More giant things, plus terrifying traffic

My friends M, J, and J live in Queens and I really wanted to see them on this trip. Covid plus some health concerns meant it made sense for me to stay outside the city and just come in for the day. I had planned to find some kind of park and ride, but M convinced me it would be just as easy to drive in and park near their house. I had literally never considered driving in New York City, and the experience convinced me that once was probably enough.  I'm an aggressive driver compared to Midwestern drivers, average for DC, and woefully outclassed in NYC. I watched one driver grow tired of the slow moving traffic, and veer into oncoming traffic for 200 feet, honking wildly for them to get of the way, before turning left on a red light. And then I knew next time I'd be taking the bus...

It was utterly delightful to spend time with M, J, and J. They are all extremely creative people, but more on the artistic side than the engineering side. I helped with some house projects, including a trip to Home Depot, and I think my father's tutelage served me well.

Some pictures of the last days of vacation.

A giant doctor's bag.

This root beer float was rated one of Pennsylvania's finest. It could also be called the Most Expensive Root Beer Float I've ever purchased. It was absolutely delicious, but I couldn't stop thinking about how much each sip cost.

Mariachi players plus a ballroom dancing couple. If it's not clear, all of them are about twenty feet tall.

This American Gothic riff included a suitcase with stickers showing all their travel in Asia. 

And thus ends our tour of Americana...

Taking the cure

Friday was my Saratoga Springs adventure. This area is well-known for its mineral springs, which were used for medicinal purposes during the Victorian era. I'm all for low-priced healthcare, so I biked through the state park and filled my water bottle from a half-dozen springs. And they must be healthy, because they were all unpleasant. Lightly carbonated, tasting heavily of minerals (think rust plus a bit of sulfur). I heard that there are palatable sources elsewhere in the city, but they weren't featured on the visitor center pamphlet so I didn't got to try them.
 

The lovely old hotels that fill the town show that it was the playground for the well-heeled, and it still is. I had no trouble finding vegetarian food here, but I did have trouble finding entrees that cost less than $30.

It has continued to be extremely hot and muggy. I decided to keep my tour short and enjoy the long air-conditioned drive to Newark for the rest of the day

 

Syrup and sasquatch

It's hard for me to describe how photogenic Vermont is, and my pictures certainly don't do it justice. Yesterday I did another long bike ride, about 26 miles in total. The path was outstanding due to its variety - sometimes I rode in forests, sometimes in meadows or through corn fields, or along rivers or through towns. The only thing that would have made it better was if it hadn't been 32C/ 90F and humid. Unfortunately, the DC weather followed me north.

After that, I started my drive to the Adirondacks.  listened to a banjo player at a farmer's market, and took more pictures of roadside attractions. There are museums and shops that count as "roadside attractions," but with Covid and limited time, I'm enjoying the drive-by sites the best.

I ate ice cream in a picturesque Vermont village. The flavor was goat cheese and strawberry, continuing the cheese theme. They also had basil ice cream, but I learned my lesson trying that in New Orleans once. The flavor of pesto does not belong in ice cream.

The face of modern maple syruping - the sap is all collected with flexible blue tubing strung through the forest. It looks like a medical experiment gone awry.

The world's tallest filing cabinet, although the website is careful to point out that this claim is unsubstantiated.

A giant jack, because, why not?

Bigfoot is the official animal of Whitehall, NY and there are many reported sightings in the area. I appreciated the baby sasquatch along for the ride.

Cheese: still searching

Today was a rest day - no big drives or bike rides. I strolled around Burlington, ate some ramen (tasty, but not something that helped me in my cheese quest), and spent some time at a local beach along Lake Champlain. 

Lake beaches usually get a bad rap. Since I'm from the Midwest, lakes were all I knew until nearly middle school. There was a tiny sand strip, then usually lots of rocks. Maybe my memory is wrong, or maybe this one was extra nice. The waves were calm, a big bonus for someone swimming alone* and not wanting to be dragged under the sea. The water was much warmer than the mid-Atlantic, and I could see all the way to the bottom.  It was also less crowded than DC or Miami beaches.

I specially chose my dinner location because their macaroni and cheese was highly rated. Alas, while it clearly used high quality cheese,  I make better at home. However, I don't drink beer at home that is as good as what I have drunk here, so all is not lost.

*I mean, there were dozens of fellow swimmers, but no lifeguard. 

Biking in style

When my dad travels by vintage car or ultralight, everyone waves and wants to say hello. On this trip, that's how it is when I'm wearing my vintage styles. I traveled on a bike ferry (more on that later) and the captain loved my outfit so much he asked to take my picture and had me sign a waiver so they could use it to advertise the bike advocacy group that sponsors the ferry. That put the biggest smile on my face.

Today was the probably the highlight of the trip - a "rails to trail" bike path (that means it used to be a railroad and is usually level and easy to ride) that follows Lake Champlain. Several miles of it are on a causeway.  Waves lapping at you from two sides is just a really stunning way to ride. Near the end of the causeway, where there used to be a bridge, a tiny ferry shuttles hikers and bikers across the gap. It was without a doubt the most beautiful bike path I've traveled. And on the other side, I consumed a local ice cream treat called a maple creemee. It was delicious, but after biking for hours I would have been delighted by cold skim milk, so I may not be a reliable reviewer.

I've started making progress on my cheese goals as well. Due to a formal assessment at my Uncle De-I's house, I know I like mildly-stinky cheeses but not medium- or advanced-stinky cheeses. That helped the waitress recommend a lovely blue goat cheese plate. Later, I supped on a pizza made with local cheese.

Yesterday turned out to be a learning opportunity. My nine-hour drive stretched into eleven hours with breaks, and it was just miserable. I've never really road-tripped on my own, and I overestimated what I could do. I want to limit myself to four hours per day for future trips, so I can avoid shoulder pain  and enjoy myself by making interesting stops. Luckily, I can book the rest of my accommodations on this trip to ration the driving.

So, with all that time in the car yesterday, I only managed one non-ice cream stop, but I feel like it checks both the Americana and cheese boxes.

A vacation with a theme

The Puerto Rico trip was cancelled before it even began - the night before, in fact. I was grateful that I didn't have to wake up early and fight crowds at the airport before learning the bad news. In the end, I'll probably lose no more than $100, because I had booked some more-flexible accommodations, thinking that COVID might be a problem. That the airline might implode was not something I had considered, but the end result was the same. (And if anyone knows what's going on with Spirit, let me know in the comments!) The airline hasn't processed my refund, so I'm still getting emails aimed at unhappy customers. So far I've been offered one $7 meal voucher and one $50 travel voucher for the future. If I was stuck in the airport for two days, I'd be positively insulted that they thought those vouchers would make up for it.

I started my vacation one day later than planned, but with a whole new itinerary. Instead of beaches, pre-Columbian history, and rum, I'm pointed my car north, with the eventual goal of Vermont. I've never been to Vermont, and I hoped it would be cooler than DC (something that may not turn out to be true this week, after all.) The theme of the vacation will be Americana, bicycling, and cheese.

I had previously thought of antiques as nineteenth century and earlier, but a friend took me antiquing last weekend and I realized that since vintage 1950's items are now 70 years old, they now count. It's a bit odd for a minimalist to comb through antique stores; something has to really knock my socks off before I'd consider buying it. 

Last weekend I bought a 1951 Family Circle and read it cover to cover, including all the ads. It was the best $8 I'd spent in a long time. I hope to repeat the experience with this 1941 Life magazine.

This local donut store caught my attention, and seemed to count as Americana, even with the prominent maple leaf. The custard-filled was the first donut I've eaten from a store in many years. Definitely tasty, but my own donuts are still my favorite.

I've found a road-side attraction website that is directing me many interesting places. The first stop of the day was this giant pineapple atop a publishing business in the middle of an industrial park. The pineapple is their logo, but even the vast Internet can't seem to explain why.

The Shoe house! Built in 1948 as an advertisement by an enterprising shoe manufacturer, he allowed honeymooning employees to stay in it.

It's still furnished in the 1950's style, which I swooned over, of course.

I took a long bike ride along the Susquehanna river and many people smiled and told me they liked my look, which was delightful. I guess there aren't too many bicyclists around here in circle skirts and saddle shoes. I didn't manage any cheese today, except for what was stuffed into my dinner burrito, but I have high hopes for Vermont.

Potluck holiday

Travel to Europe looked iffy this year, so I decided to plan a vacation closer to home. Puerto Rico sounded perfect, because a four-hour direct flight got me to a location where I could practice my Spanish, avoid a covid test (with a vaccine card), and enjoy the beach. But I did book the more-refundable hotel, just to be sure.

That's looking like a good idea, because my flight out tomorrow is on Spirit Airlines. If you haven't been reading the news, that's the airline that has been cancelling 50% of their flights for the past week, due to weather/planning/staffing (who knows?) issues. My parents arrived home two days later than expected because of Spirit cancellations and there are stories of people spending days in the airport.

Every single flight to Puerto Rico from Baltimore was cancelled today, so I'm not too hopeful about tomorrow. But I have decided I want to avoid spending days waiting, so if my flight is cancelled, I plan to put my suitcase in the car and point in a new direction. I don't know where I'll be tomorrow night, but hopefully it will be neither my living room nor an airport floor.