when out of nowhere this Mercedes SUV parks in- for no apparent reason. The next line was even closer to the restaurant and just as available. To top it off, it was the owner of the restaurant. We had one irritated waitress for 3 tables of ten.
Jon T:=*= Counterclockwise from the left, we have Rose and Tom Mosteller, followed by Dave(Fiz) and Joanne, and then Sue and Vert at the back on the right, and Sharon and George Kugler..=*=
Jon T:=*= Table Two had Rachel, Jack, Craig, Sue Walsh, and Stu and Carol, Courtney Walsh, Darlene and John Moran on the right..=*=
Jon T:=*= Table Three consisted of (clockwise from the left) Howard, Walt, Mike Noble, Diane and Gil on the left, and Bob, Sue, Lesley, Linda, and Robin on the right..=*=
The view was gorgeous the restaurant was lovely and the food was great- but don't try to get a smile out of the owner.
Fiz and Joanne:+++Fhe restaurant which had mixed reviews due the owner's unique method of welcoming
30 hungry people, (sorry if we inconvenienced him)!+++
Rob L:%%% Sorry I couldn't make dinner, from Rachel's post it seems like the service there hasn't changed. Maybe I should have warned you that some restaurants think a table with a view excuses
shoddy service. Oh well, we don't have many decent restaurants in Sussex (I'm still bemoaning the demise of Gilberto's) %%%
The Pennsylvania Z3 choir sang Happy Birthday to Howie- and as Tom and Rose's contingent was making a break for the road- we learned that Robin has to drive them back in Howie's ///M - and she hasn't driven a stick before. I am taking bets she will end up buying a Z3.
Four of us headed for Route 80 and having Tom lead the way was very much like being on a plane.... the captain has turned off the no smoking signs- but... In the dark, surrounded by deer (I am not kidding) and various other road hazards he found our way out of the Gap and we said goodbye to the fauna after one more loooooong stop at that crazy light.
They found the entrance to Route 80 east for me but last I heard on the talkabouts there was no entrance for them to go west on Route 80. That was 912pm.
Fiz and Joanne:+++Thanks again Tom and Rose for the escort to I80, to include the deer sitings, and
your gracious invitation to spend the night. +++
Vert & Sue:#-#Tom and Rose, thanks for leading us back to I 80. It is
likely Sue and I would still be trying to find our way. Dave and Joanne, thanks for you company until we reached the Northeast Extention.#-#
Tom and Rose:@~~ The biggest adventure of all was getting back to Route 80 from the Walpack Inn. DARK, lots of deer, an occasional racoon, and a poorly marked road that for
some reason was 10 times bumpier than in the daytime
By the way, how DO you get back on 80 West at the Old Mountain Road exit?? We ended up going east to exit 4A and U turning there. Even there they had no
decent signs to show you were you were going.... But we DID see an on ramp at exit 2, they must keep this a secret for the locals.
When we get home I'll do the panorama@~~
Mike and Lesley:....completely lost on Phantom Route 615 which seems to go in a circle; seeing lots of deer BEFORE they jumped in front of the car(amen to BMW brakes); losing Gil and Diane and Sue and Bob trying to get to Route 80 WEST! (Where are you guys?!?); a loooong drive home and in the door at
11:40 pm.
John and Darlene:***Sorry to hear that we weren't the only ones who had trouble finding out way out of the forest. We left the Inn with Craig and Jack and Howie and Robin, and after looking at the maps I foolishly volunteered to lead us to Route 80 via 615. (heh) 25 minutes, 6 deer, various other animals and assorted potholes later, we passed the Inn again GOING BACK THE WAY WE LEFT! (groan) At this point, realizing that I navigate much better when the sun is up, I decided "screw this, at least I
know where Rt. 206 goes," and we had seen numerous signs earlier in the day leading to 206. From there we got Howie and Robin onto 80 East, and Craig and Jack left us when we got off 611 in Easton. Hope you all got home ok!.***
Craig and Jack:---We made it but slept all day! Phew that was a long drive.. My rear was so sore from falling asleep in one position for so long.---
Walt Linda Flindt: ^i^As virgins on the cruise we had a great time and felt welcomed by everyone, so the rest of you who have never gone on one should definitely try it!
Heading for I-80 on that deep dark winding forest road I noticed headlights in the rear view coming up fast -- then we were passed (need I say I was already over the speed limit?) by a MUCH more adventurous Z3!. I tried to keep up for a while but chickened out on some of the twisties. We never caught up to that car - until the 3-minute light. But AMEN for Z3 brakes -- we had 5 sudden close encounters with deer in the middle of the road! Hope everyone made it home safely.^i^
Rob L:%%%Heck I live in Sussex county and you showed me a bunch of great roads I've never been down! And my heartfelt thanks to all the folks who made this cruise virgin feel so welcome. You're a great bunch of people. (Your taste in cars ain't bad either) Thanks for leaving our deer intact! (hmmm, maybe some
else I shoulda warned y'all about, eh?)%%%
My ride to the Big City was remarkably pleasant with a couple nasty bits. Route 80 was much better than 78, and Hudson Parkway was nasty nasty as usual. I was cruisin along there at one point and noticed a funny light and :::poof::: it turned red and I saw the crosswalk and wondered if I should run the light- but I checked the rearview and it was clear so I stamped on the brake and of course, stopped short of the crosswalk. Can I get an "Amen" for BMW brakes?
I drove across town on 30th street. It's apparently under repair- I was so close to home I stayed on it thinking it had to get better or couldn't get worse. I was wrong. There was one inescapeable- whaddaycallit- the opposite of a pothole where some steam vent is protruding up from the street. I managed to skirt them or go over them slowly until the very last one- it was clearly sticking up a minimum of 4 inches maybe more- but there was no way around it. I could not have been going 5 miles/hour when I took it on the driver's side and landed with a really nasty thud under my seat- but when I checked it at home it looked ok- at least the body. Then I had my second really nasty surprise. New guys at the garage who never heard of me or Emmy and had no regard for the car. One of them leaned over the hood to scribble my ticket ON THE HOOD and I nearly had a heart attack. What could I do? I handed my keys to the other new guy- who seemed a lot nicer and told him I didn't want the other guy driving her, only him. I tip the garage heavily so I didn't tip him personally but I wish I had. I was just too tired and didn't think of it.
I walked in the door at 1120 pm just about exactly 2 hours from when I said goodbye to Tom and Rose and Vert and Sue and Dave and Joanne. I guess by now they have found Route 80 west and SEE Dave I posted the pics so there! :-p
Can't wait to do it again!
Great trip, Thanks Stu and Carol and everyone.
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