If you are old enough, you may recognize the Post title as the lyrics of a Pop song of some time past. Not saying how much time past …
We arrived at Charlotte in North Carolina, after a traumatic trip courtesy of US Airways (hereafter known as USeLess Airways. I like Charlotte – very much, in fact – but as the main hub of USeLess Airways, I may never see it again. Perhaps if 3rd World Bush Bi-plane Air Freight Services starts scheduled flights, I might … no way could they be as bad as USeLess Airways. Stewardesses like no-hope contestants in a not-so-glamourous granny competition, truly dire service, crap meal (note ‘meal’, not ‘meals’ plural!) which was dumped on the tray with a surly ‘That’s all we’ve got’, and a new world record in smacking-the-seat-with-the-trolley.
They were diabolically poor during a previous flight to Charlotte, and they haven’t lost a single insult in their latest incarnation. Apart from the way that they screwed up our seat resevations on the homeward trip, I won’t give them any more word space.
We picked up our ‘full-sized’ car at the Car Rental. I had chosen a Dodge Charger. NCIS fans will recognize one. An American muscle car. What we got was a Nissan Altima. Roomy and black. Soggy, underpowered, flimsy and with the kind of engine note that tells you that your vacuum cleaner needs replacing. The trim was floppy, cheap and nasty. But the seats were a pain in the behind (I’m being polite here!).
As we drove the next few hundred miles, in torrential rain and in the dark, I realised that the feel-less steering and the crudely un-adjustable cheap seats might be a problem. And so, they were to prove.
*Top Tip* Do NOT hire a Nissan Altima. Ever! Even the guy in the hire place said they were … execrable.
After a long, miserable drive, we arrived in Virginia.
We ate at a lovely little Italian restaurant on the way (the Bello Vino near Dobson, North Carolina – recommend!), and overnighted in a Motel 6 in Lexington Virginia (No, not the one in Kentucky!). The Motel 6 used to be an Econolodge, but had obviously gone over to the opposition. Pity about the road it was standing on – Econo Lane. Ah well, nothing like a reminderof times past. It was better equipped than the usual Motel 6, so I might try Econolodge elsewhere.
Everything so far had been travel, with no sightseeing, so the next day, we turned off the Northbound Interstate in Page County,Virginia and visited the Luray Caverns. See the photos below. Quite an impressive place. They even do weddings down there, but if you are thinking about hiring the organist, be quick. There is only one guy who knows how to play that organ, and he is getting on in years. When he goes, you might have to get Rolf Harris and his Stylophone.
After the Luray Caverns, it got colder. West Virgina and the Shenandoah Valley rumbled by. We rounded Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the dark, and never did get to see 3 Mile Island (I don’t think it features in the guide books for some reason, and we were too far away to see any glow …)
As we climbed up into the mountains, it began to snow. In the UK, a five mile trip through 2 snowflakes is a disaster, but in the USA, they know how to deal with it. Drive carefully, and no problem. We finally reached Lake Harmony in the Pocono Mountains about 9pm. Two days driving the Altima was beginning to make a permanent impression.
Mesklin
