Reunion Trip - Day 6

I was up this morning at the earliest time of the trip - even before my alarm rang!  I didn't feel especially rested but immediately got started with trying to depart as early as possible.  In the end, I was successful in this effort because of my packing the night before, the short time it took to stage the coffee and donuts for the last time (done by 0620) and the cooler weather that made lugging all of my bags back to the parking lot on the far edge of campus.  The only potential delay was when one of the Golden Domers engaged me in conversation while I was trying to leave Ryan Hall.  I was polite but made sure to stay on task.  As a result, I was completed with my required steps on time (0645) and decided I could go to breakfast at the North Dining Hall.  I took the scenic route (along St. Mary's and St. Joseph's Lake) and was treated to an amazing variety of birds, including two Mute Swans, seven Canada Geese, an American Black Duck (the first time I remember seeing one), goldfinches, sparrows, red winged blackbirds, cardinals, robins, etc.  I would love to have stayed on campus a bit longer, taking in the sights, but ate quickly before returning to my car (0730).  I immediately got on the road - Google Maps said I had (at least) 14.5 hours (ETA 2200) before I'd reach home...  Sadly saying goodbye to Notre Dame after a wonderful visit, I drove south (through South Bend) until I reached US-20.  There was almost no traffic anywhere and this theme ended up continuing throughout most of the day.  I made good time to the Indiana/Ohio border and enjoyed seeing all the Amish families heading out (buggies and walking) for their Sunday services.  For most of this morning drive, I was able to go (at least) the speed limit and only had to slow down when passing through towns.  The weather was beautiful and it was great not to be dodging raindrops.  Recalling that there were more reasonable prices for gas in Ohio, I kept my eyes open for deals.  My efforts paid off at the town of Edon, where I found a Flying J with the lowest price I'd seen on the trip.  After getting fuel there (0910), I resumed my drive along US-20.  This worked fine for a while but a few strange 90 degree turns in the road (and a couple of Sunday drivers on the two lane highway) made me choose some farm roads at one point (to keep going east).  This took me through the little town of Kunkle (surname for a main character of Archer Mayer novels) and (via US-127) US-20 again.  Since Google Maps was still avoiding tolls (my request), I made my way through Toledo on some Interstates and side streets.  Still, though, there was very little traffic.  Before long, I found myself on OH-2 again (the route I'd used from Cleveland on Wednesday) and got to see the cooling tower of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station again.  From there, the speeds across Sandusky Bay and the northwestern Cleveland suburbs were very good and I soon found myself (at probably the 4.5 hour mark) on I-90.  The views of the city skyline and Lake Erie were wonderful and I had time (due to reduced traffic and no precipitation) to enjoy the views. No problem through the "Big Turn" near Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport.  After passing through the busiest part of the drive so far, I made great time all the way to Erie, PA.  I made a stop (for a break) at a rest area near there and, again, when I got on I-86 (just after crossing the New York border).  As I continued driving east, storm clouds started forming overhead and I ended up having to use my windshield wipers a good bit during the proceeding hours.  Music helped me pass the time but I was enjoying the drive more than I usually do - no traffic, speeds good, Google warnings of speed traps, etc.  I needed gas again by Hornell (where I'd stopped on the first night of the trip) and got fueled up at a Marathon there (1540).  Quickly getting back on the road (like I had for almost every stop), I continued east with the same strategies I'd been using - the miles just kept ticking away...  After passing through Binghamton and using I-81 to reach I-88, I was able to resume the cruise control game and called all three of my daughters and my dad. A bit later, I started debating whether to use any toll roads to skip some surface street driving in the Albany area - I toyed with the idea all the way to Duanesburg, where I usually get off the Interstate. This time, though, I continued to the end of I-88 and rejoined I-90.  Unfortunately, Google didn't seem to understand what I wanted and almost immediately got me off the Interstate at NY-7.  I have driven that way before but had forgotten the low speeds and residential feel of the road between I-90 and Troy.  As a result, I ended up being complacent about the cruise control and suddenly noticed a speed camera cart that was all lit up with a message about "Stay Safe on 7".  Kicking myself for letting my guard down, I stopped at a nearby Wendy's (in the town of Latham) to pick up some dinner and (quickly) check the internet for what might happen next (1925).  Fortunately, it appears that the cameras are not (yet) functional and I decided not to worry about the situation.  Departing to the east again, I suddenly realized that the familiarity of the landscape was due to the fact that I was passing my sister's (Carolyn's) house!  I felt bad about not having told her that I might be nearby so I called to talk to her.  Even though I begged off stopping (due to wanting to get home), she was nice about the whole situation and told me we could meet another time.  During this call, I made my way across the Hudson River, through Troy as fast as I've ever been able to do it and was soon driving towards Vermont on NY-7.  It was still light out and the miles had dwindled to about 100 to go before the "main event" (i.e., driving through the Green Mountains) began.  I avoided some more slow drivers, weathered a bit more rain and made it to NY/VT-279 soon afterwards.  Next, I took US-7 to the north until I got off in Manchester (VT).  From there, I used US-11 all the way to I-91.  It started getting dark as the road curved wildly but there was always enough ambient light to see things.  In fact, I was quite surprised to find myself on the Interstate and there was a pink glow on the western horizon that told me it was just after 2100 - pretty.  The rest of my drive (to I-89 and Lebanon) was mostly uneventful with one exception: at one point, I realized there was something in the road that I had to either avoid or drive over. Initially, I thought it was a dead animal - by the time I crossed over it, though, I'd figured out that it was a living porcupine!  There was no time to do something different, though, and the poor guy must have gotten a "quill cut" (or worse) as my high-wheel-base Jeep crossed his back...  Back at home (2200 - on the dot, like Google had predicted), I didn't find any damage from this encounter.  What an amazing trip - lots of good driving, fun meet-ups, wonderful weather on campus and good memories!