May 2
Left work a little later than we planned. Left the Harbour Station parking lot at 6:15 pm and are heading for the races at Nazareth Speedway in Pennsylvania. Spent the night in a lovely little rest area a few miles before Waterville, ME.May 3
It's HOT...very hot!! In the 90's hot! Left the rest stop at about 7:30 - made a few stops on the way - Burger King for breakfast, liquor store in NH, gas several times. Got to KOA in Stroudsburg, PA at about 6 PM. Watched Tina win the million on Survivor.May 4
Had a good night's sleep...it cooled off a bit. Got on the road about 10 AM - arrived at the racetrack in Nazareth, PA about 11:30. Set up "camp" and then checked out the cars. It was HOT again - in the 90's. We love it here...it's so pretty and peaceful - until the cars hit the track!! |
| Alex Zanardi signing autographs |
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| Greg Moore's Players car on pit road |
May 5
It poured rain overnight but only for a short time. It was cloudy and drizzly this morning but everything here at the racetrack is still "on". It turned sunny and warm in the afternoon, but not nearly as warm as it has been. Bruno Junqueira won the pole position. Our Canadian boys didn't do very well in qualifying which is unusual. I think Paul Tracy is the only one starting in the top 10. Should be an interesting race tomorrow.May 6
A much cooler day today - only in the 60's. The race was great - only a couple of cautions - and Scott Dixon picked up his first career win. Paul Tracy came in 3rd. Bad day for Carpentier, his car blew up, and Tagliani crashed.We walked around the grounds at about 7 PM and the place was deserted. It's hard to believe how crazy it was here just a few hours ago. We always feel so sad when it's all over here in Nazareth. We love coming here and we'll really miss our yearly "pilgrimage" if they stop racing here.*
* Our prediction came true - this was the last year for the CART racing series at Nazareth PA.
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| One of Roger Penske's Marlboro cars at speed |
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| Target car rolling into the pits |
May 7
BRRR...another very cool night. We got up early and packed things up then Rob noticed one of the trailer tires was low. Found a service station that would fix it and we were on the road again.We have never seen so much truck traffic - from about Allentown PA on! Stopped in Hagerstown, MD for lunch at Ron's Diner (very good!) and visited a beautiful gift shop next door - The Country Peddler.
On the road again, through West Virginia and into Virginia. We had decided we weren't going to do any "marathon trips" so we decided to stay in Virginia for the night. Stopped at the Shenandoah Valley KOA - it is beautiful here! Most of the sites are pull-thrus but are very roomy - under pine trees - with a river flowing by about 100 ft from the trailer! There's even a waterfall a short walk away. We love it here so much, we're going to stay for a couple of days!
May 8
We are so glad we stayed here an extra day.Met a very nice couple from North Carolina here at the KOA celebrating their 2nd anniversary.
Decided to take a drive today on the Blue Ridge Parkway - it's so pretty, similar to Cape Breton, NS but without the ocean. It's mountains as far as you can see.
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Rob's seen an ad on TV advertising a truck race in Darlington, SC this weekend and his eyes lit up like a kid's, so guess where we're going this weekend?
May 9
On the road again. Mailed some postcards to family back home and then set out for the Carolinas. I figured next trip I'd ask Dr. Ingersoll for Valium - the driving down here stresses me out, even when we don't have the trailer hooked on. 70 mph speed limit is insane!! Before we reached the NC border, we decided to stop in Tennessee. We're staying at the East Knoxville KOA - not nearly as nice as the one in Virginia, but nice just the same.May 10
Today was certainly our biggest adventure so far, but not in a good way!! We decided while we were in TN, we really should see Nashville, which is about a 3 hour drive. We thought it best to leave Maggie in the nice cool trailer rather than in the hot truck. She wasn't really interested in going anyway, much to our surprise. So we went to Nashville and on the way noticed that the truck was making a funny noise. Rob checked it all over and thought it might be a wheel bearing. We checked at a couple of garages and they were too busy to take us, but the noise stopped, so we hoped we'd be okay.Went to Alabama's Bar & Grill (owned by Alabama, the country music band) for lunch - what an amazing place! The place is huge and was plastered with pictures and memorabilia of country stars. The food was awesome too!
Also drove by the Home of Country Music - "The Grand Ole Opry".
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May 11
It looks as though Rob will have to take Meathead up on his offer. The part for the truck won't be in until noon and then they'll be able to fix it, so the truck won't be ready until mid-afternoon. So we stayed here for another day - with no wheels to get out and see anything. We decided to make the most of it and just veg! It was a beautiful warm breezy day, so we sat outside and had breakfast and read until about 2 and then we had a little nap.Right next door to the campground is a ball field where a farm team plays*. By the sounds of it, the locals really support their team. Between the announcers and the fans, it's really noisy. Rob says they're supposed to have fireworks after the game - that should make for an interesting night's sleep!
* We learned later it was the AA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.
May 12
Rob's day started at 1:30AM when he caught the bus with our friend Meathead. Maggie was totally freaked out by the fireworks - in bed with us practically lying on our heads and panting in our faces - so we didn't get much sleep. Rob got to Crossville at about 3:00AM and he slept in the truck until the shop opened. He got back to the campground at about 9:30 and we just hooked on and left.We drove through North Carolina - the Smoky Mountains are beautiful there - and into South Carolina. We set up at the KOA in Florence SC, which is only a few miles from Darlington Speedway.
Once we were set up, Rob headed to the track to see if the race was still on - we'd run into some heavy rain just outside Florence - but when he got there, there were only 18 laps left. He was so disappointed.
We've had thunder off and on for the last couple of hours. I hope this doesn't mean another "interesting" night with Maggie!
May 13
Not too bad a night with Maggie, although the thunder did frighten her. Packed up and headed out bright and early. Stopped at Shoney's for breakfast - they have a wonderful buffet with fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and more! After that we didn't think we'd eat again for a couple of days.Along the highway there were lots of billboards for a Smith's Chevron in Santee, SC so we decided to stop - cool store!
On the road again - passed through Charleston, SC. Saw palm trees there! We didn't expect to see them until Florida. Drove through Mount Pleasant - what a beautiful community! We wanted to see a couple of things in Charleston but found it wasn't a very "RV friendly" city, so we drove on to our campsite for the night, the KOA in Savannah South, GA. Very friendly folks, nice campground, lots of ducks, geese and swans.
Tomorrow we're off for a visit to the city of Savannah.
May 14
Headed off for Savannah this morning - drove through much of the city, just checking it out. It has lovely "burbs". Took a walk on a "rails to trails", a palm tree lined trail next to the ocean. Drove to the Visitors Center and took a trolley tour of the city. It was most enjoyable. It's a beautiful city with so much history and the tour guide, Jeff, was excellent - very knowledgeable and very funny! We had a really good time. We've really enjoyed our stay in Savannah.May 15
Started out a little later than usual today because we don't plan to go that far - only to northern Florida. Got on the road about 10AM - another hot one - low 80's. Booked in at St. Augustine Beach KOA - what a beautiful place! We're surrounded by palm trees, there's a small lake right across the street that's a home to ducks and geese. It's quiet too - mostly seniors. Caught up on laundry, sat outside to enjoy the warm breezes, had a couple of drinks. Once night falls there's a fountain in the middle of the lake that lights up - beautiful!Went to the Alligator Farm today. There were all kinds of different gators (even albino ones!), crocs, monkeys and birds - very impressive.
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| "Gomek", the largest crocodile in captivity |
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| Extremely unusual albino alligator |
May 16
Headed off to Daytona USA this morning. What a beautiful drive from here to there - gorgeous homes and beautiful beaches. |
| Beach house in Florida, built on stilts |
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| Palm tree lined street of St. Augustine, FL |
We really enjoyed Daytona USA - visited the museum then grabbed a bite to eat as the guided tour wouldn't start 'til a little later. Eventually did a tour of the racetrack, then picked up some souvenirs and headed home.
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| 2001 Daytona 500 winning car of Michael Waltrip |
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| Start/Finish line at Daytona International Speedway |
Picked up Maggie and decided to hit the beach - it was 5 PM but it was still 80o in the shade! Not humid, just hot! Took Mags for a swim. The water was so warm - like Shediac, NB would get in August - and the beach was fine white sand. You just drive your vehicle right onto the beach, park it, and walk into the water.
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| We were able to park our truck directly on the beach at St. Augustine, FL |
May 17
Today started off hot and humid! YUCK! We've been very lucky so far - it hasn't been humid at all. Spent most of the day on the road. Stopped a few times for gas, snacks and Maggie pee breaks. We got to the Charlotte/Fort Mill KOA about suppertime. It's quite a nice campground - not too crowded right now, but I'm sure by tomorrow night it'll be packed. The manager told Rob they have people staying all week for the Winston this weekend and then the Coca-Cola 600 next weekend. We're staying here for 4 nights - it might be kinda nice to be off the road for a few days!May 18
Got up this morning at 8:30! Got ready and headed for Concord Motorsport Park to pick up our tickets for the ASA race on Sunday.Stopped at Nick's Grill for lunch - Rob had a club and I had the special - shrimp and flounder with mashed potatoes and turnip greens. Yummy!
Went to Lowes Motor Speedway to check out the gift shop. Picked up some Coca-Cola 600 "stuff" and some Lowes souvenirs. Checked out some of the race shops in the area - Hendrick, Roush, MB2 and Joe Gibbs - finally I got my Bobby Labonte flag that we have been searching for, for two years.
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| Main shop at Joe Gibbs racing |
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| Paint and decal shop at Hendrick Motorsports |
Afterwards, we came back to the trailer, picked up the puppy dog and drove around for a couple of hours.
May 19
Slept in again today - this is getting to be a habit! Had breakfast here and then headed to Mooresville to check out Dale Earnhardt Inc. We ended up just driving by - cars were lined up for a mile out front on the both sides of the road and the line-up of people to get into the shop was just about as long! I suspect that the big crowds were due to the fact that Dale Earnhardt had lost his life just a few months ago (during the Daytona 500).Went to the track to see the qualifying for the ASA race. Our boy from back home, Scott Fraser, didn't do great, but he did qualify in the first round.
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| Our boy from back home, Scott Fraser, sits on pit road at Concord Motorsport Park, Concord, SC |
May 20
Headed for the ASA race using Rob's magnificent shortcut - some shortcut!! Circled around a group of skyscrapers several times before getting back on track. Got to the track shortly before 11AM - it was quite cloudy at that point but boy did that change! It got really hot and humid.Scott had a terrible day - he was involved in a crash before the first turn and lost several laps. Once he got back on the track you could tell he had an excellent car, but the crash caused too much damage and he had to pit several times for repairs.
Mixed up some Sizzle and Stir lasagna for supper - was it ever good! We agreed that we should stock up before we go home.
May 21
Got on the road about 9AM. It had rained quite hard overnight. Stopped at Waffle House for breakfast - yummy pecan waffles! Stopped for gas a couple of times on route to our "planned" destination - Hershey PA.About an hour south of Richmond VA the truck started blowing black exhaust and it started acting really bad - no power. Stopped at a dinky service station - they only did oil changes, but suggested we try the Dodge dealership in Petersburg. Did that - they took us right away and determined that the problem was an oxygen sensor, which they could fix, and the catalytic converter, which they could not. Did their thing and suggested that we may want to try to find an exhaust place that would run a straight pipe as the catalytic converter for our truck is on national back order - just our luck! We weren't going anywhere, so we decided to spend the night at the KOA in Petersburg. This campground has lots of potential - the surroundings are beautiful - but it stinks and it needs work.
Had a pizza and salad from a tiny Italian restaurant up the street. Very good!
May 22
It poured overnight but by morning it was sunny and warm and humid - and this place still stinks! Rob called the exhaust place and they said they'd take him right away - yay! He was back soon, though minus the truck. The part wouldn't be in until mid-morning - they were able to get the converter we needed from NAPA. They brought him back to the campground to wait.Did laundry, ate junk food, watched TV - just like at home!
Didn't actually head out on the road until about 4PM. Just outside Washington it started to rain really hard with thunder and lightening. There are actually tornado watches in the area because of all the storms. Rob's mother would love to hear that! Decided to stay at the Hagerstown KOA just south of the PA border. Looks like an okay place but it was dark when we pulled in about 8:30. It seems quite full. Rob says it stinks here too.
May 23
The Hagerstown KOA really was pretty even in daylight. Left there shortly after 8AM - stopped to get gas and Rob got TJ Cinnamons coffee (which was okay) and the most delicious pecan sticky buns. Yum! Decided to head out and see how close we could get to New Hampshire. Tried a route that was different from our normal one. I liked it because there seemed to be less truck traffic and we avoided Hartford - yay! I always dread that part of the trip.It started to rain when we hit about the PA-NY border. It really poured at times and was foggy in some places. We figured we might as well stop somewhere in Mass and found there was a KOA just outside of Boston in Littleton. Rob tried to book for 3 nights here - it's a beautiful campground - but of course it being a long weekend he could only get Wednesday and Thursday.
Went to supper at Country-Style Pizza and had greek salad and chicken breast with spaghetti - it was pretty good.
Hope to hit both Boston and Salem tomorrow, if possible. We just wish we had more time.
May 24
It started off drizzly and dark today - the perfect day to go to Salem! We took a trolley tour - we had no idea that sea trade was so important in Salem - we thought it was just about witches! Checked out the witch museum - pretty scary that all the hysteria was caused by some young girls. Then we headed into Boston, hoping to find a trolley to take around the city there too. I could not live in that city - sitting in traffic at a standstill (or almost) for 20 minutes, people honking horns, cutting you off - New Englanders are very rude!! We drove around and around...finally found a place to park. Walked around looking for an information centre so we could find out about tours. A guy in a bar suggested Boston Duck Tours so we got tickets to that. We were so glad we did! The "Duck" is an old military land and sea vehicle. Our tour guide was "Kilroy" and he was very knowledgeable about Boston. We toured the streets of Boston and then toured the Charles River! It was very cool - we highly recommend it. |
| Statue of Roger Conant, Salem's first settler with Salem Witch Museum in background |
May 25
Well we're home and I'm sad and glad all at the same time. We took our time taking things down this morning - we were on the road around 9:30 or so.Stopped in Freeport, ME to do some shopping - I love that place! Spent lots of money! Then we took the #1 highway as far as Brewer/Bangor. It's so pretty and such a nice change from the interstates.
We thought because we'd been gone for so long we might have a problem at Customs, but they let us right through.
We didn't get home until almost midnight - we should sleep well tonight in our own bed. Total length of trip - 9060 kms - yikes! That's more than most people would drive in six months! We figure we would definitely do 3 weeks again but we won't be on the road as much. This time there was so much we wanted to see. Next time we'll be more selective and actually settle in one place for a few days and then move on. All in all, a very successful trip - certainly one we'll remember!
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