NY, PA, MD, VA

Sunday, September 2nd

• Left later than planned (8:45) due to heavy fog
• Drove in overcast, fog, rain, mist all day (remnants of Isaac I guess)
• 1 hr later I entered PA, 5 hrs later I entered MD, 45 mins later I entered VA
• Followed the wide, flat, shallow, lazy Susquehanna River and almost saw Huck Finn out poling on his raft
• Visited Liverpool, PA & would like to know it's history - I imagine it was a prosperous river-front little town back when river traffic was the main means of transportation for goods and people
• heavy, heavy traffic in MD & VA Sunday afternoon.  I thought people would be staying put until tomorrow, Labor Day.  Guess I thought wrong
• lovely horse farms in VA
• great entertainment tonight at campground north of Charlotsville, VA - cloggers.  What energy.  What enthusiasm.  What great exercise.
• Reflected today on the places passed thru and the history in my life:  Utica - my Aunt Helen and her family, Elmira - my Aunt Bev's hometown, Greene - where I student taught, Painted Post & Horse Heads - 2 sorority sisters were from there and I never believed they were real towns and then hearing on the radio The Old Rugged Cross and thought of my mother.
• Drove through a fair amount of construction and was grateful - throughout the US our roads are in terrible shape.  Improvements often mean inconvenience.

WELL DANG - GOOGLE JUST TOLD ME I'M OUT OF PHOTO STORAGE SPACE & HAVE TO PAY LIKE $5/MO. FOR MORE.  DOES THAT MEAN FROM NOW ON, FOR MY NEXT TRIP, FOR THE REST OF MY BLOGGING LIFE, I CAN'T POST ANYMORE PICTURES??  THAT'S A BUMMER.  HOW BORING IS THAT GOING TO BE.  HELP!!  SORRY!!

The Road Taken:

1. Owego to Painted Post, NY - Route 17
2. In Painted Post got on to 15 S (future 99).  Was on Rt 15 most of the day.  It changed from 2 lanes to 1 lane to 2 lanes to 1 lane.  From new road to patched road.  Some with shoulders, some without.  Through lovely, hilly farm country and little villages and big cities.  From 35 mph to 45 mph to 55 mph & sometimes 65 mph (but not very often).  Driving Rt. 15 you definitely need the attitude of the journey being the reward because you don't make good time but most of the time there's lots to look at when the traffic isn't bad.
3. Pay attention to the Route #s as there are abrupt turns like in Williamsport, PA
4. In Harrisburg you can choose to get on I-81 if you're tired of 1 lane driving and at least you've missed northern PA and trucks.
5. You go through prime Civil War territory of Gettysburg, Frederick, MD, etc if you want to spend time looking at all of that.
6. 11 joins 15 for a spell but when it splits off, make sure to stay on 15 near Frederick
7. 15 sort of becomes 29 near I-66
8. Near Culpepper, VA you'll have a choice of taking 17 east for a short distance to near Richmond and picking up I-95 or staying on 29 toward Charlottesville which I did (I'll hit 95 much further south)

So far, my feeling is that unless I really want to putter around and probably it's best to do that in a car rather than Rhoda on Rt. 15, I think I'd opt to hop on I-81 near Harrisburg.

DATA:

I'm really bummed that I can't see my trip come full circle

Google - not fair!!

Mileage:  399       Gas:  $84 @ $3.80 in PA (20 cents cheaper than NY.  In MD gas was 10 cents  cheaper than NY and in VA it is 30 cents cheaper than NY so I'll definitely fill up before I leave the state).           Campground:  $40