When we got up this morning, it was only 78 degrees, but humid. The weather forecast for this area is for temps to reach into the 90's with a heat index over 100 the next couple of days so we're glad to be moving on. The TV channel we were watching this morning out of NY was all freaked out because they were forecasting a high of 98 on Saturday. Bob said we should go home to Florida where's temps were forecast to be in the 80's all next week. Ha! We pulled out around 9:00 and drove north on Hwy, 209 through the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area to the borough of Milford with cute little shops, cafes, and beautifully restored homes. Sitting at the stoplight waiting to get on I-84, Bob noticed this obelisk perched on top of a distant hillside. I zoomed in with my camera (it has an amazing zoom) and took this picture. It looked like the Washington Monument. Go figure!
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We jumped on I-84 and crossed the Delaware River. Another couple of miles and we reached the New York state line.
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Once into New York, we started to climb out of the river valley.
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The view from up on top was beautiful as we reached an elevation of 1272 ft. We got on the I-87 toll road and used Mary's I-pass to zip through the toll plaza. From there, we drove north through Albany and the Catskill Mountains. (We researched why the word "kill" is used with many of the names in this area. It seems "kill" means waterway or riverbed in the Dutch language which was a large influence in the NY region.) The scenery was beautiful with the mountains off in the distance. Some had their tops in the clouds.
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Twenty miles out of Albany we stopped at a brand new service (rest) plaza. It was busy with visitors from all over. We were now in the Capital Region. Auggie got to stretch his legs a little too.
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We hit some heavy rain in Albany (remnants of Hurricane Barry) that lasted for quite awhile. We crossed this amazing bridge, Thaddeus Kosciuszko Bridge, over the Mohawk River.
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Just south of Glen Falls, we came to a standstill in traffic due to an accident as seen on our GPS, The signs told us they were rerouting traffic, but we decided to stay with our original course on I-87. We found out shortly that the alternate route had an accident on it too, so that wouldn't have been any better. We inched along at times and often didn't move at all for long periods. People were getting out of their cars to go to the bathroom in the woods or walk a short distance back to the rest area that we passed. Others just seemed to give up and pull into the rest area to wait it out. Auggie got to ride in the front seat with me during the slowdown and he loved it. The rain finally let up, so that was the positive side. We called the campground at 3:00 to let them know that we were stuck in traffic and that we would be arriving later. The manager told us that he was stuck in the same traffic jam this morning. He said the accident occurred at 2 AM when one semi t-boned another semi. One truck flipped over and caught on fire. One driver didn't survive. Apparently, this traffic jam had been a problem ALL DAY long. It began at 1:20 for us and after 3 hours and 20 minutes, we had only gone 2.6 miles. The good news was that someone at our campground, the Whippoorwill Motel and Campsites, would be available to check us in whenever we got there. He told us our site would be #8, just in case. We finally neared the crash site and it was still a crazy scene.
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As our exit finally came into view, we saw the burned out semi trailer being hauled away on a flatbed tow truck in the other direction. Yikes! Apparently, the accident happened on the overpass at this exit, so we were forced off at the exit and then could get right back on the Interstate. (While we were sitting in stopped traffic earlier, we were able to talk to a New York policeman who was getting into his car on the side of the road. We asked him about the accident and what was happening. He told us that they would be forcing traffic off the road farther at the exit and he was right.) Once we got back on I-87, traffic moved at regular speeds. Wow! That took forever! That was the longest traffic jam we've ever been in and a horrific accident! We ended up passing the tow truck hauling the burned out cab of the semi before we got off the Interstate.
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We entered the town of Lake George and got to our campground at 5:00.
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We were tired and ready for a cocktail. We checked in and quickly got set up in anticipation of more rain on the radar. The campground is small but nice with large grassy sites. Auggie will love the grass!
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We relaxed a little before dinner. After dinner, Auggie and I took our evening walk around the campground after a brief shower. A 216-mile drive today took 3 1/2 hours longer than it should have, but we arrived safe and sound and that's all that matters. We'll all sleep good tonight.