Day 9 - October 1, 1998
Ohio - The
Loneliest Highway One Last Time
And a little West Virginia and Pennsylvania
First, let us say that today's
offerings are perhaps not quite up to our normal paltry level. But the blame is not
entirely ours - most of the day was spent in Ohio.
After some evening rain spits,
the weather changed dramatically overnight, and we awoke to a bright, cool, dry, sunny
day. Our hosts Janet and Doug left for work, we finished our coffee and posted the
previous day's web page, short-sheeted their bed, and headed off on the day's journey.
We climbed back onto US Rt 50
for most of the trip across Ohio (pleasant but not as scenic as earlier portions), then
skirted the northern bank of the Ohio River for 50 miles or so before crossing into West
Virginia for a twisty trip up into southwestern Pennsylvania, where we're spending the
night in Greensburg. For those of you paying attention to the map, we're about to
run out of country in a couple of days - yes, we're almost home.
The new old red dirty GTV
continues to run strong, but the big news is: We spotted another Alfa! See
below.
This is where we went today
Along the Ohio River, OH
We actually ran across several of these power plants while traversing this state.
Seems that Ohio is everybody else's 'back yard'! We will admit, though, that
most were coal-fired (Ohio coal, most likely), and not the Three-Mile-Island type.
US Rt 50, OH
While not the as-far-as-the-eye-can-see farms of Kansas, Ohio is a big farming
area. We saw large fields of corn, soybeans, corn, soybeans, and a little tobacco.
Zipping Along, OH
For all those of you who have emailed us that you wished you could be with us,
here's where you'd sit! Come to think of it, we'd have to leave the tools and beer
behind, so - forget it! Note 5th gear cruisin' along a relatively straight stretch.
(Photo taken from rear shelf by camera on self-timer - took several tries as camera
kept sliding around.)
Dam and Locks on Ohio
River
A collage of three photos looking upstream at the dam and downstream from the
middle of the Ohio-West Virginia bridge, and a photo of the bridge itself. Notice
that the California luster of the GTV has been dulled a lot by the layers of road trip
grime.
Fish Stream, WV
The consummate sportsman, John releases the third and largest trout he caught on
WV's bountiful Fish Stream. He always tried to get a little line time in every day
and here was rewarded well - a fourteen-and-a-half pounder!
Beer(s) of the Day
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|
Honey Double Bock
Stoudt Brewing Company, Wilkes-Barre. PA
Like Oldenberg, Stoudt's has been around for
quite some time. A woman-owned company, they produce an ever-changing variety of
quality beers. The Honey Double Bock has just a hint of honey - the way it should
be! Very nice! |
Culture Feature
American TV fans, today's culture treat is
for you! For those of you who always thought that Green Acres was a mythical place,
well, we found it! Green Acres is real and alive and booming in West Virginia! Check
out this picture for proof! Appreciate and enjoy!
(Believe it or not, Green Acres is right next to Maud, WV!)
Alfa Spotting!
We've been keeping track of all the Alfas
that we've encountered on the trip (starting from when we left
Alfa Parts Exchange back in Hayward, CA), and will be
posting the current total, with model names and years, every day! Here's the current
tally:
|
Day 1 |
0 |
|
|
Day 2 |
0 |
|
|
Day 3 |
0 |
|
|
Day 4 |
0 |
|
|
Day 5 |
0 |
|
|
Day 6 |
0 |
(No Alfas, but did see three armadillo roadkills) |
|
Day 7 |
0 |
(No Alfas, but one Fiat X-1/9 parked, but standing on
its own wheels) |
|
Day 8 |
0 |
(No Alfas, but plenty of alfalfa) |
|
Day 9 |
1 |
We spotted a mid-eighties black Spider coming toward us
in Pennsylvania just over the West Virginia border! |
|
__________ |
___ |
|
|
Total |
1 |
(Hooray!) |
 
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September |
October |
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