Off we go!
Our friends Jason and Leslie were traveling down to PA the same day (they were in the wedding we were going to) and they had spent a lot of time mapping out the most direct route, which we also followed. Thankfully we all had cell phones, and they were about 1 1/2 hours ahead of us, so they were able to call and tell us if we might want to take a different route due to construction, etc. Even so, the trip ended up taking us about 10.5 hours, due to extra stops because of the kids, and hitting rush hour traffic in the Allentown area. All in all, though, the trip went well. The kids traveled pretty well, and we only had to break out the DVD player once or twice. The worst thing was that the day was really hot and humid, and the air conditioning in the truck doesn't work . . . so it wasn't the most comfortable trip in that way! We had brought along a huge jug of water and we didn't have to remind ourselves to drink it--we were constantly guzzling it because of the heat!
Trying to get a picture of the beautiful sun rays, somewhere in PA
We arrived at our destination, Ben-Mar Farm Bed and Breakfast, around 7:30 pm, and were greeted by our host, Herb Benner. We settled into our very comfortable suite on the first floor of their 1776 farmhouse. The rooms were beautiful and as for the landscaping--well, let me tell you, I came away inspired! The house was surrounded by flower beds with iris, bleeding hearts, and all kinds of other flowers. Just lovely! We also appreciated the fact that this was a Christian B&B. Some of the pictures on the walls had verses or inspirational sayings on them, and there were Bibles in the nightstands and Daily Bread devotionals and other Christian literature on the hall table.Sam enjoys a snack of graham crackers . . .
while Julia enjoys some time to stretch her legs.
Herb had told us we were free to explore the farm, so after we settled in, we did. First we checked out the cow barn. They have about 55 milk cows. Sam wasn't too impressed when a cow bellowed at us as soon as we walked through the door. :) But he did enjoy seeing the barn cats and kittens, and also a few goats and chickens in the pasture in back of the barn. There were also two very friendly dogs who either made Sam and Julia laugh, or scared them to death, depending on how close they came. :)After spending some time looking around, we went back to our room and settled in for the night. The kids had baths and unwound a bit, then conked out very quickly and slept like logs--they were pretty tired after the long drive!
Next installment: Railroad Day--Friday!
4 comments:
What a blessing that you all made it through that 10.5 hour drive so well! Sounds like a lovely b&b - was it fairly small? Oh my, Chloe would have been in heaven with all those cows! SHe loves mooing at them when we see them from the car.
Alicia--yes, it was a small B&B, just 2 rooms. They brought breakfast right to our door every morning. Talk about spoiled! It was such a nice place and I would definitely stay there again.
That's cute about Chloe mooing at the cows. :) You'll have to take her to a farm sometime and see how she likes them up close!
Sounds like you had a wonderful trip! I know it's crazy, but when I drive a lot in the summer I hardly ever use the AC. I just love having the windows down. And the B&B does sound wonderful. I'm not a big fan of hotels; I'm sure a B&B has to be better in so many ways. Especially if they come complete with cows & chickens! :-)
Mary Ann--I'm like you and also love having the windows open in the summer when we're driving. Only problem is that it's way too loud on the highway (esp. in the truck because it's a loud diesel), so we couldn't have them open far enough to cool us off very well!
And yes, the B&B was WAY better than a hotel, in my opinion--no stale hotel smell, much cleaner, big fluffy towels instead of tiny thin ones, etc. :) And really not that much more expensive, esp. considering that breakfast was included!
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