Ohio Turnpike Threatening Clouds and Rain
Pittsburgh was sunny when we started our trek to Indiana at 7:45AM. Most of the drive tracked through Ohio. The turnpike yielded a few first blushes of autumn – an errant tree or bush was at the ready to announce the arrival of autumn. Signs of the drought were always constant, and in some cases what looked like darkening leaves were dried out victims of not enough rain.
Sun quickly gave way to a low cover of fleecy clouds that squeezed out big fat drops of water before settling into three hours of driving in the rain. At times it was pretty heavy, spraying up from the road while falling on our car like a a drumstick beating a roll. Bozo was driving, thank god, because I am not that confident a driver in the rain.
Rest stops were crowded. It was apparent that we couldn’t wait it out at the stop. In Ohio the stops had satellite weather tracking, and we were basically driving into a cloud that covered our route. Eventually we did reach the edge, and made it into Valparaiso with clear skies.
A quick tour of downtown Valparaiso showed a LOT of changes there from 15 years ago, when we were there for Denny/Bozo’s niece Suzanne’s wedding. And we enjoyed a great dinner at Suzanne’s that evening, visiting with Suzanne, her husband TJ, sons Jay and Tyler, daughter Jessica, and golden retrievers Duke and King. Fun visit!
It was an early rise the next morning since we were back on the road to reach Omaha Nebraska by nightfall. Our next few days will be covering a lot of ground to get back to Phoenix. Illinois and Iowa would backdrop our day as we drove in the sun and 98 degree weather. We stopped for dunch at Famous Dave’s in Iowa, opting for the BBQ pulled pork. Broccoli as my side dish was my attempt at keeping it healthy. Considering it was our one real meal of the day, not so bad. Hydration, as ever, was the key to keeping alert on the road.
“Well, I’m on my way. I don’t know where I’m going, I’m on my way. Taking my time and I don’t know where.” Paul Simon – Me & Julio
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