June 12 and June 13, Tuesday & Wednesday
On Tuesday left Hagerstown, Md. in the rain. It rained hard for about an hour.  Then we finally drove past the storm. pulled into Charlotte, North Carolina. We got a two room suite since we are staying two nights. Great hotel,  Country Inn Suites near University of North Carolina. North Carolina is warmer with higher humidity.  Our warmest day of our trip.

After sleeping in on Wednesday we went out sightseeing.  Saw the Latta Plantation and was not impressed. Went to Barnes and Noble to buy a couple of audio books for the remainder of our trip. Then went to the Fourth Ward district, which ended up just being downtown Charlotte.  It is larger than Sacramento and hardly any parking. Went to another plantation; Rosedale Plantation.  Found out you have to make reservations ahead time for tours.

Hagerstown MD

Downtown Charlotte

Rosedale Plantation

Latta Plantation

Found a couple of our favorite restaurants in Charlotte, so took advantage.  For lunch we went to Pei Wei's. They are a part of PF Chang's, but closed their Sacramento location several years ago. We go when we are in Arizona, always a reason to go to Chandler from Casa Grande.  And for dinner we went to Carrabbas, an Italian diner that Mark and Mickey introduced us to in Las Vegas. Again we do not have Carrabba's in California. So we had some great food today. 

June 11, Monday
Left Groton, Connecticut and headed to Hagerstown, Maryland.  Hit some commute traffic going into New York, but went around this time and went through White Plains New York.  It was nice to get away from all the traffic once we got to Pennsylvania.  Back to rolling hills, covered with trees and all very green.  Pulled into Hagerstown, Maryland after 380 miles and going through five states, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

One of the many farms in Pennsylvania

Hagerstown, MD through rainy car window

June 10, Sunday
Got Starbucks and came back to the room to watch the Men's finals of the French Open, Nadal and Djokovic.  But then it started raining in Paris and they postponed the match until Monday. Drove down through Groton and saw some interesting older homes and mansions.  The University of Connecticut has a campus  which includes the Branford mansion.  Drove over to Mystic, a small town a few miles from Groton, and had lunch. On the way back we got stuck waiting for the draw bridge to open and close.

Branford Mansion @ University of Connecticut Groton

Older Home in Groton

Avery Lighthouse on the University of Connecticut

Mystic River flowing into the Atlantic

Lunch in Mystic

June 9, Saturday
Spent three nights and two days at Groton, Connecticut. A good break from driving. On Saturday we went to Jamestown and Newport, Rhode Island. In Jamestown which is on Conanicut Island we went to the Bevertail Lighthouse.  This is the third oldest lighthouse in the United States. The town is a cute some beach town with small shops, restaurants, and marina.

Bevertail Lighthouse

"Cottage"

 

Hardware Store Jamestown

Then on to Newport, Rhode Island. We went to the White Horse Tavern for lunch. This is where my brother Mark met his wife Mickey. This is the oldest tavern in the US.  We had a great lunch, salad and more lobster in their Lobster Mac & Cheese. It was very good.  The town was very busy with a lot of tourist.  We looked at a lot of the "Cottages" which are actually mansions.  Saw the International Tennis Hall of Fame.  

Cottage Newport

Cottage Newport

Another Old Building

Inn Newport

Street Newport

Newport

White Horse Tavern  Newport

White Horse Tavern  Newport

Came back to Groton and had dinner at Abbott's Lobster Shack.  It sits on the bay and has good prices for lobsters.  They have fresh lobsters starting at 1 1/2 lbs up to 9 lbs.  We had a 2 1/2 lb lobster, with clam chowder, and salad. Great food, great view, and great company.....

Abbott's Lobster  Groton

Abbott's Lobster Groton

    

June 8, Friday
Left Hershey and headed for New England area.  Made good time until New York City.  Traffic got busy in New Jersey and had to pay attention to get on the right highways. Made it on the Washington Bridge with a toll fee of $12.  This bridge comes into New York at the Bronx. Once we were coming off the bridge ran into a traffic jam a very slow traffic.  We spent about an hour and a half going 5 miles.  There was an accident and only one lane was getting through. That was down from four lanes.  We were fortunate that we had just stopped at a rest area to use the restrooms.

Once we got away from New York and into Connecticut we stopped at Stamford for lunch. Found a PF Chang's and had a great lunch. Pulled into Groton, CT later than planed, but made it. It has been nice not having a lot of large cities and the traffic to deal with.

For the first night in Groton we found Ford's Lobsters on the bay.  Had our first lobster, a lobster bisque and a large lobster roll.  This is made with a fresh roll, lobster, and drawn butter. Very good with a beautiful view. Forgot all about the traffic jam.....

June 7, Thursday
Left New Stanton, PA and drove to Harrisburg.  Had planned on a short drive of 200 miles to have time to go to the National Civil War Museum.  Spent an hour and a half there then went for lunch and came back for another hour. A great museum, but a little depressing.

Civil War Museum

An interesting home

Stayed in Hershey, Pa.which is just outside Harrisburg 12 miles.  This is Hershey's chocolate town. A small town with a lot of tourists.  They have a big midway with all of the rides.  Had a great dinner at Houlihan's.  While we were inside eating we missed the thundershower downpour.  Their street lights look like Hershey's Kisses.  See picture below.

 

June 6, Wednesday
Left Cincinnati in the morning and drove to the Dayton area.  Drove around Kettering, of course nothing looked familiar.  Drove by the school my Dad taught at back in 1955 or so, Fairmont High.  I think it was rebuilt, could even be in a different area.  Then headed downtown Dayton and drove around some.

 From Dayton went over to Xenia.  Of course most of Xenia was rebuilt since the tornado which went through a while back.  It was a cute little town. In five minutes you are back in the country in any directions.

Spent about twenty minutes going through the northern tip of West Virginia, then on into Pennsylvania. We hit our first turnpike that cost $12. They had several long tunnels going through mountains instead of around.  Everyone drives seventy even in 55 mph construction sites.  Never did see any cops.  Pulled into New Stanton, PA for the evening. Gas prices running around $3.45 a gallon.