Friday,
February 17, 1984
I
left for Syracuse about 13:30. Arrived in Liverpool at 16:00 and let myself in to Kathy’s
apartment. Kathy arrived at 16:30. She called her mom while I checked the oil
and windshield fluid in her car. Her mom had called when I was alone before,
and was calling, because she found a good deal on a cherry wood bed frame. So we
went to the mall where they were having an antique show, and Kathy bought the really
nice bed frame for $295 including delivery. Kathy had to call her mother to
arrange for the delivery, since we were taking off on vacation! We had a quick
dinner at Arby’s, and it was 18:45 when we started driving south. On our cross
country trip in 1982, we never made it to the East Coast, so this week we were
going to “finish” the cross country trip.
We
took I-81 into Pennsylvania where it got foggy and rained a bit. We passed
typical PA towns with frame houses backed on steep hillsides. At Scranton we
turned onto I-380, then I-80 for a while before taking PA State Route 33 south.
We smelled several skunks, and something that smelled like wet leather.
Reminded me of going into all those gyms last weekend and smelling that locker
room aroma! It was a bit spooky riding through the fog. We headed east on US
22, but missed the Easton exit for our AAA hotel. We decided to keep going in
search of another hotel. Took the last Easton exit to avoid crossing the
Delaware River into New Jersey, and wound around on PA SR 611. Followed the
river where there was little civilization, passing through a couple tiny towns
with no lodgings. Decided to head to Bethlehem, even if it meant backtracking a
bit. We turned off the highway and drove through the woods! A tiny field mouse
ran across the road! In the foggy dark, we made out a few nice old homes made
of irregular stone. Went through a couple towns, then found a McDonald’s where
we got hot chocolate in order to use the restrooms. The area was full of
loitering kids and souped-up automobiles! Saw a drag race of sorts. This was
Hellerstown!
We continued into Bethlehem that looked like a typical steel town.
No likely hotel prospects, though. Got back on US 22 and returned to Easton, getting
off at the proper exit. We found the Luxury Budget Inns and got a double room
for $30.00 plus tax.
We had room #220 on the second floor of three, and it was
a non-smoking room. I tried massaging Kathy’s back muscle spasm that was a
result of doing deep breathing with her kids at school! Got a bucket of ice and
tried an ice massage.
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| Luxury Budget Inns receipt |
Saturday,
February 18, 1984
We
turned in our room key to get $1 deposit back and Kathy drove us down US 22,
past the signs warning of sharp curves because your cargo may shift, and over
rumble strips that Kathy prefers to call razz strips. We got on PA SR 611 again, with its pictorial sign of a narrow bridge. It followed along the Delaware
Canal which itself followed along the swollen Delaware River. We saw several
nice stone houses right up on the road. The inhabitants would have to look both
ways before opening the front door! There was also a nice stone bridge. It was
overcast.
Riegelsville
had several stone mansions. We turned onto PA SR 32, the River Road. A sign
said, “Falling Rocks.” But we had to swerve around a huge block of ice (a yard
cubed, at least!). Out on the river we saw a couple pontoons with what looked
like four bicycle frames propped up on it (?). We saw a couple bird silhouettes
up in a bare tree (vultures?). Signs at the edge of the woods said, “No
gunning.” The hillside forests were full of rhododendrons. We passed more
mansions and a mill.
We
arrived in New Hope at about 9:45, and found a parking spot on Main Street in
front of the Logan Inn, which evolved from the town’s original tavern
established in 1722.
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| Logan's Inn (est. 1722) and cannon |
 |
| Logan's Inn on the left, looking east |
We walked around the corner at Ferry Street, past the
cannon in the center of the triangle, and the Benjamin Parry stone mansion on
the other corner. Museums in the area were all closed for the winter season. We
passed several antique/boutique shops, which were not to open until 11:00. We crossed a bridge over the canal that was
frozen, but melting.
 |
| Frozen Delaware Canal |
We followed the train tracks and found a shop of wooden
toys to browse. Throughout town we had seen signs indicating “No Pump,” as in a
red circle with a slash across the word 'Pump.' Kathy asked the shop proprietor
about it. It seems they began building a pump (we had seen a large hole and
construction along SR 32) to get water to the nuclear plant. The people
protested for environmental reasons and succeeded in halting the project last
Thursday.
I
went to take photos of the New Hope train station and the steam train that
makes a summer weekend excursion to Lahaska.
 |
| New Hope train station |
 |
| New Hope and Ivyland Railroad steam locomotive |
 |
| 1865 Baroque Victorian mansion on Main Street |
We returned to the car and drove south on Main Street past more “glitzy” shops, then turned around to head to Lahaska. We took a left on SR 179 that merged with US 202. Passed a pond full of Canada geese.
Lahaska was a whole community of antique shops and boutiques. Along the drive we saw several antique shops that looked more like junk yards. But Lahaska seemed better, as we parked and began to check them out. There were all sorts of specialties, like cards, quilts, furniture, wickerware, pottery, toys, kitchenware, etc. We found the Lahaska Antiques with its ice cream and chocolate molds. Kathy was in heaven as she collects these items! She learned a lot from the proprietress and bought two large and two small chocolate molds. With a 10% discount, they came to $142! Wow! We wandered around Peddler’s Village, which was a ”village” of buildings built to look like colonial homes in a landscaped area.
 |
| Peddler's Village |
They housed shops and boutiques. We found restrooms and
ate at Animal Crackers, like a McDonald’s. I had vegetable beef soup with
crackers and Kathy had a cheeseburger. We went to a small flea market, and to
another set of shops across the road. Every once in a while, the sun came out,
and the local people exclaimed it was so wonderful because they hadn’t seen the
sun in two weeks!
Next
we drove along US 202 west to Doylestown, PA and beyond. We took the
Pennsylvania Turnpike a short way to bypass Philadelphia, then got back on US
202 into Delaware. Along the Turnpike were self-storage areas that like rows of
aluminum garages. We took I-95 and I-295 to bypass Wilmington before getting on
US 13 to continue through Delaware. This route was like a Sunset Strip with
motels and fast food places, and strips of commercial shops. Once in a while we
passed through perfectly flat countryside, with an occasional patch of woods. One
of them was labeled "Loblolly Pines."
It
got dark and the stars were out. The red sun had set and a very orange moon
rose. We had whiffs of sewage, a smell more like that of paper mills, smelling
like overcooked Brussel sprouts. We had left Doylestown, Pa about 16:00 and
Kathy was still driving. She managed despite her sore back. We entered Maryland
and thought about finding a place to stay in Salisbury, but decided to continue
to Pocomoke, because the name intrigued us! And the AAA listed a cheaper motel
there. As we neared Pocomoke, it smelled like onions! The Quality Inn had no
more rooms, and we were sent to the Two Towers Motel, and joined a crowd
looking for rooms. A guy with an accent checked us into room #30 for $28,
totaling $29.75 with tax. Plus the dollar deposit for the key. There were
vending machines for sodas, but I had to go to the front desk for ice. They
have a cooler of ice in a closet! Since it was late, we snacked on cheese and
crackers, and watched the Olympics on TV. Kathy noticed her nightshirt smelled
like the new carpet in the first hotel. So did my pajamas, probably from when I
did sit-ups on the floor.
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