This vacation has been pretty laid back.  And if you know me that is not normal.   We had an amazing breakfast this morning with stinky cheese from Switzerland and summer sausage among other wonderful things.  We didn't leave the hotel until after 10:30. First stop is the University of Pittsburgh. The main reason for going on campus, besides the obviously one that I love college campuses, is because the campus still has the old Forbes Field Wall.  I love historic baseball stuff so this was up my alley. We also saw the home plate from the last game played at Forbes Field in 1970.

After that we did the  Duquesne Incline (the other incline in the city). The view wasn't as good and it cost more to go up there so it was a bust.  We got back to Station Square in time for the river boat tour.  It was nice to take a boat ride but the narrator was really stupid.  The only thing I really learned is that there are 406 bridges, over 100 bars and they love their sports teams. Only 19,000 at the game so ya they really love their teams (snicker).

The afternoon was hot at over 95 degrees, thankfully our seats were not in the sun. The game was great and it went really fast.  Not much hitting but some great defense and not too bad pitching.  We sat 3 rows behind the dugout so we got really close to the players. It was awesome. PNC Park is really nice.  It is in my top 5 list...it met all my requirements: open air with NO ROOF, a seat with a great view and in the downtown area. Willingham hit a home run in the 8th inning to put the Twins in front. The couple sitting next to us was from Rapid City, SD!!  Small world.  They are also going to Cincinnati.

We had a busy day today.  We started out with a scenic drive to the Flight 93 National Memorial crash site. It was very beautiful drive but expensive...$12.60 in tolls.  The site was very somber.  They have a wall with names of all the victims.  There is also a boulder that shows where the plane crashed.  It crashed upside down.  How scary.

After that we drove down a very twisty, turny road to Fort Necessity. George Washington lost here.  The battle was in 1754 against the French and American Indians.  It was actually pretty interesting.  We got to see a historic weapons demonstrations so that is cool.  

We had another scenic drive to Pittsburgh. Down the mountains, over the rivers, up the mountains.  Very cool.  We checked into our hotel on the north shore of Pittsburgh. We have a nice view of downtown.  We are staying at The Priory Hotel began its existence in 1888 as The St. Mary’s Priory. It is very nice.

After that we venture to Station Square, a old train station transformed into a shopping area.  We had a nice dinner and walked around the riverfront. We took the The Monongahela Incline, built by John Endres in 1870. It is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the USA.  The view from the top was great.  And after the sunset the view was even better!

Today was a nice day and very short.  We only covered about 139 miles but we saw a lot.  First thing we did was drive to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  We checked out the Brandywine Falls. It was nice and the rain last night helped to make the flow really fast.  After seeing many falls around the U.S., this wasn't that spectacular but still nice.  Next we stopped at the Boston Store and Peninsula Train Depot. We walked across the Everett Covered Bridge were Eric met a very freaked out snake.  The snake was sunning himself on the rock Eric just about stepped on. The snake scurried into the water and Eric maintained his balance on a different rock.  I went to the view area for the bridge and out of no where a deer jump out.  He was seriously 10 feet away from me.  He was nice enough to hang around so I could snap a picture. Next we went to the Beaver Marsh but sadly no beavers. :-(

After Cuyahoga Valley National Park we went to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.  I'm not all that excited about football...baseball is my sport...but I do root for my Minnesota Vikings and hate the Green Bay Packers.  It was interesting with lots of exhibits.

Right now we are just chilling out at our hotel...it is an early night!

Well our first day of the road trip is in the books.  We drove 743 miles and it took us 12 boring hours.  Wisconsin was boring...we got to see a motorcycle cop. Next was Illinois. I don't really want to drive through Illinois but the fact I have to pay for the privilege makes me unhappy...tolls really suck and so does Illinois. I-90 was a parking lot through Chicago.  We paid the great (snicker) State of Illinois $9.90 to use 117 miles of their roads (8 cents a mile).  Next was Indiana.  We had to pay $1.50 to get into the state and $7.50 to get out.  So another $9 for 155 miles (6 cents a mile). I wanted to stop at the RV/Motor Home Hall of Fame near Elkhart, IN but Eric said no...he is no fun...LOL!  Who goes to the RV Hall of Fame and what exactly are they inducting?  How silly. Finally we finished the day in Ohio. We drove 174 miles and paid $10 (6 cents a mile).  So far we have paid almost $29 in tolls.  What  a rip off.  Why are toll roads in states you have to drive through but  aren't very scenic?  Anyways, we got to Elyria, OH which is just outside of Cleveland.  


Twins won today in 15 innings.  Hopefully that will will carry over to Pittsburgh and I can see another win.  Ok time for bed...hopefully tomorrow will be more interesting.