Always nice looking out the hotel window and seeing the Crosstrek:
A good morning out on the Pennsylvania highways:
Average random traffic jam/road repair on I-84 East in New York State:
Once I reached Connecticut, Danbury is right-across-the-border and I was able to search out a nearby Starbucks-in-a-Target.
Before I left home, Ellie asked if, when I was in Madison, Wisconsin, could I get a little Starbucks "Wisconsin" ornament/mug. I thought, "Sure - it's a college town - they should have something like that." I went into a Starbucks in Madison,but they didn't have any little mugs. I stopped at another one 10 miles down the road, and they also didn't have one, but I heard the counter-person mutter "All the Starbucks in Targets get to have them." So that became a goal for each state I visited for the rest of this trip. I would approach a city, open Google Maps, and search "Starbucks in target" - I would zoom-in and find those Targets-that-had-Starbucks in them:
I would park and head in:
The Starbucks is always right inside the door, either on the right or on the left:
And there they are - cute little State mugs/ornaments:
I wound up getting a lot - one from every state (except Kansas) that I traveld through after Wisconsin. Can you visualize their locations on a USA map (Florida in the lower-right, Washington State in the upper-left):
and I LOVE their colorful interiors!
I'm definately heading in the right direction!
I entered Massachusetts at 12:25
It has been a long journey, but is is good to get "Back down to Boston, to rest my soul":
I took the Mass Pike all the way to the end, because I wanted to loop up-and-around and hit The Barn Car Wash in Revere:
The exit in Manchester at 2:32
And HOME just a few minutes later:
WHAT A TRIP - 14,085.3 miles in 35 days!!! (The counter for Trip B rolls over every 10,000 miles):
With zero Post Offices from today, I'll just have to use the count from the end of yesterday - 695 Post Offices:
and this is how they fit into my whole collection (black lines are counties):
Lessons Learned:
1 - Don't travel cross-country in THE SUMMER! I don't know how many days I drove through temperature-in-the-90s, but it was A LOT! This means windows-rolled-up-and-air-conditioning-on, and I don't like that, and it's MY TRIP. I think the main reason I drove in August this year is because last year's trip was from June 22 through July 26, and I was just antsy to get OUT THERE. I thought that my "northern route" at the beginning would shelter me, but that didn't really work. Plus, New England is GREAT in August!!!
2 - You can plan a trip anytime, day or night, but when fine-tuning with maps, make the maps at the time-of-day that you will be traveling (9 AM). And on the same day of the week you will be there.
3 - Remember that everything adds time to your trip! If I just take 5 minutes to grab a Post Office, only 12 of them adds AN HOUR to the trip.
3a - You will NEVER go faster than Google Maps. Unfortunately, you might (?probably?) go slower. Good Luck with that.
4 - Remember that, in most cases, you don't have to "put up with stuff". I don't mean if the room is a little too warm, or a bit cold, or if the shower is kind-of-funky, but if there is not even fruit/bagel/yogurt at breakfast, leave early and go get a good breakfast somewhere (I really like Cracker Barrel, even on a Sunday morning).
Final Note: Thank You God for another Great Adventure Trip, and letting me see America! It is a great country, with millions of people out there, just doing what they do to get through the day with a smile and a kind word for their neighbor.
And Thank You Readers for coming along for The Ride!
Music for today:
Chick Corea Akoustic Band - Alive, 1991 live album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 7/18/2019 - The Chick Corea Akoustic Band is Chick Corea – piano, John Patitucci – bass, and Dave Weckl – drums. Excellent jazz album:
The Steve Miller Band - Brave New World, 1969 3rd album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/08/2019 - I really like Steve Miller's first 5 albums, and have been listening to them for 55 years:
Garland Jeffreys - Ghost Writer, 1977 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/08/2019 - I count this as his 1st album, and I guess Rolling Stone does to, because they named him the "Best New Artist" of 1977:
Billy Joel - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & 2 (2 cds), 1985 double greatest hits album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/08/2019 - these songs age remarkably well. I still get chills from "The Night Is Still Young" (lyrics):
I can see a time coming when I'm gonna throw my suitcase out
No more separations where you have to say goodnight to a telephone
Baby I've decided that ain't what this life is all about
Oh
While the night is still young
I want to keep making love to you
While the night is still young
I want to try to make the world brand new
While the night is still young
Rock and roll music was the only thing I ever gave a damn about
There was something that was missing but I never used to wonder why
Joe Jackson - I'm The Man, 1979 2nd album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/08/2019 - I'm really glad Joe got good representation on this trip:
various - Casey Kasem - The 90s Rock's Greatest Hits, 2006 compilation album, last heard (on a Road Trip) never - as the cover says: "Incredible Value! 20 Top Ten hits by the original artists all on one CD!"
Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/
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