Roadtrip to South Dakota
Visiting Tripp, SD
We packed up and left at 10am, stopped at Home Depot and picked up some batteries, then headed north to Hwy. 34 to jump on Interstate 84 west. As we got on the Interstate at exit 11, we realized that amazingly, our friend Rich was right behind us. What are the chances of that happening? Rich called us on the cellphone and said he just past exit 10 and we said, "Yeah, we know, we see you behind us." He says, "That's perfect timing." Connecticut to South Dakota Travel Map
New York Interstate 84 west
We followed Interstate 84 into New York State. It's a nice sun shiny spring day for a roadtrip. After exit 17 in New York, we pulled into a Rest Area to synchronize our walkie talkies. I took a couple of pictures at the Rest Area. It was pretty scenic and called the Stormville rest area. Exit 16 is the Taconic State Parkway exit.
There's a Cracker Barrel at Exit 13 and lodging, like a Holiday Inn. Crossed over the Hudson River Bridge into Newburgh, NY. It's called the Newburgh Beacon Bridge and also The Hamilton Fish. See view of the Hudson River looking south. Stewart Airport is Exit 7s. There's 6 motels at Exit 6. Winding Hills Campground is at Exit 5. See a scenic parking area in western NY.
Pennsylvania Interstate 84 - 80 west
After you cross the Delaware River, you're in Pennsylvania. There is a Welcome Center after you cross the bridge and a sign that Welcomes you to Pennsylvania.
We pulled over to gas up the jeep, at exit 2, and the price was $3.09 a gal, the same as Connecticut. Gas... $3.07, coffee $1.65. There's a Rest Area between Exit 26 and Exit 20 which is Greentown and Lake Wallenpaupack. There's a Comfort Inn at Exit 17, and a Truck Stop called Howes Diesel. Mount Cobb is at Exit 8, along with a Park and Ride.
Pennsylvania Interstate 81 south
When we got to Carbondale, we jumped on Interstate 81 going south. Exits 182a, 182b have a lot of activity. Lots of hotels and you can see their signs from the Interstate. Also at Exit 178 is where the Scranton Airport is. There's a Rest Area between Exit 159 and Exit 155 and an Econo Lodge at Exit 155.
Pennsylvania Interstate 80 west
At Exit 151 we exited to Bloomburgh and got on Interstate 80 west. Penn State University is Exit 256. Gas is 2.99 here. At Exit 241 traffic suddenly slowed to a crawl.
Construction moved everyone into one lane on both sides of the Interstate. They are also rebuilding the bridge over the Susquahanna River. More construction was going on at Exit 224. There's a rest area between exit 214 and exit 224 going west Then we passed a sign that said, "Welcome to the Pennsylvania Wilds. Before Exit 192 there is a Rest Area.
We're going to Exit 173, and this puts us about halfway through the state of Pennsylvania. And now I know why, there is a Flying
J station here. Very nice place indeed, and the surrounding
hills are very scenic. At the ramp there is a Comfort Inn and a Hampton Inn.
Back on the road after a quick snack, it's 6pm. We plan on traveling till 10pm, or a couple hundred more miles. There's a Rest Area west of Exit 147. The sun was setting by the time we reached St. Petersburg, PA.
We took exit 15 and headed south and ate supper at Rachel's Roadhouse. There was a 40 minute wait though because of being Friday night, so we walked across the street to look at a historical marker and took a picture of the roadhouse lit up at night. We then played some shuffleboard in the bar. See a picture inside Rachels Roadhouse. We were back on the road by 10:50 pm.
Ohio Interstate 76
After we left Rachel's Roadhouse in Mercer, Pennsylvania, we continued traveling through Ohio and got through some major cities at night, like Akron. In Mansfield we pulled into a Meijer's shopping center to spend the night. They have a huge parking lot and a real nice store.
Hwy. 30 May 5, 2007
In the morning we headed toward Indiana. Staying on Hwy. 30, which is a real nice and scenic highway with lots of farmhouses. It is cloudy today though, so all the pictures I take will be overcast. You may even want to stop at this popular antique barn. You'll also see roadside farm equipment working. This farm tractor has monster wheels. You will see plenty of US 30 Fireworks stores too. They are open all year round.
We stopped in Beaverdam at the Flying J and filled up with gas at $3.11 a gal. They had a lunch buffet going on in the Cookery restaurant, so we stopped and ate. I wanted breakfast so I ordered from the menu, and the guys were finished eating before my breakfast even came.
Rich says that when we get to Fort Wayne Indiana than we are halfway to our destination, which is Tripp South Dakota. Fort Wayne International Airport is Exit 99.
We took Hwy. 30 through Indiana and all the way through Chicago Heights. Here's a sample of the scenic farmfields you will pass. Then on the other side of Chicago Heights, we took Interstate 80 west (exit 345B) to Ottawa and stopped at a Cracker Barrel for some Pinto Beans and cornbread. Ottawa is like the middle of Illinois. Gas is $3.09 here. At midnight we exited Hwy. 30 to find a Super Walmart to sleep at, in the RV. See the Mississippi River bridge.
Interstate 380 north Sun. May 6 2007
In the morning we ate breakfast at a Steak and Shake. At this point, we're 500 miles from Tripp, SD. We took Interstate 380 north to Cedar Rapids and it looks really nice. Heading out of Cedar Rapids, there are many farmhouses and farmfields. It truly makes you feel like your in "America's Bread Basket." Many of the farms have towers, but we haven't seen any windmills. Today it s pretty windy and overcast. They had tornados in Kansas Friday, and the storm supposedly headed north. We passed Brandon Iowa, and a sign says, "Home of the World's Largest Frying Pan." Gas in Iowa is $2.89.
By the time we reached Waterloo it had started pouring rain. We were kind of glad because the car needed to be washed. But that also means... no more pictures. We stopped in Webster City Iowa to get gas at $2.99 at a BP. The wind was whipping.
Following Hwy. 20
When we got to Galva Iowa, it was so windy I refused to get out of the car. In Northern Iowa they have "stepped farms" I also took a picture of a windmill farm.
We took 29 west around Sioux City, and got a nice view of the town. A nice Missouri riverfront town with casino.
South Dakota To Connecticut in 2 days
Day 1
-Left South Dakota at 9:10am with half a tank of gas.
-Arrive Sioux City Iowa 11:40
-Arrive in Illinois 6pm
-Arrive Indiana 8:30pm
-Drove into Ohio, stopped at rest area for night in Van Wert County
Day 2
-Left rest area 7:30am, arrive PA line at 11am
-Arrive New York 7pm
-Arrive Connecticut 8pm
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