CHARLENE PETERS
Editor’s Note: This is the final installment of Charlene Peters’ Road Trip Chronicles as the former St. Helena resident travels across the country to a new home in Massachusetts.
By the time I arrived in the bucolic setting of Bernville in Berks County, Pennsylvania, I had covered nearly 3,000 miles. My journey across the country from California to Boston was coming to an end.
For this stop, I stayed in a guest barn on a lakeside property. Outside the front door of the barn, two horses were grazing in the green pasture against a backdrop of a small lake surrounded by woods. Yes, nature is the best medicine, but a little help from local practitioners has strengthened my efforts.
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It took 20 minutes for my 90-minute full-body massage at the Bell Tower Salon Spa in neighboring Wyomissing before my breathing slowed into deep, long inhales and exhales – a sure sign that the massage was working to de-stress my body and soul. spirit.
My detox continued at the dock off the lake with my body lying face down on a SUP (standu-p paddleboard). It was early morning under a darkening sky with the threat of a thunderstorm. My senses were heightened by the concerto of raindrops and circular ripples forming with each drop. I was here for a sound bowl meditation performed by Cheryl Corson, a certified wellness practitioner from the area. Beyond nature, I heard her voice above me as she stood in the water next to my paddleboard.
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“If you put cheap wine in the bowl (meditation sound), it will taste like good wine,” she whispered.
I chuckled at the concept before a sound bowl was placed on my back and Corson started tapping the bowl with a wand to create a vibrating sound. This intriguing and magical symphony of healing continued through my upper back until the rain came up and we were forced to conclude our session and huddle under the roof of an outdoor living space at dock.
That’s when Cheryl reached into her bag and pulled out a kalimba, a wooden soundboard with a single row of steel keys – a seven-note diatonic scale, notably used in traditional Western music. She started tapping it with her thumbs – like she was a millennial texting. The quiet sound sounded like a bell and was deeply relaxing as a complementary modality to open my path to healing.
“Deep relaxation calms the central nervous system, allowing us to relax and sleep well,” Cheryl explained. “The feeling of calm lasts well beyond the session itself.”
In addition to better sleep that night, my experience made me feel more flexible throughout the day than I had felt in years.
With keen senses, dinner at Dans at the Green Hills restaurant in nearby Reading was a palatable treat that began with sips of champagne, a serving of watermelon steak salad and sweet potato soup sprinkled with pretzels. The owner shared a fun fact that this was one of Joan Rivers favorite places when she visited her nephew here.
Before leaving this farm country, I browsed the larger than large Renninger Antiques and Farmers Market in Kutztown, then headed for a wine tasting at Stony Run Winery in Breinigsville, where its magnificent view on the vineyards leads to a forest. Sips of a 2016 Pinot Noir and a sparkling 2018 Brut impressed, but the winning taste during my visit was a 2016 Chardonnay Réserve.
My road trip continued the next morning with a quick stop in Reading town center to take in the wonderful views of the area from the Pagoda perch. This historic city landmark was built in 1908 and anchors the mountainside atop the southern end of Mount Penn.
I said goodbye to Berks County and an hour later checked into the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia. Unsurprisingly, it was named the #1 best hotel in Pennsylvania by US News & World Report. I wholeheartedly agreed as the staff treated me like a VIP from check-in to check-out. Every time I walked past reception a cheerful attendant asked me how my day was and if there was anything he could help me with. My spacious room included a vanity/makeup table and a workstation with a view of the park below.
Ten minutes after arriving, I was strolling the Benjamin Franklin Parkway where this city of firsts held the inaugural Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1920, courtesy of Gimbels Department Store. My mission was to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see Frank Gehry’s interior redesign. What I found were small bronze portraits of Marie de Medici, Queen of France, made by Guillaume Dupré two years after her death in 1642, a painting by Benjamin Franklin, and in the McNeil American Presidential China gallery, the best painting I have ever seen of President George Washington.
By dinnertime, I was hungry and grateful for the brisk walk across the park to sit outside at the Park, right in Rittenhouse Square. My first course was a refreshing sliced tomato pie, followed by a delicious plate of French-inspired Thermidor lobster with fries. It was as if I was back in Paris, with bistro tables set up under a red awning that read “draught beers”.
A plethora of restaurants are lined along or near 18th Street, including The Love, where I had lunch the next day, undoubtedly one of the hottest and most humid days of summer. A frosé seemed a refreshing choice to start with, and I kept it light with a superb sushi-grade tuna crudo salad with avocado and chunks of seeded rice crisps.
While in Philadelphia, my goal was to see the authentic and historic Liberty Bell. What looked like a 10 mile walk in intense humidity was actually less than two miles before I arrived at the building across from Independence Hall.
To my surprise, the bell was not on public display, so I waited in line for a security check before walking down the long hallway inside this underground museum where the Liberty Bell was on display.
Even at eye level it was much smaller than I had imagined, similar to my first experience viewing the Mona Lisa in Paris. It took me a hot minute to examine the 1846 crack caused by the brittle metal hit one too many times, then I said goodbye to Philadelphia and drove to Boston.
How to Afford Summer Road Trips amid High Gas Prices
REMEMBER TO CHANGE DESTINATION
If you’re open-minded about your vacation destination, consider driving in an area where gas prices are lower than average. On June 1, 10 states had average gasoline prices below $4.30 a gallon for regular gasoline, according to AAA data.
These states, ranked from cheapest to most expensive, were:
1. Georgia.
2. Arkansas.
3.Kansas.
4. Mississippi.
5.Oklahoma.
6.Missouri.
7. Louisiana.
8. Nebraska.
9. South Carolina.
10. Texas.
Given how many of these states border each other, it would be quite easy to plan a road trip through the South or the Midwest. You can start in St. Louis and drive around four hours on Interstate 70 across the state to Kansas City, Missouri. Take the time to make a stop in Columbia, which is a college town par excellence with the University of Missouri. Boonville is another interesting stop, where you can visit the Warm Springs Ranch, home of the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales. (Walking tours start at $15.) From Kansas City, it takes about three hours to drive to Omaha, Nebraska, where you can try the so-called original Reuben sandwich.
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
BE STRATEGIC ABOUT CAR RENTAL
If you’re renting a car, be aware that rental car prices can vary greatly depending on the rental company, whether you’re renting at the airport or downtown, and how far in advance you book.
Speaking of car rental, this could be the year you rent an electric vehicle. The EV may have a higher rental price, but it could be cheaper than renting a gasoline car and filling it up. AAA has a helpful gas calculator tool that takes into account the type of car and where you drive to help you see the trade-offs.
Hotel and vacation rental companies are also making it easier to find accommodations that offer electric vehicle charging. More and more hotels are promoting electric vehicle charging as a hotel perk alongside traditional amenities like swimming pools and breakfast buffets. Many hotels even allow you to charge your car free of charge.
If rental car prices are brutally high, consider booking with other car rental companies like Turo or Getaround, which may be cheaper than a major car rental company. Many of these companies are relatively new and allow you to book cars directly from owners, operating like an “Airbnb for cars”.
For example, the cost of a one-week car rental at San Francisco International Airport during the first week of July for a standard gas-powered car like a Volkswagen Jetta would average around $640. Head to peer-to-peer car-sharing site Turo, and there are more than a dozen Teslas available to book in San Francisco on the same dates for less than $800.
If you double-filled the Jetta’s roughly 13-gallon gas tank at $6 a gallon (not uncommon in some states like California), you’d be paying over $150 for gas. That cost plus the rental would make you pay roughly the same amount as reserving the Tesla.
With so many variables, it pays to shop around before making reservations.
Image by andreas160578 from Pixabay
KNOW WHERE TO FIND THE CHEAPEST GAS
If driving a gas-powered car is non-negotiable, master the art of saving money on gas. Download apps like GasBuddy, which track local gas prices and can guide you to the cheapest gas station near you. It also helps to drive more efficiently. Adjusting how you accelerate, brake or use cruise control can impact your gas mileage.
And if all else fails and you’re stuck with a gargantuan gas bill, at least earn rewards for your spending with a rewards credit card. The best gas credit cards can typically earn at least 3% in rewards for your gas station spending.
Rick Bowmer
Charlene Peters is a travel writer and author of “Travel Makes Me Hungry”, available on Amazon. Email [email protected]