|
Tuesday, September 16: We were up at 6:30. It was sunny, but only 50 degrees. Our car was blocked in, so I had to wake the desk clerk to get it out. We left Old Quebec at 7:05. We stopped for breakfast at a McDonald's just before the bridge across the river. We took PR 20 and the drive was uneventful until we reached Montreal. There we had to cross the river again. It was rush hour and traffic was backed up due to construction on the bridge. Then the highway ceased to be limited access, and there were lots of traffic lights. Finally, it was limited access again, and we had smooth sailing. Along the way, I "got rid of" our remaining Canadian money, down to the last penny, paying cash for gas instead of charging it. We followed the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, entering Ontario around 11:00. Here the signs were in both English and French. It was another couple of hours before we reached the bridge to I-81 and crossed into New York. We stopped at the border to collect the rebate of the 14% tax we had paid at our hotels. There wasn't a place to eat lunch until Watertown where we found a Cracker Barrel. Then it was on to nearby Lowville to do genealogical research on my family. We managed to get in an hour and a half at the Lewis County courthouse before getting a motel. We were pleased to find that there was a very nice one right on the edge of town. I left Jane there while I drove down the road to photograph the inactive Gallup Cemetery, where several relatives were buried. Dining options were very limited in Lowville. We went to Papa John's for pizza. It was "basic'" to say the least, but the other place recommended to us looked even worse. Wednesday, September 17: We had the continental breakfast at the motel, packed the car, and spent another hour at the courthouse. Then we drove to the Lewis Count Historical Society in Lyons Falls. It was interesting to see what they had, but it wasn't much help in finding where my ancestor, Henry Peck, was buried. We had lunch at the Strawberry Patch, then came back and researched for another hour. We left at 2:00, stopping by Gallup Cemetery again so Jane could see it. Then we got back on I-81 and drove as far as Syracuse (Liverpool), where we stayed in an EconoLodge. We had an excellent filet mignon dinner at the Friendly's restaurant next door. It even came with a free sundae for dessert. Thursday, September 18: We ate the very limited continental breakfast at the motel, then got back on I-81 heading for Carlisle, PA. After a stop at Shoney's for lunch, we arrived at the Irvin's house around 2:00. We had a very nice visit with Zdravka and Rick, not to mention an outstanding dinner. Zdravka is a great, old-fashioned cook, the kind that never spares the butter and cream. I couldn't resist finishing off the last of the scalloped potatoes. (Zdravka insisted.) Friday, September 19: After more pleasant visiting and lunch on their deck, we left Carlisle after 2:00. With a stop for grocery shopping, we got home to Massanutten at 6:30. According to our odometer, we had driven over 2000 miles on this trip. |
