Wednesday, October 25, 2000

When we last left our travelers, this is where they were:

Caryn has just announced that the van is infested with ladybugs, inside and out!   I hope she's exaggerating!

Due to the late afternoon proliferation of bugs, we decide to pack up, and blow this town.   We finish packing up, go to the country store, and pay the $28 we owe for two nights camping, and hit the road around 5pm.   We drive until we get to the town of Georgetown, KY.   We first stop at the Village Inn, but after examining two rooms, we decided that we couldn't stay at this place.  Sometimes you get zonked with the coupie book.  We drove down the street and Caryn checked out the Winners Circle Motel, which was American owned, and much cleaner (and a few bucks cheaper at $32 with tax).  We dropped our bags inside, and headed out for a bite to eat.   At some point during the drive, we passed into Eastern Standard Time, so by now it was after 10 pm, and most places were closed.   We settle on Waffle House for a quick bite.   There were lots of surreal things going on there, including the morbidly obese customer with the eye patch, and a singing waitress who was telling her story of being put on the street by her mother the day she graduated high school.   She wasn't bitter, she said "It was the best thing she could have done for me".   And I'm thinking, "Ok, you're the night manager at The Waffle House, waiting on a bunch of miscreants, and this was the good outcome?"   This was one place I wished I'd had a video camera, so that I could have taped us eating waffles while Elvis was belting out GLORY GLORY on the jukebox.   We paid our tab and left, before things had a chance to get weird!

Back at the hotel, we decided to set the alarm, and wake up in time to stand by for the 10 am tour at the Toyota Manufacturing Plant in Georgetown.  All the tours were booked, so we couldn't get a reservation.  Thursday morning, Mary gets up, showers and packs, then woke Caryn to do the same.   At this point, Caryn tells Mary that she never set her watch forward one hour to Eastern time, so that it was really 9:30 am.   Too late to make the 10 am tour, so we packed up, and hoped for room on the noon tour.   We drove the few miles to Toyota, and were amazed at the size of the complex there.   It seemed as if it went on forever.   We were greeted with the news that indeed there were spaces available for us.   We picked up our complimentary safety goggles, headed off to watch the video.  We then boarded the tram, which drove us through the factory, avoiding employees on bicycles.   We wore headsets to block the outside noise, and to hear the narration of our guide.   We were dazzled by lots of facts during the tour: the factory is the size of 156 football fields under roof, and every Avalon and Sienna in the world comes from this plant in Kentucky, (as well as some Camrys).  It takes 18 hours to make a vehicle, and eight of those are spent in the painting area.   Toyota doesn't warehouse any parts, they only keep an eight hour supply of parts in house, which is why, the tour guide said, there are so many trucks on the interstate.   He was right.   Of all the welds in a ve-HICK-el, robotic machines perform 97%. The 4000 workers produce 2000 cars per day.   Each employee on the line has 55 seconds to perform their job. We also learned that starting salary for a worker is $19.50 per hour, and that the average worker on the floor makes over $60,000 per year.   These jobs are so highly sought after, there is a 2 1/2-year waiting list for new hires.   Also, Toyota encourages good job attendance, and at the end of the year, they throw a party for employees that haven't missed a day.  At the end of the evening, 15 names are drawn, and those 15 employees each win a new car, for which Toyota pays the taxes and title.   So far, there are at least two employees who have won two vehicles! (Enough of the Toyota commercial!)

After the hour tour was over, we stopped by the visitor center to check out the souvenirs, the then headed downtown for some lunch.   We found a barbecue joint called The Frisky Pig, where we had a great lunch, and Mary got a tee shirt, which encourage her to "Dream Frisky, Think Frisky, Be Frisky".  Then it was back on the road to Charleston, WV and our rendezvous with Amy Floren.  

Amy met us in the parking lot, bearing some packages we had shipped to her office, including all our film up through White Sands, which was processed and sent to her.   She almost had a stroke when she saw the inside of our van.  I guess it could be considered messy and overcrowded.  After this, it was decided that Amy was to be the tour guide/driver for the next few days of fun in the greater Charleston area.  Amy was relieved when we were able to ascend the stairs to her apartment, she was a bit fearful after reading of our dessert filled trek across the continent.

Actually, it was a real treat to be driven around by someone else, after five weeks in the van!  First stop: Sushi!   We had a great dinner, and Mary even got to drive the new Corolla home.   Friday morning Amy went off to work, while Caryn and Mary edited film, then went for a walk downtown, where we had lunch, bought slide pages at the camera store, and had a coffee at Taylor Books.   Then it was back to the apartment, to edit some more.   When Amy returned from a hard day at the office, it was off to a carbo loading dinner of pasta, since Amy was running the next morning in the Great Pumpkin 5K.

Saturday morning the cheering squad was up before daylight, and ready to join Amy for the race.   We headed out the door at the ungodly hour of 7:30 am!   We headed up the windy roads to the Kanawha State Forest, site of the race.   At this point I must mention that Amy has become quite a good driver; I only feared for my life once, and that was when a mad dog began chasing the car as we drove through Cracker town.   Amy did us proud, finishing with a time of 28:53.   She almost walked away with a medal, but she finished fourth in her age group.   Not too bad for her second race.

After the race it was back to the apartment for Amy to shower, and Mary to ingest some more caffeine.  It's not easy keeping up with that runner's high!  After a brief rest, we were on the road to the New River Gorge, and a look at the world's longest single arch steel span bridge (3030 feet), which was designed by Amy's company.   We braved the drizzle and walked to the overlook for a better view.   Getting a bit closer you can really appreciate the span, and also the height, which is 876 from the deck to the base of the gorge.   Fools from all over come to this bridge for Bridge Day, a one day event when it is legal to base jump using a parachute or bungee cord. This event occurs on the third Saturday of October.  After this, it's off to lunch, where we have some great Panini sandwiches, and more caffeine.  

Next stop on our tour THE MYSTERY HOLE, or as we like to call it, House of Nausea.   This is a roadside attraction on route 60, which is a Quonset hut with VW beetle sticking out the side.   After paying our $3 admission, we pass the sign that warns "not responsible for after effects" and "shoes recommended for tour" and it was down the hole.   We wouldn't want to give away the mystery, but let's just say that water flows uphill and all leave very queasy and disoriented.   After emerging from the hole, we head over to Hawks Nest State Park, to fill ourselves with fresh air, and try to shake off the after effects of the Mystery Hole.   Feeling somewhat better, it's back in the car for the drive home to Charleston.   When we get back, Amy fixes a delicious dinner of vegetarian chili and rice.   Yum!   After dinner, Caryn and Amy prepare sketches trying to explain the mystery of the Mystery Hole, while Mary just tries to forget the whole thing.

Sunday morning all are feeling recovered from the Mystery Hole, but Mary does notice that all her gray hair is gone!!! ... Could there be a correlation, or is it due to stress free life on the road?

Amy starts us off with a delicious asparagus frittata.   Then it s downtown for a quick trip to the mall for some intimate apparel for Caryn.   Amy is hesitant to walk through the mall with us, since she fears there's a lot of stimulation out there and it could take all afternoon.   When she mentions that shopping with us is like going with her mother, we buckle down, and make a bee line to the watch kiosk.   As soon as the mission is complete, we head back to the car.   Mary remarks to Amy that Caryn has never walked thru a store so quickly in her life.   She's proven right when Caryn complains the next day of shin splits, "probably from walking through the mall with Amy ".

Sunday evening Amy delights us with a feast of home made corn chowder, followed by roast leg of lamb with gravy, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.   After dinner, we have home made apple-pear pie, topped with ice cream.   It doesn't get any better than this! After a fabulous dinner, and a dose of Amy's great stories, including the one where Amy is asked by a flight attendant to give up her roomy aisle seat to a women with an artificial leg, we vow never to leave!   Reluctantly, we head off to bed, for our last night in Charleston.

Monday morning we awaken in time to bid Amy farewell as she heads off to work.   We pack up our belongings, and make a quick stop downtown at Taylor Books, so Caryn can have on last Mocha Blast, the best frozen coffee drink she s ever had, and begin the drive back to Long Island.   We stop for lunch at Mason's Barn in Cumberland, MD, and finish up with homemade mud pie, featuring an Oreo crust, and Haagen-Daaz coffee ice cream.   Mary makes a quick cup of latte in the van, while Caryn pays the check.   Then it s back on the road, for few more hours.   We arrive in East Rockaway at 9 pm, and hit the hay.  

We've had a great trip, and have mixed feelings about it coming to an end.   Generally, Caryn is the more anxious to be home, and is quite delighted to do a load of wash on Tuesday morning, without quarters.   Mary is more regretful that the trip is over, and that the gray hairs may be returning, although washing dishes in a sink with hot running water is now quite a luxury.

If any of you are heading out on the highways and byways, and would like any specific information on areas we traveled, we'd be happy to share whatever info we have with you.  

Thanks for traveling with us.