Thursday, March 29, 2012
One week until the road trip!
It's hard to believe that we're a week away from the road trip. By this time next Thursday, we're hoping to be looking at the Grand Canyon sometime between early evening and sunset! The planning process is done. Now comes the final preparation and packing and then checking off the items on our trip checklist. Stay tuned for pics from the journey.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
3 Weeks Until Road Trip!
Only 3 weeks remain until we depart on the second installment of The Great American Road Trip: The South. The flight to Phoenix is booked as is the rental car. The route has been mapped, mileage calculated, hotels selected, and some main attractions plotted.
There are several days with lots of driving between destinations. We still need to explore places and things to see along some of these roadways so we can break up the monotony of the drive. One final planning aspect: dinners! On our last road trip, we estimated where we would be around the dinner hour each day and mapped out some local eateries. We still need to do the same for this trip. Hopefully we'll eat just as well as we did along our northern journey.
There are several days with lots of driving between destinations. We still need to explore places and things to see along some of these roadways so we can break up the monotony of the drive. One final planning aspect: dinners! On our last road trip, we estimated where we would be around the dinner hour each day and mapped out some local eateries. We still need to do the same for this trip. Hopefully we'll eat just as well as we did along our northern journey.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Route Planned for 2012 Road Trip
We have the route planned for the 2012 Great American Road Trip. This year's journey starts in the southwest, moves into the deep south and then back north via the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. Here's a map of the planned route showing some of the major stops.
The more detailed route is 3100 miles stretching across 13 states. Plans for each day include:
The more detailed route is 3100 miles stretching across 13 states. Plans for each day include:
- Day 1: Phoenix to Sedona and then to Grand Canyon, AZ
- Day 2: Grand Canyon then thru Flagstaff to Winslow, AZ
- Day 3: Winslow, AZ thru Gallup, NM and stopping in Santa Fe for sightseeing. Onward to Santa Rosa.
- Day 4: Santa Rosa, NM to Roswell for some alien visitation and then off to Abeline, TX.
- Day 5: Abilene, TX to Dallas for a tour of Cowboys Stadium. Onward to Shreveport, LA.
- Day 6: Shreveport, LA to Vacherie for plantation tours and then to dinner in New Orleans. Onward to Laurel, MS.
- Day 7: Laurel, MS to Birmingham, AL for Civil Rights tours. Pass thru GA and TN to Asheville, NC.
- Day 8: Biltmore Estate in Asheville and then onto the Blue Ridge Parkway to Hillsville, VA.
- Day 9: Back to the Blue Ridge Parkway and connecting to Skyline drive. Resting in Harrisonburg, VA.
- Day 10: Finish Skyline drive in Front Royal, VA then north thru MD and DE toward home in PA.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Videos from July 2011 Great American Road Trip
It's been a long time in the making but we've finally compiled our photos and videos from our 2011 road trip. The 4-part Great American Road Trip is now available on You Tube featuring photos, videos, and music heard on the trip.
Part 1 covers days 1 through as we start from Portland, OR and head to Jackson Hole, WY.
Part 2 covers day 4 at the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
Part 3 covers days 5 through 7 as we travel from Wyoming through South Dakota and Iowa and into Chicago, IL.
Part 4 covers days 8 through 10 where we visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH and spend the last night and day near the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania before heading home to Bensalem.
Part 1 covers days 1 through as we start from Portland, OR and head to Jackson Hole, WY.
Part 2 covers day 4 at the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
Part 3 covers days 5 through 7 as we travel from Wyoming through South Dakota and Iowa and into Chicago, IL.
Part 4 covers days 8 through 10 where we visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH and spend the last night and day near the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania before heading home to Bensalem.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Great American Road Trip... By the Numbers
Today concluded the Barreca Family road trip across the USA. We spent the last morning in the town of Wellsboro and after breakfast, we hit the road toward home in Bensalem. After a few hours on the winding and scenic PA route 6, we were near Wilkes-Barre, PA. By coincidence, Cecilia's friends were playing in a softball championship series in Ashley, PA (just a few miles away). We found the field and watched the last 4 innings of the game. It was a nail-biter but the Valley Blaze pulled out the win! Bensalem in da house!
After the game, we pressed on for the remaining 2 hours of our trip. Words cannot describe the many wonders we've seen. While we didn't go from sea to shining sea, the words of America the Beautiful will take on a much richer meaning now that we've made this journey. Of course, there is much more to see as we've only covered several mostly-northern states. We'll have to start planning the southern route soon.
More pics at
https://plus.google.com/photos/107911175096996155186/albums/6152490950113993057?authkey=CK-9wbmn6KD9nwE
https://plus.google.com/photos/107911175096996155186/albums/6152490950113993057?authkey=CK-9wbmn6KD9nwE
The final tallies of northern leg of the Great American Road Trip are in:
- 3754.5 miles driven
- 68 hours of drive time
- 9 states in 9 days
- 5 nights of hotel pool swimming and spas
- 1 Grizzly bear
- 1 Meeteetsee, Wyoming Sheriff (1 warning, no ticket)
- Dozens of bison
- Dozens of antelope and deer
- 2 Squirrels (yes only 2!)
- 3 Chipmunks
- Countless cows, goats, sheep, and horses
- Thousands of dead bugs on the windshield
The unpacking is done. Night in Bensalem has arrived. Tonight we sleep in our own beds and say a prayer of thanks for the safe trip and memories to last a life time.
Friday, July 15, 2011
The journey nears its end
The journey through the last few states seems to have gone very quickly. It was only Wednesday afternoon when we arrived in Chicago, Illinois. Thursday's journey through the remainder of Illinois, Indiana, and good portion of Ohio concluded with a visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Today, Friday, we travelled out of Ohio and into Pennsylvania, our final state of the 9 we traversed.
The landscape at the conclusion of our trip is reminiscent of the beginning. Like the state forests we crossed in Oregon on the way to the coast, we passed through the Allegheny Forest on our way to the scenic Route 6 in Pennsylvania. We picked up route 6 in Kane, PA and stopped at the Route 6 Diner in Smethport. The diner was small with a counter and table service. The food was quite good, albeit a bit pricey for a diner. After a satisfying meal, we continued along the winding route 6 passing a few quaint town until our arrival in Wellsboro, PA. The Sherwood Motel is our final night's rest before the remaining journey home on Saturday.
Wellsboro is an entry point to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, a moniker that doesn't quite live up to its name. The PA Grand Canyon is quite beautiful despite its smaller size. We arrived at the East Rim of the canyon, marking the 3500th mile of the trip. The canyon featured a difficult hiking trail but the Barrecas talked the 1 mile descent to the bottom of the canyon, stopping along the way to photograph some small waterfalls. The mile journey back up the trail was taxing but we persevered, completing the trail in 1 hour and 15 minutes, well below the average 1 hour and 30 minute hike. Kelly impressed us all with her ability to handle the hike just two months after a major surgical procedure.
The town of Wellsboro offered several dining options and after dinner, we took a stroll along the streets, stopping for ice cream of course. Back at the hotel, Cece went for a swim and then we settled in for the night.
On Saturday, we'll hit the road and travel another portion of the scenic PA Route 6 before turning southeast toward home.
The landscape at the conclusion of our trip is reminiscent of the beginning. Like the state forests we crossed in Oregon on the way to the coast, we passed through the Allegheny Forest on our way to the scenic Route 6 in Pennsylvania. We picked up route 6 in Kane, PA and stopped at the Route 6 Diner in Smethport. The diner was small with a counter and table service. The food was quite good, albeit a bit pricey for a diner. After a satisfying meal, we continued along the winding route 6 passing a few quaint town until our arrival in Wellsboro, PA. The Sherwood Motel is our final night's rest before the remaining journey home on Saturday.
Wellsboro is an entry point to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, a moniker that doesn't quite live up to its name. The PA Grand Canyon is quite beautiful despite its smaller size. We arrived at the East Rim of the canyon, marking the 3500th mile of the trip. The canyon featured a difficult hiking trail but the Barrecas talked the 1 mile descent to the bottom of the canyon, stopping along the way to photograph some small waterfalls. The mile journey back up the trail was taxing but we persevered, completing the trail in 1 hour and 15 minutes, well below the average 1 hour and 30 minute hike. Kelly impressed us all with her ability to handle the hike just two months after a major surgical procedure.
More pics at https://plus.google.com/photos/107911175096996155186/albums/6152490950113993057?authkey=CK-9wbmn6KD9nwE
The town of Wellsboro offered several dining options and after dinner, we took a stroll along the streets, stopping for ice cream of course. Back at the hotel, Cece went for a swim and then we settled in for the night.
On Saturday, we'll hit the road and travel another portion of the scenic PA Route 6 before turning southeast toward home.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Touchdown in Canton Ohio
Today was a day in many states, three to be exact. We left Illinois early in the morning without any breakfast! (uggh) Eventually we arrived in Indiana and finally ate breakfast! Then Sal drove some more, Kelly napped some more and Cece sketched. We passed the time by playing many fun travel games. Finally we got to Ohio. We stopped at the Pro Football Hall of Fame (for Sal of course). It was surprising interesting and creepy at the same time. The creepy part was actual hall of fame part where they had models of all the heads. The interesting part was the 180 degrees rotating theatre. Also seeing the championship rings. Then we checked in at the hotel and then went to a supposedly Italian place called Palumbo's. It was ok (for faux Italian). When we came back to the hotel everyone went swimming in the hotel's indoor pool. Tomorrow we'll be in Wellsboro Pennsylvania!
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