Day 1.  Michigan to Ohio on Halloween Day. (October 31 2012)

This will be a short entry , but it was a geography lesson for Cathy. She knows we are in Ohio tonight, and that we crossed the state line safely. I told the story of the acquisition of the Upper Peninsula after the war between Ohio and Michigan over that strip of land at the border. The U.P. was the gain that Michigan had as a result of that  war.  That was quite a trade. (Stephen T. Mason was the governor and only 29 years old  at that time). He was a most interesting man...(He died before he was 40.)

Some highlights of the day included the huge, and I mean huge , pumpkin fields in Northern Ohio of 20-25 acres in size. Cathy wondered what happened to them as they were still in the fields.  (Today was Halloween!). I explained that many products were made from Pumpkins, like sauces, canned pumpkins for pies, and even flavors like in coffee and baked goods. On the way through Dayton we could smell the rubber from the rubber factories as the damp weather kept the smell close to the ground. A couple of old Breweries also were seen.  Akron is a very busy town and the center city was seen looking east  from the freeway (I-77). After the turn south near Cleveland you begin to see the uplift of  the Appalachian montains as the rises and hills start to become regular.  Up to that point the land is flat and great fertile land , much of it left over from the  "Black Swamp" that at one time skirted Lake Erie from Sandusky to Toledo or thereabouts. Most of the corn has been harvested and all the soybeans fields are clear. There is some winter wheat coming up and a few fields are plowed getting ready for spring. There were many trucks of course and if someone can tell me what the structure was on one trucks that looked like three pieces of metal that made a protection at the back of the truck that stuck out about 4 feet, ...I would be grateful. One on each side and one at the bottom???

The rain from Hurricane Sandy still lingered and will for another day or two as we move south through West Virginia tomorrow. We hope the snow has been cleared, and belive that it will be as those folks are use to snow and it's removal. Some places got 28 inches in Northern WV and western MD while Rocky Top in Tennessee recived 22 inches. The rain continued after Lansing and stopped when we were almost to our destination at New Philadelphia, OH. The temperature has been between 41 and 37 F.

We made good time stopping for lunch which Ruth prepares each night to save both time and money. We stop at either a rest area or the travel stops along the highway. Cathy is navigating getting in and out  the tall step to the truck nicely. She has learned to "slideout" and land both feet on the ground which is easier than placing the foot on the narrow support on the truck. She has her own room at night and manges that nicely with some time of her own. We will be up and on the road at 9:00 in the morning. Breakfast iis Continental here at the Microtel. It is clean and well apportioned.

We did see three deer along side the road ,and about 7 species of birds (Those who follow our blog know we do watch for the birds). As we started out Ruth asked if we should record what we see. Why not we agreed? Some hawks, Geese, ducks, and swan were some of the species seen. We were disappointed no see no turkey.

We have a fine one story motel so access for Cathy and for Ruth was easy, as I was able to park right outside the door so moving bggage (we have much) and the special needs accutrements was much easier than it will ba some in the future.

We decided to eat next door at Dennys as the ladies wanted eggs with their meal. Wow, Dennys has a huge menu. Lots of choices which surprised me. I topped my veggie and potato platter with eggs over easy with a hot fudge sundae "to go". We picked up some ice and relaxed for the evening.

Tomorrow we traverse the mountains of WV. Cathy has never seen the mountains of the Appalachians so that should be a treat in November especially that they are covered with snow.  The reports are that the roads at mostly wet, with a few snow covered spots, but perhaps by midday with temps in the 40's the snow on the road should be history. What a storm, eh? 1500 miles across and so much damage and tragedy. Prayers for all those affected especially those losing their homes in Breezy Point from the fire.

I'll have a few pictures tomorrow so hang in there. Thanks for watching and happy Thursday!

Gee. I really missed those "little ones" coming to the door.

ANOTHER JOURNEY. A SHORTER SOUTH TRIP.

Welcome to our blog and another adventure of travel. This one will be only two weeks duration, but will cover the route from Michigan to Florida and return starting October 31 (Halloween) Ruth and Jim are taking Ruth's care receiver (Cathy) on a long time "wish trip" that she has had since she was young. She wants to "Swim With the Dolphins", so we are obliging her with this road trip to Florida and a chance to swim with those wonderful sea mammals.

There has been some trepidation on Jim's part with the snow in West Virginia (that was our chosen route to go south) , but it appears that by the time Thursday rolls around the roads should be wet and not as dangerous as they have been at times this week. There was a truck rollover on I-77 today in Mercer County, but I am sure that was cleared as quickly as possible. One lane traffic is slow, but doable.

If you follow along you will see us travel through Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia (a bit), North Carolina, South Carolina and the East coast, south to Jacksonville from Savannah, and then to Marathon, Fl where the Dolphin Research Center is located and where we will stay three days. They have trained personnel to work with special needs folks. (Cathy is Developmentally Disabled , and is a wonderful swimmer.)

The return trip will be more liesurely with stops at Busch Gardens, the Everglades, and a Marine Center in Atlanta, to mention a few places. Much of this will be new for Cathy including the Ocean, the mountains and the East Coast shoreline of the USA. Is she ever excited!

So check in once in a while and those of you watching from the USA as well as from other countries, keep those folks who were hit by the Hurricane Sandy in your thoughts and prayers for safety, shelter, heat  and comfort. They sure need it.

See you on the road!

 THIS IS THE TOYOTA TUNDRA WE WILL TAKE.   LOTS OF ROOM AND UP HIGH.