This years summer vacation
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@LuFins-Dad I see 30 running through Gettysburg towards Lancaster but I don’t see 40, what towns does it run through?
@bachophile said in This years summer vacation:
@LuFins-Dad I see 30 running through Gettysburg towards Lancaster but I don’t see 40, what towns does it run through?
40 is tricky as it blends in with a couple of major highways like 70 and 68, but typically there will be Alternate 40 routes that are a little more interesting.
In West Virginia through Western PA, you’ll go through some small industrial cities like Wheeling, WV and Washington, PA. There’s a lot of history in those towns, then it cuts south along the Mongahela river through some smaller little towns like Brownsville and California. These are primarily mining towns, with a University being built in California.
It gets a lot better when you get to Uniontown. From there, it will take you up into the mountains. It’s a fun ride driving up to the summit, with several nice inns and the Nemacolin resort. From there you have Ohiopyle, Lural Caverns, and more. If you’re interested in biking or trains, you can visit the Great Allegheny Passage. The train ride to the Continental Divide is nice. I’ve always wanted to do the Ohiopyle White Water Rafying trip for a day, then do the bike trip from there, travel the gap, then coast all the way down to Cumberland, MD.
From there, there are a number of alternate paths to take depending on what interests you. You can easily get to @Aqua-Letifer s old stomping grounds at Deep Creek Lake, or start heading NE towards Gettysburg. Alternate 40 through Hagerstown and Frederick is nice…
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Of course, Rt 30 will take you through Latrobe and past Saint Vincent’s College, which is where the greatest American Football Team of all time is currently holding training camp through mid-August…
The Brad
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Of course, Rt 30 will take you through Latrobe and past Saint Vincent’s College, which is where the greatest American Football Team of all time is currently holding training camp through mid-August…
@LuFins-Dad said in This years summer vacation:
Of course, Rt 30 will take you through Latrobe and past Saint Vincent’s College, which is where the greatest American Football Team of all time is currently holding training camp through mid-August…
The Patriots?
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@LuFins-Dad said in This years summer vacation:
Of course, Rt 30 will take you through Latrobe and past Saint Vincent’s College, which is where the greatest American Football Team of all time is currently holding training camp through mid-August…
The Patriots?
@Jolly said in This years summer vacation:
@LuFins-Dad said in This years summer vacation:
Of course, Rt 30 will take you through Latrobe and past Saint Vincent’s College, which is where the greatest American Football Team of all time is currently holding training camp through mid-August…
The Patriots?
Did I say anything about the Greatest Cheaters?
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@bachophile Thanks so much for sharing your trip!! Really really nice pictures and journey!
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Just outside of Cumberland Maryland.
Just a quick personal note, I wanted to thank all those who, public and private, invited us to stop by. We decided usually on the spur of the moment where to spend the next day and it was not really possible to plan in advance where or when we would be anywhere but I do thank you, and whenever we passed areas I knew people were not that far away I gave you thoughts.
@LuFins-Dad we came into Appalachia first on US 50 into West Virginia and continued north on 40 which was contiguous with I-68. The hills were really beautiful, although my first thought was that this is an autumn drive when the foliage must be spectacular.
Indiana, meh. The trucking around Indianapolis was horrible. we liked eastern Ohio when the landscape turned more interesting although the cross into West Virginia began really beautiful scenery.
Although not to give Indiana such a bad rap, we went off highway when the trucking was just too much into some very rural areas and I leave you with a covered bridge which would do no shame to Madison county in Iowa.
Tomorrow Gettysburg.
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Listened to Bibis speech driving in West Virginia. I don’t like him but he speaks very powerfully.
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Listened to Bibis speech driving in West Virginia. I don’t like him but he speaks very powerfully.
@bachophile said in This years summer vacation:
Listened to Bibis speech driving in West Virginia. I don’t like him but he speaks very powerfully.
Did he say anything, as far as you can tell, inaccurate?
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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68 is an interesting big highway. Did you go through Frostburg?
I drove 50 from WV through to Cincinnati about 23 years ago. It is a beautiful but harrowing drive.
The Brad
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@bachophile said in This years summer vacation:
Listened to Bibis speech driving in West Virginia. I don’t like him but he speaks very powerfully.
Did he say anything, as far as you can tell, inaccurate?
@George-K no he was spot on for everything.
The problem is not what he says to congress. It’s how he runs his government.
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68 is an interesting big highway. Did you go through Frostburg?
I drove 50 from WV through to Cincinnati about 23 years ago. It is a beautiful but harrowing drive.
@LuFins-Dad 50 was wonderful. And pretty empty of traffic.
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I didn’t even think of 50, when you mentioned heading north of Cincy.
40 has a nice Alternative when you get to Hagerstown, shops and antiques along some farming towns and a nice outside view of the mountains, but you also may want to start heading north out of Cumberland.
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Went into a great antique mall in Ohio somewhere. Didn’t buy anything but I love those old collectibles stores. Spent an hour just browsing.
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New update from Muscatine Iowa on the Mississippi.
First some thoughts on Nebraska vs Iowa.
Western Nebraska was very much like Colorado east of the Rockies, lots of prairie grass, and grazing herds of cattle. Eastern Nebraska was just plain boring and not particularly beautiful.
On the other hand, crossing into Iowa I was struck on how simply beautiful the landscape was. Sure, lots of corn fields but just stunningly green, verdant. Also not flat pancake like Nebraska but rolling hills.
This doesn’t do it justice but really a very relaxing drive. Stayed off the interstate and drove the small country roads through the fields. Also Mennonite country.
Eventually ended up at Iowa border on the Mississippi.
Signs of recent flooding.
Ol’ man river
Huge barge being pushed upstream
Another huge barge just sitting askew I guess waiting to be also moved.
(For those with long memories, barges will now always remind me of an unpleasant exchange about “the barge” with a certain former forumite. )
@bachophile said in This years summer vacation:
Signs of recent flooding.
I see what you did there… Very nice. Your t-shirt is on the way.
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@bachophile I have an odd question. Probably ignorant, too. Yesterday I spent about 45 minutes driving through the rural Minnesota countryside, it was nice. I thought of you for a second... when you travel in the US like this... is there a "relief" that it's safe to drive almost anywhere in this country? For example, if I were to drive in Israel, I feel like my guard would be up the whole time.
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@89th well that’s an interesting question. Because oddly I see things completely reversed.
I need to clear up some misconceptions about safety in Israel.
Where I live, for example, violent crime is almost non exist. I go out and walk the dog anytime of day or night without a thought. If I forget to lock the door and no one is home, I don’t panic. In Tel Aviv, the country’s largest metro area, I have not felt any fear of mugging or violence. Otoh, in the US I am always keenly aware of my surroundings, don’t feel absolutely secure wandering around cities at night, and certainly lock up after myself. During the drive I’ve thought about random shootings being possible, and I really don’t feel as secure here as at home. Now maybe that’s because I’m in non familiar surroundings but nonetheless that’s how I feel.
Now yes, since October 7 the threat of military violence in Israel has increased, although the actual physical fighting in the north and south is not felt in the central part of Israel. And our alert systems are pretty good, that drone attack in Tel Aviv not withstanding. So overall I feel much more secure where I live than here.
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@89th well that’s an interesting question. Because oddly I see things completely reversed.
I need to clear up some misconceptions about safety in Israel.
Where I live, for example, violent crime is almost non exist. I go out and walk the dog anytime of day or night without a thought. If I forget to lock the door and no one is home, I don’t panic. In Tel Aviv, the country’s largest metro area, I have not felt any fear of mugging or violence. Otoh, in the US I am always keenly aware of my surroundings, don’t feel absolutely secure wandering around cities at night, and certainly lock up after myself. During the drive I’ve thought about random shootings being possible, and I really don’t feel as secure here as at home. Now maybe that’s because I’m in non familiar surroundings but nonetheless that’s how I feel.
Now yes, since October 7 the threat of military violence in Israel has increased, although the actual physical fighting in the north and south is not felt in the central part of Israel. And our alert systems are pretty good, that drone attack in Tel Aviv not withstanding. So overall I feel much more secure where I live than here.
@bachophile said in This years summer vacation:
So overall I feel much more secure where I live than here.
What a sad commentary.
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Not such a great pic of rolling Appalachian hills. It was too hazy to get a good shot
Gettysburg was very moving. I was never really aware of the details of the battle but now understanding the Lee took a chance that superior numbers could overcome the Union holding the higher ground (actually just ridges with numerous canon) and sent hordes over an open ground which turned into a killing field,with the canon just turning the invaders into canon fodder. Thousands left dead over the grasses of the plain. Sheer lunacy.
Anyway, spending the evening in Amish Lancaster county. Also quite an interesting part of the country.
The epic ends this weekend with a Sunday evening flight back to Tel Aviv.
