Road Trip Day 7: Cleveland, OH to Pottstown, PA
Distance driven: 427 mi
Time including all stops:10 hours 8 minutes
The hotel deal we had gotten at the Radisson did not include breakfast. I was hoping we would have time to walk to Public Square and grab a bite at a coffee shop like the workers in downtown Cleveland tend to do, but it seemed too time consuming. Instead, we had a buffet breakfast at the Library Grille, the restaurant inside the hotel. It was okay, but the best hotel breakfast was definitely at the Comfort Inn in Cody, Wyoming. Their waffles were the fluffiest, and the hardboiled eggs were pre-peeled. The atmosphere was a winner, too.
We left the hotel (with all of my possessions as far as I could tell) at about 8:50 a.m. It was remarkably easy to get onto the freeway and out of Cleveland. The drive through Ohio and into Pennsylvania was largely uneventful except for two personal things. First, once we crossed into Pennsyvlania, I realized I was home. Even though Philadelphia was still a few hundred miles away, Western Pennsylvania’s roads and scenery were as familiar to me as the rock walls on Interstate 76 West towards Valley Forge. I realized this would be the last state I’d be crossing into for a while.
Turning 100
The second thing that happened is that Baby (my car) had a milestone—she turned 100,000 miles. At first I felt bad that I had not been behind the wheel at that historic moment. Since the road we were on was narrow, slow, and windy, though, my mother and I concluded that if I had been behind the wheel I would have ended up focusing on the odometer instead of the road, or vice versa. Either way the results would not have been good.
There was no time to get out of the car and celebrate or light a candle, let alone bake a cake. All of that celebrating happened inside my soul. And while it may seem silly to make such a fuss about a machine, it is important to note that devotion to automobiles is one of the few aspects of my personality that is Californian (love of decent Mexican food and caring about who wins awards for television and movies are the other two). Baby is also one of the few things in my life that has remained constant over the past 10 years. And she has been dependable for all but two days in those 10 years. Who doesn’t need to celebrate a friend like that?
Fallingwater
At mile 100,001 on my car, we pulled into the parking lot of Fallingwater. This was a home that the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright built for the Kaufmanns, a family of department store owners from Pittsburgh. The tour guide explained the system of cantilevers that were used to balance the house over a waterfall. She showed how Wright made use of natural light, the sound of the waterfall, windows, ceilings, and space to direct people’s attention to nature. She also pointed out the parts of the house design or decoration that were chosen by the Kaufmanns, sometimes over Wright’s objection. We took a short walk to an area with a view of the house and the waterfall together. Then we returned to the Visitors Center.
We left Fallingwater at about 2:30. A mere four and a half hours later, we arrived in Pottstown, a town one hour west of Philadelphia. It’s not a historical site, though nearby Hopewell Furnace and French Creek State Park are worth a visit. We were there to spend a night at the home of Bob and Barbara Brown, our family friends and my home away from home
Mom took a tour of Bob’s postal museum while I chatted with Barbara. We finally got out of the house and headed towards dinner. Although Barbara is a fine cook, Mom had insisted on taking them out in exchange for putting us up. They drove us to the Brinton Lodge in Douglassville, a historic old house that was converted to a restaurant. Reportedly it is haunted, but the only strange noises and lights we noticed were from the cars and people heading to the bar out back.
The portions of chicken, pork, and veal were ample and delicious. We had no room for dessert. We went back to the house, where Barbara gave us some Wilbur Chocolates, a denser, less sugary version of Hershey’s kisses. Shortly after, we turned in for the night.
Tags: Pennsylvania/New Jersey, Road Trip USA, Travel, U.S.
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