We made it to Ft. Drum safe and sound. In a shorter amount of time than we expected. We were going to stop in Cleveland to go see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a friend of mine, but we didn't think it all the way through. Having the dog and 2 cats with us was a challenge, and finding hotels that were pet friendly was a huge pain in the butt. We did alright, but still, had we stopped in Cleveland, the animals would have had to stay in the hotel by themselves, to which most hotels do not like pets being left unattended.
So, instead we drove right through. We started out late on Thursday, leaving Killeen around 5pm. We had so many extra things to do that some of the other stuff was deleted from our plans. The first night we drove to Hope Arkansas. Quiet little town where President Bill Clinton was born. Not much to see from the Interstate of course.
We left Hope on Friday, and drove to Carrollton Kentucky. The sights were awesome, and the hills and valleys were absolutely beautiful. (Some of the hills though took a toll on our gas tank!) Of course, gas prices started to rise as soon as we left Texas, but there were a few that were still under $4 a gallon.
Saturday we woke and left Kentucky, drove to the Jeffersonville Outlet Mall between Cincinatti and Columbus Ohio - which a friend told me about. We didn't spend much but we got the chance to get out of the truck and stretch and walk. I stood in the courtyard like a fool and yelled as loud as I could.... "Where are you Patty?"... haha! (Inside joke!)
Once we were done at the outlets, we hopped back in the truck and drove the rest of the way here. It was pretty long and at times rather boring, but we played mad libs and we did a few games of 6 degrees with movies and actors. We hit the toll road and it was pretty much clear sailing from there.
Gas up here is pretty crazy. We use mid-grade in the truck, so we have been looking at $4.25-4.35 a gallon. Yes, that is the price ON POST. We are still in the hotel, but we are second on the list for housing on post, so that is a good thing. Some things are more expensive here while other things appear to be cheaper. Milk is cheaper by about a dollar, meats are a lot cheaper, some fresh veggies are a little more expensive, thank goodness for Sam's Club because without it I would scream!
Cigarettes are definitely more expensive here. In Tx on post I would pay about $33 for a carton of Marlboro's, here on post they are $53! Don't quite understand how that works.
Post here appears to be ok. The bowling alley is a big let down. 16 synthetic lanes, one summer league and it is singles, a few leagues in the fall, but they don't open until 4pm during the week. Blech! Another alley downtown is really beat up. It has 16 lanes too and looking from the outside.... I do not want to go in. We did find an alley outside of town that looks pretty promising. 24 wood lanes, formerly AMF, now owned by MOR Bowling Inc. Tons of leagues and cheap daytime games. This area however doesn't have a single travel league, so I am out of luck there. I guess that just means that as a family we are going to have to travel ourselves to different cities to check out lanes and such.
It rained here today. Funny thing.... I thought I was getting away from tornado warnings and crazy weather. Not a chance! Had a tornado warning today and one did touch down south of us. I guess I forgot how the Great Lakes kick up storms. Ah well, such is life with Global Warming....
That's all I have for now. I have a ton of pics that I will eventually get loaded up here. I am waiting for my computer instead of using hubby's laptop to do that though.
We love and miss everyone!
