DAY 72 August 4, 2009

I started my day off by heading into Wilmington, DE. There were numerous brick two story townhouses. I found many of the street signs missing (were they ever there to begin with?). The River Front area is beautiful. It is apparent that the city is attempting to revitalize its downtown area-it appears to be working for them. The downtown area appeared to be very clean. Just north of town must be a very wealthy area. The DuPonts settled this area and it shows. There are some glorious old and new estates to the north of downtown Wilmington.

I stopped off for dollar Tuesdays in August at the Delaware Museum of Natural History, about 5 miles north of downtown. This is a very nice exhibit. I enjoyed learning about prehistoric life, deep sea life, crustaceans and mammals. I bought a fossil and a rock in their gift shop to support such a worthy location.

Going into southern Pennsylvania from Delaware results in an extreme change of scenery! It is absolutely gorgeous-just like the postcards show. I can't show you pictures because I was on two lane roads with absolutely nowhere to pull off. The land is comprised of hills and agriculture dotted with the occasional large farmstead. I can not even come close to describing the bucolic beauty of this area with words. This is a definite must see-add it to your bucket list!

Chester County was amazing with its ups and downs (these are really good size hills), lots of cows (including a herd of what we call oreo cows-if you have seen these black beauties with a white strip down their middle you know why) pastures, corn, tobacco, tall trees, and berry bushes along the roadside. Lancaster County shifted to a more rolling type hills, more housing, and denser agriculture. I was surprised to see a second crop of corn in (about 2 feet tall) as the first (about 6 feet tall) is about to be harvested. They must have quite the growing season here. I have seen a lot of agricultural landscapes in my life and cannot remember ever seeing any as beautiful as today's. Words cannot do the description justice.

I became quite distressed the closer I got to Lancaster. They have really commercialized the heck out of this place. Oh well, I will get back into the country side tomorrow.

I ate dinner at Bob Evans and enjoyed the knife and fork meatloaf sandwich. It is a piece of toast topped with mashed potatoes, meatloaf, cheese, and gravy. It was very good, as was the piece of french silk pie I had. I usually don't eat dessert, but I was quite hungry and it looked really good. The service was exceptional!

I stayed at the EconoLodge South (right across the street from the newer EconoLodge North). This is a much older hotel that has been updated. The room was clean, with comfy beds, a tiny refrigerator, and very limited cable TV. Good enough for the night and the price was certainly right!

Here's your Sign: Welcome to Wilmington "A Place to be Somebody"


ROUTE: DE 72 East> DE 2 East> DE 48 South & North> DE 52 North> Route 926 West> DE 10 South> Route 896 North> US 30 West to Lancaster, PA

Lodging: EconoLodge South 2140 US 30 East Lancaster, PA

Meals:
Bob Evans US 30 Lancaster, PA (****Food ****Service)

$$$: $12 Meals $10 Museum $49 Motel = $71