Here we are again, on the road from Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania. Heading down South. Literally! As we trundled down the Interstate, heading for Philadelphia, it gradually grew warmer as we descended from the mountains.
Soon, the snow disappeared on the roadside. The only snow left was the foot-thick coating of ice on the top of the car. Bit by bit, it broke off, although one of the bits was really quite big and the car behind us (tailgating has its own reward) suddenly disappeared in an ice storm. He stayed a lot further back, after that!
We had a momentary re-routing on the outskirts of Philadelphia when we picked the wrong toll-booth to go through. Understandable, when you consider that the road was about 16 lanes wide, and our navigator was a bit narrow-minded. Up the road to Philly, turn around at the next junction, then have another go at the toll-booth. Got it right this time, and we were heading for Maryland.
Never got any cream cheese – can’t stand the stuff!
We had decided to head down through Delaware and the eastern part of Virginia, by way of the Chesapeake Peninsula. That way, we could avoid Baltimore and Washington. After New York, big cities were a definite no-no! And I wanted to get some photographs of the Chesapeake Bridge.
Delaware is quiet and pleasant. Makes no big noise, just gets on with life. Lunchtime, and the need for a pit-stop, made us turn off the freeway. We saw the sign “Waffle House – Turn Right”. We did, expecting it to be a short distance away.
Wrong! We had to drive all the way through Middletown (Wow! Imaginative names!). About 5 or 6 miles. It is on the road leading into Middletown – but, unfortunately, on the other side entirely. We got there eventually. Like Waffle Houses – they do a great breakfast, and they iron the bacon flat. Like a starched collar.
Middletown, for all the excitement not present in its name, is quite an attractive town. Bright, cheerful, pleasant to drive through.
Just before we left Delaware, we stopped off at the Delaware Tourist Centre. We often do that – look up a place on the way out. Had a very enjoyable chat with the lady in the tourist office. Picked up a recipe or two. Then over the border to Maryland.
What a contrast! Delaware was clean and bright. Maryland was over in a blink and we were in Virginia. Virginia was run down and decrepit! Saw no-place that we would want to stop at. More imaginative names – ‘Princess Anne’, ‘Eden’, ‘Pocomoke’ – but not a patch on Delaware. You would have thought that it would have been a thriving and picturesque part of Virginia. Readily accessible to the busy Virginia of Washington, a few miles across the Chesapeake Bridge. It ain’t!
I was looking forward to getting a few photos of the bridge – but we arrived after dusk, and there was nothing you could really see. A pity. The bridge is miles long, then it descends into a very long tunnel, then back up to a bridge for a few miles, down another long tunnel, then back up to a bridge again on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. Must be at least 30 miles long (or certainly feels like it).
A drive north to Williamsburg, took us to our motel for the night. The place advertises itself as ‘Historic Williamsburg’, but then, everything older than a fortnight is described as ‘historic’. My g-g-grandparent is older than the USA.
We were passing through on our way south. And a night’s sleep was more desirable than some colonial re-enactment. Which was closed for the season. December is not the ideal tourist time in Virginia.
So, a long drive and no photographs. Guess this is the dull episode. Never mind. After this, its North Carolina and Myrtle Beach. The excitement (and photos) will be here, soon.