HOME!!!!

May 3

Today makes four weeks we've been traveling. As usual, we'll be glad to get home but, as per ALL of our road trips, it's been a blast!!!  And we STILL understand that  there's so much more to see in the USA! 

We were up at 4:30 this morning. Matt drove us to the airport for our 7AM flight. We arrived in the Twin Cities on time, had a 90 minute layover before boarding our flight for Boston. We were late leaving so did not arrive at Logan until 5:45. Fortunately our 6:15 bus was late and we got on after retrieving our luggage at baggage claim. The stars were   aligned!  No traffic on Rt. 93!  Stars aligned again!  John G. picked us up in Barnstable.   But it was after 9 when we reached 658 Main St. Harwich!   And we have definitely left the warm weather in the West:  45 degrees and cloudy in Harwich!!

It wasn't necessarily planned, but the fact that we bookended our trip with birthdays made it extra special. And the fact that we were Kirsten and Matt's first guests in their new home added even more delight!  On top of that, we had the pleasure of getting to know and enjoy Kirsten's family who have welcomed Matt with open arms. This brings us much comfort. ❤️

Part of our vacation was a "barge trip" on which we barged in on some friends for a few days. Hearty thank yous to Helen and Paul in Sandia NM, to Bea and Tom in Indian Wells CA and to Francine and Bill in Tiburon ca. With our friends, we had some "down time!"  No driving, no navigating, no making peanut butter sandwiches or salads!

The rest of our time we were "on the road!"  Peter did ALL of the driving and he was totally enamored with our 2016 white Mustang convertible!  I was the navigator, blogger and personal assistant!  We have learned a lot from our many previous road trips and have gained a lot of tips for road tripping!  We never drove over 400 miles a day; most of our days were about 275 miles. We had an itinerary but we were flexible in using it. We had no prior reservations (except on the "barge" part of our trip) and that left us available to drive a little more or a little less or bypass some place completely!  And we never had trouble getting a room at the end of the day!!

For our daily routes, we had 4 resources:  a book entitled The Best  275 Scenic Routes in the U.S., cell phone GPS, a large print road atlas of the U.S., and individual state maps.  There were many times that we had NO SERVICE on our phones which inactivated the GPS......and, anyway, we LOVE maps!!  We did discover something new:  not only are there scenic byways but there are also "back country scenic byways!"

We stayed in several different motels, ranging in price from $50 per night to $160 per night. Each one was clean and the staff was pleasant. Only one did not have breakfast included and Peter said the coffee in each was "awful!"  One did not have a hair dryer but I had brought my own!  One had only one chair but Peter preferred being prone anyway!  Basically it didn't matter how much the room cost!

In summary, here are our stats for the 22 day road trip:

Total miles:  4900

Total gal. of gas:  195

Total cost of gas:  $470

Average cost of gas:  $2.42 per gallon 

Average mpg:  25

Cost of Mustang convertible rental:  $48 per day

Average cost of lodging:  $90 per day

Average cost for food on the road:  $40 per day

HAPPY ROAD TRIPPING!! 

Our Final Days

April 30, May 1, May 2

Saturday we had a work day!  BUT, first we did meet Ginny, Kirsten's mom, at Patty's in St. John's, a Portland neighborhood, for an old-fashioned breakfast. Then, Kirsten and Matt cleaned one final time at their Overton St. carriage house, I weeded at the new N Van Houten St. home and Peter took down the patio roof. For dinner Kirsten made pasta piselli with fresh peas.......mmmm good!

Sunday was a little more relaxing!  For breakfast, we walked to the new Portsmouth Pantry where I had a great latte with a fir tree design on the foam....unique!!  And the breakfast sandwiches were delicious!  After a few chores to get ready for a birthday dinner on the patio with Kirsten's family as guests, we drove to Kelley Point, a park situated at the point where the Columbia and the Willamette Rivers meet. We strolled around the park for an hour and Daisy, Kirsten and Matt's dog, even had a swim on the beach!  The weather had been warm and sunny since we arrived, high 70s, even low 80s, and sunny. 

Back at home, Ginny, Erik, Kirsten's brother, Marti, his wife and Birgita, their daughter, arrived at 5 for Matt and Kirsten's first dinner party at their new home. After cocktails and face-painting (Birgita is a "pro" at this), we ate chicken, grilled to perfection by Matt on their new Kamamodo grill, caprese salad made with the fresh mozzarella di bufolo we brought from California and a delicious salad made by Kirsten. For dessert we had poppy seed cake and ice cream to celebrate my birthday!  What a day!!!

Monday, our last day in Portland, Peter and I drove Matt's car into the Pearl, the downtown  Portland neighborhood, to meet Billy Norris, a friend from Beverly that I've known since first grade!  66 years!  Billy (known as Billy ONLY by his oldest friends) and his whole family are old Alexander family friends. We met him at the Daily Cafe for lunch, memories and "catch-up!"  After lunch, we walked the neighborhood with him, saw some nice city parks and ended up at Billy's high rise condo in the Pinnacles with a view if Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainer and Mt. Adams. Pretty spectacular!! 

After a couple of stops to do errands, we returned to Matt and Kirsten's. Peter left again to pick Matt up at the "shop" and I stayed home to prep dinner, pesto sauce on fresh fettuccine and salad. We were all pretty tired and had to get up at 4:30 AM for our flight home tomorrow so after some chatting and repacking, we all retired!  What fun to visit Kirsten and Matt in their "new digs!"  They are great hosts and so comfortable to be with....and Daisy is a "love!"

Matt and Kirsten: AT HOME

April 30

Matt and Kirsten relaxing at home (after all chores are finished for the day!!!!!