The Great CAmerican Road Trip - Trip Summary

9 Days
2893 Miles
2 Countries
14 States (plus D.C.)
1 Canadian Province
43 U.S. License Plates (plus D.C)
5 Canadian License Plates
72 Cops

The Great CAmerican Roadtrip: There and Back Again - Day 9

The last day of the Great CAmerican Roadtrip has finally come.  Sunlight filtered through the windows as we lay in our warm and very comfortable bed. We took our time getting up and ready for the day.


Although anxious to get home, we decided to play tourist in Bryson City in keeping up with the rest of the week.  Our first stop was Nabers Drive-In for cheap, delicious, home-style cooked food.



Despite the name, we were able to go in and order from the counter and eat our lunch inside.  While we waited for our food to be ready, we played a quick game of old-school Pac-Man.






After filling our bellies, we made our way downtown to The Chocolate Shoppe.  A meal is not complete without a healthy dose of chocolate covered oreos.

Bryson City is considered the base camp for the Great Smoky Mountains, and attracts a lot of visitors throughtout the year.  Because of this, lots of little shops have sprung up along the main street through downtown.  These shops are great for supporting local chocolatiers, artists, musicians, and small business owners.  We walked down the street and stopped in a few shops that boasted unique homemade jelly flavors, freshly ground coffee beans, pottery, jewelry, and other really cool things.  The Cottage Craftsman was a particular favorite of Natalie's.

Finally the time came to say goodbye to Bryson City and hit the road for the last leg of our trip. The three hour trip home was pale in comparison to the 10 hour trip the day before.  The only trouble we encountered was an accident on I-575 that required a helicopter to be hanging out on the interstate.  Luckily we approached it early on and were able to change our route with no problem.

Odette enjoying the fresh air
on the ride home

We rolled into Marietta about 6 p.m. to stop by Big Daddy Don's house to pick up the pup.  A huge thank you to Don and Toni for watching Odette and Brittney for watching the kitties this last week while we were out on the road.


After a nice dinner at Elevation and a quick stop to a local farmer's (i.e. a 90-year-old man who really just gardens and sells his produce for fun) house, we were back on the road for the last 30 minutes of our trip.

At long last, we pulled into our driveway.  Everything was just as we left it, with a little bit taller grass, a few more sticks in the yard, and my basil plant growing like crazy!

In words, we made it there and back again.








Quote of the Day:  "I want four dipped oreos.  You can't have any.  Those are for me.  You're just going to have to get your own."  As told to Natalie by Phillip on our want to The Chocolate Shoppe.

Picture of the Day:

Phillip enjoying his Nabor's Hot Dog "All the Way"

The Great CAmerican Roadtrip: There and Back Again - Day 8

The long days and short nights are beginning to catch up with us a bit, as we drug ourselves out of bed at 9AM in Erie, PA.  A much needed shower and a few hours of writing and updating the blog consumed the morning.

We had a delicious breakfast/lunch in Erie at the Summer House Cafe.  Honestly, we haven't really had a terrible meal since we have embarked on this road trip.  We have been very lucky to hit some good, unique, local restaurants.  This one was no different, and if you find yourself in Erie for some strange reason, I would recommend it.

After saying our goodbyes to our most recent hosts, we started on the road south.  This is the "back again" portion of our journey.  For anyone that has ever embarked on a long road trip, you know that going to these new places is the exciting adventure.  Returning home is the longest, most boring, and most melancholy part of the trip.

So instead of driving a few hours and camping in West Virginia, we decided to pull an all nighter back to our first stop and a warm bed in Bryson City, NC.  We toyed around with the idea of making it all the way to Atlanta, but a late start to the day kept us in check.  So we had a goal, which was about a 12-hour drive from where we started.

There wasn't much excitement on this trip, as we were steady on the road.  We found time to take a short detour through downtown Pittsburgh.  Phillip's brother in law is from the area and we have heard very cool things about the layout of the city.  Honestly, it is one of the most picturesque cities that we have had the pleasure of driving through on this trip.  We approached the city from the North, coming through a few mountain passes before the area opened up to the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.  This city is sort of nestled in there.  After driving across the Clemente and Warhol Bridges, we made our escape through the Fort Pitt Tunnel.

The Warhol Bridge in the foreground, with the Clemente
Bridge and PNC Park in the background.

The remainder of the day/night went by without much to note.  We drove through West Virginia, which is truly beautiful country.  We drove over the New River Gorge Bridge on Hwy 19 near Fayetteville, WV.  It is the third longest steel arch bridge in the world.  The gorge was breathtaking, but after a little research, the bridge is even more so.  We didn't take this picture, because we were obviously on top of the bridge, but it is a spectacular sight, and we kind of wish that we had driven down into the gorge to get a first hand look.  Oh well, we have to leave some feats for next time.

The evening wore on as we trekked through the Appalachians towards Bryson.  Our only hiccup came at the hands of a few Cracker Barrel Restaurants.  I know, how can they do any wrong? Cracker Barrel is like Heaven on Earth!  We have discovered that fast food on road trips is not a good meal, so we call ahead to the nearest CB and put in a to go order.  It isn't difficult, and can be a healthy meal if you do it right.  Our first call resulted in nobody wanting to take our order.  On busy nights, servers aren't inclined to take a call-in order (they don't think they are going to get a tip from it).  The phone sat there as I heard the kitchen staff yell orders and sing songs for a good ten minutes.  I gave up and we moved to the next CB, about 25 minutes down the road.  They were very nice and took our order.  Upon arrival, we paid and started down the road, only to discover that they had left out a salad, as well as the most important part, biscuits!  So we turned back to retrieve our lost dinner.  They again were nice and gave us our missing items, only to discover later that Natalie's salad was covered with bacon bits.  Fail.  It wasn't completely their fault, but it was still a bummer on the evening, as well as about a 35 minute delay to the trip.

We pulled into Bryson City about 1:30AM.  We were here only 7 days ago, but this time it was a different feeling.  We were nearing the end of a great journey.  We were not yet finished with this trip, but the pages were growing short, and we were starting to get anxious to be home.  

Stay tuned, for the Great CAmerican Road trip moves forward.  Next Stop, Atlanta, GA.

Quote of the Day:  This one comes in the form of a photo.  Great sign, as found in Erie, PA.

Picture of the Day:

The Norfolk and Western Railway Bridge,
found on the south side of Pittsburgh, PA.

The Great CAmerican Roadtrip: There and Back Again - Day 7

We awoke in Canada a little later than usual, partly because the exhaustion was starting to set in from the travel, partly because of the amount of beer consumed by Phillip the night before.  We had a 9AM date with Ed and Janet for breakfast, so we quickly gathered our things and headed out for one last thank you to our family that had been so kind the day before.  A delicious omelet and a little coffee for Phillip  rejuvenated the road trip crew, just in time to head back to the United States. 

Our Canadian stay was short, but well worth allowing part of our road trip to be named after it.  We weren’t quite done, as we stopped in Niagara Falls, Ontario before passing through the border crossing. 

Upon pulling into town, we thought we had made a wrong turn, as the streets and buildings looked more like a circus than a sight of a beautiful national landmark.  

I guess tourism, commercialism, and gaudiness can strike anywhere that presents the opportunity.  It felt like we were back in Times Square combined with Dollywood, and we were quite turned off by it.  So turned off that we considered leaving (after a trip through the wax museum, mini golf course, and haunted house of course).

Posing in front of American Falls.
We are getting really good at this self-photo.

We decided to bypass all of that and head to the falls, which are breathtaking.  We walked from Rainbow Bridge down the Canadian side of the Niagara River, observing American Falls on our way to the car wash that is Horseshoe Falls.  

The power and majesty of this sheer amount of water is incomprehensible.  The array of colors in the water, mist, and the loud roar made for a beautiful treat for the senses.  We were soaked, but we didn’t care.  It was a hot day and it felt great.  Our hour and a half that we put on the parking meter flew by, and we made it back to the car with just enough time to hit the Baskin Robbins before moving on.

An amazing up-close view of the Horseshoe Falls initial descent.

Phillip viewing Horseshoe Falls with American Falls in the background.

 We crossed the border into the U.S.A. with no issues.  We realized how much fun you could have being part of the border patrol.  You could ask people any question that you wanted, and they would answer you.  How old are you, how much do you weigh, have you ever been to Disney World, what kind of underwear to you prefer?  It’s all fair game as far as we could tell.  When asked what we were doing, Natalie cleverly (albeit a bit naively) responded, “Going home.”  I don’t think he thought that was very funny.  I laughed a little on the inside.

The Niagara River Whirlpool.

Once in America, we made our way to Whirlpool State Park, which is formed by the intense rapids downstream of Niagara Falls.  This specific area creates a giant whirlpool as the rapids flow into an open area of the river and makes a dramatic turn east.  People have died in attempts to swim this part of the river.  There were perfectly good bridges nearby, so I don’t understand that.  

We had gotten our fill in the Niagara region, so we set on the road to Erie, PA to visit Phillip's old college roommate Doug and his newlywed wife Keri.  This was only a few hours from Buffalo, so it marked the shortest drive of the week.  We arrived in time to catch up on our overdue blog and get a little rest before the evening began.

Natalie in a hazard.
She miraculously holed this shot out
for the highlight of the day!

We had mini-golf on the brain from the trip to Niagara, so the four of us took in 18 at a public course down by the Lake Erie waterfront.  Doug pulled off the slim win, but we attribute it to knowledge of the course.  

Our hosts, Keri and Doug on Presque Isle.

On the Erie waterfront is Presque Isle, which is a large peninsula that surrounds the Erie Bay.  It is a State Park that is surrounded with trails, waterfront, and really nice beaches.  We took a short trip out to the isle just in time to catch the sunset over Lake Erie.  It was pure beauty and a very scenic.

Phillip and Natalie on the Presque Isle Beach at sunset.

We were whisked away to a Hibachi dinner where Phillip failed the table by being the only meat eater not to catch all of his shrimp as thrown by the chef.  It was a lowlight, for sure.  The Cornerstone Bar and Grill would be our final stop for the evening where we enjoyed some 16 pound beers (they seemed more like ounces to me, but I’m not one to argue) for $2.25.  After losing a few games of darts to the home team, we figured we needed to retire for the evening. 

Day 7 is complete.  We aren’t quite sure what day 8 has planned for us, but there is only one way to figure it out. 

See you tomorrow.

Quote of the Day:  Giggling slightly as Phillip slipped on the slick surfaces in Niagara, Natalie glanced over and said, ”Ha, you fell at the falls.”

Picture(s) of the Day:  Bathrooms seem to have dominated this section in the last few days, so we have two for you to enjoy.

She may not have made it.

Busted! (Look closely at the door)

The Great CAmerican Roadtrip: There and Back Again - Day 6

Another early morning greeted us with the cold northern air and a thin blanket that we naively thought would keep us warm.  The cool mountain air was a little more than we had prepared for.  We arose to a damp campsite but a positive outlook on the day.  Today was the day that we were to start our Canadian adventures!  We made quick work of our campsite, packing everything back in the car for the long day on the road.  We found a little time to check out Lake Meacham before we left, taking a few pictures of this peaceful mountain lake.  Minutes later, we were on the road headed to Cañada.

It was a little over an hour to the border.  Before we crossed we took our last opportunity to get cheap American gas.  It was on an Indian Reservation, where all stations were required to be full service.  I had forgotten how nice this option used to be back in the day.  We entered Canada through the city of Cornwall, Ontario.  We were amazed how easy it was to get across the border, especially with the amount of things we had in our car.  I think we were prepared to unload the trunk and explain every item (I think the baseball bat that I brought for warding off bears would have been a fun one to tell him about).  Luckily for us, the border patrolman was nice and we were in the country within a matter of minutes.

The route we decided to take took us on a scenic view along the north shore of Lake Ontario.  Occasionally we could glimpse to our left to see the Great Lake.  The countryside of Canada was gorgeous, yet familiar as it's really an extension of what we have been seeing in America over the last few days.  We stopped a few times along the way for refreshments, and were quite surprised at the amount of French that is still spoken in this area.  It gave us the feeling that we were actually visiting a foreign land, although it was just a few miles from the good ole U.S.

The approach into the outskirts of Toronto.
Where else does rush hour start at 2?

About 6 hours later, we had our first sighting of Toronto.  We were warned by Phillip's cousin, Ed, that the 401 through Toronto was insane with rush hour starting around 2:30 in the afternoon.  Unfortunately for us, that was about the time we were just getting into the city, and quickly found our way to an alternate toll road that helped us bypass the traffic.  The toll road didn't have polling stations, instead they take photos of your license plate and send you a bill in the mail.  Very interesting technology, we just wonder how long it will take to track us down.  There was little traffic on this route (it is a pricey alternate), and we got around the city quickly, but at the price of missing Toronto all together.  At least we could see it in the distance.

We continued on our way to Grimbsy, Ontario, to stay with Phillip's cousin and his family.  Grimsby is a small village on the southern shore of Lake Ontario.  We took the scenic route through town to see the lake up close, then made our way through the village and onto Ed's house.

As a reference, Ed is Phillip's mom's cousin on the Gerstenecker side of the family.  The Gersteneckers congregate every year to play golf, drink beer, and enjoy each other's company.  It is a large bunch, as Phillip's grandmother is one of 10 Gerstenecker kids.  From there, the number has grown exponentially.

Enjoying a delicious dinner at the Lewis Estate.

The Canadian clan was more than welcome to invite us into their home and show us a good time.  For that, we are especially grateful.  A very special thanks to Ed, Janet, Megan, and Charlotte for letting us crash their home.  We also want to thank the McNivens, Mike, Cathy, Steve, and Marie.  They took time out of their busy week to come and enjoy a Sweetwater brew from Georgia and entertain a few silly Americans.  We really couldn't ask for a better family.

Janet, Ed, Cathy, and Mike

They have a group of Vegetarians in their house, so Natalie was right at home eating some of Ed's specialty veggie burgers.  Phillip enjoyed a steak with the meat eaters, and played host to a tasting of Sweetwater beer, brought all the way from Atlanta for this occasion.  I think we have a few new 420 fans up here in the great North.

Canadian Dancing?

As the night waned, most people made their way home and into bed.  Ed and Phillip stayed up for a nightcap, polishing off a few small kegs of Heineken and whatever else could be acquired from the cooler as John Prine played in the background.  It was a great Canadian evening, but we had to recover quickly.  Tomorrow we were back on the road to the States.

Next Stop:  Erie, PA

Our entertainment for the evening, Laynie and Stella swimming in the pool

Quote of the Day: "I have independently become independent," said by Charlotte while discussing Janet's numerous motherly accomplishments.

Picture of the Day:

Does anyone know how to use this, and if so,
would you please demonstrate for Natalie?

The Great CAmerican Roadtrip: There and Back Again - Day 5

Our morning in Boston was used as a time for catch up. Catch up on sleep, catch up on our blog, and eat a free hot breakfast for the first time in a few days.  Our time as tourists didn’t begin until about 10:30 a.m., as we made our way to the subway to take us into the city.  A subway, I might add, that probably hasn’t been updated since the 70’s, with its wood paneling and carpeted seats.

By 11 we were in the city, making our way in a giant loop around the historical neighborhoods.  Boston has done a great job taking pride in and preserving its history.  All throughout the city is a red brick line known as the Freedom Trail.  The idea is to follow this line as it takes you to all the historic places throughout Boston.  

We didn’t follow the trail exactly, but would always end up back on it.  One of our first stops was Ye Olde Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the country.  This would be a really cool place to go eat if you weren’t a vegetarian.  Alas, Natalie is, so we moved on.

Right across the street was the New England Holocaust Memorial.  Although it had nothing to do with the Freedom Trail, it was breathtaking and absolutely worth mentioning.  The memorial was part of a sidewalk with six very tall structures, each representing a concentration camp.  Each structure was engraved with the ID numbers of the people who died there.  Also, each structure had two quotes, one on each side of the sidewalk of survivors who were forced to work there.  If that wasn’t enough to get you thinking, each structure had a grate under it with hot air blowing out from underneath you.  It was as if you were personally in the gas chamber with gas pumping in.  

It was very heart wrenching to imagine what all those people experienced as you are walking through the structures, reading all the quotes, seeing all those numbers, and feeling the hot air underneath you, knowing what you experienced was nothing compared to what really happened.  Just unbelievable.

That stop was unexpected, and was a very sombering start to the day.  It took some time and a little help to get us back in the mood to be tourists.  Our help came in the form of an old friend that was around the corner to "cheer" us up.

NORM!

We rediscovered the Freedom Trail in time to take us to Paul Revere Mall next to the Old North Church.  Paul Revere is most famously known for his Midnight Ride to warn the colonials that the British were coming during the early battles of the Revolutionary War.  If you don't know all the facts about this historical event, do a little research on your own.  Otherwise, you can always watch a hilarious rendition of the event as performed by the great Stephen Colbert. (Warning:  This is Sarah Palin's version of the events, and MAY not be historically accurate)

Our walk then took us to two separate graveyards, one of which is the Kings Cross Burial Ground, the oldest cemetery in Boston that was established in 1630.  The other was on the outskirts of the city limits that overlooked the harbor.  Both sites were very cool with gravestones that were hundreds of years old.  

Kings Cross Burial Ground

We left the historical section of the city en route to the Boston Common, their Central Park for lack of a better description.  The most vocal feature of the day was the "Frog Pond," which is a shallow wading pool for small children to play in.  The large number of toddlers seemed to be having a great time on such a hot day.  The water was an odd color and was a little too warm, if you know what I mean, so we passed on partaking in the mayhem.  

Columbus Park in Boston Harbor

On our way to Beacon Hill, we stumbled upon the actual Cheers bar.  We didn’t go inside, but I’m told that the original location doesn’t even look like the bar on TV.  As to not ruin our historical TV ideals, we felt it best to move on.  So we did.

Phillip "walking" on the Freedom Trail

We wished we had a little more time and had done a more research in Boston.  The JFK museum, Fenway, and more time on the Freedom Trail will be a must for our next time.  For now, we were anxious to get moving, and were on the road by 2.

Originally we had planned to cut west through New York State and camp in the southern Adirondack Mountains.  But this is the Great CAmerican Roadtrip!  It’s not much C in CAmerican without a good amount of travel in Canada.  At the last minute, we totally changed our route and headed northwest through New Hampshire and Vermont until we got to upstate New York.  This route will put us into Canada to travel around the north end of Lake Ontario.

Remember how Natalie wants to move to Connecticut one day?  Scratch that.  Vermont just beat out Connecticut by a landslide.  Vermont is gorgeous, with mountains all around you.  If only it didn’t get so cold…

Natalie "seeing as far as she could see."

Before heading into New York State, we had to get on a ferry to cross Lake Champlain.  We were able to get out of our car for the 15-minute ride, and climb up to the deck to feel the wind on our face and soak in all the views of distant mountains.

Wal-Mart and FedEx also take the Ferry.
Upon further review, Wal-Mart may own this Ferry.

Sunset on our backroad in NY.

From what we could tell, upstate New York is a lot less mountain-y than Vermont.  The road we took followed a beautiful river and rolling hills.  Once we drove up in the Adirondacks, we got off the main road and drove close to Lake Placid.  We didn’t quite make it there, as we turned off yet again to drive down an incredibly curvy road filled with potholes.  We were continuously amazed at how many people resided in this isolated area.  Around each corner, you would catch a glimpse of a small rooftop or chimney through the top of the trees.  Maybe one day...

We were referred to Lake Meacham State Park by some locals as a good camping spot.  We made it there by 8:30.  They had the perfect campsite available and we quickly got to work on our tent.  It was dark by 9, and had to finish putting together all our necessities by flashlight.  Since we weren’t really able to use technology (hence the delayed blog post), we were in bed fairly early and fell asleep to the pitter patter of a gentle rain on the roof of the tent.

Day 5, check.

Quote of the Day: "This lake looks a lot bluer on my map," as said by Phillip crossing Lake Champlain.

Picture of the Day:

Motion shot of the sun reflection in NY.