Road Trip!!

Having nothing better to do, (thanks, stupid Corona Virus!), this past Tuesday we decided to take a road trip.

Leaving early in the morning of July 14th, we drove up to Pittsburgh, PA, and returned home to Macon, GA late on the evening of the 17th.

Four days isn't enough to do the Pittsburgh area justice, let alone the parts of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia we zipped through, but the purpose of this short trip was to show everyone the houses Old Grump grew up in, as Pittsburgh was where he was raised as a child.

Fortunately we picked an opportune time to go, as summer in Pittsburgh is mostly pleasant.  (As opposed to summer in Macon, which is mostly oppressive.)  Early autumn is also a good time to visit the "City of Champions", but winter and most of spring are horrible seasons up there, unless you enjoy cold, damp weather.

Day 1, July 14th.

These first couple pics were taken at a rest stop of I-85 in South Carolina, near the sprawl of Lake Hartwell.

Mama and Dodong

At a Cracker Barrel restaurant in North Carolina.

Grump and Kuya working on a puzzle

Finally resting for the night at a Hampton Inn in Wytheville, VA.

Large stretches of I-85 were under construction, which definitely delayed our progress.  We resolved to avoid I-85 coming home, which may have lead to the poor decision to drive straight from Pittsburgh to Macon on Friday.

Day 2, July 15th.

Waking up early Wednesday morning, we got off to an early start and were quickly in West Virginia.

Lola shows the boys how to jump properly

After getting lost for just a bit, (Grump didn't realize you had to go EAST on I-64 to catch U.S. Route 19 in West Virginia), we were soon in Pennsylvania.

After checking into our hotel, (another Hampton Inn, this one being near the Pittsburgh airport), we drove around the part of town Grump knew in his younger days, (Mt. Lebanon and surrounding communities).  We saw the two houses Grump lived in, the high school he went to, then drove to downtown Pittsburgh via the Fort Pitt tunnel.  (This is the best way to enter Pittsburgh, as the city seems to just magically appear on the other side of the tunnel as you cross the Fort Pitt bridge.)

We then drove to Station Square, which was a wee bit of a disappointment, as it certainly wasn't the vibrant mall that Grump remembered.  No matter ..... we walked to the Monongahela Incline, and went for a ride up Mt. Washington.  

Viewing downtown Pittsburgh from Mt. Washington

Masked riders on the incline

View of downtown Pittsburgh and the fountain at Point State Park

Back at the remnants of Station Square, we ate a relaxed dinner outside.  (Eating outside is NOT something you would choose to do in Macon in July!)

Lola relaxing

Day 3, July 16th.

Thursday morning we woke up early-ish, and after a quick breakfast headed over to the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, which is located next to Settlers Cabin Park.

As the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden wasn't even founded until 1988, by which time Grump had moved on from Pittsburgh to (supposedly) greener pastures, he knew nothing about it; this was a first time visit for all of us.

Mama, Dodong, Kuya, and the Old Grump

Who is that peeking out from behind the stones?

Lola hiding again

There are over three miles of trails in the garden, so a visit may also entail a workout!

Dodong is tired

Lola tames a wolf

Finally, after lunch, we went to a place that merits an entry all of its own, the fantastic, phenomenal, Phipps Conservatory.

Old Grump loved this place as a child, and it still gives him goosebumps today.  If you are ever in Pittsburgh PLEASE take the time to visit this giant greenhouse.  It will be well worth the effort.

After wandering through the conservatory we had hoped to visit the dinosaurs over at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, but the Stupid Corona Virus made getting entry tickets difficult, so we had to skip it.

Day 4, July 17th.

As you may recall, I-85 had been under construction on our way up to Pennsylvania.  Largely because of that, we made the foolish decision to drive directly back to Macon via I-77 through Charlotte, NC, and then I-20 from Columbia, SC.

We set off early, and in good spirits.  We made good progress through WV and Virginia, and for most of the morning our decision to make the drive in one day seemed like a good one.

However, as we chugged through Virginia the miles seemed to drag, and about 100 miles north of Charlotte it seemed as if the majority of the energy in our bodies had dissipated.

Those last 100 miles to get to Charlotte were painful, but once we arrived, we fortunately found a nice Japanese restaurant, and were rewarded with a yummy dinner.

A Very Tired Old Grump Ordering Dinner

Very, very tasty sushi and grilled salmon revived our spirits enough to enable us to drive the hour-plus to Columbia.  From there the route home was well known, and frequently traveled, so with a final burst of effort we drove that last leg of the journey, and arrived home at 10:30 pm.

To be honest, we should really say that July 18th was Day Five of our trip, as we spent most of the day laying around recovering from the awful drive of the the 17th.  We did learn that we should limit the amount of driving we do on any vacation day to seven hours or less, as a marathon drive just ruins not only the day it occurs on, but the following day as well.  (In addition to being somewhat dangerous as tiredness and fatigue affect driver and navigator.)