New York City to Utica

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 - Day 1: New York City to Utica, NY

The drive to Utica is pretty standard and something that we have done a number of times. We picked up bagels and coffee before leaving the city at 8:30, and then made a quick stop in Hackensack, NJ to get some camping and traveling supplies from our storage unit. Once we left New Jersey we took 87 north to I-90 W. We reached my parents house in Whitesboro, NY at 12:30, had a quick sandwich, and started sifting through the camping supplies. By 1:30, we had the tent set up to air out in the backyard along with all of the sleeping bags, and we left the house with a list of supplies that we needed. We found most of the items at a Dollar Tree, most of the rest at a Wal-Mart, but still had one elusive item to retrieve. Our tent's rain fly is supposed to have two flexible rods that form a brim over the entrance and back window of the tent. Last summer, one of the rods split and we have been looking for a replacement. So we headed to Herb Philipson's Army and Navy Store. Tara asked the sales clerk if they had some replacements or a kit to fix our current rod. The guy took our broken rod and said that he would check in the back. He emerged 5 minutes later with the exact rod we needed and simply gave it to us for no charge. Pleased with the price, we took the rod and headed to a mysterious store on the other side of the shopping center called Ollie's Bargain Outlet. Turns out it is very similar to a National Wholesale Liquidators, which means you never know what treasure you might find. The item of the day was Boo Berry Cereal, one of my favorites, and I grabbed two boxes for $1.49 each. I might go back for more upon our return.

We spent the remainder of a warm and lazy afternoon organizing the supplies and cooked some steaks, chicken, and grilled veggies for dinner. My dad, Tara and I went to B & F Milk Center for a refreshing ice cream treat before retiring to the basement cave for an incredible night’s sleep. The trip will truly begin tomorrow.

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