Trip Days 46 and 47, Wed and Thursday June 9 and 10, 2021, Traveling from Hatfield PA, through (stop at) Emlenton PA to Grand Rapids MI
One of the cuts through the Poconos |
A stop for paving on I-80 |
After picking up and securing the bells we headed out on I-476 north toward the I-80 corridor west. I-476 was very busy but moving along at a steady clip.There are many place where walls are close, and in some places construction was going on the side of the road or nearby.
I liked driving on I-80 as it has reasonably wide shoulders, and gives a feeling of security, where many of the PA (and MD) roads did not provide that security. It is heavily forested through the Pocono Mountains. Although the Poconos made the I-80 ride very beautiful, it also has many hills and "de"clines around the curves. The Valleys are especially good visually, and the Leheigh Valley is both an historic and photographic area for sure. Early strikes of oil, coal and other minerals were found here and transported by the early canals the companies built.
Leheigh Valley area. |
Construction. Adding another lane? |
The day early on was, somewhat cloudy but threats of rain didn't seem likely although predicted. But in the area of Clearfield we began to run into some very heavy downbursts. The first one was one that not only took away the visibility of the white lines on the road, but also the spray from the trucks added to the inability to see clearly. I continued to slow down as did all other drivers to 40 mph or less, and I finally told Ruth I was getting off the Freeway. We did. I got some gasoline and gave Ruth a break under the station roof, and a stretch.
We reentered the Freeway, only to have a second storm hit about as intense as the first one. I stuck this one out and it left as quickly as it came. Lasting about 8-10 minutes it was scary driving in such a heavy downpour.
That occurred a third time, but not quite as severe. We managed to see our way through that and that was the last of the rain that we saw.
We continued to see powerful clouds and ran in the distance , but avoided any more rain.
The only other slowdown came about 3/4 of the way to Emlenton where they were paving the road. We had a 30 minute delay as the pavers were finishing a strip of blacktop. On the other side of the road , however, there was a backup that lined I-80 for TEN MILES consisting mostly of trucks heading for Philadelphia. That was not pretty.
Storm never came (note next pic location) |
Sunset at the same aiming point |
We
We aarrived at Emlenton PA (Gaslight RV) at about 4:00 and the drive was just 300 miles. Mazie the owners daughter put us in a spot , and when we had everything set up (hoses, levels, etc) she came running up and said she had given us the wrong spot as 4 big motor homes had reserved those four spots around me so we had to move. The move was a quieter spot and the Orioles were singing all evening there.
It was a beautiful sunset, and I took a walk to listen to and see the Orioles.
In the morning we moved out at 8:30, which helps us get on the road a bit early, filling the tank right at the corner before we moved west on the last leg of the journey. (400 Mlies)
I-80 continues well into Ohio before we exited it heading north on I-75 toward Detroit and then moving west on US 23 through northern Ohio and Southern Michigan seeing the big Cabela's store that is really a landmark.
There was a stop in Webberville for an A and W root beer float that Ruth spotted. That tasted good although I drove with the trailer to the second lane and walked up to order.
A second stop was at a "Tank Wash"near Portland where I thought I read it did truck washes. Well, it seems that was true, only the trucks were "reefers" and tank trucks (the inside got washed) (milk and other commodities), So we headed back onto I-96 for home. We will wash another day.
It was 5:15PM when we hit the Cascade exit and that meant slow downs but it only was a few miles and then it sped up again.
We saw many of these |
and these... |
And these too.We were often moving lanes. |
Getting the trailer in the drive meant maneuvering around Maddies Jeep parked in front of the drive , so I used John's lawn to do that. Ruth wanted as much as we could get out of the trailer before we closed it for the night and that exhausted her. Sweaty, and worn out she retired after a cold shower at about 6:30
We were greeted by these roses on arrival. |
I got a bite to eat and then called Eric and arranged to be at church at 7:45 to drop off the bells and he would have the "choir"(members) there to unload. Tom and Kris, Barb and Richard, Marlys, and Laura all helped carry them up to the tower room. Carole was also there with a bird question about hummingbirds. Tom had one too about hawks.
It was a good day, albeit exhausting. Mission accomplished. Thanks for reading along. Put questions in Comments , please.