Ohio goziamasu!

State College, PA to Cleveland, OH

Greetings from Day One on the road.

RULE #6: each morning, check the oil, tire pressure, AND coolant fluid levels. See Exhibit "C" below:
This was our Most Interesting event today: the engine light went on, we made a game-time decision to keep driving to the next exit and then BOOM! Spray! All over the windshield. Pulled over, steaming. Overheated engine. Oh no, where is the radiator cap?! Do we have to do the sock-n-duct tape emergency repair? Hmm. "K" walked back way to look for it, I noticed it had fallen down by the firewall so flicked it out with a nordic walking pole. "K" called "M" just to verify the sequence of pouring in fluids and starting the engine, we waited for it to cool off, drove 2 miles, repeated procedure, started again, found a vehicle service place, the guy advised us to go the nearby garage, where two very nice mechanics (Frye's Garage, Knox, PA-holla!) got us all set up with water plus reserves, our last chance to hear local Penn accents and salt 'o the earth ways and we were on our way. Well, not before stopping at a campground place to cool the car and rest and get soft-serve ice cream and some old-school arcade games near the pool. Nothing like a little diverson at milepost 555 on I-80 West in PA. We would like to note that NO ONE stopped to even asked if we needed help. Not even the cop who drove by. Please report to PENNDOT. Jeesh, thank goodness we had our pioneer wits about us.

RULE #7: when in doubt, head 'west'. Even if we get off the main drag, the direction is awwright.

OK, enough new rules. We have so many, we will try to keep posting them. Thank you to everyone for posting comments! Liz: thanks for the great local candy company notion: we did see a truck from a small-town candy co. in Tyrone, PA, but alas, he was not heading West. Kevin, sorry we didn't get your excellent foodie recommendation for near Cleveland on time. But thanks anyway! Ginapalooza: the chicken 'n dumplings at Cracker Barrel were top-drawer. I love that they allow "kids of all ages" to order the child-size portions. Sadly, we did not check out any books on CD, BUT we did get a nice store tour by a swell gal named Joyce. She let us know that Cracker Barrels "have the BEST coffee" (watch as two girls from the PacNW roll their eyes...). Cindy: "K" is along because it's turned into a girls' trip! Tu-Ha, keep Uncle Jimmy in cocktails, will you?

A few nuggets from today's drive:

Aww, Kim's Very First Toll Ticket! (in Ohio on I-80 West just after leaving PA)


Why yes, objects in the mirror ARE closer than they appear...


Ohio evening, very lovely and green.


Per request of Ginapalooza: a break in the 'no chain restaurants rule', we hit the Cracker Barrel gift shop and restaurant to peruse books on CD. No purchase, but a hootnaholler's worth of country pickin' fun and Made-in-China knicknacks:


Wait, "K" did all the driving. SHE should be the one curled up with the Pimms! (at La Quinta, somewhere in Cleveland)



Tomorrow's route: I-80 West towards Des Moines, Iowa, Eye-Oh-Wah, Eye-Oh-Wuh Wuh WUH!! (Anne H, your comments please??). This means PURE HEARTLAND, ladies and gents. We anticipate many Cracker Barrel type days. In fact, "K" is checking the official Cracker Barrel map of the nation as I type. Over 500 locations! That's crazy talk.

So tomorrow we will be driving through Ohio, Indie-yana, and Illi-noise before crossing the Mighty Missisip' into Huskerville. Hopefully the rainstorms there will have dissipated by then...I'm getting my John Deere outfits ready.

From there: NEBRASKA and...beyond. And by 'beyond' we mean up to Wyoming to hit Grand Teton and/or Yellowstone, up to Montana, then to Spoke-n-Poke, WA and homeward bound. Ideas subject to change pending mood swings, radiator caps, forest fires, children of the corn and/or general mayhem.

Don't forget to send us road tips~we thank you for your support and...goodnight.