Day 25, July 9 Bellbrook, Ohio to Williamsport, Pennsylvania to Newark, New Jersey

John and Beverly graciously got up to have breakfast ready for us at 6:45 AM. All of the preparation the day before paid off, and we were off at 7:30. We paused for a selfie of Dick and Patti, and Beverly and John. One last picture before we left.

We would be headed towards New York City today, but there were a couple of stops first. We drove a couple hours up the road to Delaware, Ohio. This little town was where Dick's dad grew up on the family farm. Dick has so many wonderful memories of time that he spent with his family, and just himself and his grandparents in Delaware. The stop that we would make was to Oak Grove Cemetery. This is a cemetery where Dick's parents, both sets of his grandparents, and one set of his great grandparents were buried. Whenever it’s possible, when we get to Ohio, we like to stop by to pay respects and do a little tending of the graves. Dick remembers doing this with his grandparents when he was a boy. It’s such a reminder of how time passes by so quickly. We were glad to spend a little bit of time remembering these departed family members.

Then, we headed to the north and east for the longest part of our journey today. We drove about six hours to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. There we met dear friends, Gere and Betty. We left our car at their friends' home where it would be safe while we were gone and loaded up our suitcases into Gere and Betty‘s car. Then, we headed off four more hours towards New York City.

When we were looking for a good place to stay in the city, it was clear hotel prices were crazy expensive. The hotel lobby had canceled out Airbnb from being allowed in the city. However, Airbnb rooms were available just across the river in Newark, New Jersey. There we found a nice two bedroom apartment with a kitchen. This was quite close to the train station and then it would be a quick 20 minutes to get across the river into Manhattan.

The drive from Williamsport to Newark went quickly for Patti and Betty in the back seat. Gere was driving in a constant rain but was still able to carry on a serious conversation. There were many stories to catch up on since we had been together last. There was a lot of traffic and a lot of rain.

We checked into the Airbnb with complex check-in instructions due to having to get into the apartment and then bring back the parking pass for the parking structure with a reserved spot for us. Then suitcases went into the apartment and we settled in. New York City, here we come.