Our closeness to home has prompted us to waken early and get
on the road by eight o’clock, but we are not overdoing it; we try to keep our
total distance to around 250 miles in a day so our esteemed driver can get the
rest he needs to be alert on the highways and byways.
On this leg, there haven’t been any byways. We’ve stuck to
Interstate 80/90 all day, starting in Illinois and crossing into Ohio after about
70 miles. In both states, we were required to pay tolls for the privilege of
navigating great cracks and potholes along the concrete surface that rattled
every dish in our cupboards, and our bones as well. At least in Ohio there was
some road work in progress that made us think our money was going to a good
cause.
In the early part of the day we passed through Amish and
Mennonite country, where a major industry is the construction of motorhomes and
travel trailers of all sizes and descriptions.
We were amazed at the acres of land filled with row upon row of trailers
ready for market. In addition to holiday vehicles, there were horse and utility
trailers, plus houseboats, which are really trailers on pontoons. There was all
manner of support industry as well – factories where plastics, metal components
and wood materials were supplied for the RVs.
This region is also devoted to agriculture in a big way.
Hundreds of acres by the highway stood ready for spring planting, and in some
places the first green shoots were poking up in tidy rows. We also passed some fields billowing with
smoke as farmers burned off the dry grass.
We saw some of the outskirts of Toledo on our way, and felt
the presence of Lake Erie not far to the north, although we never got to a
place where we could see it.
When lunch-time rolled around, we found a travel plaza along
the toll road with a Pa-nera Bread restaurant – a favourite spot of ours from
our trip to Florida. We enjoyed delicious soup and a sandwich. On the way back
to the RV I had to smile to see our little rig squeezed between enormous
tractor trailers, rumbling away in the parking lot.
As we approached Cleveland, the Interstate 80/90 split
apart, with the 80 heading southeast and the 90 northeast into the city,
following the contour of Lake Erie’s shore. We caught glimpses of the city’s
skyscrapers in the downtown and then, finally, a blue-green streak of water,
the great Lake Erie. It was great to know Canada was on the other side!
Our hotel tonight has a charming older section at the front
to which the newer part of the building is attached. Just off the lobby is a
dining room where we had a gourmet dinner while entertained by a live musician.
A very pleasant way to end the day.
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