Escape to the Great White North - Day 8

Reporting on route to home, I-78 New Jersey

Well, the storm raged on last night. We attempted to go to sleep early, but all the clanging of the balcony furniture made it very difficult. Here's a pic of said furniture this morning.

The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed…

Fortunately, Mindy remembered that our travel jackets came with little ear plugs. We popped those in, and all was right with the world.

This resulted in us getting up very early--we were packed and down at the buffet by 6:30 or so. According to the disembarkation schedule, the group that was taking their own luggage off the boat (including us) would be able to do so starting around 8:15. So we decided to kill some time by walking around the decks-- not so fast! They had already blockaded the stairs on the floors that are used to disembark, which is basically where you'd want to walk. We also saw that the line was already getting pretty long--keep in mind this is still an hour and a half before we're supposed to be able to leave.

So we made our way back to the room, double checked everything, and headed out. It's a little complicated handling multiple rolling bags down narrow corridors, but we made it. We had planned to simply walk those bags down one flight of stairs, but again they were already blocked off. Over to the elevator, where we ended up having to go up to 16 (where everybody was heading for the buffet) and then back down to 7.

So we worked our way over to the back of the line where there were probably 100 or more people already there, with their many bags.  At that point, we started to check our phones, since we now had access again. But less than 10 minutes later, the line was moving and within 10 minutes we were off the boat. This was still 45 minutes or so earlier than we thought. The customs process was perfunctory at best--just a facial recognition screen and off you go.  We managed to find our way to the elevators to get to the parking deck--perhaps the cruise industry could invest in this newfangled technology called signage.

By 8:00, New York City was in our rear view mirror, and we were on our way. The trip across NJ and PA was uneventful, except for a family issue that forced us to be less leisurely.

I got your fall foliage RIGHT HERE!

And that's about it. We REALLY enjoyed the cruise. The service was exemplary, the food delicious, the ports of call very interesting--and we got some time without the internet.  I even read a book (on my phone, but baby steps).  There's things I want to change about my everyday life going forward, and we WILL cruise again—even considering the bout of COVID we experienced afterward (we’re much better now, thank you).

#escapetothegreatwhitenorth

Escape to the Great White North - Day 7

Reporting from LAT 42.10, LON 67.35--The North Atlantic

We woke up pretty early--somehow skipping the "nightcap" paradoxically resulted in better sleep?  Back to the buffet...

They had a “yogurt bar”, where you could add all sorts of stuff.

Take it easy on that Cool Whip, Uncle Harry! (a reference no one under 55 will get).

Wandering back to the room for a shower, we stopped to get Mindy her "flattened penny". These are the old timey machines where normally you put in two quarters and a penny, and then turn a crank which embosses and design on a now oblong penny. You generally see them in touristy areas today. In this case, you tapped your room ID on it and then cranked. While it accepted her card, no amount of furious cranking generated a penny. So we had to get a technician to come over, who just handed her a penny in the design she wanted.

After a shower, we thought we'd sit out on the balcony but it was very windy out there. Not at all restful. So we went out on the waterfront where things were quite a bit calmer and found some chairs.

After a while, we heard an announcement from the captain that we're rolling into a storm and a gale warning this afternoon. So I doubt we'll be outside after lunch. We're actually okay with that--we've had wonderful weather almost the entire trip (warmer than anticipated), and if you're going to have bad weather, you want it the day you're at sea.

Lunch at Savor/Taste. We had salads--I had taquitos, while Mindy had her favorite, the Monte Cristo sammich. We also had some drinks—I got an Old Fashioned, while Mindy had a glass of wine. The drink package was included, and darn it, we were going to use it!

A view of Savor and/or Taste.

On the way back to our room, we saw packets of sickness bags by the stairs--they clearly think something is coming.

The ship is swaying a bit, but it's nothing like our first cruise, where you could see the horizon going up and down out the window. It's more like being rocked to sleep. The bigger issue is the wind--the dividers on our balcony are shaking like a leaf, and there's a hissing coming from the balcony door, due to pressure differences.

We spent some time packing--as always, we brought way too much stuff. You can choose to leave most of your bags in the hallway the night before disembarking, and they'll whisk them away to a collection area at the dock, but we think it would be far faster if we just roll them out ourselves (famous last words).

Things were still rocking and rolling, so we holed up in our room for awhile, watching random stuff on TV--an episode of Scrubs, Firefly, and a Frank Capra documentary.

Time for dinner, back to Savor/Taste.  Mindy had cheese soup and stuffed pepper, while I had scallops and shrimp fettuccine alfredo--plus dessert.

Onto a stage show--"The Choir of Men"--or at least we thought we were going to see that show. Bad weather and the shaking of the ship canceled it, so they replaced it with I guy who does a comedy juggling act (although I'm not actually sure I'd want to be a juggler when the ship is swaying back and forth). We had actually thought about seeing the juggler earlier in the week but were too tired that night. So it's good news/bad news. The juggler was good, if a little blue for an early show (not that we minded).

We finished off the evening with our first mojito.

I would drink this again.

That'll do it for the final full day of the cruise. Tomorrow--disembarkation and a long drive.

#escapetothegreatwhitenorth

Escape to the Great White North - Day 6

Got up early so I could take some unimpeded video of the ship (which will be posted as an episode of “From the Pop Culture Bunker”).

Then we got dressed and went down for a smaller breakfast at the buffet, taking some pastries back with us and sat on the balcony. The ship doesn't dock at Halifax until mid morning. It is remarkably warm here--thanks climate change!  Early predictions had it in the high 40s at Halifax, and now it's saying more like 60.

It's absolutely gorgeous this morning--just some wispy clouds.

Around 10:30 or so, the cruisers were allowed to disembark, most of them scurrying to tours, but we just decided to walk around and have lunch.

Alongside us with a ship from the Silversea line, a fancy-schmancy vessel.

While Halifax is definitely an industrial town, the boardwalk area is just fantastic.  It stretches for a mile or two, going past shops, restaurants, museums, and other businesses. 

Since Nova Scotia translates to "New Scotland", there's a number of businesses that sell tartans and kilts.  In the middle was an area called the Salt Yard, where there were various shacks and buildings selling food. We read about it on the Facebook group page.  We always endeavor to get food that we can't get at home, so we had the following:

• Poutine, Canada's national food (apart from Tim Hortons donuts I guess).  French fries, cheese curds, gravy, and maybe meat if you'd like. Basically a lot of carbs and quite delicious.

• A "Beaver Tail", similar in concept to an elephant ear except it has whole wheat pastry, with various stuff added to it. We had the Avalanche, which involved a cream and bits of Skor candy on it.  Messy but very good.

• Finally, from a host of ice cream places we could have picked from, The Fog Company. They start with an ice cream cone, then dump all sorts of stuff on it both savory and sweet-- then add cotton candy in a ring at the top of the cone itself. The various add-ons end up getting snagged in that cotton candy ring. You almost need a shower after eating this, but wow!

During our time in Halifax, we kept seeing this bizarre cargo ship that we were convinced was run by Google. It turned out to be a n unrelated company that ship huge industrial equipment.

Note the logo.

After walking up and down the boardwalk, and checking out some of the stores, we made it back to the ship before our sugar crash kicked in.  Time for a nap before dinner!

This was our second of two specialty restaurants which were included in our cruise package. We went to La Cucina, a fancy Italian spot. We stuck to our rule of eating stuff we normally wouldn't--I had calamari with a red snapper entree, which included clams and mussels. Mindy had antipasto and ravioli with beef tenderloin. It was all wonderful.

A walk around the deck later, ,we got the "sustainable cocktail of the day--a Bananaruma, which sounds promising but (at least to me) fell into the "cough syrup" category.

Au revoir, Canada.

We sailed out into the foggy night. We're told the wind is really going to pick up and it appears to be doing so already. 

Louie, I think think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Tomorrow--a rough day at sea on our way back to the states...

#escapetothegreatwhitenorth

Escape to the Great White North - Day 5

We got up promptly after an early night. This was tempered by the fact that we are now in the Atlantic time zone, so we lost an hour.  Off to the buffet for breakfast.  It's an enormous loop that takes you around about 2/3 of a deck. Tried a couple British items in addition to more traditional things-- a "banger" and baked beans.

We then checked in at the thermal spa. Mindy was intrigued after my session there, and so we decided to get another day together. They informed us that, because of people coming back onto the ship from St. John's (more about that in a minute), we should plan to go early and/or late.  That was our plan anyway!

We gathered our stuff and returned to the spa. Mindy did very much enjoy the place as I had. Now I'm trying to figure out how to shoehorn a sauna into the Pop Culture Bunker...

Mindy (yes, that’s her) enjoying the snow room.

We had planned to go to one of the main dining rooms for lunch, but they were closed. So it was back to the buffet. I concentrated again on an anglophile meal-- Shepherd's pie, beef and ale, and a trifle (sans beef, sorry Joey).

A random amalgamation of ethnic foods.

Mindy loved those grilled tomatoes.

We had already decided we were not going to get off the ship at St. John's. We had already come here five years ago as part of our trip to Prince Edward Island, and it didn't seem like there was a lot to do. The main attraction is the Bay of Fundy, which has the largest differential between high and low tides in the world. However, it's not exciting to watch in real time, kind of like watching paint dry. Just check it out now and in several hours.  The rest of St. John's seems very industrial.

Come to St. John’s, and see our parking lot!

Due to the huge changes in tide, the gangplank from the ship needs to go up and down throughout the day on this framework.

Hey Bill!

So we sat out on the deck and did some reading. Mindy went over to pick up the day's sustainable cocktail, which turned out to include coffee grounds-- yuck!

Dinner was at Savor/Taste. I had the Chinese Pork, while Mindy had the Beef Ragu.

Then back for a late session at the thermal spa.

We stopped for a nightcap--another grasshopper for me, and a white Russian for Mindy.

Off to bed! Tomorrow is our final stop--Halifax!

#escapetothegreatwhitenorth

Escape to the Great White North - Day 4

Mindy got up early and ventured out for coffee. She came back with croissants (small), and we sat out on the balcony before suiting up for the day.  Off to the buffet for something more substantial.

Morning in Maine.

Corned beef hash at the bottom—never tried it before. Mmm.

Then we headed down to the tender for the trip to Bar Harbor.  We came down earlier than last time, so we cooled our heels in the theater for a few minutes along with the others. We then were crammed into the clown car of boats.  It was foggy, but quickly burned off.

Seen in a shop. “The Larch”.

I came here as a kid, but only remember a) flimsy toy lobster traps and b) going out to the "beach" aka sharp rocks.  We wandered about the shops, then had lunch at the Side Street Diner--a haddock sammich and clam chowder.

I guess we were hungry.

More wandering, more purchasing--and then the official walking tour. There was a huge throng of people going on various tours, with guides running around holding up signs. You think they'd have this a little better organized. The guy took our paper ticket, then had to go find a manager to turn them in before we could go. If only everyone had a ship ID with a barcode on it, that could be easily read by a phone app...

Pandemonium!

Otherwise the guide was excellent, and had a wealth of information. In 1908, Mrs. Rockefeller, who was pregnant at the time, learned her doctor was summering in Maine. She and her family followed him there so he could deliver the child, who was Nelson Rockefeller. She cajoled the rest of the 400 to join her there.

Hey, get one of those “starving artists” cranking out stuff for the ship’s art auction out here!

The Bar Harbor Inn—a men’s only club until someone built another place down the road and got Louis Armstrong to play. It become a “motor lodge”, but is now high end at $700/night.

A Nazi U-Boat dropped off some agents here during WW2, but locals spotted them immediately, and they were thrown in the slammer.

A classic “village green” with the start of fall foliage.

A Gilded Age church.

Tiffany stained glass. The cherubs at the edges are the faces of the wealthy families’ kids.

After another line, back to the ship.  We ate at a pub for dinner (fish and chips, burger), while enjoying their "sail and sustain cocktails", which utilize leftover ingredients like fruit rinds, etc.  We also had dessert cocktails—a mudslide and a grasshopper. Essentially boozy milkshakes.

Back to the room for what was supposed to be a quick nap--we planned to go to a comedy show. Instead, we crashed for the night--hey, we're old!

Tomorrow--O, Canada!

#escapetothegreatwhitenorth

Escape to the Great White North - Day 3

We woke up early, mostly due to crashing early last night.  We went to Taste (as opposed to Savor) for breakfast.  I splurged on sunny side up eggs (normally go for scrambled) and a cinnamon roll, while Mindy got a fancy breakfast sammich.  We heard a nearby lady ordering a VERY specific meal involving the use of toast solely to soak up water from poached eggs--with “eating” toast on the side.  Oh, and "real" Half-and-Half.

At this point, we split off for a couple hours, with Mindy hanging out on the balcony and me off to the "Thermal Spa". The spa folks tried to sell us on a week-long pass, but I don't see myself doing it enough times to make that financially responsible. So I just did the day pass.

The thermal spa includes the following:

• A large warm pool with various jets--kind of like a big hot tub.  One area, semi-sectioned off from the rest, had jets powerful enough that you had to fight to not be plastered against the wall.

• A set of lounge chairs, overlooking the bow of the ship. Some of them were made of stone and were heated, apparently to satisfy your ancient lizard need to sun yourself on a rock.

• A traditional sauna (lots of heat, little humidity)

• Another version of a sauna with less heat and more humidity

• A traditional steam room, which I could only stay in for 2 minutes

• A snow room-- basically a very cold room with a snow making machine attached. Moving directly from the sauna to the snow room was quite invigorating.  I couldn't stop myself from singing "Holly jolly Christmas" under my breath.

• A salt bath--a room with heated salt that does some sort of health related thing. It's one of those "if you believe it works, it works" deal. On the ceiling was a set of jutting red crystals, assumedly made of salt.

"Krypton is about to explode, get the baby Kal-El on the rocket!!"

After that, back to the room to get ready to check out Portland, ME. We didn't pay for any excursions here, instead we just walked about. Found a nice place off the beaten path of cruisers where I got my traditional Lobstah Roll.

That’s a $35 sammich (market rate).

A very pretty salad.

Mindy found an online self-walking tour of the area. We found out that one of the founders of United Artists was born there. In the early days of cinema, you could go from being the local movie distributor to running a studio.  We also ran into a guy who gave us some colorful information about the area--he's not a fan of change.

Portland’s Jewish roots.

Back to the relative safety of the ship, and another spa session.  Then it's time for dinner.  We went to the third "complimentary" restaurant, the Manhattan Room.  Mindy had the steak with peppercorn sauce, while I tried the Boom-Boom Chicken.  Both were very good.  It's fascinating to watch the army of wait staff move about like a Swiss watch.

She loves them peppercorns.

A quick walk around the deck to wake us up, followed by watching the crew release the lines as we rode off.  We hoped to see a cruiser running toward the gangplank as it was pulled in, but no luck.

A bit later, we ventured out to a bar where the FB group had invited people celebrating events (we just passed our 30th anniversary).  Five minutes into the get together, a singer kicked off his act 5 feet away. Not conducive for conversation.

That's enough for one day--tomorrow, Bah Hahbah.

#escapetothegrwatwhitenorth

Escape to the Great White North - Day 2

Port of Call - Newport, RI

We were awakened around 6:30 a.m. with what we thought was the anchor being dropped, but later realized it was the "tenders" being lowered. This means the ship doesn't dock-- you get on a much smaller boat and ride in. 

We ordered room service for 8:00 a.m., as we were hoping to get into Newport as early as possible. We almost gave up on room service around 8:30 and were getting ready to find food, which is of course when they showed up. We ate it on the balcony--a little scanty but good.

View from our balcony.

The tender process went smoothly--they really pack you in them.  It's the nautical equivalent of a clown car.

A meandering ride later, we landed in Newport, RI.  It's basically split into historic (pretty and vibrant) and touristy (loud and crowded).

A gorgeous city hall.

A very fancy dentist’s office.

Touristy Newport.

The former included a well maintained historic museum--they manage a number of local buildings.

Off to the bus for a tour of historic mansions--The Breakers and Marble House, both built during the "Gilded Age" by the Vanderbilts.  Obscene excess?  You got it.

The Breakers - An unassuming “cottage” for the Vanderbilts.

Note the four taps on the tub—two for hot and cold, and two for salt water, hot and cold.

Yes, that’s the kitchen.

Off to Marble House—another Vanderbilt joint. The floors, walls, ceilings—all marble. I’m sure this is freezing in the winter, but this was a “summer home”.

I’m glad they labeled this.

The Gilded Age families would go to Europe, buy an entire lot of related stuff, have ti shipped over, then have their designers build a room around it. This all came from European churches.

The Mistress of the home’s basic bedroom.

In case you want some tea in the backyard.

We had a very entertaining guide on the bus named "Huw"-- a proper British gentleman. His only problem was that he didn't enforce the "we're leaving without you if you are late" bit. So we had to wait quite a while in line to get back on the tender.  They did hand out hot towels and hot chocolate though. An enterprising guy rolled up with a lobstah roll truck.

We managed to make it to the ship before it headed out. A quick shower later, we went to one of the "specialty" (aka not complimentary) restaurants. Our cruise package included two of them, one of which was Moderna--a Brazilian steakhouse.  You start with a high-end salad bar (caperberries, lobster bisque, etc).  Then it's time for meat, in multiple varieties, brought on long sticks to your table, until you tell them to stop.  One of the options: roasted pineapple, something I would normally avoid.  I had two helpings.

From the fancy salad bar.

View from our table.

Other options: filet mignon, flank steak, top sirloin, parmesan crusted chicken drumettes, lamb top sirloin, pork loin, Brazilian pork sausage, pork belly, and one we did not try, bacon-wrapped chicken breast.

And then dessert, which is putting a hat on a hat.

We also had the signature cocktail, which was the caipirinha, plus a glass of wine.  It was two more drinks than I would normally have.

We had planned to do more activities that night, but between the drinks and the meat coma, we were bushed. Not even a walk on the outside deck could stop the yawning.  Off to our room to crash!

Tomorrow--Portland (the Maine version).

#escapetothegrwatwhitenorth

Escape to the Great White North - Day 1

An early start--our "check in" at the port starts at 9:30.  The trip into NYC was faster than expected, considering that the last trip (in 2013) featured an hour wait at the Lincoln Tunnel.  Then a bit of a maze for parking (the port has a dedicated lot, and we paid in advance).

This was followed by a series of queues (which also went faster, to the point that we rarely actually stopped) and security checks.

Once checked in, the waiting game began.  Keep in mind everybody needs to disembark from the last cruise before the new passengers can walk the gangplank.  After that, you wait for the Unobtanium / Upsidaisium / Lustrium / Ambassador / Fleet Admiral Levels to board, and then finally us.

Once on the ship, we went to "muster drill"--required for safety purposes.  This used to involve getting your lifevest from your room, going out to a specific location out on the deck, and being walked through procedures.  Now, they just scan your card, and you watch a video in your room.

Then, another line to reserve slots at the restaurants.  While there are three main restaurants (Savor, Taste, and Manhattan) and a huge buffet included in your tour, there are also 9 specialty places where you need to reserve.  While in line, a woman helped us get to wifi (we both worked in IT, and we were baffled), so we did it on the app instead.  Onto Savor (or was it Taste?) for lunch.

We then wandered around the "Waterfront"--a outside loop dotted with restaurants, and sat for a bit. 

We continued exploring, finding ourselves in a sales pitch for the spa.  Fortunately, it was announced the rooms were ready.  We'll do a tour later, but suffice it to say it's a lot bigger than what we could afford way back when.

If you go on a cruise today, you can find social media for any of them--we stopped in at a bon voyage party set up by a Facebook group. Met some nice people and exchanged local candies.

…and our first drinks for the cruise. The line threw in a beverage package with our tickets.

Around 5:30, the ship pulled out of the dock, past the New York skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and under the Verrazanos bridge--all as dusk fell.  An excellent view!

We went to the buffet to get a bite--along with everyone else. 

So we ate and skedaddled (grabbing an ice cream on the way out) to our room. All our luggage arrived--yay! We turned off the room lights and sat out on our balcony for a bit, then got ready for bed.

Tomorrow--Newport!

#escapetothegrwatwhitenorth

Escape to the Great White North - Day 0

Reporting from Allentown, PA

Back in the 'aughts, we were "cruise people". Two tours of the Caribbean in 2000 and 2003, with another run to Alaska in 2006.  Then we dropped off for some reason. Maybe the fact that cruise ships seemed to become petri dishes for awhile, or life got in the way. (Postscript—I did get the ol’ COVID after we returned from this cruise).

In any case, we're back at it to celebrate our 30th anniversary, setting off on the Norwegian Escape from NYC to New England and Canada--hence the hashtag below. We pushed the trip back a few weeks to hopefully coincide with peak foliage time.

(BTW--this is being dropped "post facto", as wifi on a ship hearkens back to the CompuServe days--you pay for a set number of minutes, and even that is limited.  Figure out what you want beforehand, log in, get what you need, and log off.)

But first, we had to get to The Big Apple. We're still avoiding planes if possible (the "joy of flying" is mostly an oxymoron), so it was a day of driving, with the majority of it on the PA turnpike.  It was a drizzly day which turned foggy, especially in a valley where they have special signs about it.  Just a lot of driving up and down hills and valleys.

We made it to the hotel, then found the Starlight Diner--more of a regular restaurant with a salad bar and full menu.  Had to try the open face turkey sammich, while Mindy had the gyro.  Since we're going to NY, we split cheesecake for dessert.

Back to the hotel to crash--big day tomorrow.

#escapetothegreatwhitenorth

#TimeShare - Day 8 Conclusion

Casa Del Schmidbauer

We only had a few hours to go for our final day of the trip, so this will be short.

We packed up and made our way down the street to Tudor's Biscuit World.  Couldn't leave the South without one of their breakfasts--the "Ron" and an Apple Biscuit.

Onto Pennsylvania, and Washington, where George and Tom set up a university.  They celebrated with a dance.

Pushing on to the Buckeye State, with a stop in Cambridge to see a local glass factory.  Mosser Glass makes decorative pieces you might buy in a local store.  It's quite the operation in back of the gift shop.

Well, that does it.  1719 miles and 8 days later, we returned home.  Lots of fun, although it was a bit more damp than we would have liked.  Now, where to go next?  We do have a 30 year anniversary coming up in the fall...

#TimeShared - Day 7

Morgantown, WV
Latitude 39.39 degrees
Longitude 79.59 degrees

We're now in "one the way home" mode.  This was helped when we decided to skip Skyline Drive--it would have taken several more hours, and between rain and fog, the views would have been minimal and the risk high.

This was a fairly clear point. When we looked over at the Skyline Drive exit, it was a wall of fog.

This decision allowed us to hit our first stop--the Route 11 Potato Chip Factory.  A small facility cranks 28,000 pounds of potatoes into chips A DAY, all of which are hand-coated with various flavors.  They are protective of their process--no production photos.  We got some samples, which led to some purchases.

“Samples”

Onto Maryland, and multiple stops.  There's a private toll bridge over the Potomac, between Maryland and West Virginia.  $1.50 allows you to cross a single lane floating wooden bridge. Listen for the clickety-clack in the dashcam video below.

The first toll house on the old National Road aka US40.  The feds debated for years whether to impose a toll, before deciding to let the states do it.

The "Braddock Stone"--the oldest road sign in America.  Now in a glass case in front of the local museum.

Moving to West Virginia, specifically Morgantown.  We came here to see a statue of Don Knotts, TV icon.  "I was gonna take Thelma Lou down to Mt. Pilot for the picture show".

We decided to stop for the night, which may not have been the best call.  A mediocre BBQ place (we should have run when we saw it attached to a hotel) followed by a so-so hotel.

Tomorrow, a few more stops before home.

#TimeShared - Day 6

Zion Crossroads, VA

Last night, Mindy spent some time putting together an itinerary for today, and we thought we were set.  But when we went down for hotel breakfast, we ran into another couple from yesterday's timeshare fracas.  We got to talking--we were planning to skip Monticello, because the website indicated that we could only get tickets for very late in the day.  The other couple told us they got in without any problem.  So, we decided to give it a shot--and indeed we got in, although we had to wait for awhile, walking the grounds on a gloomy day. 

Then it was a tour of Tom's home--I saw it as a kid, right around the Bicentennial.  The current program doesn't shy away from Jefferson's "enslaved people" as they did back then.  There's a multimedia presentation on Sally Hemings, who was, more or less, Jefferson's slave and mistress.  It was heart-wrenching.  On the other hand, the tour ran into Tom himself--you'd think he could retire by now.

A series of cables runs through this wall clock, with a weight indicating the day of the week. It turned out to be too tall, forcing “Saturday” into the basement.

Well, that’s a color choice.

We then drove into town and the Dairy Market food hall for Italian food.  We're fans of these upscale food courts.

After a drive around the UVa campus (at one point winding up in a private area we had to back out of), we went up the mountain (to be precise, Carter Mountain and their orchard).  It's well known for its scenic views, although the rain and mist took care of that.  We got some cider and donuts.

“Scenic” overlook. We swear there’s a mountain range there.

Speaking of the rain, we decided to head back to the hotel and take refuge for the remainder of the day.  Fortunately, we brought some provisions and snacks.

Tomorrow, we move on, with a decision to make--make a run for Skyline Drive or not (based on the weather, it's not looking good).

#TimeShared - Day 5

Zion Crossroads, VA

Well, it's come to this--the rationale for the hashtag.  We partly came down here to attend a timeshare presentation (and get a cheap hotel, travel points, and a gift card in the process). 

We drove about 20 minutes from the hotel to the resort (where they chose NOT to house us--probably not the best way to ingratiate themselves with us).  After filling out a form basically saying we wouldn't slip out during the event, we sat in a conference room and got the spiel.  If you've never done the timeshare thing, you get handed from one smiling person to another, part of a battalion of salespeople.  There's videos, testimonials, talk about your dream vacation--and then comes the hard sell (which they swear isn't one).  Think about the last time you bought a car, and multiple the "what do I have to do to get you in this Corolla?" bit times ten. We got a quick tour, and the model homes seemed very nice.  The math just doesn't work, especially when a quick Google search shows people selling the same places for pennies on the dollar (if that), and a class action lawsuit underway.  So, we politely said nyet, got our stuff, and left.

On to lunch at the Well Hung Vineyard--an andouille crostini, a chicken sammich, and a flight of wine slushies.  It was all very good.

We had originally planned to go to Monticello on this trip.  I went there as a kid, but Mindy has never been.  Unfortunately, we discovered that a) you have to reserve a time weeks in advance to avoid being rushed through at the end of the day (which we couldn't do vs. an unknown time for our timeshare event) and b) someone decided to go the Disney route and charge you an arm and a leg.  With these in mind, we chose instead to go to Highland, just down the road from Tom's colossus, and the home of President James Monroe.  We walked in, paid a reasonable fee, and took a tour with a knowledgeable docent.  The grounds are lovely, and the whole place is well maintained.

A 300+ year old white oak.

The earliest surviving Presidential china (the War of 1812 took out the dinnerware before that).

Then back to the still-elevatorless hotel for a nap, followed by a trip back to Charlottesville (getting very used to the 15 mile trip) to visit the Downtown Mall , and the Citizen Burger Bar.  I had a huge burger, while Mindy had fries with burger on the side.

Enough for today--more from VA tomorrow.

#TimeShared - Day 4

Zion Crossroads, VA
Latitude 37.58 degrees
Longitude 78.12 degrees

We've reached our second major stop for the trip, but before that--

A quick jaunt to Richmond to see the state house.  We did some research online, and it asserted there was plenty of parking, but when the website link is dead...we eventually found a spot a few blocks away. The Virginia State House, like many, are in the midst of construction, but most of the interior was open.  The actual chambers were locked, but we could look in.  It's a relatively small place--looks like a toy on a hill.

In case the crowd gets rowdy…

We were very interested in Viscountess Astor, an American who moved to England and became the first woman elected to the House of Commons.

Moving on to "Mr. Smedley", a local entertainer with a mouse under his hat, immortalized with a statue.

We love big things--here's one.  Don't run with it!

We stopped for lunch at the Silver Diner, a surprisingly upscale place with a goal of perfecting diner food. I think they succeeded. Mindy had the Bruschetta, while I had a club sammich. Outstanding!

While we waited for our hotel room to open up, we stopped at Albermare Ciderworks-- Mindy had a small flight, while I had the non-alcoholic version. We may go back...

We had some issues with our hotel--no working elevator, no king bed, and no TV (we moved to another room for the last item).  This is the place we were assigned by the timeshare company who wants us to buy (I guess they aren't very proud of their resort, where we go for the actual spiel).  Then, after the rain moved in and our first dinner choice fell through (how do restaurants pay their leases when they are only open a few days a week?) we noticed a wood fired pizza place across the street called Matchbox PIzza. Lucked out again-- excellent!

That's enough for now--tomorrow, we sit through a timeshare bit, then hopefully move onto more exciting things.

#TimeShared - Day 3

Ashland, VA
Latitude 37.45 degrees
Longitude 77.28 degrees

Reporting from a new state.  We started back in Charlotte, when we decided not to go back to the comic convention--we saw all we were going to see, and we had all the fun.  So, we moved onto Sunday brunch at Vicious Biscuit.  Wow, that was a LOT of food.  We shared beignets, I had a "Fat Boy" (fried chicken biscuit with pimento cheese), and Mindy had the "Vicious Benny" (Eggs Benedict in biscuit form).  It was great, but we had to continue with food comas.

Our next stops involved giant furniture--Thomasville, a quiet town that used to crank out furniture, has a giant chair that Presidents have sat in:

High Point, a surprisingly large town with tons of design shops, has a giant chest of drawers (which has a bureau inside it--there's a whole saga at roadsideamerica.com):

And Jamestown has a giant highboy inside a gate for a complex of furniture stores:

Meanwhile, Greensboro has a  downtown square devoted to O. Henry:

Crossing into Virginia, there's an old shoe factory that is now a hotel.  Bring in the giant heels!

We decided to shoot for the Richmond area tonight, so we're ready for tomorrow--a state house, and the reason this is called #timeshared.  We finished the day with serviceable Mexican food--nothing to write home about.

#TimeShared - Day 2

Matthews, NC

Back at our hotel after a busy day.  After grabbing a hotel breakfast, Mindy found a farmers' market close by, and we finally tracked down a parking spot that was supposed to be reserved for a hardware store (which somehow was only open Wed-Fri).  We walked around for a bit--it was interesting, and we night have bought a few things if we were locals.

We then headed downtown to the convention center and #heroescon.  We thought we had timed it correctly--we had 3 day tickets, and interpreted instructions that we would get in early.  Turned out we only got in BEFORE one-day ticket holders, and there was a huge line of three-day holders.  So, we took a quick tour around downtown, finding public artwork, before strolling into the show 20 minutes later.

You missed a “K”.

HeroesCon is, as I've said, a REAL comic book convention, truly focusing on comics and away from overall media.  This is now a rarity in the industry.  There's publishers (just indies), dozens of dealers with rows and rows of "longboxes", comic-centric companies (software, auctions, etc), and "artist's alley". 

The latter is what it sounds like--a lineup of comic artists who will sell and sign their work, draw custom requests during the show, or just have a chat.  There were some majors (Chris Claremont, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Roy Thomas, Jim Shooter), but most are self-publishers or work with small publishers.  There's two in particular we were interested in--Yale Stewart (JL8) and Thom Zahler (Love & Capes).  Mindy has supported their Kickstarter/Patreon campaigns for years.  We purchased prints from both of them.

We also invested in a few other indies--we love Ahoy Comics, and we picked up the second volume of Billionaire Island (we missed the first issue of the original issues, but picked up the rest) and Captain Ginger, a cat-based comic.  Then there's Afterglow and Destiny, NY from Space Between Entertainment.  Finally, we selected The Weather Man, an Image book by Jody LeHeup.  Mindy picked these because they appear to have multiple volumes, which means she can continue on if and when she wants.

Our haul from the con.

One of the main things I wanted to do at the con was research.  I recently spent some time reorganizing my comic collection, in anticipation of selling part of it off--I'm literally running out of room.  I've got some info (thanks to collectorz.com and covrprice.com) on potential values, and selected a few theoretically valuable comics from my collection.  I had hoped to talk to the "slabbers" (companies that take your comics, grade them, and seal them in acrylic cases, supposedly guaranteeing their value to buyers).  But what I found were self-service kiosks, plus the idea that I have to pay to join their systems, then pay again to use their service.  More research is needed.

Cons also have conference sessions--we sat in on one that featured Don Simpson, a longtime artist who had a minor role in an Image project known as "1963"--an Alan Moore joint.  Moore has become well known for being very cranky, to the point that he has taken his name off of his old projects.  His foul humor has held up the conclusion of 1963, which was originally offered as an annual--and never came out.  Now, Simpson is publishing an unofficial, unapproved "annual" using his own and some parody characters to complete the job.  It wan't the most organized presentation (they never are), but quite enjoyable.  I picked up a related book at Simpson's booth.

We were about done for the day, so after driving by some roadsideamerica.com sites--

This was a handy statue.

We nearly missed this one—too bad a mechanism which moves the big head was down.

we got some barbecue at Midwood Smokehouse--Burnt Ends (aka Food of the Gods) and Grilled Cheese with Pulled Pork. Sides were both unique and excellent.

That's enough for one day.  Tomorrow, finishing up Charlotte and onto Virginia.

#TimeShared - Day 1

Matthews, NC
Latitude 35.8 degrees
Longitude 80.42 degrees

We started our trip early--was shooting for 8a, but made it by 7:30.  After a Sheetz breakfast, we headed south--out of Ohio and onto West Virginia.  They made our route into a turnpike, which normally I would okay with--we have an EZPass. The problem--drivers didn't seem to understand how a tollgate works, resulting in a near stoppage a mile long.

Finally made it!

Onto Virginia, specifically Wyethsville for three items--a giant pencil...

the birthplace of a First Lady...

...and Skeeter's, a local institution and a hot dog place.

The dogs were excellent, although a little strange.  The redness of the wiener is not a visual effect.  Not sure if they are smoked or pickled.  Also, for a place that has reportedly sold 9M frankfurters, they have yet to work out an efficient operation.

More driving through the mountains, and we made it to Charlotte, NC.  We came here for Heroes Con, the first comic book convention we're attending since the "before times". 

We came here several years ago, and it's a rare example of a real "comic" show.  No pro wrestlers signing autographs, no appearances by "red shirt #3 from episode 43 of Star Trek", no huge displays by media behemoths--just rows of comic dealers, publishers, and artists, along with some craft sellers.  We bought a 3 day pass, since we couldn't buy a day pass in advance. 

We picked up our passes (once we found the right booth), and took a quick tour around the place.  We did stop at the Ahoy Comics booth--an indie that we LOVE, and we've covered on our comics podcast.  PIcked up a couple trades there.  Tomorrow, we'll hit the floor in earnest, along with some sessions.

#TimeShared - Day 0

It's time--literally--for another trip.

We're driving to the Southeast--to Charlotte NC and a comic book convention there, then onto Charlottesville VA (two different places) where we will take advantage of a free hotel stay in exchange for a timeshare presentation.  Don't worry, we have no intention of buying one (and if you're on the fence, google "John Oliver timeshare").  From there, we’ll work our way back home.

BTW--this blog will be posted after the fact.  Hotel wi-fi is spotty at best, and I would like to avoid stress on the trip where possible.  I will be writing as we go, and posting pics on Instagram/Facebook.

As always, we're leaning on roadsideamerica.com to find bizarre points of interest.  Tomorrow, it's off to Charlotte, with a stop to see  "The First Lady of Hot Dogs".

Go West, Boomers! Day 12 and Wrap-up

Location: Casa de Schmidbauer
Distance Traveled: 3.722 miles

The final day of any road trip is anticlimactic, as you drive through more and more familiar territory. We did drive back roads across Indiana and into Ohio, which helped.

However, there wasn’t a lot to see. A couple “attractions” proved to be a bust. The only place we took photos was in Batesville, IN—the home of a major casket making company. They also have a cuckoo clock tower. One the hour, you’re supposed to see the two workers below the clock saw logs, but despite our perfect timing, it must have broken down (the photo was taken later).

There was also an art installation involving umbrellas.

We had a good if nondescript lunch, then moved on into Ohio and home.

Overall, it was a fun road trip, giving Mindy and I some time to ourselves and fully relax. The hotels ranged from fair to very good, while there were some fantastic attractions and meals. Hard to complain about it. I think both of us were over all the driving by the end, though.

Where to next? It will be sometime next year, and we have some ideas—stay tuned. Meanwhile, the next episode of “From the Pop Culture Bunker” will be a travelogue of this trip. Thanks for following us. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 11

Reporting from Vincennes, IN
LAT 38.39 N LON 87.3 W

What will most likely be the penultimate day of our trip began in the St. Louis area. We kicked things off at a sculptural park.

I’ve got something in my eye.

Bambi’s back and she’s pissed.

Then it was onto St. Louis proper. Wow, what a mess of a city! “St. Louis: We Gave Up”.

A sign bigger than a gas station.

A flying saucer that now houses fast food.

With all the visitors and a sportsball game going on, this was as close as we could get to the St. Louis Arch. We were planning to skip it anyway.

This is a bridge that goes to Chouteau Island, in the middle of the Mississippi. Took us a while to figure out how to get there.

Moving on to Illinois, and a great lunch. Roasted chicken and a smoked turkey salad. Both were great!

Moving thru Indiana, we found a dragon that actually breathes fire (as long as you pay for it).

Then the ”Madonna of the Trail”, a tribute to the women of the Cumberland Road.

Our final stop of the day was just across the border, in Vincennes, IN. A library with giant stuff:

Red Skelton was born in Vincennes. For your kids out there, Skelton was a famous comedian in the radio and early TV days. I remember his long running variety show, but to be honest I was never a fan. I do remember his sign off "good night and God bless".

Red as a kid.

Muffler Man and Uncle Sam, Saturday mornings on NBC!

With such a big lunch, we had a snack for dinner.

OK, time to crash. Tomorrow—all the way home (?) #gowestboomers