I start my new job on Thursday, so I had an extra two days off after the 4th. My weekend was a blast, and I was going to spend Tuesday doing laundry and cleaning the apartment. I had a 10 AM appointment who didn't show up and then rescheduled (again) for Saturday morning, so I was up and out and noticing what a gorgeous day it was. Hmmmmm...
So I bagged the chores for another day, and took off in the Mini for a road trip. Went up and jumped on I-79 beyond Butler and cruised up to Meadville, then took a couple of little PA routes to cut across up to North East. Sucking down iced coffee and enjoying the ride...blue sky, sunshine, 80 degrees, NO haze of humidity - I could see forever as I topped each ridge. The roof was open and the windows were down and my hair was ruffled by the wind. Daylilies and wildflowers blooming at the roadsides. The smell of fresh-cut lawns and the fields of hay and corn, with the round hay bales looking like big tan marshmallows dropped from God's hands. An occasional Amish buggy and a lot of bikers. I was missing my old Harley, but enjoying the Mini as always.
I topped a ridge just south of I-90 and could see the lake, deep blue stretching far into the distance. I drove down to PA route 5, the lake road, and turned west. Rode that all the way to Conneaut, Ohio, after a stopover on Presque Isle to drive the whole peninsula and sit on the beach for an hour or so with my toes in the sand (in the shade, of course).
As the sun began to sink westward I turned south on route 18 and headed down to Conneaut Lake, then looped back to Meadville for dinner at the Cracker Barrel. My usual: spicy grilled catfish, fried okra and a double helping of hash brown casserole. Yum.
There was hardly any traffic coming home, even when I passed by the Big Butler Fair. Didn't see any deer, either (whew).
Windblown, a little red on my left arm, full of catfish and iced tea and a little hoarse from singing along with the Doors and Death Cab and Depeche Mode and New Order...I pulled in twelve hours after I left. A perfect day. Only one ingredient would have made it even better...
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