Day 6, Akron OH to Geneva NY, 325 miles

The Quality Inn in Akron was very comfortable.  This is an older hotel with the room doors opening to the car parking area, making loading and unloading very easy.  Since the battery has to be hauled out of the car every night, this arrangement is especially nice.  Don't forget that older hotels are cheaper too. We need all the savings we can get to pay for all the gas (and oil) the LaSalle loves to consume.

Today we both overslept. It was nearly 10 AM before we got rolling.  We discussed route options and decided to take I-271 and I-90 to get us past Cleveland and Erie PA.  Our late start spared us rush hour, but the traffic was still dense and aggressive.  The LaSalle did OK going with the flow, but its poor visibility to the rear and sides keeps us on edge. The noise level from all the truck traffic is close to deafening.  Through all this cacophony, we enjoyed many waves, thumbs ups and congratulatory beeps that we tried to acknowledge.  Lots of folks really enjoy seeing an old car lumbering through their daily hectic spaces, appearing like a mirage or a time traveler from another era. Corvette drivers are the most consistent admirers on this trip.

This Victorian house was a temporary dorm in 1963

We left I-90 at the NY state line to join US 20 to take in the western NY region next to Lake Erie. US 20 meandered through endless grape arbors and picturesque farms that have supplied the New York State wine industry for many years. Bill wanted to visit Fredonia State, one of the State University of NY colleges that he attended in 1963. He lived in a Victorian brick home built in the early 1900's that was converted to dormitory space. The building still stands, now it is the admissions office for the college.  He took a few pictures and enjoyed the reminiscence.  Bill had little interest in going to college, but his experience at Fredonia was so positive that he decided to continue his education transferring the next year to engineering school at the University of Buffalo.

Nance wanted to see the Letchworth State Park near Castile, NY.  We left US 20 and diverted to NY 38 to take us south of Buffalo heading toward the finger lakes.  NY 38 provided some of the best scenery and drivery of this trip.  This smooth, well paved road rose, dipped and turned through a batch of spectacular hills and valleys, probably sculpted by glaciers on their way to excavate the finger lakes.  The LaSalle loved it, clinging to the curves and accelerating up the hills.

Looking for a break from our usual convenience store fare, we had a delicious sit down dinner at the local Castile Family Restaurant.  Food, service and price were outstanding.

Letchworth State Park next to Castile is a long gorge marked with rock cliffs and cascading water. We got there too late to take in the full length of the gorge, but managed to take in one or two

Flood control feature in the Larchmont gorge

impressive overlooks. We also met a few locals who wanted to know all about the LaSalle.

Nightfall was coming and we decided to try to make Geneva NY at the northern tip of Lake Seneca, one of the finger lakes.  We managed to roll into a clean and modest American Value Inn at dusk.  It looked ideal, next to a Subway, Auto Zone, and a Tim Hortons.  What a wonderful day, and now North Conway, NH is only 400 miles away.