One Bold Crone

Today’s 6.5 hour trip, from upstate NY to western MA, took us through two beautiful mountain ranges: the Adirondacks and the Berkshires. Spring has come to the northeast, and vibrant green is the color.

Again, we were blessed with gorgeous sunny weather and perfect driving conditions. That’s seven days running. It’s a miracle.

Timi and especially Clyde were really sick of the routine by Day 7.

I was so happy to be able to treat them to HOME at the end.

We got out of the car and Timi kept running back and forth, inside and out, expressing his glee. Clyde played it a little cooler, but made a point of visiting all his favorite spots in the house. Just checking. Cat box, check. Food dish, check. Mom’s bed, check. All is in order …and Glad that’s over, he clearly was thinking. It’s about time!

The crone agrees. That was a looong trip!

I want to express my deepest gratitude to the long distance OBC support crew, beginning with my sister Katie 💞, dear friends Lee Andra, Emily, Laurie, and Jill, and sons Jordan & Zacharie. Your frequent calls and texts helped me to stay motivated, sane, and feeling loved on this extended, sometimes challenging trek. Your presence meant so much to me, I can’t thank you adequately. We made it!

And to all my readers, thank you for being here. You were an important part of this journey, and I appreciate you so much! ♥️

Until next time, may you be happy, healthy and free. Peace out. 🦉OBC🌵

Today’s journey began in Richmond, Indiana, close to the Ohio border, and ended in Dunkirk, NY, about 30 miles west of Buffalo. The tedious slog though Ohio plus a quick jaunt through Pennsylvania’s northern tip (Eerie canal, anyone?) made this a four-state day, altogether.

Ohio wins this trip’s award for “most challenging state to drive through,” with two congested urban centers to traverse (Cincinnati/Dayton and Columbus), more trucks than I’ve had to deal with elsewhere, and a fairly generous degree of aggressive drivers. Witnessed a lot of fruitless lane changing, a lot of passing on the right—there was a whole lot of weaving going on. Fortunately the bold crone was well rested and kept her cool.

Two hours into the day’s 5.5 total, I stopped to refuel and walk Timi in Mt. Gilead. This was following the first urban challenge. Appreciated the break!

Another grueling two hours later, which included the Columbus challenge of intricate exits and mergers as road numbers shifted, we crossed into Pennsylvania on Interstate 90 (!) and enjoyed break number two. GOOD NEWS: It turns out that within a few miles of entering a new state, there always seems to be a pleasant, attractive, well-maintained Rest Area & Information Center waiting for weary travelers.

I love stopping at these rest areas to walk Timi and stretch my own legs, too.

Sometimes I even take Clyde out of his travel crate for a look-see.

As of this writing, Clyde’s paws have touched the earth in Massachusetts, California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.

Back in Montague—where he was born in September, 2008, and lived his entire life until we took our first trip out west, last November—Clyde was always a man about town.

Now, he is a man of the world.

Go Clyde! And Timi! You both rock! And we are almost there yet… 🦉OBC🌵

Day 5 was my longest travel day of the trip. Started in Rolla, MO, a lovely place. Went on to cross two state lines, and drive through two big, sprawling cities: St. Louis and Indianapolis. This lengthy journey also returned me to the Eastern Time Zone. Phew!

We spent the night in Richmond, Indiana at a really nice, clean, well-appointed Best Western hotel—our first! After three Wyndham La Quintas (Flagstaff, Santa Rosa, Oklahoma City) and a Wyndham Baymont (Rolla), guess we were ready for a change. Best Western did not disappoint, nor did Gulzar’s Indian Cuisine, two minutes down the road.

Today we depart Richmond, Indiana and head to our second Best Western of the trip, landing in Dunkirk, NY, on the shores of Lake Eerie, sometime this afternoon. Tonight will be our last night in a hotel, and tomorrow our last day on the road. But first things first. Load up the car for the second to last time… and…we’re off! 🦉OBC🌵

P.S. No photos to share from Richmond, but here are some I snapped in Rolla, and at the delightful Ozarkland gift shop. Enjoy!

Ever since I found out about Tornado Alley and tornado season, a part of me was worried about this day. “This” being the day I had to drive through tornado country. (Frankly, I’d worried about yesterday, too.) But worry or not, I had to drive through it. So I kept my eye on the weather, and kept my worry under wraps. Thought creates energy, and you reap what you sow. So stay out of worry if you can. Positive energy may bring us better outcomes than negative energy, and it feels better, too.

That said, I would have stayed an extra night somewhere if the outlook was poor. But my weather yesterday, when I drove through Texas into Oklahoma, was full sun all the way. Today started off cloudy, but the On The Way app forecast looked promising: a chance of showers, a section of wet road, but no thunderstorms, with the best departure time being 8:30 AM. So that’s what we did. (I know the clock below says 7:25, but that’s just because we changed time zones for a second time on Day 3. That was fast!)

By the way, this sign was posted outside both the front and side entrances to my hotel in Oklahoma City (La Quinta — North Quail Springs.) Can’t say I’ve seen one of these before, have you? I appreciate the consideration, but…

Back to our Day 4 adventures. The fastest route from OK City to Rolla, Missouri involves a toll highway through Tulsa. These tolls took me by surprise last November, and left me scrounging under the seat for change because they were the real, old fashioned toll baskets! Many of them! Hence this time, I was prepared. (Note: If you ever need quarters, the front desk sells rolls.)

But guess what? In the six months since I last passed through, the Highway Department did away with those archaic baskets. Now they just have an admittedly still somewhat old-fashioned toll booth at either end, with a real live person in it who collects your $5. Leaving me with plenty of quarters for laundry when we go back to California. (Rumor has it an additional Pay by Plate bill may be arriving later in the mail, but that remains to be seen.)

At any rate, despite dark skies for the first two hours of today’s journey, no rain developed. By the time the OBC caravan reached Missouri, it was a beautiful day. We pulled off at the State Welcome Center and found a nice oak tree to sit under. I did some yoga, Timi checked out other dogs, and I think Clyde enjoyed feeling his paws on the earth.

I’ve only been through Missouri twice, but both times I’ve been struck by the quiet, lush beauty of this state. I feel very peaceful here. And how wonderful that our hotel turned out to be situated at the edge of a little lake!

There is a walking path encircling the lake which takes ten minutes to complete, so after unpacking the car, Timi and I did three rounds. Exercise: yes!

We went back after dinner for another round, and saw a Great Blue Heron in the water. It flew away as we approached, but just a little bit away. When we got close again, it took off again. And then a third time! Thrice blessed to see those wide wings open, and hear the sound of long gray feathers rustle as the giant bird took flight. What a gorgeous way to end the day. 🦉OBC🌵

First off, here’s the big news: The earplugs worked! Got a good night’s sleep and woke up refreshed for today’s drive through Eastern New Mexico, all the way across the Texas panhandle, and on into Oklahoma.

Timi and I had a lovely walk in the early morning sunshine down Cedarwood Lane, a little side street near the hotel. The first house had a very creative display in the backyard.

I was prepared to go further, but just then, a large man in a big pickup truck pulled over and warned me that we were about to run into a big pack of dogs. Yikes! I thanked him and turned around. Big pack of dogs, not on my bucket list.

We left the hotel at 9:00 sharp and got back onto I-40 for the first leg of Day 3, which coincidentally covered three states. After Santa Rosa, I passed Fort Sumner and Tucumcari, where I automatically started singing Willin’ for several miles before crossing the border into Texas.

The I-40 crosses through the Texas panhandle over a distance of 177 miles. Until you hit Amarillo, just west of the midpoint, the area is very sparsely populated, but it’s a high windy plain. For that reason, it has become home to hundreds of majestically towering windmills. So impressive to drive through. Way to go, alternative energy Texas!

After two hours of driving, our first stop was the Loves fuel station in West Amarillo, Texas. There I filled up the tank for $3.04/gallon—so much cheaper than the $4.69 I was paying in California! Why is that?

Also bought two bottles of water, and a cap for my head. I love Loves.

Two hours later it was time for our second stop. We had just entered Oklahoma, and pulled off at the Visitor Center in Erick for a little break. There were a ton of birds at this stop, all singing their hearts out. I counted ten nests in the tree we parked under, seeking shade.

By this point it was 90 degrees outside, so even though I parked in the shade, I couldn’t leave the pets in the car.

Despite the heat, I was really grateful for the sunny weather. The state of Oklahoma, I have learned, marks the gateway to Tornado Alley. And this is tornado season. I am keeping my eye on the forecast. The next two days may be touchy.

Your thoughts and prayers are ever so welcome. 🦉OBC🌵

Day 2 was all about the views on Interstate 40… from Flagstaff, Arizona through Navajo country, past Albuquerque, and all the way to Santa Rosa, New Mexico.

When I drove out to California last November, speed and efficiency were my goals. I planned to drive 8 hours a day but, as some of you may recall, the Clyde/Houdini fiasco set me back three hours on Day One, which I boldly made up for by driving eleven hours on Day Two. Well, I might have made up the lost hours that day, but I also fried my nerves. So this time, I’m doing things a little differently.

A couple months ago I met an experienced snowbird, who is also a #vanlife road tripper, at a Jimmy Dore comedy show in Palm Springs. Pat told me she does the trip every year at a leisurely pace: six hours a day, stopping every two. Her hours are 9-3, boom. Then she stops and sets up for the night.

I don’t need to set up camp for the night, but Pat’s schedule made sense to me. It will help avoid the dreaded “highway hypnosis.” It will work for the animals, who may need a drink of water, a little stretch, or a pee. It also makes sense for my crony eyes, which perform best during daylight hours. Furthermore, I want to avoid driving into the rising sun when I’m Eastbound (not to mention the setting sun, when heading west.) Finally, a daily routine of three little, two-hour chunks feels really doable. Piece of cake, I say!

Hence our first stop on Day Two, about 1.5 hours after leaving Flagstaff, was the Petrified Forest National Park visitor center and rest area. We didn’t enter the park itself, but they had a nice fenced area for dogs, which Timi appreciated. I even let Clyde out of his crate—on his harness and leash—for a little romp, although I can’t say for sure he enjoyed it. Perhaps the fresh air was good for him, but he’s a cat, and this was NOT his territory. Not even close.

I am his territory. And Timi. Clyde feels safe with us.

The Petrified Forest is located about 40 miles west of the New Mexico border. This sign says it all: no right turns. You are heading East, young lady.

Our second stop was a quickie fuel stop in Grants, NM. It was so windy there, I didn’t even walk Timi around the parking lot. Earlier on the road, I had seen a curious, diamond shaped, yellow sign: GUSTY WINDS MAY EXIST. Well, they certainly did in Grants.

We kept driving until I spied a nice rest area between Moriarty and Wagon Wheel. It was still windy out, but not as gusty as Grants.

Today’s travels took us through a time zone change, which added an hour to the clock. We got to La Quinta Santa Rosa around 5:45 local time, not bad. Around sunset, I walked over to a nearby service station and bought some earplugs. These are hopefully going to to help me sleep through Timi’s someone-is-outside-the-room Alert! ALERT! regular reporting. Clyde sleeps calmly on my bed and never makes a peep, but Timi is on the job all night, sounding the alarm. However, I need to do my job, too! Which includes being well rested for a full day of driving. Fingers crossed, the earplugs will help. 🦉OBC🌵

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please hit the *Like* button so I’ll know you stopped by. And thanks for sharing the journey with me! 🙏🏼✨