After all the packing drama from the last post, we set off! As we often do, departure time was set for mid afternoon on a Friday. That way, our family member with a 9-5ish work schedule could leave just a bit early but not need to take a day off. It can be nice starting a trip with a shorter driving day too.
Our destination this day was Wilkes-Barre, PA, about a 4 hour drive from Pittsburgh. We didn’t plan any fun stops on the way there, but ended up finding a fun surprise, the Boyer factory, makers of Mallo Cup.
Have you ever had a Mallo Cup? They were my favorite as a kid. It is a chocolate cup filled with marshmallow cream and a tiny bit of coconut. They don’t seem to exist everywhere and now I know why. They are made by the tiny Boyer factory, which is alive and well in Altoona, PA.
No factory tours are available, but you can visit the gift shop. They sell several Boyer candies such as Jimmy Stix and Smoothies. The slightly damaged candies can be purchased in bulk for a very reasonable price so bring a cooler if you are local. We got free samples, yum. Here is their website, and a photo of the outside: https://www.boyercandies.com/
After the factory, we pressed on toward Wilkes Barre and dinner. TripAdvisor came in handy to help us choose a restaurant. Breaker Brewing Company was #1, so that’s what we chose for dinner. The parking lot is small considering how big the restaurant is, and we luckily got a spot for our large van made even larger with 4 bikes on the back.
Even more luck was in store for us, when our party of 7 was seated right away! Our table was in the actual brewery, a spotless, shiny room that was surprisingly quiet considering it was full of customers. The food was delicious, from appetizer to entree. We got the soft pretzels which came with delicious home made cheese sauce and mustard for dipping, and an assortment of pizzas. This time TripAdvisor steered us in the right direction.
After our tasty dinner we headed to our hotel, carefully chosen to have a swimming pool to burn off pent up energy from the car ride. It had breakfast, too, which gives us all a little less time eating out of the cooler. Overall, our first day of travel was smooth. The next day brought some unexpected things, stay tuned!