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East Coast 2017
  • Dave Gerold

East Coast 2017

A 31-day adventure by Dave Read more
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  • Dave GeroldEast Coast 2017Traveler

    Road to Virginia

    October 5, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    We packed up and hit the road early abandoning the coast. If we were to continue on the path we traveling, we would have gone through New York and Philadelphia, Jean and I have been to both cities and the thought of driving the Model A in those cities was the last thing I wanted to do. We skirted the north edge of New Your city and then headed southwest to arrive at Winchester, Virginia shortly before 7:00 pm.Read more

  • Dave GeroldEast Coast 2017Traveler

    Blue Ridge Parkway

    October 7, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We drove the north 62 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway finding many good photo opportunities. There was very little traffic so we were able to move about freely. Our first stop on the Parkway was a recreation of a settler's farm site with buildings constructed from the native materials. We followed a gravel road called Nettles Trail until it intersected Irish Creek Road. It was narrow, winding and quite steep at points. We stopped for lunch about noon at Scotty's Cafe just west of mile post 62. While eating, we checked and found the forecasted rain we have been watching for the past couple days changed its pattern so we scrambled northwest to Columbus, Ohio. If we had continued the parkway, we would have run into about three days of heavy rain. The Phaeton is not safe to travel in if the rain is heavy as the visibility with the side curtains on is very restricted. When we hit showers earlier on this trip, we just drove through them without stopping to install the front curtains.
    So we are on our way home and watching for things to stop and see as we go.    Read more

  • Dave GeroldEast Coast 2017Traveler

    Wilbur Wright birthplace and Museum

    October 8, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    On the route home we passed near Hagerstown, Indiana. 4.5 miles out of Hagerstown is a museum that honors Wilbur, the older of the two Wright brothers. The setting is a rural farm and has recreated buildings of the original farmstead. There is also a museum with a full scale replica of the original first flight plane. The museum was set up so you could walk around the full perimeter of the plane and get right up next to it. This display allowed me, for the first time, to understand how they "bent" the wing to create more lift allowing them to bank the plane while turning.

    A late lunch and back on the road to hit rain and when a State Patrol car with his lights and siren on came by, I moved over and ended up in an exit lane that put me through a run-down portion of Indianapolis. The street was all potholes and stoplights for about 5 miles of a 16 mile detour. Once back on the correct Interstate I was able to drive out of the rain after about 30 miles. We are safely settled in Peoria for the evening. Hope there is no rain tomorrow.    Read more

  • Dave GeroldEast Coast 2017Traveler

    Fog Advisory & Revisiting the Pickers

    October 9, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌫 15 °C

    We started out early and within 10 miles drove into dense fog. We pulled off I-74 in Bloomington, IL and are waiting for the fog to lift as I start this entry. Checked and the advisory is on until 10:00 am. Fog lifted... Left about 9:00 on our way northwest towards Le Claire to check in on the American Pickers.
    Had lunch at the Crane and Pelican Cafe...nice historic building exactly one block from Antique Archeology. We wanted to check out the new building they had started when we were last here with friends in 2013. We took some photos and asked one of the young ladies minding the store to take one of us.
    After we left Le Claire, a strong wind picked up and we were driving right into it. Slow going and the temperature dropped considerably as we approached Mason City where we will stay for the night.    Read more

  • Dave GeroldEast Coast 2017Traveler

    Final leg to HOME

    October 10, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    We awoke to a temp of about 39 degrees in Mason City, Iowa, had breakfast, put on our long underwear and packed the car. We were a short distance from I-35, so we took it towards home. We stopped at Cabela's, just north of Owatonna, to warm up. We then made the final drive passing through New Prague. We took the day to rest and unpack and then in the evening went to visit the Scheffler family to deliver some gifts we had purchased for the children while on the trip.

    It is good to be home. This trip's driving was a bit more stressful than any I have completed in the past. The greater traffic, limited rear view visibility of a Phaeton and the road manners of a very few made for some near misses and caused one to be extra vigilant and frankly, very tense while driving. It's good to be home, I said that before but saying it twice seems appropriate.

    Comment: Funny, equal to the best colors we saw from the trees along the whole trip was right across the road from our driveway as we were arriving home. Glad we made it home in time to see it.

    Update: I have listened to myself comment to friends and family on how the trip was and I find myself saying the places and people were great but the driving experience was not good. We had more close calls on this trip than any other. Saddens me to come to this realization but I think the Phaeton may be retired from extended trips due to the lack of visibility and occupant protection should a road incident occur. We have traveled over 95,000 miles in this car without accident but this last trip proved to me that we may have only accomplished this with a good bit of luck.    Read more

  • Dave GeroldEast Coast 2017Traveler

    Epilogue

    October 14, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Dave:
    It was a great trip. We saw beautiful areas of the US and Canada in a way of travel that I love. The company I had for the trip was pretty awesome too. Jean wanted to take this trip after she retired and she planned the route up to and through Boston. She always plans a good trip and I am glad she was excited to take it in a Model A.
    I have a few more areas of the country I would like to travel and I am starting to think ahead of how and when we can fit it in.

    Jean:
    I want to thank you Dave for taking this trip with me. We've been married almost 40 years this November and I am still in awe of your gutsiness and your can-do attitude. I loved spending this time with you and sharing this experience.
    Love always!
    Jean    Read more

    Trip end
    October 14, 2017
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