There is still a week before I pull out and I am going over my route for the first part of the journey. When I came north in the spring, I took I-81 to Hazleton PA, then I-80 eastbound to connect with the NY Thruway at Parsippany to avoid the uphill slog over the very rough road between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

Because of the mess from Hurricane Sandy, I am wondering if I’m better doing that downhill slog avoid getting anywhere near the current mess in the Tri-state area?

Road conditions on the Thruway are clear, so my gut is telling me to make sure I leave upstate New York with a full tank of gas and drive straight through to PA from Saratoga. But I’m hoping that there’s someone on the ground in that area to give me the real scoop on the most sensible route.