Cleveland Rocks!

Cleveland Rocks!

Fog, fog, fog.   Lake Erie always has fog, I was later told.  But today is really foggy as we drive into Cleveland and search for a parking lot on the waterfront that takes RVs and buses.  A short walk to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, next to the Cleveland Science Center, in a really nice harbor area.

The Hall of Fame is in an I.M. Pei designed building of cantilevered balconies and ramps, visually stunning. It’s chockful of artifacts like guitars, costumes, lyrics, posters and much more with a nicely designed layout of exhibits and themes. We waited around to catch a 30-minute rockumentary of classic performances by director Jonathan Demme, well worth it!

For rock and roll fans this place is definitely worth visiting. We even found easy RV parking in a lot nearby.

It was hard to narrow down the great images from my favorite rock & roll icons, so here are just a couple of them, punk rock poet Patti Smith and voice of my generation and recent reluctant Nobel laureate, the singer, songwriter and poet Bob Dylan.

Off to Matt’s new farmhouse in Delphos Ohio on the “old” read “original” Lincoln Highway.  Three more hours in the rain were rewarded as the sun came out just as we arrived at his house.  What a place, full of potential and lots of hard work ahead, but set in a beautiful location in the midst of Ohio farmlands.

Our dinner destination was Cabo, a favorite Mexican restaurant of Matt’s and his friend Livvie. A couple of margaritas and Modelos later we headed back to our home in his driveway for the next few nights.  Ahh, the pleasures of RVing – free places to stay with family and friends!

Day One . . . we’re off!

Day One . . . we’re off!

We are OFF finally, after what seems like months of planning. Lists checked, provisions in place, nothing left to chance. Oh, except maybe weather, moods, choices and serendipity!

Head down in my books or on my phone most of the way down 95 till I could feel comfortable with the rattling noises of a ‘tin can’ that is not being driven by me.  Not that I don’t trust my husband’s driving, it’s just that nervous anxiousness that I always feel when I’m not driving and I’m in a new vehicle – be it boat or RV.  “Just take a deep breath, Paula…it will all feel easier soon”

Around Scranton PA I started to feel as if I was some place different, a little slice of our industrial past celebrated at the Steamtown National Historic Park which tells the story of America’s train history. Scranton sits near the meandering Susquehanna River, which amazingly runs from Ostego Lake in New York State to its mouth in the Chesapeake Bay. It’s so much fun to learn new things!

By 5:00 pm though, we had had enough of driving and Moyer’s Grove Campground in Wapwollopen, PA beckoned us.  Not really, but we found it on a camping app on my phone, so off we went, miles and miles and miles off the thruway down into rolling, bucolic farmlands at the foothills of the Appalachians.

We received a warm welcome from the owners, a mother and daughter.  When I inquired about wi-fi, I was promptly told “we ain’t got no Wi-Fi- I’m running a campground not a reeesort!”. Steve and I had quite a chuckle but it really emphasized for me how remote this section of Pennsylvania is, and how news and information that we take for granted and is at our fingertips is so much harder to come by here.  My East Coast bubble needed some bursting!

Getting Organized For The Trip

Getting Organized For The Trip

So many lists, so much to do. Planning for a cross country RV trip is a full time job. But a fun one!

I’m planning to share my lists with you, with the hope that maybe, some day, someone will find them useful. But first I’ll be posting about our travels and then I’ll get back to preparing for the trip.  So please be patient with me, and check back here in a bit.