The return trip: Williamsburg to Encinitas

Day 1, June 5, Friday, 247 miles today, 4489 miles total including the trip out and 792 miles added while staying in Williamsburg.

Friday through Monday in Maryland with Deb, Mike, Mal & Jake

We made the always exciting drive north on I-95, the Beltway around D.C. and the Beltway around Baltimore (we can't use the tunnels in Baltimore because we carry propane) and arrived in Forest Hill, MD on Friday afternoon. We met the new puppy, Izzie, who was recovering from a broken leg.

Jake was headed off to his school dance Friday evening so we got a couple shots of him and Mal before he left. I guess flip flops are acceptable attire for a dance these days.

It was time for Grandma Lorri to get some hair coloring done! Mal was supervising.

Jake later demonstrated his lawn-mowing prowess.

Dinner prep

Jake is trying out for JV football

Izzie, the lap dog

On Monday while Mike was at work and the kids were at school (we think), Deb, Lorri and I went out for a nice lunch at Havre de Grace, a nice little town on the Chesapeake Bay.

We had a good lunch (but slow service) at the Tidewater and a beverage later at, um, another place.

Jake had a game Monday evening during which he played centerfield, shortstop and pitcher, had a hit and scored a run.

Day 5, June 9, Tuesday, 200 miles, 4689 total

We left Forest Hill, MD in the morning and headed toward State College, PA, on our way to Cleveland. It's sort of a round-about way to get to Cleveland but had some extra time and thought that a cruise around Penn State might be fun.

We found a place to park on College Avenue and walked around town for a bit.

We then attacked the new and improved Creamery for some Peachy Paterno and mocha chocolate chip - excellent stuff.

We spent the night at Bald Eagle State Park, just north of Bellefonte where we made a great dinner of country ribs and baby whites cooked on the barbie.

We were visited briefly by a big fat skunk but he or she didn't hang around long.

Day 6, June 10, Wednesday, 292 miles (including driving around Chagrin and University Heights), 4981 total

On the way to Cleveland we managed to find and stop at two Pennsylvania wineries, Laurel Mountain and Wilhelm. Check out the sign next to me in the photo on the left.

Both of them had some OK wines and at Wilhelm we were able to by some local Pennsylvania cheeses which turned out to be very good.

Wednesday evening we had the pleasure of visiting with Elise & Jon and their kids, Kate and Elizabeth as well as the newlyweds, Adam and Lauren. We stayed at Kevin and Mary's place in Chagrin but unfortunately they both were out of town.

We had a great night with pizza and drinks and it was good to see everyone again, even Finn the dog!

Day 7, June 11, Thursday, 149 miles, 5130 total

We weren't due at Sean & Ashlee's until Friday so we thought we'd check out the Lake Erie Islands near Port Clinton and Sandusky again. We had visited Put-in-Bay on previous trip and enjoyed it.

This time we took the ferry to Kelleys Island and were glad we did. It's a small Island a mile or so off the coast with a couple small hotels, quite a few B&B's and a few restaurants and bars.

Of course, since it was Thursday night, we had to visit a couple of the local establishments in observance of Martini Night. Captain's Corner was one such place.

And the Village Pump was another.

The State Park campground was near the "Glacial Grooves State Monument", a sandstone formation created by advancing glaciers during the last ice age, probably last January.

Here are some groovy photos. By the way, I would recommend this Island as a great vacation spot or weekend getaway for anyone living in the area. It seems far removed from the cities but it's not far from Cleveland or Detroit.

Day 8, June 12, 127 miles, 5257 total

So it was back on the ferry to the mainland and off to Detroit.

It was a colorful little ferry and an enjoyable little island.

We had a great al fresco lunch on the water in Port Clinton.