Month: August 2020

Ann Arbor to Alpena

Left the Microtel in Ann Arbor at 8.35am and headed to Starbucks for coffee and oatmeal. For the first time on this trip, it was a bit chilly, a 60-degree morning.  Drove due north on highway 23 and I-75; looking for a grocery store we stopped in Saginaw (…it took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw…) but ended up just having a hard-boiled egg.

Bay City.  The story goes that a Scottish teen band in the mid 1970’s threw a dart at a map and named their band after the town. There is no monument to the Bay City Rollers here, but there used to be a mural on Adams Street. We visited the site, but alas there was no sign of it.  Just to be clear, at that time 45 years ago, my brother and I did not have a high regard for the Bay City Rollers. Mott the Hoople were the exemplars of sophistication and taste for us back then.

The weather today was perfect. Around 68-70 degrees with a slight breeze and low humidity.  We found by accident the perfect picnic spot next to Lake Huron, at the Arenac County park near Point Au Gres.  Lingered over lunch.

The route north hugged the coastline with Lake Huron to our right.  Stopped at a farmer’s market to shop for vegetables. There is a preponderance of holiday rentals and family camps on Hwy 23. Just south of Alpena, we crossed the 45th parallel; the mid-point between the north pole and the equator, or it would be if the earth was perfectly spherical, which it is not.  Anyway, close enough.  Thus, we were at the same latitude as many northern borders of western states and curiously, Bordeaux.

Arrived in Alpena at 4.30 or so.  A nice two-bedroom apartment, with loads of space. Unloaded car, ported bikes up to the apartment then did our shopping at the Save a Lot. Rib eye steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli and Justin Cabernet finished off a good day.

Kane to Ann Arbor

Although it had rained last night and the sky was cloudy when we woke up, we thought we would risk a bike ride at Jakes Rocks. When we got to the parking lot at 10.30 there was only one other car there which surprised us it being a Saturday. We chose the ‘easy’ ‘Coal Knob’ trail and it was fun zigzagging through the trees. The surface was mostly a mixture of wet sand and clay single track with some rocks. About a third of the way around the circuit we came to a steeper section with a series of rock steps. Unfortunately, there was a completely unexpected overhanging branch at Tim’s eye level and he took a tumble into some trees on the right. Tim, ever grateful for his helmet, executed a body roll into the tree sustaining a large bruise to his inner thigh (not pictured).  Later, Jeri also took a tumble onto her back. Thank goodness for helmets.  After the ride, whilst preparing the picnic, Tim was stung by some unnamed insect. Time to leave!  Injuries notwithstanding, this was a great trail.

Jakes Rocks YouTube 8.29.20

We picnicked down the road, past the Kinzua dam next to the Allegheny river.  Then we took the interstate through Cleveland with glimpses of Lake Erie to our right.  We arrived in Ann Arbor at 8.00pm. This was the first day we had booked a room on the fly rather than in advance. The Microtel gave us a large ADA room, but there was nothing micro about it at all.

Rain. We had plans to get up early and mountain bike at Jake’s Rocks, but decided to take it easy and wait it out. After breakfast, we spent time updating the blog and planning for the day. At noon, we left the apartment and headed north on 321, then north west on the Longhouse National Scenic Byway to the Kinzua dam area. Picnicked during a lull in the rain at Jakes Rocks and watched hawks fly between the trees.  Walked to the overlook.  Then we drove over the bridge to the marina and hiked up the Rimrock Trail. Steady climb through the trees to an amazing summit of huge rocks with two viewing areas on top and a staircase carved up through the middle.  We met no other hikers going up but a few going down, probably because despite the earlier dire weather forecast, the rain was nowhere to be seen and the sun shone. 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/allegheny/recarea/?recid=75413

Then we drove to the Kinzua Bridge State Park.  What a great find; built in 1882, this viaduct was at one time the tallest and longest in the world.  In 2003 a tornado struck and most of the columns collapsed into the valley below.  The remaining uprights were transformed into a sky-way where you can walk out to a precipice and view the devastation.  Not for the faint of heart, but the view of the valley trees beneath you was just wonderful.   The old railroad track has been converted into a 74-mile-long bike path.  A nicely laid out and maintained state park with a good museum.

https://visitanf.com/kinzua-state-park-sky-walk/

Here is a video of today’s adventures;

Rimrock Trail, Jakes Rocks & Kinzua Bridge State Park YouTube 8.28.20

Newark to Kane

For the previous two days, we have been busy recuperating.  Trips to Costco and Target to both stock up on trip supplies and shop for Beth.  Mandatory trips to Starbucks and Barnes and Noble.  Multiple laundry loads.  Also, care and attention was devoted to the Outback and the Fiat.  We booked the Outback into the local Newark Subaru dealer, (Matt Slap) for a 6000-mile service.  The experience was great; efficient and courteous.  The Fiat received an oil and filter change at Jiffy Lube (again, good service), a good wash and clean and four new tires from Tire Rack, to be fitted by Pep Boys.

This morning we set off again, this time heading north west.  Got to Pep Boys at 9.00am to drop off the Fiat to have its new tires fitted. After Starbucks, the Fellowship split when we said goodbye to Beth and after a brief second stop at Barnes and Noble (there are lots of books to be read), headed for lunch at the Whip Tavern near Coatesville to meet up with Laurie and Herb.

Home

Great lunch in an English-style pub made perfect by Old Speckled Hen on draft (tap), sausages and mash and Colman’s mustard. Does this blog mention food too much? Maybe, but before we discuss that let me tell you that for lunch Jeri had shrimp curry, Herb had fish and chips and Laurie had a salad. This was preceded by a hummus appetizer.

The countryside of rural Pennsylvania seemed affluent and pretty.  Lots of small farms with Dutch barns and grain silos.  Maize, dairy cows and tobacco everywhere.  Passed through Amish areas to get to the interstate to take us to Kane, PA. Horse buggies were spotted. Started to see some Biden signs on front lawns, sometimes right next door to a Trump one. Up until now, if there have been any signs at all they have been Trump ones, but now about 20% are for Biden.   Maybe it’s because of this week’s RNC convention.

Arrived in Kane around 7.30pm.  Nice one bedroom upstairs apartment on main street above a pizzeria.  After carting up two bags, a cooler, a dry goods box and two bikes, we collapsed onto the sofa. Dinner was tortellini with red sauce.

Lewisburg to Newark

Woke at 7.00am or so after Tim and Jeri’s night in the RTT. Not a bad night’s sleep, plenty of room and not too humid though everything was slightly damp. Quickly made coffee and had toasted bagels, salmon and cream cheese.

We packed quickly.  Because the RTT did not have the annex attached it took no time at all and we were driving away from the farm at 8.55am. This part of West Virginia is quite beautiful and I found myself comparing it often to England, Wales or the countryside near Limoges. After a short drive, we passed through the small town of Lewisburg (‘America’s Coolest Small Town’) and then we hit I-64 and I-81 for many miles. Sometimes there would be views of thoroughly wooded hills and mountains but, more often than not, just grass and trees near the road. Lunch was a late picnic in the veteran’s park in Charles Town, near highway 340 on the way to Harpers Ferry. We crossed the Potomac.  Soon we were on familiar territory heading north on I-95 from Baltimore. We arrived at Beth’s apartment at 4.30pm.  Checked into the Baymont on South College Avenue; location is the best thing to say about this place, but after three years it has the benefit of familiarity.

Google maps recorded 3,128 miles, the Outback 3,172 and the Fiat 3,250. Allowing for a few minor detours, U-turns etc. the Outback mileage is probably the most accurate.  The Fiat’s Italian nature perhaps made the odometer a little over excited?   40.2 mpg in the Fiat, 27.5 in the Outback.  Pretty good. 

Our epic first chapter of Counterclockwise over, we headed to Klondike Kate’s in main street in Newark for dinner. Klondike Kate’s

Amicalola Falls to Lewisburg

Amicalola is a Cherokee word meaning tumbling waters.  We made a stop at the falls on our way out and hiked down a path to a point midway down the falls to a wooden bridge with staircases up and down.

The drive to (Almost Heaven) West Virginia repeated the route from last night on 52 and 76 before turning north to join with I-75, I-40 and I-81. 

Jeri was tired of making and eating sandwiches so it was fast food for lunch. After climbing up towards the Appalachian ridge on I-77 to Princeton, we took WV 20, 3 and 63 towards Lewisburg. Beth pointed out that they didn’t need to go as far as NZ – the mountains here are right out of LoTR; wild and beautiful.

Our accommodation this evening was a small one room tiny house with a campsite next door.  We volunteered Beth for the house and Jeri and Tim took the tent.  Beth got the fire going whilst Jeri heated up some chili and Tim attended to important bottle opening duties.  We sat in the twilight watching deer cross the meadow in front of us and later waited for the fire to die down as we watched the moonrise.

Jackson to Amicalola Falls

Left Jackson and renewed our acquaintance with I-40 heading north east to Nashville.  Shopped at Kroger’s for tonight’s meal before meeting Cindy for lunch at a nice restaurant on the Cumberland riverfront in Old Hickory called Sam’s Sports Grill.  Sat on the floating patio and had a nice time catching up on old times and new developments.  The restaurant observed mask protocols very well, but the party boats on the river were not so diligent.  After a session on I-24 and I-75, we took highway 76 and 52 to Amicalola, Georgia near Springer Mountain – the starting point of the Appalachian Trail. What a great set of roads.  Through a torrential downpour, the route curved through some very nice farmland, mostly apple orchards.  Again, reminiscent of England.  Or maybe anything that is green and farmy east of the Mississippi looks like that.  Or rural France, or elsewhere in Europe.  The differences are small, such as the shape of pylons and the number of churches (lots here). We got to Amicalola Falls State Park late, again befuddled by a time zone change, but we got the roof top tent set up rapidly and John and Melissa soon arrived. The campsite was very well laid out with very clean restrooms.  It was very humid in the campsite near the falls and the rain was still threatening.  After a few failed attempts at lighting the charcoal, Jeri secured some high grade lighter fluid from a neighbor and the coals were soon alight.  We ate salmon with ginger and green onions, small new potatoes and corn on the cob. The wine flowed. Despite the humidity, sleep came quickly, and so did morning.

Van Buren to Jackson

Woke 6.30 made coffee in our Free Hawk apartment in Van Buren. Loaded the cars which we’d parked the night before in the big garage. Left at 8.15am and after cruising down to the Arkansas river for a look-see and a 10-minute wait for a huge long train to pass, we climbed back onto I-40.

Pulled into Russellville mid-morning to search for a Starbucks and ended up on the campus of Arkansas Tech University. Lovely campus; lots of young people wearing masks which is encouraging. Our midday destination was the Louisiana Purchase State park. After coming off I-40 we drove 20 miles along rural Arkansas roads with the landscape strangely resembling rural Lincolnshire. A long 5-mile section of gravel road. The state park was odd – no one on duty and basically a swamp of trees with a wooden boardwalk leading to a stone monument erected a hundred years ago to commemorate the start point of the 1815 survey of the Louisiana purchase. Beautiful. There was only one other set of visitors.

We set up our chairs behind the Outback and had our lunch with the USB fan on to drive away insects. A combination of deet and the fan seems to keep them away. Drove back to I-40 in a heavy rainstorm.

When we got to Jackson TN, because it was still raining we decided to abandon our camping plans for Getaway Camp and instead booked ourselves into the Fairfield Marriott suites. Nice room, sizable, ordered Chinese food and dropped into bed.

Tucumcari to Van Buren

Tucumcari to Van Buren. Woke at 6.30am after a great night’s sleep in our little motel room. Jeri had coffee from reception and bought three Blue Swallow Motel mugs. Left at 7.30 to get gas then climbed onto I-40, which would be a constant all day. First stop, Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo. Depressed to see the Trump trailer next to the entrance selling a variety of presidential rubbish. The ranch was disappointing; cans of spray paint everywhere, what a mess.

Long drive today, over 550 miles and it was tiring. Crossed into Texas then Oklahoma, but did not stop much except for lunch in Elk City in a nice little park near a pond. The sandwiches are getting a bit tired. I-40 is easy going except for the trucks. Trying to maintain an easy 75 mph is complicated by the trucks racing downhill then slowing for the uphill and it is made trickier for us by having to convoy our two cars.

In the afternoon, we switched out drivers and Beth took a turn; she drove for about 250 miles. Van Buren AR was a relief at 6.00pm; our Airbnb was a fantastic place – a mash up of kitsch and antiques with a God and soldier theme, but so big it was amazing.

Jeri cooked up the chili and we had it with jasmine rice and red wine. We flopped in front of the TV and watched two episodes of the Legend of Korra, still mesmerized by the road. Bed was so needed I fell asleep immediately.

Lockett Meadow to Tucumcari

Day two, awoke 6.30. After fresh coffee, a banana and yoghurt we packed up in an efficient manner. Beth suggested a walk so we ascended a track through the woods to get a better view of the surrounding San Francisco peaks. In the cars by 9.20am, we made it down the mountain by 10.00am, slowly and carefully driving the Fiat to avoid the biggest obstacles.

After Starbucks in Flagstaff, we hit I-40 going east. First stop was the Meteor crater, probably my 4th or 5th visit? Impressive as ever, but the $22 per person entrance fee was a bit steep.

Lunch was in a park in Holbrook and then Beth drove about 230 miles or so. The time change fooled us and so we found we had limited time to make it to Tucumcari by 9.00pm. After a Loves restroom stop I drove the Fiat at 77-79 mph and watched with concern both the dwindling fuel range and the Tucumcari ETA which changed from 8.18pm to 8.44pm. Dusk was fantastic with huge views north and south over the western edge of the Great Plains. Night descended and the driving became a bit more of a desperate race, weaving past the big trucks, but we made it to the Blue Swallow motel with 15 mins to spare. The owner was delightful and gave us a tour. Our room (#15) was small but very nice with period 1940s fittings. We even had a garage for the Fiat! The owner also had a 1957 Hudson hornet on the front forecourt and we spent a good while talking with him about it – he let me sit in it and I pointed out the wide rear armrest which he hadn’t noticed before. Turns out they only took over the hotel in mid-July this year and the Hudson was acquired at the same time from a family in Tucumcari. The car was from a Hudson/Packard dealer and had sat unused for about 40 years from the late 1960s onwards.  It was late so Jeri drove off and got dinner – McDonalds was one of the only places open.