the RV to continue on.

Brief halt for coffee and WiFi, fueled up and the next stop was Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic house built into a hillside and jutting out over a waterfall running beneath.

Paid my $27 and took the very interesting and informative guided tour of the house, which still has pretty much all its original furnishings.

Clearly an inspired and creative design, though not terribly "comfortable" as a living space and apparently since Day One has been a maintenance nightmare due to the concrete and steel used in the very wet climactic conditions.

Impressive even on a damp and drizzly day, so it must be spectacular in season and in the evening, tucked away in the woods with interior lights glowing.

Then decided to break with tradition (all of a month's worth, anyway...) and pay for an overnight camping spot in Ohiopyle State Park. Checked in over a wall phone at the empty campground entrance kiosk, found my designated camping spot and set up the RV - with a little creative wheel leveling.

So we have unlimited electric power, and therefore heat (from the reverse-cycle A/C unit), and we're comfortably tucked up for the cold night ahead, in amongst the trees and autumn leaves. A few neighbors, none too close, and absolute silence other than the raindrops now pattering on the roof of the RV.

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