Tonight we're staying in Edison, NJ, and we're not terribly happy about it. For starters, New Jersey is not enjoyable. From what we've seen it's largely run down and kind of ucky. But we're like sixty miles from Camden, which has had the highest crime rate in the country for like three years (I'm not sure of the exact statistic, so don't hold me to that). Also, we're very close to an Indian restaurant and it STINKS!
But we're in New Jersey for a couple of reasons: a) we're heading east and it's on the way. b) I have no idea where else to stay around here, and c) mostly because we went and saw the Battleship New Jersey today, and we needed a place to stay a little ways away from there.
The battleship was really neat, though. It's the most decorated and largest in the country. We got there about half an hour before they closed, so we were the last through (they closed at 3, though, so it was pretty early), and we were all by ourselves going through the ship. It was a little eerie. But it was also nice not to be rushed or have people moving slow in front of us (and there are no other people in our pictures!!!...well, except the ones with fake people who mostly scared the crap out of us, like these guys).
We got to go into one of the gun turrets, which was kind of cool, except evidently they had to have thirty people to shoot that thing and the space was so small I can't see how that many people could fit in there!
This is the room where the gun was actually loaded and shot. It had a 12-24 inch recoil, so the men in this park of the turret had to brace themselves against walls and beams and stuff.
The guns from the outside
The ship from the outside (obviously, right?)
Also today, we went to the National Clock and Watch Museum in Columbia, PA. We were the first ones to this one and also the only ones walking through. It's nice to have the whole place to yourself. We enjoyed it at both places.
This was in the center of the main hall of the museum. It was kind of cool, went up four stories. I thought it was pretty.
There were thousands of different clocks and watches and other methods for telling time used throughout history. It was kind of neat to learn a little about the evolution of timetelling. And there were so many beautiful pieces. My mom would have loved it. She has quite an appreciation for this kind of thing.
This one was enormous and so intricately designed. Something like eight different artisans worked to create it
This one made me think of my dad
The detail on this one was amazing. It was one of the earlier clocks, sometime before 1800, I think
On the way from the clock museum to the Battleship New Jersey, we drove through Intercourse, PA, one of the largest Amish communities in the country (we think...). It was funny to see their horse and buggies driving down the road amid the modern day vehicles. Its neat that they can thrive in their ways of life when the world has progressed so far around them. I envy them in some ways. They live their lives so simply, so modestly. We depend so much on things and technology. I can't really imagine life without electricity and Starbucks, but I respect and admire their ability to live without such luxuries.
This one was closer to where we stayed the night than Intercourse
We've been collecting magnets from every state we've been in, and it's been quite the challenge. We've spent up to an hour before searching for magnets in non-tourist areas, but Delaware was impossible! We only had a small section of state that we could look in, and it was absolutely nasty! Dilapidated houses and buildings lined the streets and creepy looking people were miling about idly. One car even stopped in the middle of the road, a handful of grimy looking people got out and just sort of huddled around the car for a while. We got totally creeped out. We didn't even want to get out of the car, so we didn't. We drove up the freeway a little further and just before the stateline, we got off the freeway to check out a museum advertised on a sign, and the dang museum was closed! Although the sign said "Open Tuesday through Saturday." What day is today? TUESDAY!!! But then the sign on the door said they were opened WEDNESDAY through Saturday. We were totally pissed. Got back on the freeway and didn't stop again. We're going to order the dang thing online!
But Delaware wasn't the only one we had problems with. The states we just bite corners out of are hard! We found Kansas, by luck, at a gas station. Maryland was at a zoo (which we did not see...we didn't go further than the gift shop) and it didn't even say MARYLAND on it...we're going to write it in.
Virgia was tough too. We found it at a Ben Franklin (Mom! I knew it would be there because of the one in Grass Valley). Missouri was tough too. We got off the freeway several times and finally found one at a truck stop just before the stateline. In Mississippi we went to three casinos, three gift shops, two restaurants with gift shops and finally found it at a place called SOUVENIR WORLD on the beach at the recommendation of a guy at a gift shop who "didn't do that kind of thing." He was a little weird, but his advise was good. And it only took us about ten miles out of our way.
Anyway, back to the present. Tomorrow we're going to a place that was on Chowdown Countdown on the Travel Channel because they have humongous pancakes and you can get almost any topping you want on them, including ham and mustard and stuff. Kind of nasty, but I want one with strawberries and chocolate chips and whipped cream like I saw on the show. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!
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