When You’re Going Somewhere

I decided that I might as well wait out the winter back near the property rather than set around the East Coast for no reason. I am in no hurry so as usual, it has been a winding road.Checking off a few things that I wanted to see on the way.

I started with a quick walk around the pretty little town of Jim Thorpe, Pa. It still had its holiday lighting and I arrived just at sunset. It was a nice leg stretch walking up and back the main street even if it wasn’t at full capacity because of the Covid. There were still people out and about enjoying the atmosphere. It looks like a good romantic weekend place if you have some extra money and of course a date. I had neither, so I headed on. I ended up calling it quits at the Scranton Walmart.

I slept pretty well but woke up early to take a look around. Scranton is an old Steel town that never quite recovered from the move to foreign steel importing. There are too many good impression of the city unless it is through the eyes of a fan of the US version of “The Office”. The show was based there but not filmed there. However some of the city’s landmarks made cameos or got a passing reference. My choice to see was the Penn Paper Tower from the opening credits. No I can say I was there and have the proof. I continued north into New York targeting the Finger Lakes region.

I really haven’t spent any time in this part of NY. Winter is not really its time. I did come up to the nice little Ski Town of Ellicottville NY. I have skied there once back in the 90’s and I liked it. The resort is Holiday Valley and it is nicely situated so that it benefits from deep snow sent down from the nearby Lake Erie. It did seem to have much more terrain than I remember to business must be good. It was a quick drive through as there were plenty of quaint small towns ahead of me that I have not seen.

New York’s Finger Lakes were created 2 million years ago as Ice Age Glaciers carved long deep grooves in the Earth on their slow push south. As they receded, they left behind 11 long narrow lakes (fingers), about 100 wineries and vineyards and the world famous Watkins Glen Race track. I am not sure of the chronology of all these post ice age creations but they are all there now. Additionally, the lakes provide endless water based activities. 

There is also the Erie Canal that connects Lake Erie at Buffalo N.Y. to Albany NY then out to the Atlantic via the Hudson River. It is still navigable but mostly by pleasure boats. The tow path is also a nice flat bike path that takes riders through the small upstate NY towns and villages along the way. 

SInce I had neither a bike or a boat and it was winter, I continued on my drive ending up in Cleveland for a quick visit and forwarded mail pickup. With the Covid, there wasn’t much reason to stick around so the car engine barely got cold before I was off again. A polar vortex was in the forecast and snow was starting to come down as I headed out. I thought it best to take a less direct route west. i.e. South.

I popped out of Ohio around Dayton. Dayton used to be known as the most average city in America. It still is in my mind as I didn’t stick around to find something out of the ordinary. I drove through downtown Indianapolis in the evening hours. I have never been to Indianapolis and I hope to not go again. Not because of anything bad. It looked pretty fun. The bars and restaurants in the city center were plentiful and crowded. I just don’t want to ever have to spell Indianapolis again.

I don’t usually have a plan for my drive days.. I pretty much get as far as I get and the path I take can

be dictated by something as simple as a road sign. Today’s interesting road sign came into view just outside of a small town called Eldon, Iowa. The house featured in the Artist Grant Wood’s American Gothic painting is located here. So off I went. It was smaller than I expected but still interesting. The museum was closed but there were some interesting story boards. The couple featured in the painting were real people but didn’t meet until 12 years after the painting was first shown.  

With the entirety of the midwest stretched out in front of me, I settled in for a long drive. I made it to Omaha just after dark and drove through town to see how much it had changed since I lived there in the late 90’s. It has changed a LOT. I wouldn’t recognize it if I hadn’t paid attention to the highway signs. It is pretty sprawled out and cluttered with chain stores and restaurant. Don’t get me wrong. It was like that back in the day but now there was just more of them spread over a greater distance.

Although it was late in the day, I decided to roll on to a rest stop up the road a bit. It just seemed easier than finding a quiet spot amongst the sprawl.

I woke up to another day of midwest driving, although it was highlighted by a stop in Western Nebraska to see Carhenge. America’s answer to Stonehenge.

Views of Carhenge

 

I decided when I left that that morning that I didn’t have the energy to drive the 625 miles from one end of Montana to the other. I pushed right through the middle of Wyoming. It was a road I had not taken before and still can’t say I have since I started the drive at sunset in a bit of a snow storm. I have no idea what there was to see cause I couldn’t see anything.

I woke up early and continued the dark drive west. I ended up at Teton National Park at sunrise. It was the coldest morning so far with temps sinking to -20f as I came into the Teton Valley. Sun was up and the views of the mountain range were worth getting out of the car to get some pictures.

I have been to the Tetons before. Most recently in the summer fire season. I could barely see anything because of the smoke. Today, was cold clear and 

sunny. I drove around the valley to take advantage. I found the cabin used in the 50’s western “Shane”. It was built for the movie so it is not considered historic in the eyes of the National Park Service. They are letting it rot away. 

I stopped to watch a photo shy moose munch on a bush and finally ended up on a hike to an old Mormon settlement. Its true that clear cold weather makes judging distance impossible. What I estimated was a mile’s effort turned out to be in 2.5. By the time I got back to the car, I had trudged 5 miles through snow at 9 degrees. I was sweating.

 

Cold Hike Pictures

Much photographed Mormon Barn

5 miles of this in 9F degrees

A cold clear view of the Tetons

 

I tried to get out of the valley through the road to Yellowstone but it was closed for the season. I ended up having to go out through Idaho which was a little disappointing because I would have to bypass Bozeman, one of my favorite towns. The good thing is that I got to see the Teton Range from the other side. I have only seen pictured from the eastern side. So, maybe for the first time ever, here is what the back side of the Tetons looks like…..

 

The Idaho route took me straight up to Butte, Montana. It is an ok town. But with the Covid, there wasn’t much to do. I needed to sleep anyway so I postponed a walk around for another time.

I stayed in Missoula for a few days to get caught up and see if there was any shopping I could do while I was in tax free Montana. Hit a bunch of stores but was not in a spending mood I guess. Mostly just hung out in the room to get caught up on sleep and computer time.

I am always surprised by how close Montana is from Washington. It helps that interstate 90 in Idaho is only 70 miles wide. And it is mostly a steep downhill grade so check your brakes before making the drive.

I stopped into the lakeside town of Coeur D’alane for a walk around.  It was pretty a pretty busy afternoon as Idaho isn’t on the Covid clampdown. I haven’t made it there often enough when I was a Seattleite. Maybe a if I free up from property projects this summer, I can make it back in warmer temps. In the meantime, No lollygagging. I pushed through the last couple of hundred miles and am now stuck to a sofa in a cozy and warm  Cle Elum coffee shop watching the snow fall outside. But the sun is up and time for a property visit to see what I have gotten myself into coming back so early.