Day 8 - September 30, 1998

Illinois to Kentucky to Indiana to Ohio
It's not as far as it sounds

After checking our maps the night before, we decided that, if we dawdled a little bit, we could end up a little north of Cincinnati, which is where our cousin Janet and her husband Doug live.  So we gave her a call a little after 11PM to see whether she'd be home and she sleepily but graciously invited us for dinner and lodging.  We realized the next morning that, with the time zone difference, it was after midnight and we'd aroused her from a sound sleep.  Sorry, Janet!  If she could get email, this wouldn't have happened, but she works for the US Postal Service, and federal regulations prohibit her from sending or receiving email.

We arose to yet another beautiful summer-like day, and headed into the rolling hills of western Kentucky, finding some more exhilarating Alfa roads to enjoy.  Took our time, stopped a few places, and decided that we'd better make some time if we were going to be at Janet's at 6:30 as we'd planned.  Around 4:00, we realized, once again, that the clock on John's CD changer was in the wrong time zone.  We also found ourselves on some very twisty-turny Alfa roads - great for driving, bad for our schedule.  We finally arrived around 8:00 - sorry again, Janet!

Overall, another great driving day, some interesting culture, more beautiful scenery, and all topped off with a great dinner and luxurious accommodations provided by Janet and Doug.

This is where we went today

Super 8 Motel, Harrisburg, IL
Here is a typical morning scene - loading up, checking fluid levels, warming up the engine.  The laptop responsible for bringing you these pages is in that battered brief case.  Doesn't look like it all ought to fit, eh?

Ohio River, Old Shawneetown, IL
The Mississippi is America's mother river, of course, but as you can see the Ohio is no slouch either!  In the background is a huge grain elevator loading grain into barges.  Trailer trucks loaded with grain converge here from all directions at a rate of about one a minute - very impressive!

Roadside Oil Rig, Western Kentucky
We stopped and studied this oil rig that was in operation along the side of the road on a farm.  It has a single-cylinder engine that apparently runs off the natural gas coming from the well!  If it weren't for installations like these, our trip wouldn't be possible!

Southern Indiana
Around midday, we began our search for a pleasant, pastoral setting in which to enjoy our lunch of bread and cheese.  Today, we found this lovely oasis of field, trees, and hay bales.  Delightful, don't you agree?

A tributary stream to the Ohio River, Indiana
John, who has a place on Martha's Vineyard and does some salt-water fishing there, has really taken to fishing the fresh-water streams.  Here he is with his most recent catch, a very respectable striper (striped bass DO make it up-river this far)!

Janet and Doug's house, north of Cincinnati, OH
Here's a shot of our beautiful cousin Janet and her dashing husband Doug, our gracious hosts for the night.  Their terrific home had room for themselves, ourselves, and our pit crew and press entourage if we had them along!  It's the first night we slept in separate rooms in a week!  (No further comment.)

Beer(s) of the Day

Culture Feature

Another cultural treat is in store for you today!  This is a picture of some genuine Kentucky folk art that we encountered while driving through the western Kentucky hills.  Appreciate and enjoy!

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:

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