Summer Trip 2023 Day 1

16 June 2023

255 miles today, an easy half day, but frustrating as well.

I’d intended to drive entirely on back roads to Binghamton NY but when the day started with a very slow construction zone before even leaving the greater Springfield area, I knew things were not looking positive. Add in slow traffic (trucks and hills and no passing areas) and by the time I got to Great Barrington I decided I’d just hop onto I-90 to I-88 and cut my losses.

I suppose it could have been worse – I could have not started on back roads and then been caught up in the mess on I-88. Instead, I found myself detoured off that route for quite a long time, snaking down a parallel two-lane route in a long line of trucks and cars. Traffic going the other way wasn’t faring any better – I-88 was closed in both directions. Later, I found out that someone had plowed into the back of a stopped maintenance truck that had all its lights and flashers on, and the result was that I have never seen so many emergency vehicles in one area in my life! They were racing up and down the detour route as well as blocking all entrances to the interstate.

Eventually, I was back on the good road, made it to Second Meal™️ in Binghamton, and then on to Owego for the night. I keep forgetting how unremarkable this part of NY State can be – the scenery is beautiful, but the buildings are not. Add lots of rain and low clouds to the mix, and it can get pretty dismal. Here’s the view from my hotel room tonight:

The weather promises to be slightly better tomorrow as I drive to Northwestern Ohio, fingers crossed!