Road Trip 2026 -- The Return

First, some humor. At one point, I headed to the basement of the house to do some laundry. (Remember this was not built as a "beach house," but was built as a home for a family in the early 1900s. The laundry is, as is often true in New England houses, in the basement. I was amused to see the two chairs sitting facing the washer and dryer, as if they those two household appliances were providing entertainment!

Saturday

We checked out of the Beach House, and I was among the last to leave at about 10:00 am. I headed to Costco (near Waterbury) to get gas, and stock up on some snacks for the journey. I traveled a little bit on I-95, but otherwise was on familiar roads from having lived and worked in the area. Post-Costco, it was back on I-84 to head towards Scranton, and I-81/US-11. I thought I had completely gone through Scranton and was in Wilkes-Barre ... but I was wrong. But that is where I spent the night.

Sunday

Headed out with an initial stop at Dunkin (of course). Then down US-11. As with other stretches, the road was similar with rural two-lane 55 mph stretches and then portions which are city streets. The geography was much different. This route follows the Susquehanna River, and thus is not as close to I-81. The Wikipedia article describes it from South to North, and I drove it North to South. [US-11 in Pennsylvania] Somewhere outside of Wilkes-Barre, I missed a sign (or two) and wound up driving through the city. There are some great buildings along the river -- and the river levee made me feel at home, it was similar to those in South Louisiana! It was early Sunday morning, so very little traffic as I negotiated through the city, trying to pick up US-11. 

 

Driving through an industrial area, I looked to my left, and there was Mr. Peanut and a sign saying that this was the original home of Planters Peanuts. I later checked my favorite pop-culture source (Wikipedia) and it is true! (I may have to plan a return visit!) 

 

I found US-11, and followed it on to Harrisburg. Much of that route with the river prominently visible on the left, and sharp hills/cliffs on the right. (Some closer to the road than others.) After Harrisburg, I got back on I-81, until I was approaching the Mason-Dixon Line. I was hoping to find a sign, monument, or some designation along US-11. Either it is very small, or does not exist. As usual, Wikipedia has a great description of the Mason-Dixon Line, the Radius and the Wedge.

 

I returned to I-81, a little disappointed, and continued through the rest of the little bit of Maryland, and "all" of West Virginia to spend the night in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

      

Monday

This was a mostly uneventful day. However, at one point, Waze suggested (and I followed the suggestion) getting off I-81 to avoid traffic(?) or an accident. It took me cross-country along a number of country roads to pick up I-40 in eastern Tennessee. Thence I proceeded to I-75, taking that to Chattanooga and on to I-24 to connect with I-59. From there, it was 20+ miles of Georgia to return to Central Time in Alabama. Spent the night in Fort Payne. No adventures ... just dinner and sleep.

Tuesday 

The final day of travel ... the simplest day ... just driving. 

• Total distance driven, including side quests both along the way, and during the week: 3,333.
• Average mileage: 28.4 mpg
• Total gasoline cost: $311.60
• Highest price per gallon: $4.199 (Gettysburg PA)
• Lowest price per gallon: $3.16 (Cleveland TN) {excludes Baton Rouge}
• Total gallons: 117.007