We’ve consulted the judges, tallied the scores, checked and rechecked the figures, and we are ready to tackle our first favorites post of the great Road Trip Almost Without End now that it’s ended (for some reason I always hear “It’s over Belle” in my head when thinking about the end of the trip).

The category is: favorite tollway state (for some reason I always whisper that in my head. Perhaps a few too many episodes of Password).

Okay, we got our first tollway bill and it just happens to be from our winner – drumroll please – Massachusetts. They are the winner because they caused the least disruption – it was all automatic from beginning to end, just a little sign that you were on a tollway.

We encountered our first tollway in Pennsylvania and they still had the toll booth infrastructure in place, but with one of those flashing roadside signs telling us to ignore it as they were all electronic now. Nobody did, we all crept up to the booth and then stopped and stared at the empty booth before zooming on. After that first one, I went through as fast as I was able, but there were plenty of people who kept acting like they were going to have to physically pay a toll.

New York was the worst because it had a mix of automatic plate readers and physical booths (half of which gave you a ticket and the other half that took your money, and one pair we didn’t have to pay at all but took it still took just as long) plus the construction where they were taking out toll booths and then a mile or two down the road where they were installing automatic plate readers both of which slowed down traffic – you just never knew what was coming and you had to slow down twice as often.

Maine was simply annoying – but at least it was all physical. They had a 3 dollar toll near the New Hampshire border and a 1 dollar toll up north. No doubt it was because they wanted to get all the money from the tourists down south but the aggravation of stopping to pay a 1 dollar toll almost, almost won them the worst spot.

The only redeeming feature of the toll booths was the Ben Hur-esque experience of pulling away – all those drivers after separating into many lanes were all trying to beat the other drivers back into two lanes. Boy did I want to whip the horses and the other drivers, only there were no horses or whips, mores the pity.

And the picture is in honor of Mr. Revere who didn’t pay no stinking tolls on his great road trip.

UPDATE: New York is also the most inept since 6 months later we have never received a bill from them.

Tags: RTAWE

RTAWE – the day after.

Ran, lifted weights, went to the grocery store, paid bills, ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home, downloaded pictures to the computer, logged food and exercise for the first time in 24 days.

We aren’t on the mountain top anymore.

Tags: RTAWE

The Road Trip Almost Without End Reached its End, 24 days after the start. The bags are unpacked, I’ve had a couple of glasses of St Louis water, and I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, eating non-restaurant food, and lifting weights in the basement again.

Almost 4,400 miles, 10 hotels/AirBnbs, 13 states, countless joys, and most importantly no nights sleeping in the car.

I don’t know if we will ever be gone so long or change locations so frequently again.

Oops, I left this off but I have to add it: “Live Free or Die!”

Tags: RTAWE

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. At least until tomorrow, I love ya, you’re always a day away. Tomorrow we gird our loins for the nine plus hour drive home, where our thought’s escaping.

But today we enjoyed Pittsburgh. We rode up the Duquesne Incline to Mt Washington where we discovered a fabulous view of the city and that everything was closed except a coffee shop and an ice cream store. Given that it was before noon, we opted for coffee and a chat with the proprietor and two of his cronies.

Despite our lunch plans being dashed, we pivoted without remorse and drove off in search of the Strip, another of Pittsburgh’s many, many neighborhoods, for lunch and a stroll to gawk at the shops. Mostly it was places that sold Steelers gear (good thing I knew that the terrible in terrible towel is not about the actual quality but instead some ineffable quality that only a true Steeler fan understands, oh, this just in it was a radio station marketing gimmic) or pandemic wear, but there was also a candy store (and yes, it also sold fudge).

Then it was off to enjoy the sylvan delights of Schenley Park. Let me just take a moment to again comment on driving in Pittsburgh but this time I’d like to point out that when you put a destination in the map app it provides three routes, all of which involve crossing at least one bridge, all take completely different approaches, and yet arrive within minutes of each other – but none are direct and all take far longer than the distance would imply.

The weather threatened rain all day, so after napping – finally something that resembles the retirement I anticipated – we set off to find an open restaurant before the sky’s opened up. We had passed by Cappy’s several times and always mentally inserted an extra letter, but tonight we decided beggars can’t be choosers so Cappy’s it was. Another great dive bar experience, as we were able to eat light (and tasty!), had a nice chat about this and that with the staff – including how one of them got to shake Lou Brock’s hand when Lou was here visiting a relative, and then the shaker of Lou’s hand even chased after us for several blocks because somehow I left my credit card behind. I think with that the trip is complete.

The couple we met in the finger lakes told us to go up the Duquesne, not the Monongahela Incline because the view was better so we did, but we wound up walking along the top over to the other one where this picture was taken

Here is the view of the three rivers: Ohio to the left, formed by the Allegheny to the top and Monongahela to the right. This is the view from the top of the Duquesne Incline

Three flavors of bacon soda – plain, with chocolate, and with maple – and I didn’t buy any. MBH thought this is where chopped got all their weird soda flavors because they had plenty of weird “who would drink that” flavors unlike the bacon ones

Tags: RTAWE

We decided to celebrate breaking the three week vacation limit by taking the day off – yes, we took a vacation from vacation. So no run this morning, we went out for breakfast (first time since Gettysburg we didn’t make our own which for me is bacon, cheese omelette, and sometimes yogurt or a banana (running days) and a bowl of cereal for My Better Half (MBH)), church via tape delay, Adult Bible Fellowship via Zoom, and minimal sightseeing (still about three miles of walking) as neither of us felt our best. It isn’t a vacation if there isn’t a death march.

After some down time, we drove to dinner (we put road in road trip), walked around the Southside afterwards, visited a gas station so that we had more than fumes in the tank and where I took the opportunity to spread more dirt on the windshield but at least got the bug guts off, and to buy milk & cheese. Homemade breakfast resumes tomorrow and we need to be ready for it.

Driving in Pittsburgh is an experience all it’s own, with an eclectic mix of bridges, elevation changes, 15 MPH curves on major streets and highways, a mishmash of neighborhood road grids that don’t align with each other, major roads that snake around for no apparent reason, plus all the usual features like people who want to go 55 in a 35 and road construction with random lane closures. Since it’s a city, you have buses and pedestrians thrown in for good measure. Why yes, I am looking forward to the day I point the car west, get on the interstate, set the cruise control, and for 600 miles just stay in the right lane except to pass. Sounds like pure bliss. Total boredom, but pure bliss.

Everyday is a good day, but some days are less exciting then others. And four paragraphs about nothing is a Seinfeld episode. At least I finished a book during my downtime. I’m glad you finished another of my posts, not everyone can.

I like to think of walking around a city as an urban hike, sounds much better that way. Lots of interesting houses in Shady Side (I didn’t name the neighborhood, I’m just staying in it).  

So no selfies today, just architecture.

We walked around Carnegie-Mellon University and ignored the face mask required signs in the quad because it was a sunny, breezy day and there weren’t many people out and about.

The only thing worse than modern art is modern art on a college campus

View of the city from Flagstaff Hill. I kind of get the impression that a long time ago the city was very hilly so they did a lot of leveling and filling so now there are a bunch of flattish areas at different elevations with very steep transition zones between.

Tags: RTAWE

We have arrived in Pittsburgh! Last stop before we drive back home. After so much time spent in rural America we are firmly in the bosom of this great city where we walked to dinner and are staying in an apartment building. I can safely say after another day spent mainly driving two lane backroads with urban driving at the end, Green Acres is the place I’d rather be, not Park Avenue. Yes the rural pick ups like to try and push you along by tailgating, but the urban Subaru driver loves nothing more than going 65 in a 35 and trying to cut you off from the lane you need to be in, but you just don’t know it yet.

We stopped at Letchworth State Park in New York at the recommendation of The Chirino’s via Paula Seward and boy are we happy we did (and they did). After Watkins Glen and Letchworth I’m about out of adjectives. It pains me, really pains me, to say this, but boy is New York a beautiful state. You can keep NYC, but give me NY.

I think we’ve managed to hit a lot, I mean a lot of eastern mountains this trip. We even managed to find mountains in Maine! Today we added the Alleghenies to the Whites, Greens, Adirondacks, and all the other mountains we’ve seen in literally, and I mean that in the correct literal way, in every state we’ve been to, from Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts to the ranges I’ve named already. Mind blown.

I’m happy to report that at this point I’m declaring my goals for the trip met since I’m sitting (OK, I’m laying on the couch) in the last Airbnb so no sleeping in the car and I’ve had a blast everyday, even those I’m worn out from a long day of driving.

We’ve decided we need to come back this way in the fall when the leaves are red, gold, and purple, but not this year. And Brunch tomorrow. I think two decisions are enough for one day.

And on that bombshell, goodnight!

Tags: RTAWE