Our trip has begun, we finally packed up and rolled out early Sunday morning—about 7 a.m., to be exact. We slipped out of East Providence without much fuss and headed up 146 towards the Mass Pike. Of course, we had to grab our morning cup of coffee at a Dunkin’ Donuts along the way — you can't start a road trip without that!
Palmer Restaurant, a great spot.
Once we turned west on the Pike, our first stop was a sweet diner in Palmer, Mass. There's a place there called the Palmer Restaurant that we’d read about, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. We pulled in around 8:30, and it was just the kind of cozy, old-timey place Carol and I love. Harper waited in the car, knowing she'd get her bacon treat afterward. Breakfast was delicious—Carol had an omelet, and I had my eggs and bacon and the home fries were just perfect.
Walking Harper in Palmer, MA
After breakfast, we got back on the road. We thought about visiting our friend Dave in Rochester, but he already had plans, so we just kept it rolling. The first day was a long haul out of New England. Living in New England can feel like living at the end of a dead end street as there seem to be only a couple of ways west. Route 90 is basically the fastest gateway west for us. But we took it easy, maintaining the speed limit, chatting and listening to an audio book. We stopped every couple hours to stretch and let Harper sniff around, and ended the day in Erie, Pennsylvania. We found a dog friendly Red Roof Inn—nothing fancy, just a clean, easy stop for the night.
Drawbridge in Ashtabula, we were tied up right next to this bridge in 1999 when we did the Great Loop
Day two was another perfect travel day. We were up and on the road by 7 a.m. again, and this time we aimed for Michigan City, Indiana which seemed like a good place to spend an afternoon. But first we needed breakfast, and checking the map we found a great diner in Ashtabula Ohio, a town we had stopped at during our cruising days. We found a great diner called Deb's and had another fantastic breakfast. A good breakfast seems to set the tone for the day. We wandered around Ashtabula and reminisced about the days we spent here having come by boat back in 1999. We found the same marina and walked around downtown taking a few pictures.
Ohio, starting to look like the midwest.
Then back on the road. The weather was absolutely gorgeous—blue skies, a few clouds, and we just took our time. We made it into Michigan City by mid-afternoon, and although we found out the dog beach was closed for a festival, we still enjoyed a nice afternoon sitting by the water with refreshments and a sketch pad.
Sketching by the water
A quick sketch of the Old Light house while chatting and watching boats.
We ended the evening at a dog-friendly pub called the Zorn Brew Works, had a good meal, and then checked into another Red Roof Inn. This one was a bit less impressive than the first, but it did the job for a night.
Good place for supper…
By the time we got up the next morning, we were ready to head on to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, to visit Jason. We had a good hearty breakfast at Sophia’s House of Pancakes (where they really know how to do pancakes, bacon and eggs), and we were off.
Mug shot at Sophias
We were dreading the traffic around the Chicago area but although it was busy we didn't really experience any slowdowns or congestion. Everyone seemed pretty sane with only a few exceptions. We made it to Jason’s just after noon and have been happily catching up since. The work he has done with his house is amazing..his garage/workshop would make any maker envious. We got burritos at the local Mexican restaurant and had a delicious supper and chatted the evening away. It is good to be here.
