Joe's Roadtrip

Location: Endwell, NY (HOME)

Miles Driven: 236

Total Miles: 25,821

112 days.  Wow.  Originally when I set off from Atlanta the day before Memorial Day, I figured the trip would be about 90 days in total.  I’m glad I had a flexible schedule and could extend it, for no roadtrip should end in haste, especially one where I’ve been lucky to see so many incredible places and meet up with so many friends.

But let’s not talk about the end too much, I still have at least one or two more posts after this to recap the trip.  So now, let’s pick up where I left off, in New Jersey.  The prior night was Sam’s party for successfully becoming an attorney, and I woke up at his place early to get my stuff together (and play some video games) before I hit the road one last time.  Around 10AM I left Sam’s and met up with my buddy Nachiket for breakfast in Mt. Holly.  Always good to see this great friend I’ve had since grad school (2006), and he’s been pretty helpful getting me prepped for the upcoming trip to Nepal.  We had a good breakfast (I ate way too much) at a Cracker Barrel.  By the way, their fried apples are amazing.  Thanks again, Nachiket!

From there, I headed towards Philly to meet a friend I hadn’t seen since some point in 2009, I think.  I made plans to meet up with Jen at a Starbucks near her home in downtown Philly.  I had never been to that section of Philly; in fact, I’ve been to few places in Philly.  But it turned out she lives in a very historic area.  I was surprised to see the “Betsy Ross House” a block away from where I parked my car, and directly across the street from the Starbucks.

After catching up a bit, Jen and I went to walk around some of the nearby historic sites.  I had only seen these places in the movie “National Treasure” before, so needless to say it was great to experience them up close.

Ben Franklin's grave

Independence Hall

Tomb for unknown soldiers who fought in the Revolution

After a good bit of walking we meandered back towards my car. Glad I got to meet up with Jen.  When I return from Peace Corps, I think I’m going to hire Jen as my physics tutor if I decide to go study astronomy.

I left Philly on a course direct for home. I only had about three hours to go, total.  My final arrival time was pushed back a bit, as I encountered some traffic and needed to stop for a nap.  I then realized that was probably the last nap ever I’d take in the Mazda.  Ahh, it’s been so comfortable for me.  It wasn’t too long before I saw some signs pointing me home…

I’ve always enjoyed the drive through Pennsylvania, and it was especially nice this time as I had good weather and the leaves were starting to change on the trees.

The drive went by fairly quickly.  Before I knew it, I crossed the PA/NY border and was soon in Binghamton.  Only 15 minutes later I’d arrive at my home where I’ll stay through the end of the year.

Home sweet home

And with that, I pulled into the driveway.  Definitely a mix of emotions putting the car in park, but it’s certainly a comforting feeling to be home.

What a ride.

joe