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Chapter Two

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Sunday, September 17, 2000

 

Got up at 8am, and frantically finished packing.   Missed our departure deadline by 2.5 hrs, so we left   East Rockaway at 12:35pm.   Headed over the the Throgs Neck, and up I -95 to visit Jerry at Burke.   We thought we'd pass a deli along Mamaroneck Ave, but no luck.   When we entered Burke, we found Lorraine wheeling Jerry down the hallway, headed outside to the picnic area.   It was a clear, and beautiful day, in the low 70's I'd say.  

 

Mary made bean and cheese burritos in the Eurovan, and we ate on the lawn, while visiting w/ Jerry, Lorraine, and Sari.   As we prepared to leave, we decided to use the bathroom at Burke, before heading out for the big trip.   What a mistake!!!   Caryn went in, passing a woman who said, ”Someone made a mess in there!”,(1) while Mary browsed the used books for sale.   By that point, there was no way Mary could enter the bathroom, because the stench that defies description was wafting out the door.   Inside, Caryn could be heard retching.  Luckily, she returned without causing a further mess.

(1) this line was added at Caryn's request, lest readers think she caused the stench that made her retch.

We said our goodbyes, and pulled out of Burke at 3:05 pm.   Headed across I-84 toward Port Jervis.   Caryn napped on the way.   We stopped off at the PA welcome center, to gather the usual pamphlets and paraphernalia.  

 

We decided to stay the night in a hotel in the Scranton PA area, since we were exhausted from 2 days of packing.   But first - DINNER!  We headed just north of Scranton to Clarks Summitt, where the AAA guide listed an interesting sounding restaurant.   We hopped out of the van at 6pm, anxious to make the early bird.   We were greeted by a smiling fellow in the parking lot, smoking a cigarette.   He asked if we were headed to the restaurant, to which we enthusiastically replied “yes”.   He told us the dining room was closed for renovations. Shot down, we hopped back in the van, and headed back toward Scranton, to have a browse at the Wegmans grocery store we had seen advertised earlier on a billboard.   Mary had been telling Caryn about Wegmans since she visited one in Buffalo, NY during the World University Games.   We had dinner there, at the Market Cafe.   Inside Wegmans they have a pizza place, hoagie shop, Italian food, Chinese food, you name it.   We had a nice spinach salad, (freshly made) and some Chinese food. After dinner we spent several hours browsing the aisles.  Even though Caryn was enjoying the experience, she looked very depressed.  When questioned, she explained that she wanted to live at Wegmans, and never leave.  She was sad that she would not be able to shop at Wegmans “ever again”.   Mary offered to camp in the parking lot, as Wegmans is open 24 day.  Caryn decided we should check into a hotel.   After consulting our coupie book, we decided on the Quality Inn, just down the street.   As we pulled in, we saw 2 police officers near their cars, wiping their hands.  As we pulled to the front of the hotel, the entrance was blocked by 2 more police cars.   While deciding what to do, a young police officer, wearing latex gloves approached us, and asked if he could help us.   At this point, Caryn saw another officer enter the hotel with his gun drawn.   Mary explained that we were going to check into the hotel, but were skeptical, given all the police activity.    At this point, the first 2 officers also were at the van.   They suggested we go down the road to the Fairfield Inn, a “new, clean hotel”.

 

Well, we knew the Fairfield Inn was not going to be $39.99 as the Quality Inn was advertised, but we decided to look for it anyway.   After driving around for a while, with no luck, we headed back to Clarks Summitt, to the Summitt Inn, for which we had a $35 coupie.  After checking out the room, we decided it was fine, checked in, and watched some Olympics on TV before falling asleep.

 

Monday morning we woke to the alarm at 8 am.   We decided to have breakfast at the cute little “Gourmet Family Restaurant” adjacent to the Summitt Inn.   While packing up the van, the delicious aroma of pancakes filled our room.  According to Caryn's experience, the were “the best pancakes I ever had. Absolutely delicious.”   Mary said the same of her French toast.

 

Back to Scranton for the 11am tour of the Lackawana Coal Mine.   Merlin our guide was very informative, and the tour lived up to its description of “the best hour you can spend.” After a quick perusal of the gift shop, featuring may items carved of coal, we headed west on Route 6, in hopes of a scenic spot to make our turkey sandwiches.   After 2 hours of driving, we had to settle for a wide spot in the road, which was fine.   A bit earlier in the afternoon, we had passed a beautiful ruin of the “Kodak View Diner”.  Instantly we knew a U-turn was in order.   That was the photo of the day.  

 

A few hours after lunch, we pulled into a gas station in Troy PA, for a cup of coffee.   We sat inside, drank coffee, and watched all the high school kids purchase their after school snacks.  

 

We s topped for the night at Hills Creek State Park, where we had a beautiful site (#87-D loop), which we shared w/ 3 deer, a woodchuck, a woodpecker, a skunk (who didn't appear until after dark) and a bunny.   Other than the above mentioned, the entire D loop was empty.   Only a few other campers were set up in the A loop, where you first enter the campground.   We set up our screen tent, and made a dinner of baked potatoes and kielbasa on rolls.   Mary hit the sack early, getting a wonderful nights sleep.

 

Mary awoke at 7:20 am after a great nights sleep on the lower bed.   It was just shy of 60 degrees.   After the obligatory bathroom trek, she made latte and a mocha on the camp stove.   Caryn was awakened with the delivery of her mocha.   Seems she got a good nights rest also, as she was all smiles upon surveying the campsite.   As we sipped our warm drinks and discussed the beauty of the surroundings, Caryn reassured Mary that no skunks would appear in the daytime, as they are “marsupials”...oops...she meant nocturnal.   While writing this entry, 3 deer appeared in the site, munching on the bushes.

On to Chapter Two!