Pittsburg, PA to Charleston, WV

After bidding Bruce and the dogs goodbye, we drove straight into downtown traffic.

Thankfully, our map book -- yep, people still use them -- helped us get to the Cass Scenic Railroad in time for our 1:00 trip up an 11% grade mountain.

The children, and Rob, enjoyed ice cream at the Cass General Store and then we were off to Charleston, West Virginia.

Today was a day to really feel the kindness of others.  Abram left his trip-spending money at the top of the mountain in the bathroom.  The manager of the restaurant, at the bottom of the hill, took Rob and Abram to the top, in her car, to retrieve it.  The Couchsurfing host left the key to his apartment in the mailbox for us.  We are surfing "unsupervised."

We had a great dinner at the Tricky Fish, where we all colored pictures for the interior walls of the restaurant.  The owner, Robbie, took extra time with Salem and did not seem to mind the "stick-up."

And to top off the evening, the manager at the closed Rite Aid agreed to let me in after hours to get calamine lotion of Asher.

So far, so great.  Tomorrow, a tour at Maker's Mark and then to Evansville, IN.

Jersey Shore, PA to Pittsburg, PA

Day Two began, as every really should, with a jeep ride through the misty morning hills of central Pennsylvania.

We headed to Pittsburg to meet up with our Couchsurfing host, Bruce.  Soon after, all seven of us headed  into the city.  Bruce had some one-hour free passes to kayak on the Allegheny which -- of course -- we did.

Afterwards and on the way to the Carnegie Museum, we encountered a very colorful triceratops.

And . . . "Dippy."

Inside, we explored for nearly two hours.  Despite this, Bruce said that we saw "maybe 10%" of the collection. 

Tomorrow, off to the Cass Scenic Railroad and staying overnight in Charleston, West Virginia.  Get this:  Our Couchsurfing host, Ned, is leaving his apartment key in the mailbox for us.  People who doubt the authentic goodness of others need to try Couchsurfing.

Littleton, MA to Jersey Shore, PA

So the hope is that we will be able to depart around 8:30 to get to Ricketts Glen State Park by 2:30.  This Pennsylvania State Park has waterfalls.  

I come across the Park in reading that book 1,000 Place to See in the USA before You Die or You Can Consider Your Time Wasted or some such title.

Here's what the PA State Park website has to say:

Ricketts Glen harbors Glens Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark.  Take the Falls Trail and explore the Glens, which boasts a series of wild, free-flowing waterfalls, each cascading through rock-strewn clefts in this ancient hillside.  The 94-foot Ganoga Falls is the highest of 22 named waterfalls.  Old growth timber and diverse wildlife add to the scenic area. Ricketts Glen State Park is one of the most scenic areas in Pennsylvania.  This large park is comprised of 13,050 acres in Luzerne, Sullivan and Columbia counties.

Provided we get ourselves moving -- as of 6:45 all but Jenna are sleeping peacefully -- we might be able to get in a couple of hours there before heading to our first Couchsurfing host. {For those who do not know about Couchsurfing, I suggest going to its website:  www.couchsurfing.org or reading about it here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CouchSurfing}

Well, we did not make it to the 94-foot waterfall, but we did get to two that were 47 feet high.

We didn't quite make it to the 94-foot high waterfall, but we did see two 47-foot high falls and gorgeous old-growth trees.  It was lovely to get out of the car after 6 hours to enjoy a very long walk in these woods.

We arrived to our Couchsurfing family right at dinnertime.  They are two adults and their four teenagers who are hosting teenagers from Portugal, Venezuela, France, and Turkey.  These boys are visiting for three weeks to learn some more English and sharpen their basketball skills.

Off to Pittsburg in the morning . . .

Road Trip August 1st -31st, 2012

2012 Summer Road Trip:  Massachusetts to The Great Southwest

Well, we've decided to do it again.  We are headed out of suburbia and to the Great Southwest for the entire month of August.  At last check, our thirty nights on the road will be spent with friends, Couchsurfing Hosts -- both new and former, in a hotel, a condo, various cabins, tents, a tipi, and a hogan.  We plan to see multiple sights, including the Grand Canyon and the Badlands.  Though the majority of our travels will be in our 1998 Toyota Sienna, we will also be transported by horse, kayak, gondola, river raft, and train.

Jenna is hopeful that Rob and the children will contribute to the travel blog as guest authors.  Photos and observations will be included as well.

Stay tuned, 72 hours until "go."

Finish the Sentence: Children's Review

"The best part of my trip was . . .
Asher  . . . meeting new people and seeing Maggie and Sam and Tara and Rob again."
Greta  . . . being with my family and sucking my thumb."
Salem . . . seeing the three coyotes that I saw and seeing Sam and Maggie and being with my family."
Abram . . . going to Sam Maggie Tara and what was his name?"

"The worst part of my trip was  . . .
Asher . . . the beginning, getting on the road because Judy wasn't the best.  Let's just leave it at that."
Greta . . .  packing clothes and having to use port-o-potties."
Salem . . . carrying my bag and Judy wasn't very nice and daddy yelled at me too much."
Abram . . . when daddy yelled at me."

"The most challenging part of my trip was . . .
Asher . . . finishing it."
Greta . . .  going over the Rockies."
Salem . . . climbing and doing my work and going on the water with Abram pushing me under."
Abram . . . going to the ocean."

"The most exciting thing I did was  . . .
Asher . . .  climbing in the Grand Tetons."
Greta . . .  you'll have to check in with me later about this one."
Salem . . . climbing in the Tetons."
Abram . . . going to the ocean and going to Sam and Maggie."

"The most exciting thing I saw was  . . .
Asher . . . the turkeys."
Greta . . . the pronghorns."
Salem . . . the buffalo herd."
Abram . . . the dock at the beach."

Just as a point of clarification:  Jenna yelled just as much (maybe more) as Rob.  There was not that much yelling. 

Also, not sure what ocean adventure Abram was on as we did not go to any ocean on the trip.

By the Numbers: Part II: Statistics

Number of Mammals:  17
Bison
Pronghorn antelope
Moose
Coyote
Cow
Horse
Mountain goat
Sheep
Goat
Pig
Prairie dog
Badger
Squirrel
Ground Squirrel
Chipmunk
Bat
Marmot

Number of Birds:  12
Bald eagle
Turkey vulture
Osprey
Raven
Crow
Red-tail hawk
Egret
Seagull
Heron
Mourning dove
Pigeon
Swallow

Number of Insects:  7
Firefly
Mosquito
Stink Bug
Ladybug
Cricket
Grasshopper
Roach

Number of Amphibians:  2
Green frog
Lazarus lizard

By the Numbers: Part I: Costs

Total cost to be away from home for twenty-seven days:  $4,149.10

Housesitter expense:  $500.00

Total cost of trip:  $3,649.10
Gas:  $951.62
Seven Nights Accommodations at Hotel/Motel/Cabin:  $646.16
Entertainment/National Park Admissions/Food/Souvenirs/Gifts for Couchsurfing Hosts/Other:  $2,051.32  

Average Daily Cost for Trip:  $135.15
Average Daily Cost per Person for Trip:  $22.53

Estimated Saving in Accommodations Expenses by Couchsurfing:  $1,292.34