Roadtrip update 2

Still no pix. Can't find the cable to connect the camera to the computer. Thought I remembered where it lives but it's not there. May be at home.

Stayed at the KOA in Bellefont PA near State College. Went to Penn's Cave with the boat tour which includes coming out the other end into a lake surrounded by pasture/woods with elk, deer, etc. and ducks on the lake. Then back through the cave to the dock, up the 48 steps, up the steep walk. And done.

Next day off to Penn State campus to see the Frost Entomological Museum. Sadly, closed for renovations until next Spring. Consoled ourselves with ice cream at the Ag College's famous Creamery across the street. Bought asiago cheese and summer sausage as a gift for Phyllis.

Thursday drove to Irwin PA to visit Phyllis Palm, a co-worker of mine at the KOA in Madison, summer of 2008. We've stayed in touch and it was great to see her. We basically collapsed on Friday and did nothing. Took her out to dinner that evening, her choice was the Eat&Park restaurant which had a good salad bar. I should have gotten that too but instead I ordered a steak salad. What I got was a glob of flattened ribeye (sort of like SteakUms) with some cheese on it, french fries under the steak blob, and then a generic salad. I ate two bites of the "steak" and pushed it aside. When I complained to the manager later, she said "sorry."

Sat. noonish Jason came after us. He worked with the both Amy and me at Reader's Corner bookstore in Asheville and has been in Pittsburgh for four years. We went for lunch down on The Strip, a commercial area for receiving goods from trains, so there are fish shops, meat shops, Polish deli shops, and so forth. Lots of street stalls, too, and crowds of people. We ate in a Mexican restaurant which started as a street stall and just got big. Good stuff.

Jason then took us on a 2-hour driving tour of the city, including up to a Lookout platform that has a grand vista of the city and the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio River. We also saw the Andy Warhol Bridge which was hung with handmade blankets. There's also a Rachel Carson Bridge, along with many others.

That evening we went to his local bar, about a block away. The bartender had never heard of a gimlet so I told him the ingredients and received a highball glass of about 7/8ths gin and 1/8th rose's lime juice. Yowie. Halfway through I was buzzed and Jason walked me back to his place. He and Amy wandered in about 1am and we all crashed about 2am. Got up about 11am and went for brunch to a local cafe ( I had eggs benedict). Weak tea and coffee, though.

Then he brought us on back to Phyllis' so he could go meet friends at the Ren Fair out in the county. I went to it with Phyllis back in '08 and Amy didn't care to go, so we napped and read till Phyllis got back from her great-grandson's 4th birthday party. Spent a quiet evening watching TV and reading.

Starting for home tomorrow morning. Stopover at the KOA near Lexington VA.

Pix eventually.