Dog Daze Roadtrip Day 9: Winnipesaukee

SONG: "Bad Moon Rising" By Creedence Clearwater Revival
TRAVEL TIP: Always have a back up plan.

Good bye Albany! Five hours to Winnipesaukee.
Completely unrelated to any pending weather from hurricane Irene, our cabin and the surrounding area is without power because someone ran a car into a utility pole. We check into the Lake Motel, a decent little place with nice people and a lake out back. Gabby swims and we have a diner-style meal [roast turkey and gravy and Liz has tortellin] at the nearby restaurant.

Dog Daze Roadtrip Day 8: Albany

SONG: "Laugh, I Nearly Died" by the Rolling Stones
TRAVEL TIP: Things are not always what they appear.
Took Gabby on a nice stroll through downtown Albany in the morning. The downtown are seems to populated by the homeless and civil servants. We spend the day in the hotel lobby working then went out for a burger at the cafe across the street.

Dog Daze Roadtrip Day 7: Niagara Falls

SONG: "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles
TRAVEL TIP: See Niagara Falls.

The day began very cloudy and misty, but as we approached the Falls, the sun come out and stayed until we left. What a great day! We got lost of course and ended up in a crappy part of town [a theme for this trip!] but soon found our way to the tacky, commercial, souvenir-loaded American side of the Falls. We quickly left that behind and took off on one of the best four-mile walks to be had. The Falls are breathtaking. Goat Island offers a great walk along natural paths right along side the water where we saw the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls.

Gabby was the only dog there so she was lavished with affection. She wanted to jump in the water and I don't blame her--it's clear, beautiful and looks so refreshing. Fortunately, she is timid, so she didn't try, but you could see the longing in her eyes. Even though we couldn't do the boat ride or the walk under the falls [return visit!] it was a really great day with awesome sites and good company.

Dog Daze Roadtrip Day 6: Buffalo

Song of the Day:

Easy travel day from Cleveland to Buffalo. We arrive at the Homewood Suites in an obscure suburb of Buffalo that fortunately has a restaurant nearby devoted to wings. We chow down on the best wings I ever had and retire to our room to watch "Trust" with Clive Owen and Katherine Keener.

Dog Daze Roadtrip Day 5: Cleveland

Song of the Day:

We are so happy to wake up in our wonderful hotel room. We are still singing the praises of Dan, our angel from Marriott. After breakfast, we rally and head off to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As a museum, it lacks depth, but as a stop along the road, it was great. Elvis and the Beatles rule here and there is a strong tribute to the roots of rock. Which was great to see. There is so much packed in the museum, you can't get enough of the music and images you really want to see. Things we found interesting: Liz loved seeing the bands organized geographically, the film montage of the Hall-of-Famers was fun to watch together [we seemed to be the only ones dancing in our chairs] and it was great seeing all the personal paraphernalia.

Dog Daze Roadtrip Day 4: Chicago West Loop

From l to r: Gabby, Liz, Pam and Johnny [!]

SONG: "Johnny Be Good" by Chuck Berry
TRAVEL TIP: Always visit friends when traveling.

We met Pam and her adorable dog Johnny for lunch in the West Loop, a great Chicago neighborhood filled with lofts, small children and dogs! It would seem you are obligated to have a dog when you live in this neighborhood. Right, Pam?

Johnny is a hoot and I love to say his name with gusto and a little bit of an accent. Johnny!

Gabby takes a dip.

Liz loves puppies!

After a great lunch [ham, bacon, cheese, fried egg panini] we visited the West Loop dog park. Gabby didn't know what to think, but Liz loved it!

Dog Daze Roadtrip Day 3: Naperville

SONG: "Money, Money, Money" by ABBA
TRAVEL TIP: Don't make rash reservations.

Jim left very early for Richmond. First we were five [including Gabby]. Then we were four. Now we are three.

Today we hung out with the Adams Family. Ryan and Cooper generously played with Gabby while  I worked and Liz slept. Mary and Gary were great hosts, feeding us all day [muffins, sandwiches and our first home cooked dinner in a very long time...and the last one for quite a while] and putting up with our antisocial behavior.

Dog Daze Roadtrip Day 2: James Goes to College

SONG: "Making My Way Back to Chicago" by Styx
TRAVEL TIP: Organization helps ease the transition and pain when dropping your kids off at college.

"Am I really ready?

After packing James up in Naperville, we headed off to the city. As we approached Lake Shore Drive, we could see Roosevelt's new skyscraper standing tall in the Chicago skyline.

"The Big Roosey". The old and the new!

View from the bunk. Not as cool as the Tredyffrin Library, but pretty good.

James' dorm is really great. Common rooms are on the corner of every floor with views of Lake Michigan. Good cheap restaurants all around. Great neighborhood. We had a day of meetings finished by a cocktail party with the faculty [parents only, no students]. We said good bye to James knowing he is ready and in good hands.

Dog Daze Roadtrip Day 1: Philly to Chicago

SONG: "Ramble On" by Led Zepplin
TRAVEL TIP: When traveling through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, bring a big tub of juice watermelon cut up into bite-size pieces so you won't be jealous of the people at the next table as you eat your Quiznos salad with a hair in it.

We experience a rainy, boring ride to Chicago. Fortunately, fast and uneventful. After a yucky lunch, we get DQ for dinner in Indiana. Northern Indiana is surprisingly "country" We meet a really funny convenience store clerk who tells it like it is. "What, you don't like my ice cream?" James ask him "how's is going?" and he answers very firmly "Just another day in paradise."

I can't say much about leaving Devon. It's too hard. But we are looking forward to big adventures both in the short and long term.

Good bye Pennsylvania