Once we knew that the repairs on our new coach had been completed, we started making plans for another westward journey, finally deciding that we would leave on Saturday, June 8th. Before heading out we had to figure out what we would need to take for our road trip in the van and what we would need to bring to use on the coach. It would be bad to forget our towing gear for example.

Since our nephew, 11 year old Jonathan, was to receive his black belt in Tae Kwon Do in Albany on Saturday night, Rob’s Dad decided to visit for a few days so he could attend the ceremony.  Since Albany was on our path, we picked Bob up at 8:00 a.m. and after stopping for breakfast at the Athens Diner (where they have a great 99 cent breakfast), we were on our way by 9:15 a.m.  It had rained all day on Friday so Saturday morning was a little dismal and drizzly but by around 10 a.m. the weather started to clear a bit.

After a very uneventful drive, we arrived at Dave and Nancy’s in Albany around 12:00 p.m. where we stayed for about an hour.  We didn’t want to dilly dally too long as we wanted to make it at least as far as Syracuse, NY by the end of the day.

Not much to say about this leg of the journey either other than everything was a lot greener than last time. Definitely a scenic drive with several miles following the banks of the Mohawk River, lots of vineyards, farms and rolling hills. Since we’ve already blogged about our previous trips, I didn’t bother to take many pictures (ah, yes, I can hear the sighs of relief out there).

We ended up at the Cresthill Suites in Syracuse where, as usual, Leo at the desk cut us the best deal he could. Previously we have stayed in a one bedroom King, but this time the only room available was a double queen studio on the first floor which had a full kitchen and was quite spacious and comfy. The rates are the same for either room.

On Sunday morning after the usual free continental breakfast at the hotel, we were on the road again by 8:00 a.m.  Well, Mrs. Garmin gave us the depressing news that our arrival time to our next stop, the Hampton Inn in Maumee, OH (just outside of Toledo) would be around 4:00 p.m.

Sigh, another long day of driving for Rob and another boring ride for me!  Oh well, that’s okay it was still fun to be away from the house and knowing that we were on our way to get our coach back.

As usual, around Cleveland, we ran into the ongoing road construction on both the west and east bound lanes as experienced on our previous trip  Do you ever wonder why there are miles and miles of orange barrels blocking a lane but no sign of construction anywhere?  Guess it’s our tax dollars at work! Should have gone into the highway marker barrel business!

Anyway we landed at the Hampton Inn in Maumee around 4:00 p.m. just as predicted. Pretty nice place!  Looked like the rooms had been renovated very recently, that is except the bathtub which had some chips in the porcelain, but no big deal at least everything was clean.

After checking out the room, we took a ride to the Fallen Timbers Monument on a bluff overlooking the Maumee River – at least that was how it was described in  the tourist information.

Sure, there was a bluff but there was no sign of a river. Apparently the foliage and the proximity of the bluff block a direct view of the river. The view is better described as a sea of green.

The Battle of Fallen Timbers (August 20, 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between American Indian tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy and the US for control of the Northwest Territory. The battle which was a decisive victory for the US ended major hostilities in the region.

After checking out the monument and the small park on the bluff, we took a ride down to River Road where we could actually get a look at the river. Very nice!

After our sightseeing expedition, we returned to the hotel.  For dinner, we ended up walking over to Schlotzcky’s Deli directly next door where we ordered a couple of sandwiches and soup to take back to the room.  Yummy! We don’t have any of these near us at home but we would definitely go back.

On Monday, as soon as I awoke I sensed it was going to be a dismal day.  The temp was in the mid-60’s but it was humid – actually, more like pouring rain! UGH!

The free breakfast at this particular Hampton Inn was a bit more satisfying than some of the lower cost hotel chains – they had scrambled eggs, sausage patties, bagel toppers (half a bagel topped with melted cheese and bacon), fruit, yogurt, oatmeal and pastries.  It was great!

Since Middlebury was only 200 miles away, we slow rolled our departure, leaving after 9:00 a.m. Unfortunately it rained/showered or drizzled the entire way.  We arrived at Entegra about noon.

Stay tuned for more about our second visit to Entegra!