Rutherford, NJ to Lexington Park, MD. We took the Garden State Parkway all the way to it’s southern end at Cape May. We arrived just in time to catch the 11:00 PM ferry to Lewes, DE. We then cut across Delaware to Maryland. While passing through Annapolis I thought it might be neat to stop into see the visitor center on the Naval Academy. We made our way through the narrow streets to Gate 1. The nice little Petty Officer at the gate said that you couldn’t drive in; you had to park outside and walk in. Fat chance of finding a spot, so we just continued our drive. We picked a stop in Lexington Park because this is where Donna and I meet while we were in the Navy some 20-odd years ago. Patuxent River Naval Air Station’s mission has changed from a Naval Test Pilot Center with a couple of small squadrons to a large Naval Air Warfare Center with nearly 18,000 people working there. Consequently the sleepy little town we knew is now unrecognizable behind the 6 lane road lined with every franchised restaurant known to man and 4-story glass & concrete buildings with cryptic names. Well, I guess Donna and & have changed a bit since 1975 too.

Another Short day, New Britain, CT back to Rutherford, NJ. We took the scenic route, stayed on I-84 until we crossed the Hudson River and traveled down 9W and then drove the Palisades Parkway until we hit I-80. We found a neat “Miata” road, NY 318, north of West Point. It hugs the side of Storm King Mountain with nothing but a low rock wall preventing the plunge into the Hudson River hundreds of feet below. We stopped at West Point and did a quick tour of the museum and gift shop at the visitor center. They wanted an hour and a half of our time and $7 a piece for the real tour, so we declined.

Spent most of the morning driving around visiting stores looking for stuff for Donna & I, my mom and Diane. At lunchtime Donna & I cried “Uncle” and went back to the hotel for a nap. Dinner tonight was stuffed shrimp and was consumed on the porch again. Afterwards Donna & I followed Diane & Allen to get ice cream in Berlin. Allen’s Integra needs a new muffler; he sounds just like those rice-boys with their chrome coffee can mufflers. Glad we only had to follow for a short distance or weren’t riding in the car.

Rutherford, NJ to New Britain, CT. Easy drive of about 150 miles and one we used to do often when we lived in New Jersey. New Britain is home for my family and we used to try and get back there every couple of months. Surprise, it rained the whole trip. Hertz is going to have to replace the windshield wipers on the car if this keeps up. My brother Paul played chef and grilled up some delicious ribs for dinner. Mom whipped up a big ol’ bowl of pasta salad and Donna “tossed” together a Caesars salad to go with the corn on the cob. Sister Diane, her husband Allen and I did our part by staying out of the way and then eating it all up with smiles on our faces. Fitting Labor Day Feast for the traditional last-day-of-summer.

Lexington, VA to Rutherford, NJ. 400 miles of the Eisenhower Interstate System. A long day made to seem longer by the constant rain. Fortunately traffic was light except for around Allentown, PA on I-78 and about 5 miles of the Garden State Parkway.