Eleven hours of driving got us from Sturbridge, Mass. to Lexington, Va. We negotiated the great eastern megalopolis that now seems to extend from Hartford to Southern Pennsylvania, replete with narrow construction-riven roads that feel more like luge runs and open six-lane plains of road. Because I was asleep at the switch, or failed to trust Google maps completely, or both, I missed the turn for I-684 and we went a little too far north toward Albsny. The necessitated a dive down
New York's Taconic Parkway. This road appears to have first been a deer path, then a way for 1930s era state legislators and borough bigwigs to wend their way to Albany and back. Though it is scenic and runs through straight up Ichabod Crane country, Eli cracked me up when he saw a sign for "rough road." "They think we need to be told that?" he queried.
We drove through rain dramatic enough for me to pull off in
Chambersburg, Penn. and check the weather with the WiFi at Panera. It made me pine for the days of AM radio. Yes, between Twitter, radar,
WeatherUnderground's great severe weather page, I found that we were far from any actual tornadoes and the weather on top of us was the worst of it. Still, I remember the days of local radio well enough to know that I preferred being able to turn on the car radio with the confidence that if there were anything scary happening the local DJ would make sure everyone knew about it.
One thing that kept us calm through it all is an audiobook version of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightning Thief." Diverting, lush and informative. Eli liked it too.
Eli took some photos from the car.
Coming to the Tappan Zee Bridge from the east
Looking north from the Tappan Zee
We wait out the tornado warnings at the local Panera in Chambersburg, Penn.
Too wet to eat outside
The sun breaks through
I'll get more pix up tomorrow. My battery is moribund and I'm beat city.
