~ ~ ~ Timeline ~ ~ ~

Left McAllen, TX -- Monday -- 29 May 2017 - - returned McAllen, TX -- Friday -- 7 July 2017


After 47 days on the road and traveling 7271.9 miles we are home in McAllen, TX. Among other places we visited...

11AM Monday, 29 May 2017 start McAllen TX driving North - some traffic slowing South of San Antonio
29 May - 30 May - Denison TX - Spent the night at a very comfortable motel

Tuesday, 30 May 2017 drove long and mostly non-stop to Big Cabin OK then East across Missouri crossing the Mississippi at St Louis, then on to Springfield IL and arrived late at night in Rockford IL

Wednesday 31 May Left Rockford IL driving North to Beloit WI then E to Milwaukee WI and arrived in Sheboygan WI just before Noon - visiting cousins - eating bratwurst at Charcoal Grill

Thursday, 1 June - 8 June - stayed with cousins in Sheboygan WI - High School gradation for Sam - visited friend in Two Rivers WI helped him make a small boat sail - got bicycle for Joseph from a friend of my cousin - saw a UHaul mini travel trailer - saw Tipi on a wood foundation and a kayking group at Kohler Terre Andre State Park.

Thursday, 8 June - drove to Chicago IL - normal slow traffic in town - at Josephs apartment on Harper - to Ida Noyes for reception reception for new inductees to PHi Beta Kappa then attended the ceremony as Joseph was inducted. - to motel in Villa Park for the night

Friday, 9 June - picked Jenny up at Midway Airport - checked in to Air B and B - The evening we ate at Italian restraunt with Henry Lewis family - to Chicago Museum of Science and Industry which was hired by Univ. for the graduates and their friends and families.

Saturday, 10 June - To on campus garage free today - walked to 1st part of graduation exercises - graduates process in following bagpipers. speeches - sandwich lunch provided at Baker dining hall - to R__ gymnasium for speeches from repersentatives of each of the Houses and individual diploma presentations. Photos - reception at Baker dining hall. more photos - return to Air B and B rest - to Josephs apartment informal reception with relatives and friends of the 4 students living in the apartment. - supper at restaurant in Chicago Chinatown.

Sunday, 11 June - picked up Michelle and Joseph delivered her to Midway Airport to return to Texas.
Rested at Air B and B - then got bus to Museum campus and the Shed Acquarium - walked from there to Naf Grill a small restaurant - then to the nearby Art Institute of Chicago where we spent hours enjoying the pictures and arms and armor exhibited. - walked to bus stop and returned to the Air B and B - rested - picked up Joseph and had supper at Medici - Back and spent night at Air B and B.

Monday, 12 June - took Jenny to Midway airport, Joseph navigating not using any expressways - At apartment and packed up stuff to move out. - got paper map of Eastern USA for trip planning from downtown Barnes and Noble - spent night at South Loop Hotel -

Tuesday, 13 June - brkfst at food botique as the restaurant at the hotel is closed - picked up UHaul trailer - drove to Joseph apt on Harper - loaded the trailer quickly Joseph had his stuff well organized. - Noon headed out 12:20 over tall bridge spans Chicago Canal and soon into Indiana - 3PM into Ohio - 8PM supper in greater Cleveland - almost hit a deer on the Interstate but it jumped off the road - 10:30PM at motel in Erie PA

Wednesday, 14 June - breakfast at motel in Erie PA - Headed on toward thaca NY - terrain became hilly covered with decidious trees. NY welcome stop has truck with huge wind turbine blade - drove through Senaca Nation land and a huge casino - lunch snack while driving - at Horseheads NY turned off I 86 on to NY13 eastward toward Ithaca. There are several traffic circles at crossroads. At one of these we slowed down as we drove through and the pickup behind us was in a hurry and passed us on the 2 lane road... at speed. It had a small molded plastic boat in its bed, the front of which was resting on the back of the cab. In its acceleration, immediately after the truck passed us and before it cut back into the right lane the little boat caught wind and flew out of the back of the truck and landed on the lane behind the truck, missing us. The truck pulled over to the right side, stopped then peeled out making a U turn back to the boat which at that time was occupying the west going lane. As he did so the driver threw a beer can out the passenger side window. We proceeded on east toward Ithaca.

Entering Ithaca we saw some of the taller Cornell University buildings on the rise where the Cornell is located, looming above the trees. Next, the UHaul dealership, where we stopped and asked about storage facilities. There was no coherent reply and they had no information beyond what we already had from internet search weeks before. We drove on past the building where the hillside building where Joseph's contracted apartment is. Then after not being to get ahold of anyone by phone at the nearer storage units we drove out to one. It was very modern and completely automated. One did the whole transaction of renting a unit at an ATM style unit which assigned a unit which matched your specifications, took payment, dispensed a contract and a padlock after taking a photo of you, scanned your drivers license and scanned your index finger print. We unloaded the -stuff- into the storage unit, then retraced out route to the UHaul dealership and turned in the trailer.
While in UHaul parking lot we settled on a motel - one nearest Cornell is Hillside Inn. It is indeed on a steep hillside, a converted old house, elderly but the room offered very clean. It is across the street from the SE boundry of the University. We hiked up the steep hill to the edge of the Cornell then headed over the College Ave. bridge spanning the gorge to a commercial neighborhood serving the campus, and had a good meal. Then hiked back over the bridge and visited the west part of the campus includingWillare Straight Hall - Sage Chapel and the McGraw Tower. As sunlight failed we returned to Hillside Inn in need of rest.

Thursday, 15 June - Breakfasted in town at the DeWitt Mall (the lower level of a large building in town with shops and good dining). Then drove out of town and up the West side of Cayuga Lake - turned back and stopped at Taughannock Falls State Park where we saw the highest single plunge waterfall (2015 ft.) in eastern USA. Not a lot water, but a very long drop (much more than Niagara). It began to rain which continued on and off for the rest of the day. Back in Ithaca visited the Ithaca Commons, a couple of streets sealed off from auto traffic into a walking mall - lunch at an interesting Mexican restaurant with a good collection of masks. - visited the large Wegmans grocery before retiring to Hillside Inn.

Friday, 16 June - Breakfast at Freddies Diner in Newfield NY - 11 AM Corning Glass Museum, Corning NY toured the whole museum . saw 2 different glass blowing demonstrations . visited their extensive library which, with the museum had been flooded in 1972 during hurricane Agnes damaging some very old books. These books were professionally conserved by freeze drying and often rebinding. I wanted to see what a rescued book looked like. I asked to see some and they printed out a list of all the conserved books and brought out a few. Most were beautifully conserved, a few were in tough shape. One of the oldest, printed by Aldus Mantious of Venice in 1462 was in excellent shape. The type was amazingly black. Other books were printed in sepia (brown) colored ink. Another book in sepia ink was un-re-bindable and had ink running due to moisture on many pages before the freeze drying worked. - 7:37 PM took the museum shuttle back to the parking lot - supper at a sports bar in Coning then spent the night at a Ramada in neighboring Painted Post NY

Saturday, 17 June - drove to Niagra Falls NY - parked near visitor center then walked to Niagara rapids then on east to the American Falls . Took many photos then drove to Econolodge - supper at an Italian restaurant in the local Little Italy.

Sunday, 18 June - drove to parking place on island between American Falls and Horseshoe Falls (Canadian side). Took many photos. Noted that the other tourists are from all over the world. 12:30 PM left the Falls and drove to Lockport NY - lunch at small restaurant on the way - Toured the Lockport Museum which featured the building and commerce on the Erie Canal. Then walked down to the canal. One of the locks of the old canal is siturated beside one of the locks of the new (current) Erie Canal. A tour boat used the new lock to pass up to the next level while we were there. 3:50 PM leaving Lockport - visit the wooden boatbuilding center in Buffalo NY it is closed on Sunday and Monday but had a boat outside to view. It is nearly a whole city block long. - supper at Bob Evans - did laundry at Econolodge.

Monday, 19 June - drove to Syracuse NY - registered at motel and had supper at Dinosaur BBQ award winning place downtown has good food. - made 2 separate drives to the Airport to make it easier to find in pre-dawn Tuesday morning as Joseph's flight leaves very early. The GPS one takes us by short bit of Interstate and a toll cost of 22 cents. I checked Google Maps and found a much easier way not using the Interstate and was free. It also took us by a restaurant where we had supper.

Tuesday, 20 June - 4 AM up delivered Joseph to Syracuse airport for his early flight - returned to motel and slept more then drove through hills and forrest to Albany NY - arrived 1:30 PM early for motel registration, so drove past the motel, on Watervliet Ave, then drove on to Central Ave and drove East finding a Subway sandwich shop for lunch. It was a Rough part of town. A complaining would be patron behind us much vulgar and threatning talk toward the Subway operator. After eating we drove the west several miles and stopped in at a Target store got plastic jug containers with mouths large enogh to accept ice cubes to cool our little ice chest. We retraced our route to the motel and registered. staff there recommended an Italian restaurant near the Target. The food was OK but a little pricey. Returned to the motel for the evening. It was not a peaceful evening... much shouting and banging on doors, then what appeared to be measured shooting outside the motel. (Target practice at 10:45 PM ?)

Wednesday, 21 June - As we loaded up to leave Albany there were 2 police cars outside dealing with what seemed to be a domestic disturbance. Just before we pulled out of the parking lot a third car pulled in and 2 plain clothes police (badges on their belts) arrived. We left quietly. It was a noisy and unrestful night. We stopped briefly in Troy NY for breakfast.
The drive across the Hudson River and on into Vermont was much more restful. Arrived at friends house in rural Pownel VT just before Noon.

Thursday, 22 June - Breakfast at friends in Pownel, headed out and had lunch in Bennngton at Madison Brewing Co - to Rutland VT - Norman Rockwell Museum - interesting downtown a mix of old and new.

Friday, 23 June - drove across New Hamshire and into Maine - visited LL Bean stores in Freeport - stayed at a motel in Brunswick ME -

Saturday, 24 June - drove on old US Hwy 1 through Camden ME where we stopped at noon in the harbor looking at the schooners and other boats. Then headed on via the Interstate to Bangor MW and on th Veazie ME where we visited a friend we have not seen in 30 years.

Sunday, 25 June - Back through Bangor and on to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. We found lodgings in SW Harbor ME then toured around the park including driving to the top of Cadillac Mountain - Found a great little bakery which makes good thin pizza among many other good things.


Monday, 26 June - Visited Bar Harbor on the way off Mt Desert Island. - drove back through Bangor (only back south) and to Gloucester MA -


Tuesday, 27 June - before we left Gloucester we had one more turn around the waterfront to photograph dories etc. and found a group of children building a Bevins Skiff under guidance of an instructor. We drove on south and under Boston (though the big tunnel) and ended up finding a motel with laundry in Norton MA (just west of and very near Bridgewater and New Bedford) -

Wednesday, 28 June - from base in Norton MA, visited friends in Bridgewater and New Bedford. Saw whaleboats which are nowdays used for racing (rowing), and a friends vacation place.


Thursday, 29 June - Mystic CT - visited Mystic Seaport

Friday, 30 June - Mystic Wooden Boat Festival

Saturday, 1 July - crossed the Tappan Zee Bridge into NY then crossed a corner of NY to Lebanon PA -

Sunday, 2 July - drove from Lebanon PA in and out of W Virginia to Roanoke VA

Monday, 3 July - from Roanoke VA drove west over the length of Tennessee. We stopped to visit the full sized reconstruction of the Greek Parthenon in Cenennial Park. Nashville TN, then on to Memphis TN

Tuesday, 4 July - Crossed the Mississippi River and saw the glass pyramid (replica size of Great Pyramid of Giza) on the East side of the river by the bridge. It is now a Bass Pro shop. We drove on through Benton AR and to a point NE of Dallas TX then headed West on US Hwy 380 through Denton to Decatur then headed SE on hwy 81 and 199 to Lakeview TX avoiding all the crazy toll roads etc in the DFW area. We arrived at Monas brothers house.

Wednesday, 5 July - visited in Lakeview and Lake Worth TX - had stormy weather

Thursday, 6 July - drove by way of old US Hwy 281 to Austin TX. We connected up with Joseph and his girlfriend and drove into town. Had some great BBQ at Terry Black BBQ, then drove around the University of Texas area where I found some of the places I lived while in school there and was surprised that some still existed. We did some shopping dropped off Joseph for the night and found a nearby hotel for the night

Friday, 7 July - Picked up Joseph and drove home to to McAllen, TX, arriving at 4:10 PM having driven 7,271.9 miles.

On this trip we visited some great relatives and friends, and saw some interesting things.
Overall a set of great experiences.

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update - 23 July 2017

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