Day 52 (Home)
Day 52
August 12, 2006
Busti, NY to Clarksville, MD (332 miles)
Our last night of camping in Louie and Shirley’s front yard ended up being one of the coldest of the trip, including Yellowstone—low of 42 degrees. Fall is on its way in western New York! We folded up the trailer one final time, ate a HUGE breakfast courtesy of Aunt Shirley, and hit the road at about 11 AM. Louie and Shirley were the consummate hosts and we rated their yard a 5-star campground, among the best we experienced in the 7 weeks we've been on the road.
The drive through Pennsylvania and central Maryland seemed different to us. We realized how crowded the “country” of Pennsylvania, a piebald of small towns about 3 miles apart, actually is. Our concept of what constitutes a mountain has also been altered. We used to think of the hills on Interstate 70 between Frederick and Hagerstown as mountains, but after standing before the Teton Range and dragging the trailer over Red Mountain Pass to Silverton, well…
And our concept of “far” has been altered as well. The 330 mile drive home didn’t seem that long today. When we were in Hagerstown and eager to get home, Emily asked how much farther we had to travel. When we told her that it was 75 miles, she said, “Oh, that’s not bad.”
We had some mixed feelings about going home and returning to our normal lives. There were certainly things we missed but there were some things about living on the road in our little trailer that we would miss as well. Frank said he didn’t look forward to returning to the hectic pace that his life has become. He has appreciated the time he has been able to spend with his family and intends to work harder to preserve more time with them in the future.
The kids cheered when we crossed into Maryland and again when we entered Howard County and when we saw “Clarksville” on a sign. We felt the same excitement.
The first thing we did was greet our neighbors and catch up on local events. Emily rode her bicycle while Elliot watched some TV. Our house seemed huge to us. The first room we saw, our mudroom, which is 12 x 12, was bigger than our trailer (140 square feet if you count the bunks). The kitchen and master bedroom seemed cavernous.
Even though it was a bit humid, we all agreed we wanted to shut off the air conditioning and open the windows. We missed the fresh air and sounds of the outdoors that we have come to know over the past 7 weeks. I think all of us were grateful to sleep in our own beds.
It was a great trip—the trip of a lifetime—but it’s also great to be home. There is no place like it.
August 12, 2006
Busti, NY to Clarksville, MD (332 miles)
Our last night of camping in Louie and Shirley’s front yard ended up being one of the coldest of the trip, including Yellowstone—low of 42 degrees. Fall is on its way in western New York! We folded up the trailer one final time, ate a HUGE breakfast courtesy of Aunt Shirley, and hit the road at about 11 AM. Louie and Shirley were the consummate hosts and we rated their yard a 5-star campground, among the best we experienced in the 7 weeks we've been on the road.The drive through Pennsylvania and central Maryland seemed different to us. We realized how crowded the “country” of Pennsylvania, a piebald of small towns about 3 miles apart, actually is. Our concept of what constitutes a mountain has also been altered. We used to think of the hills on Interstate 70 between Frederick and Hagerstown as mountains, but after standing before the Teton Range and dragging the trailer over Red Mountain Pass to Silverton, well…
And our concept of “far” has been altered as well. The 330 mile drive home didn’t seem that long today. When we were in Hagerstown and eager to get home, Emily asked how much farther we had to travel. When we told her that it was 75 miles, she said, “Oh, that’s not bad.”
We had some mixed feelings about going home and returning to our normal lives. There were certainly things we missed but there were some things about living on the road in our little trailer that we would miss as well. Frank said he didn’t look forward to returning to the hectic pace that his life has become. He has appreciated the time he has been able to spend with his family and intends to work harder to preserve more time with them in the future.
The kids cheered when we crossed into Maryland and again when we entered Howard County and when we saw “Clarksville” on a sign. We felt the same excitement.The first thing we did was greet our neighbors and catch up on local events. Emily rode her bicycle while Elliot watched some TV. Our house seemed huge to us. The first room we saw, our mudroom, which is 12 x 12, was bigger than our trailer (140 square feet if you count the bunks). The kitchen and master bedroom seemed cavernous.
Even though it was a bit humid, we all agreed we wanted to shut off the air conditioning and open the windows. We missed the fresh air and sounds of the outdoors that we have come to know over the past 7 weeks. I think all of us were grateful to sleep in our own beds.
It was a great trip—the trip of a lifetime—but it’s also great to be home. There is no place like it.
posted by Hazzard Family | 05:59
2 Comments:
tMay I suggest a summary of the trip?
Frank;
Read you trip blog this morning. This country could use more parents like you and Sessie. Your two very special people, and that's one of the reasons I love yall so much. It was great getting to visit you again in Columbia. You can bet it won't be the last time ya see me..
Take care, and be SAFE!
Bert
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