All who wander are not lost but sometimes..

I always wanted to start our one of our journals like this and knowing my memory I probably already have but it really does apply here. When we left Gettyburg, I really had no idea where our next destination was. Sometimes even I run out of fresh ideas and energy to execute them. Mariah actually inspired our next destination. She had met a very nice couple when she went traveling with Frances, my mother. Bob and Dorothy, Mariah’s friends, live in Pittsburg, as good a destination as any. Their grandson was one of Mariah’s penpals so she was anxious to meet him too. A few weeks ago, I had read somewhere that Pittsburg was considered America most liveable city and I was curious to see how a city got that rating. Having spent about 3 days there, I am still not sure but it certainly showed off its best weather for us. Bob is a retired minister and he breaks my mold of any minister I could have met. Dorothy, his wife would be over the top busy had it not been for a broken foot that keeps her housebound. We also met Dorothy’s mom who lives in an assisted living facility nearby. She is the ripe young age of 99 and is a powerhouse herself. Bob ferried us all over Pittsburg. The view of the confluence of the Monongahela and Alleghengy rivers (to form the Ohio River) is something to behold. It is easy to see how a settlement was placed there. Steel mills and coal plants used to make Pittsburg one of the dirtiest cities around but the air was as clear as any I have seen on this trip. There are rolling hills everywhere full of thick bushy trees. The fall colors must be something. Pittsburg is the home of Carnegie and he put a lot of money into the museums and library there which we went to and enjoyed. Saw an exhibit on Italian glass blowing and how it influenced American glass blowers and we learned all sorts of techniques about it. Our last good deed before we left was to play music for Dorothy’s mom and her friends at lunch. That was fun.
Our current fun is in New York at Niagra Falls. As long as we are this far north and west, what the heck!
It is easy to see why Niagra Falls has been a tourist trap ever since they could get people up there. It is a geologic wonder, just the sheer (ha ha) amount of water coming over the falls boogles the mind. Draped in our souvenir pancha’s we H2ohhhh and awed along with our 200+ asian and indian companions on the Maid of the Mist as we glided into the set of falls that make up the US and Canadian border. It is a spectacle I doubt any of us will soon forget. Back on shore the abundant sunshine made rainbows for us to photograph and admire.
Okay sometimes one can wander and get lost and it can be the kind of lost where you say – we really don’t want to go this way. Such was the case as I was writing post cards and only paying ½ attention to navigating. I looked up in time to see a sign that said “last exit before exiting the US”. Uh Oh! Mark did his best to turn around in a one way pull through parking lot at a duty free shop but we managed to rip out the side wall on the tire of the Airstream. Which crisis to deal with first? 1) pull way over against the side so you are out of the way b) Call roadside tire repair people III) Explain to US customs about missing the last exit and can we somehow get going the correct direction without having to go into Canada, Pleeeeaaassse….
All is well that ends well. The tire people came out and fixed us up (thank goodness we had purchased the correct tire before we left NM and it was in our Beverly Hillbilly box on top of the camper). The border crossing people were very understanding after they did a backround check on us. No Canadian visit necessary. Not that we wouldn’t love to go to Canada but we aren’t prepared (see journal entry Oct).
After Niagra our big push was to get to Burlington VT to visit an old friend of mine. We drove along Lake Ontario and the kids were impressed with the ocean like appearance of the great lake. Along the way we stopped and spent the night with some people we met in Florida, Larry and Janet. Mark was away when we had made their acquaintance and so it was fun to show them that he really did exist.
Burlington sits on Lake Champlain and it is a gorgeous lake that forms the border between New York and VT. Of the towns we have visited and I would consider moving to Burlington in summer along with Ashville are way up there. The eclectic community is alive and well and hiding in VT, Socorro and Ashville. I must go jet skiing now on Lake Champlain so forgive my short journal entry this time (ha ha) Hugs to all, the Meanderthals