Driving north from Morgantown, WV we entered Pennsylvania and to say it felt weird crossing that state border would be an understatement. We were now closer than we had been to our hometown in Bubbles in almost 1 year. Thinking that we had driven Bubbles in far flung destinations like Seattle, The Redwood Forest, San Diego, Big Bend Texas, Key West and now we were just one border crossing away from being back in New York. We were both excited and sad at the same time. We made it to our campground about 30 min South of Pittsburgh and set up camp for the night.
The next morning we woke up eager to explore. I had been to Pittsburgh on numerous occasions for both pleasure and work but Julie had never been and she was super excited. Our first stop for the day was a walk along Grandview Ave on the south side of the city. Pittsburgh is pretty unique as it sits where three rivers, (The Ohio, Allegheny and the Monongahela) meet. As the city is located in the Appalachian Mountains it is pretty hilly itself and Grandview Ave gives a great view of both the city and rivers. We walked along the sidewalk stopping at a few overlooks and taking pictures before checking out the Duquesne Incline. The Duquesne Incline is a small 1 car railroad of sorts. The track is 800 feet long and 400 feet in height. The car goes up the hill, which is at a 30-degree incline. It was built in 1877 to haul cargo up and down Mt. Washington and later used for passengers who were tired of having to take the footpaths up the hill. Today its one of Pittsburgh’s top tourist attractions as it gives great views of the city below. We watched the little railcar go up and down the mountain before buying a post card and going on our way.
Next stop for the day was Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood. The South Side neighborhood started as an industrial area in the late 1800’s but today has transitioned into an area with shops, restaurants, pubs and clubs. It was my favorite part of the city. We found parking for Bubbles and started to walk around. Our first stop was at the Fudge Farm. The Fudge Farm has homemade fudge, milkshakes, and homemade chocolates. We opted for the chocolate covered homemade marshmallow. We sat in a few of the swings dangling from the ceiling and ate (albeit very messily) our marshmallow. Next stop for the day was my favorite store as it is the craziest combination, S&S Candy and Cigar Store. You walk into to this blue building with a big metal door and you are in a kids candy shop. There are 4 or 5 rooms selling every candy imaginable. You can buy a single candy or an entire box of that candy. You then venture to the back of the big store and there is every tobacco product on the market. Cigars, cigarettes, loose tobacco and even machines to roll your own cigar or cigarette. Its just mind blowing that this is the same store selling two products completely different from one another and they have been there since 1965.
From the Candy/Cigar shop we walked a bit more coming to Fat Heads Brewery where we stopped for a flight of beers and for lunch. I had been a few times before and they did not disappoint. The beer was good and the burgers even better. From the South Side neighborhood we drove further into the city driving through the University of Pittsburgh and into the Shadyside neighborhood. We walked around for a bit before hopping back into Bubbles and driving through the Polish Hill neighborhood and the Strip District before heading back to our campground for the night. As great as Pittsburgh is as a city due to its hilliness driving a 22’ van through it makes for very difficult driving. We both decided that next time we came to the city we would either drive a smaller vehicle or park the van outside city limits and catch a cab into the city as we did when we visited San Francisco.
The next day we woke up packed up and we were off. Today was the day. We would be crossing back into our home state of New York. We drove north from Pittsburgh heading towards Erie, PA. As it was late June we had one stop to make before we crossed state lines into New York. My family has a lake cottage in the Adirondack Park of New York and every 4th of July we have one big party. Friends from all over the northeast and beyond come for a few days of rest, relaxation and nature. As it is the 4th of July however we do need one thing….fireworks! As it was until recently you could not buy fireworks in New York so you had to go to Pennsylvania to acquire them and from Rochester, Erie is the closest spot. We stopped in the town of Northeast, PA, just a mile or so from the New York border at our favorite fireworks store. As it was so close to the 4th of July the place was a zoo. Normally we would buy them a few months earlier as we would stop on our way to Cleveland to visit friends but as we were on the road in May we were stopping today, just a few short days from the 4th. Even though there were a few hundred people in the store they were fully stocked and we were able to buy what we needed before hopping back into Bubbles and crossing the state line.
That night we stopped at a KOA just south of Letchworth State Park and 2 hours south of Rochester. This was pretty neat as we were given a spot at the edge of the property, which backed up to woods and a horse farm. We grilled out for the last time then made a fire and roasted some marshmallows while looking at the stars. That night we slept pretty well except for the sound of muffled horse noises, which oddly sounded like yelling kids.
The next morning after breakfast we emptied out all of Bubbles water systems and cleaned as best as we could. We then hit the road driving north to the town of Avon, just south of Rochester, where Julie grew up. Meeting us in her driveway were her parents who gave us great big hugs before we went out for lunch with them. After a great lunch we climbed back into Bubbles and within 30 minutes were back in the city of Rochester and pulling into my Mom’s driveway where our journey started the year before. We had done it! From St. Johns, Newfoundland, Vancouver, British Columbia, San Diego, CA, Guadalajara, Mexico to Key West, FL we visited some amazing parts of the USA, Canada & Mexico!
Don’t fret, the Cruising with the Carey’s journey is not over! Over the next few weeks and months we will be posting blogs from different destinations we explored over the summer then we pack up Bubbles and start a new adventure.
Up Next……Our hometown – Rochester, NY!
