On the Road Again, and White Knuckling All the Way

The route from Beverly, Ma to Foxburg, Pa. is not the road upon which to end a road-trip hiatus. From MA 128 to I-95 to I-84 to I-81 to I-80 one drives on a primarily two-lane highway paced by enough cars to fill a four-lane highway, all driving at a speed exceeding the speed limit by a minimum of 15 mph. Added to that are numerous construction zones where traffic is funneled down to a single lane, with no shoulders and Jersey barriers brushing against side mirrors.

And yet, that is the road upon which we set out earlish Friday morning of our 8 day road trip. Leaving the house just early enough to squeeze under the Boston morning rush hour we passed Hartford, CT just as their rush hour was in full swing. Of course, after more than a few trips through NYC at rush hour the idea of Hartford's rush hour is just plain silly and provides an amusing diversion. Debating the pros and cons of the commuter lane (which ends 2 miles before reaching downtown), and the haphazard placement of various left exits, we quickly breezed through the capital city.

Somewhere between Hartford, CT and the Danbury, CT we switched drivers, and it was my turn  behind the wheel. Aside from the person in the passenger seat channel surfing at the speed of light, gripping the door handle and slamming his brake foot against the floor, the ride went relatively smoothly until we crossed the Hudson and entered Pennsylvania. While Scranton, PA may conjure visions of Dunder Mifflin for some, for me Scranton, PA evokes Harry Chapin's "Thirty-thousand Pounds of Banana's" and visions for terrifyingly steep hills and curving highways. And that, with the addition of an eternal construction
zone was exactly what I drove through, all the while maintaining a steady 72 MPH, and a blood pressure of 132 over 97.

When we finally reached I-80, it was time for lunch and we soon learned that in between 2007 and 2014, Pilot truck stops and Subway have successfully colonized every single exit from Drum to Foxbuurg

. This is good news for those wanting a relatively healthy fast food lunch, not so good for someone wanting to rationalize the necessity of a peanut M & M and diet coke lunch.

Back on the road, again, the miles seemed to go by slower every hour as the constructions zones, and tandem truck convoys became more frequent. For what was supposed to be an eight hour drive, this was beginning to feel like a never-ending endurance contest. And I was not winning. Finally, and only after giving up all hope, the Foxburg exit appeared. We left the highway and coasted down a long country road into an amazingly tidy, compact town on the Allegheny River. Our Inn, sited on the shore of the river and across from a Chocolatier and Wine Shop, looked just perfect.