Day 2: Macungie, PA to Parkersburg, WV

Total Miles Driven - 506

Today’s Miles - 405

Thursday, May 26th

Pennsylvania is a beautiful state! That is, if you don’t take the Turnpike. I’ll confess (sorry PA residents), but I was not looking forward to my drive through Pennsylvania. I’ve driven across the Keystone State dozens of times for work or to visit family in Ohio. I have always found it monotonous as I traveled the 100-foot by 360-mile path called the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Furthermore, I’ve found it way overpriced. Being on a glorified motorcycle (Vespa GTS), though, I am taking state routes and the byways as I traverse the country. Many of these more humble roads parallel the interstate highways that cross America, but they offer much better views and  plenty of places to experience quintessential small town USA.

I spent a lot of time in the saddle today and logged many miles. So, I can take downtime with my parents, daughter, and sisters (more so my nieces and nephews) in Ohio before continuing my trip out West. It will also give my body some time to rest. In doing so, I caught myself contemplating whether I should do a U-turn to capture photos of incredible views of Americana. More times than not, I kept driving to meet my miles per hour goal. I think this has a lot to do with my personality. I enjoy reaching the destination, or the goal, more than I do the journey. Many people have asked me, “Why are you driving a Vespa across the country?” In part, it’s been to slow down and enjoy what the day brings. Here’s to hoping I can get better at appreciating what the path has to offer as I journey on.

Note: Several of you left comments, but I accidentally deleted them. Let’s just say I am new at blogging. Sorry.