Road Trip -- Pennsylvania and Maryland

We hadn't planned on a road trip out East to Maryland but when Rick's Uncle Jim died we knew family was where we had to be. And, where we wanted to be. So we packed up and headed east.

We started with a short ride to Rick's Toledo aunt, Carol, for a delightful overnight and then headed to Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania, a bit east of Uniontown. We had no reservations but found a lovely "lodge" with a room overlooking a pond and with a small patio. Rick got in a short walk and I think I read about six pages of my book before the rain forced me inside.

No, I can't say the weather was divine. The next morning it was pouring. Let me tell you where you do not  want to be -- in a hotel room with Rick in an area that is filled with country roads and big hills -- and with a bicycle in the trunk. Can you spell c-r-a-n-k-y? But once we got out of the hotel and on the road, things lightened up a lot!

Claes Oldenberg's Apple at Kentuck Knob. Note forsythia -- spring is coming!

We weren't far from Fallingwater but the admission price was high. (If he'd been on the bike, I would have gone, but $25 each was a tad much for us on this trip). But we did go to Kentuck Knob, another Frank Lloyd Wright-built house. Well, we didn't go into that house either. But by then the rain had stopped and we enjoyed a nice walk through the sculpture garden.

(There was a reason for this, besides not really wanting to kick in for the admission that day. Many years ago, I was invited to a Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian home (similar to Kentuck Knob) here in Lansing. We didn't just get a tour of the house -- we saw the insides of closets and drawers, all the details explained by the people who lived there -- and then had ice cream. There's a bit about this story HERE when I wrote about the book "Loving Frank." I really didn't want that experience distilled by a visit to a place similar.)

Nonetheless, the walk was fun and fascinating, until it got a little too muddy to continue!

This is a piece from the Berlin Wall.

I need to do some research to see if the graffiti on one side was done in the East, the West or after!

This is Ray Smith's "Red Army." It was enormous. It was also probably two tenths of a mile away. I love my zoom!

From there we hit Ohiopyle on the Youghiogheny River (aka the Yough). The Cucumber Falls were moving fast on this rainy day (yes, it was raining again) but it was beautiful.

The whole area was gorgeous. And yes, we'll be back!

From then it was on to Frederick, Maryland, new country to me. We kicked off the visit with a crab dinner with Rick's aunt and two of his cousins. Oh, seafood to die for!



The rest of the weekend was family and I found myself both wrapped in warmth and love and frustrated as all get-out that there wasn't time to explore the Civil War-related sites and Washington DC (and their cherry blossoms) -- all within easy driving distance. That, and wishing I could discover the antique and art shops in the charming Frederick downtown. Another visit.

Road trip home -- all one day this time, due to commitments. But we know one thing. We will be back -- and we won't wait too long. Life is too short not to explore more!

And besides, there are a few crabs in Maryland that we haven't sampled yet!