Sadly, my whirlwind visit to Hampton Roads was going to end today. I woke up at 0530 and got ready for my departure. Once I finished packing my car, I said goodbye to Erin and Brenna - I left the house by 0615. Driving a short distance, I got gas at Wawa (Rosemont) at 0630. After that, I drove north (via I-264, Independence, side streets and US-13) towards the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. When I paid the toll at the southern end (0645), I learned it was higher (by $5) due to the weekend. Traffic was initially light and the weather was good. At around this time, I had my first call with Eileen (she was driving to Indiana and had suggested we keep each other company during the day). I made it to Cape Charles very easily and listened to audiobooks on the way. Continued on US-13 to Pokomoke City and then took US-113 towards the northeast. The traffic increased as I approached the beaches - oh no... I crossed into Maryland during another call with Eileen. She had to make some stops so I switched back to listening to audiobooks. During this time, I found myself fighting with Google and Apple Maps for the fastest and cheapest way to reach New Hampshire... Arrived in Milford, DE by 1000 and got on DE-1. Again, I had to pay higher tolls (weekend/beach rates) at each of the toll booths (1015 and 1040) but made good time on the highway. As I approached I-95, the map apps told me it was best to get off the four lane highway. However, the route was unfamiliar and I ended up driving north (slowly, through a series of lights) on US-13 until I finally intercepted I-295. From there, I was able to cross the Delaware River. Instead of using the New Jersey Turnpike, I stayed on the Interstate and made good time as I drove along the western edge of New Jersey. Of course, I knew (due to previous experiences) that this solution wasn't going to be effective forever. Still, the ride was pretty good (very little traffic). Temps soared during this timeframe and I was glad to have good AC. I stopped for lunch at McDonalds in Burlington, NJ (1155). Once I was back on I-295, I made my way north towards Trenton, talking with Eileen briefly. I got off the Interstate at the Princeton Pike (Route 583) and continued north into Princeton. After passing the Battle Monument, I took surface streets through the college town. Got on US-206 after this but the drive was mostly slow going. In Somerville, I was able to get on I-287 and pick up speed again. During this phase, I listened to more audiobooks and had another good call with Eileen. When I reached Suffern (NY) I hit the worst traffic I'd seen all day (trying to get on I-87). Fortunately, my plan had already been to exit onto NY-17 and this turned out to be a good decision. After that, the speeds were mostly steady and I got to travel through many of the towns I used to visit often while hiking the AT. When I reached Monroe, I stopped at Walmart to recycle cans/bottles (1415). I was on the road again by 1430. Instead of continuing north, I got on US-6 (it crossed NY-17 at that location) and headed east. Unfortunately, I hit really bad traffic on the way towards the Hudson (delay was about 15 minutes) but eventually got to a roundabout for the Palisades Parkway that allowed me to escape it. Continued on US-6 to Bear Mountain Bridge Road and crossed the Hudson River (toll by camera). On the east side, I got on NY-9D and headed north - more AT nostalgia. Near Cold Spring, I switched to some surface streets to reach NY-301 and then cut northeast towards the Taconic Parkway. After getting on that road, my travel speeds increased dramatically and I made great time towards the north. Passed the time with more audiobooks. Meanwhile, I noticed that the weather to the west looked ominous. I made it almost to I-90 before I got off (on NY-295) and took it to Canaan. Switching to back roads (Queechy Lake Drive), I eventually reached NY-22 and followed it all the way to New London and Lebanon Springs. As I've thought whenever driving in the Northeast, "they sure re-used a lot of names"... I kept thinking I'd be crossing the border into Massachusetts but it never happened. Instead, I was on NY-22 all the way to NY-7. From there, I drove east towards Vermont and got on NY/VT-279. Reached US-7 just as it started to rain. The precipitation got worse after that but I otherwise had a great time going north towards Manchester. Once on VT-11/30, I thought I'd be stuck behind some slow traffic (from DC). Instead, I made a great pass and caught up to a speedy Dodge Charger that took us on a "road race" through the Green Mountains. Other cars (including DC car) saw what we were doing and we basically had a convoy. At this point, I suddenly learned about a Tornado Watch in the Upper Valley (yikes!). For this reason, I decided to do my shopping before reaching West Lebanon. I stayed on VT-11 (instead of getting on VT-103) as I passed through Chester and made my way to Springfield. At Shaw's, I picked up a free item (1835). The weather still looked horrible when I came out of the store so I wasn't in a big hurry. Stopped for gas at Irving (1845) before getting on I-91. On the way home, I encountered more nasty weather - this led to some dropped calls with Eileen. Eventually got on I-89 and crossed Connecticut River. Made it home by 1930. Surprisingly, it wasn't raining in Hanover yet so I was able to unpack the car. A deluge started after that. Secure inside my home, I felt relieved to be home after a rewarding trip. There were definitely a lot of lessons that I had to relearn from the times (long ago) when I lived in Hampton Roads. Feeling quite exhausted but this was an awesome trip - can’t wait to return!
