Our Last Day!!

Well, it was with some trepidation that we left our last Holiday Inn Express in Sunbury, OH on Wednesday, November 2nd as we knew the end of our journey was near.  While it was a short drive for us (8 hours), we thought we would just take in a few more sites on our way.  Our first stop was Ashtabula, OH on the shores of Lake Erie.
It was a cute little town with some beautiful waterfront areas.  Here is a picture of Walnut Beach in Ashtablua Harbor.  The breakwall is a mile long and the perfect place for fishing.  Lake Erie was a magnificent spanse of blue-green water.  Actually, hard to believe it wasn't an ocean.

Walnut Beach, Ashtabula, OH

Just down the road a bit was another great little lake town called Conneaut, OH. 

Here is a picture of the Conneaut Lighthouse.

For anyone who gets the chance to visit - Ashtabula County is home to 16 wineries and is known as the Napa Valley of the East, 18 covered bridges and 2 lighthouses.  Wish we could have spent more time poking around, but hey, that's just a quick day trip away from Caz!!!!

After a very quick sprint through Pennsylvania we ARRIVED!!!!!!!

While the trees had few, if any, leaves on them, we realized just how colorful the landscape is in New York.  The rolling hills, the green grass, the patchwork of farmlands - we have a new appreciation for the beauty it holds.

We stopped for our last meal on the road in Pittsford, NY at a great little restaurant called Simply Crepes located waterfront on the Erie Canal.  It was recommended by my teammate Ruth for their gluten-free fare on Larry's behalf - thanks Ruth!!!  The crepes were outstanding!!

We drove around the bottom of the lake as we entered town and turned the corner onto Forman Street. We both looked at each other and said, "We're home!!"  In all the sights we saw, we realized that Cazenovia was truly one of the most beautiful places we had been and we felt so blessed that this is where our journey ended.   



As we returned the "Nuclear Fusion" to it's rightful owners at the airport that night we realized that we were actually going to miss it.  It had accomplished so many things on our trip.  It renewed our faith in Ford.  It carried us safely and without problems from coast to coast.  And, it was our cozy little "home on wheels" that took us exactly 6,002 miles in 12 days and shared our trip of a lifetime with us! 

  

In closing, people have often told me how lucky I am to have a guy like Larry to share my life with.  It is not luck, it is truly a gift!  For those of you who know me well, you know I can tend to run circles around myself.  During the 30 years we have been married, Larry has always been my rudder.  He keeps me grounded and focused without saying a word.  His quiet, calm, steady character has kept me on the "path" endlessly throughout our years together.  And, he has been my rock and my soft place to fall whenever I needed either.  Without his never-ending support, I realize I truly would not have had the opportunity to become the person I am today.   He is all of this, and so much more, to each of our children as well.  It is because of him and his willingness to "go the distance" with me that this journey came to be.   From the bottom of my heart, I thank you Larry for this gift of making sure that I made it to Nationals, but even more, for the gift of you!