Chapter 4


Aug 6, 2000
Hello everyone, Just another episode of the traveling gadabouts. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day.
I got my usual chores done here and then dug out the
My turn to pack the lunch, which consisted of rolls, bologna, cheese, turkey, potato and macaroni salad, pickles, chips, peanut butter crackers and diet 7up (haha) had to stick to my diet.		.
Vel picked me up at 1pm and she let me drive. (breaking me in for Branson). We headed out toward Mays Landing which is about 15 miles west of us. What a glorious day for a picnic!!! We just drove along looking at the sites and were thankful we were not heading toward the shore. Wow! the traffic was bumper to bumper, People sitting in their cars just staring like they were in a trance. Not too many smiling either. Well this went on for about 10-15 miles. We decided to go through Mays Landing because we wanted to avoid traffic as much as possible. After a while we were more or less in the country, passed several parks. and one of them looked so nice, but just too many cars parked. There is a stream that runs through this place and there were people in large inner tubes floating down it. Looked like a lot of fun.

We continued our drive on to Hammonton and took 206 north, I had said I would like to go to Stokes State Park, and Vel said, "Oh Ok". Well I drove mile after mile until we drove through Trenton, (our state capitol) and of course had to hit the back area of the city and you know how that it. It sort of shocked us to see so many beautiful homes now all boarded up and actually in a slum area. So sad. We continued on our little journey, and went through lots of little towns, just beautiful with such large trees overhanging the streets and the green grass with so many colorful flowers. Funny you never see too many people in these places. You wonder where they all go. We decided they are all heading to the shore. Anyway, guess what? Vel got out the map and was looking to see where we were after all of this driving, you guessed it, no where near Stokes. For some reason I thought it was only about 30 miles above Trenton, WRONG!!!



According to the map it looked like we might be another 100 miles from there. Don't know where I was the last time we were there. Here it is way up in the NW corner of New Jersey at a place called High Point. Vel said, well if you want to go, Hah, no way. I glanced at my watch. it was 3:30 already. I said"Vel, we will never make it. I have to be home at 9 PM , so on we go, making a turn, thinking we could go to Washington's Crossing.

It is beautiful there. Has a nice park with a little stream and also a tall tower that was used as a lookout during the Revolutionary War. You can climb the spiral stairs, but oh boy it is hot in there. They have little cutouts in the side of the wall where you can sit and rest is need be. so we decided to go there.
I know I am getting old, because I kept saying it is near Hopewell, Well soon found out, we were not heading for Washingtons Crossing in that direction so we had to turn and headed south. According to the map it was near New Hope, Oh sh__ I really goofed, oh well, on we go, gosh knows how many miles now, but finally we see a sign Washington Crosssing 7 miles, well we went in that direction, no more signs, so up and down roads, we went, absolutely gorgeous scenery, lots of high hills, and woods. The trees were so tall and the branches were so long it made like a tunnel over the roads. Vel said "Oh! it is so dark in here, where is the sunlight? Oh here it is"! This went on for several miles. It was so serene and quiet, hardly any cars. Then we saw the Delaware River still haven't found the park, saw all kinds of signs, but not for what we wanted, OH Look! there is a park, yea a public park with swings, and community swimming pools, some grass, we pulled in there, did have a picnic bench but no scenery, who wants to eat looking at a parking lot.LOL. Well we continued our journey, and by this time it is getting to feel like one. We decided to head out in another direction, we come to a bridge over the River, NOW, we are in Hopewell, Pennsylvania side.

A beautiful quaint town, lots of shops, restaurants really an interesting place to visit, but not on Saturday in the summertime. Wall to wall people, It has very narrow sidewalks and on both sides with stores. People walking in the streets, motorcycles, cars, looong lines of cars, Well talk about shattered nerves. we both have to pee, haven't eaten yet and we are so unconfortable, we are laughing at all of this happening to us. LOL. We drove on through and went up a big hill thinking maybe we would find a park up there, Nope, looked like an exclusive neighbohood, big mansions, golf course, tennis courts. the whole bit. It was really nice but not what we were looking for. Oh well down the hill we go. ooops "detour" another 10 miles out of our way, Haha, out of our way? hell we don't even know where we are let alone where we are going. Now we continue on come to a highway, OMG, Pennsylvania turnpike, get a ticket, no sooner through the toll booth, see a sign, New Jersey keep left. so off we go. Now we are tired and need to get out of the car. Finally, we see a Mcdonalds rest stop, still on the Pa. turnpike. we go to off ramp, park the car and almost run to the ladies room. Aaahh. What a relief!!

Back to the car, look across the parking lot, see a nice large green area with several picnic tables. by this time we are ready to eat in the car, so we drove over to that area. It was nice, no water though, Lined with a lot of trees and shade. So needless to say we took out the picnic basket, put the tablecloth on the table and sat and ate. Talked about the Branson Trip, told jokes. talked about kids. etc. you know just everyday gibber. We laughed thinking we traveled 153 miles and now it is after 5pm/ and here we are in a Mc Donalds picnic area. Haha, next week we are staying in our own area and check out the parks here. Well we spent about an hour or so and then took off again. We went on many roads up and down, until we finally got back to some road we were familiar, Decided to take a road to Glassboro, for a change of scenery, ha, wrong road, but we were on a great highway, hardly any traffic and it took us all the way down to and beyond my area. We finally got back on route 9 headed north. When we left the picnic area, Vel took over the driving. As we finally got on that route 55 it was now 7pm. and we laughed and said "OH have 2 more hours,Vel said yea, maybe we can stop and have ice cream. Of course I was for that. Well we never did find a custard stand along the way and then when we finally got on Route 9 it was 8:35, and we had another 25 miles to go. We were driving along enjoying and laughing about our wonderful day, reminicing over the fact we never found the park etc. when ALL OF A SUDDEN !! the lights from the mirro lit up the car.


Vel said "who turned the lights on?" I was sitting with my hands under my legs, so I know I didn't, I said " I didn't", Vel said well someone did, and in the mean time she is trying to turn them off. and we are wondering how they went on, I turned and looked at the back seat, and said "WHo in the heeelll turned the lights on. I said is one of those grannies back there.? Vel burst out laughing and we were both hysterical. In the meantime we had to pull into a Country Club parking lot to find out how to turn the lights off. We are still trying to find out how they went on. We are both laughing so hard we are actually shedding tears, and that was the real reason for pulling off. It was so funny, I finally found the buttons up under the mirro and turned them off. We sat there crying and joking back and forth as to who in the h___turned them on. After giving a lot of though to it. Vel decided it must have been when she adjusted the mirro and had hit the buttons, I said "both of them? Well, yea, guess so, was the reply. We just know deep down that one of the grannies was hiding in the back seat and spooked us. LOL. I guess we didn't pay attention or notice the lights were on during our trip home and we were in a lot of well lit areas until we hit that one spot that was so dark and then the car lit up so bright that it actually scared the both of us. Well we arrived home at exactily 8:55PM. still had 5 minutes to spare. Could have had ice cream if we ate it on the way, haha. So there you are, another thrilling episode of the traveling grannies going to nowhere. Drove 278 miles and never did find a park. LOL. thanks for reading and letting me take up so much of your time. Lots of love and hugs to all.



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