Family Reunion trip summary--part three

Monday, July 4
I had breakfast from the hotel’s breakfast bar—a glass of juice and some granola cereal. After loading my suitcases into the car, I asked the hotel clerk if he could provide me with directions to Cooperstown, NY, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I had studied the road atlas and had a little bit of trouble discerning an exact route from Albany to this small town. The clerk was able to give me the exact directions. The route took me through some pretty pastoral farmlands and mountains. I left Albany very early in the morning because I had hoped to beat any crowds in Cooperstown.
When I arrived at the outskirts of Cooperstown, I saw a parking lot that served as part of the shuttle service to the Hall. I decided not to park there. Instead, I parked in front of the Ostego County Courthouse four blocks away from the hall. The downtown area was filled with baseball souvenir shops including a Pete Rose memorabilia store. Apparently, some storeowner believes that Pete Rose belongs in Cooperstown if not in the Hall of Fame.
I spent three hours in the Hall of Fame. First, I toured the Hall of Fame inductees room. I examined each plaque and took pictures of the George Brett and Ozzie Smith plaques. Next, I took time to look at the broadcasting wing where baseball broadcasters are enshrined. Part of the display had a baseball in movies theme. It was interesting to see what was said of some of my favorites like “Bull Durham” and “Field of Dreams.” The rest of the museum was dedicated to the history of the game itself. I enjoyed looking over the display of baseball cards of players past and present. Finally, I spent forty minutes in the gift shop. As I left the Hall of Fame, my watch told me that I spent over three hours in the facility.
As I walked back to my car, I had to dodge crowds of people. Cooperstown, like any other small town, was preparing for its Fourth of July celebration. I packed away my gift store booty and drove south out of town. I made a couple of stops for lunch, ice cream, and gas and made Binghamton, NY in the early evening. After settling in the hotel, I treated myself to a steak dinner at a local restaurant. Next day: a long drive to Virginia.

Tuesday, July 5
To my disappointment, the Binghamton hotel did not offer a breakfast bar. Oh well. I went to a local IHOP and had a hearty breakfast. I should mention that the weather during my driving has been very good. I started driving south on I-81. I immediately made the Pennsylvania state border within an hour after my start. My sister C had asked me to pay attention as I drove through Wilkes-Barre, PA. My brother-in-law’s former employer had pulled up operations in Lawrence and now resides totally in this town. At one time C and A did tour Wilkes-Barre in considering moving for this former company. I phoned C on my cell phone to tell her the lay of the land as I saw it from the Interstate. In other words, I was not much help.
I grabbed lunch at Harrisburg and phoned MN to let him know about my traveling progress. MN had requested that I keep him posted when I suspected that I was within three hours of his house. I switched to US Highway 15 in Harrisburg. MN mentioned to me that he thought this choice of route might be a mistake because I might have encountered a lot of stop and go traffic. I went southward toward Virginia and made good time. As a matter of fact, I decided to take a Starbucks break in Frederick, MD because I thought I was doing well time wise.
I gassed up in Leesburg, VA and informed MN I was thirty miles away from his home. Unfortunately, during a downpour of rain, I missed the turnoff from Leesburg to south 15 and found myself driving on 7 highway for about ten minutes. I had to turn around at the Purcellville exit (which I would see again two days later) and drive east to south 15. After contending with rush hour traffic and another downpour of rain, I made MN’s place at 5PM. Immediately on my arrival, I switched to his car and rode with him as we went to pick up his two sons from daycare.
That evening, MN had prepared a steak dinner complete with salad and a hot potato. We discussed what we wanted to do on Wednesday and made plans. Later, MN allowed me to use his computer for the purposes of email. I must have been tired because I noticed I never spelled the word “Virginia” correctly. Afterwards, I phoned friends from home to let them know I made it safely to the Washington D.C. area. MN and I also left a message on AN's machine. She was not at home because she was tending to work related issues in Kansas.