The United States of America is such a vast territory of land filled with geographic and cultural diversities that individualize the uniqueness of each area travelled. Living in the midwest, we enjoy climate controlled seasons, knowing that winter means cold and summer means hot. Perhaps that is a commonness shared amongst the midwest and northeast, but as far as geographic features, hobby sports, and accents, there is much variation.
I have enjoyed the change in scenery and the change in accents while we have travelled across some of the north eastern region. Memphis area, the "north of the south", you have the slang of southern drawl which is a colorful dialect and take on English. Many times I have to pause and wonder what someone just said to me. In the northeast, there seems to be more of an appreciation for classic use of the English language, with heavy accents on vowels and very definitive annunciation. I love the northern accent!
It seems that outdoor activities are year 'round in the north. As we wound through the Laurel Highlands and up Mt. Storm, it was interesting to this mid-western gal to see ski slopes for the first time, with everything from such a downhill slope that I bet you could get up to 200 miles an hour, to the bunny hills that still looked like I could invite my first broken bone. I was awe struck. Two towns in particular stood out on the way to the tip of Mt. Storm -Farmington, PA and Oakland, MD. In the winter, they appear as ski heaven, but also offer biking and boating opportunities for the summer. Of course the classic colonial homes dressed up in white lights, pine wreaths and red bows invited the spirit of Christmas.
Drawing conclusions as I tour through the northeast is based on brief visits with truck stop employees, workers at the local businesses from which we expedite products, and the locals that patronize the family restaurants along the way. As I digress, the northeast is an area that fills my mind with curiosity and I bookmark it as an area I hope to someday spend more time familiarizing myself with local customs.
Where we've been:
New Albany, Indiana picking up hand made wooden doors at the Ohio Valley Door Company, swapping in Meadow Lands, Pennsylvania.
American Expediting Company picking up a 900 lb. hot water heater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and delivering to Chili's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Clevland Brothers in Murrysville, Pennsylvania picking up a small box of gears and sensors that rode in the cab with Michael and I, delivering to Dominion Power Plant at the top of Mt. Storm just outside of Bismark, West Virginia. This trip was my favorite, and in 200 miles, we travelled in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virignia climbing to 3200 feet in elevation and back down.
We hope to get a load in Clarksburg, West Virginia that will head us west into Missouri or Arkansas. It is exactly 600 miles from Jane Lew, West Virginia (where we are currently) to St. Louis, Missouri. So, if we could score a "home run" load, we could be back in St. Louis in 10 hours. We hope to be home by the 23rd, spend Christmas, and then take my CDL test on the 27th. Although, I just got a call from the Hwy Patrol wanting to reschedule to Jan. 3. Hopefully, I don't have to put it off!
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