Stromboli's Rolling Log

FINAL DAY- Nov 14, 2012 Wednesday, Georgetown KY, to Grand Rapids MI

I said I would wrap up the trip with one more entry and this is it. Although there were not very many exciting events to develop in this blog we did see the landscape change decidedly from the rolling hills of Kentucky to the flat lands of northern Ohio and Southern Michigan.

Coming into Cincinnati in the morning the crossing of the Ohio Rver showed the dynamism of that part of the country. I can see why it was called the "Queen City of the West" at one time. Lots of activity on the river and off. Of course both the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers are in danger of limiting barges from transporting the grains and other goods down river this fall after harvest because of the low water. The Corps of Engineers has a dilemma to make decisions about.

This morning I shot the only sunrise of the entire trip. (No

sunsets either) The sky was either completely clear (no clouds) or obscured.

This was Georgetown KY, near Lexington in the horse country

WOW! What horse farms!

"Queen City of the West --Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Reds "riverfront" stadium is on

the left behind the light pole.

Ohio is hit by the recession as all of us.

The Visitor's Center was only open on Sat and Sun.

I put in a few picture as a review of a few highlights, but little else.

The weather was terrific and, EXCEPT for the first two days and the last two days, the temperature stayed above 70 degrees in the day.

The rains came only twice and that was on the first day going south and on the day we went inside to see the Atlanta Aquarium. Perfect timing. (I think we had some help!)

Cathy just was a great traveling compnion, and she was able to keep track of things, and was always ready to go in the morning with her bags packed for the days journey. That was a big help. Did I mention that one day we did a laundry?

The Rest Area and Visitor's Centers were generally very good.

This one in Ohio was beautifully landscaped, and one in KY

was the largest (acreage) of any we have EVER seen.(We have seen many.)

Ruth has always had a "Handicapped Parking permit" for Cathy, and that

was very important as we had to stop more often than most travelers.

Restaurants, venues, and Rest Areas were the places it was used most often.

At the Aquarium we parked right by the inside entrance.

Cathy learned to slide out of the back seat to the ground (she is quite tall)

without using the step stoool to get out.

The truck is a Toyota Tundra. Lots of room.

For me, driving (3700 miles) was the easiest part, while transferring the luggage into and out of the truck each day we moved was the most difficult. Ruth was a good help with this while Cathy carried many of her things as well. At the end of the day Ruth was ready to get off her feet and slow down for awhile. Navigators have a lot of exhasting, mental work.

When looking at the "Big Picture" of America's crops and use, it is quite obvious (at east on route's I-77, I-95, and I-75) that Ohio and Michigan provide the basic crops (grains, fodder) while the southern states are more specialized (citrus, cotton (A great staple), truck crops and catfish, until we get to Florida where there are many fisheries. Not as many as the Gulf Coast for sure, but enough to see the immenseness of the activity. I was surprised to see the amount of hay that is grown in Tennessee.

The farmland of Ohio was outstanding even though all crops but

soy beans were harvested, (and a little corn)

More of the same in Ohio

North of Toledo, there was a "welcome home" sign.

The industrial strength ("Rust Belt" if you will) of the I-75 corridor especially in Ohio, is obvious with Dayton, Akron, Springfield, Lima all with great industries .

It was good to get away south into the heat, but as Ruth says, " It is always good to come home and sleep in our own bed".

Thanks for being with us and we will certainly let you know when we travel and do another blog.

Here is the review of the prime events