What a contrasting day! Temperature started at 37-deg and ended up at 81-deg! Crazy, right? Terrain was very flat through Indiana and 2/3 of Ohio, then I motored in hills and lots of crazy switchbacks approaching West Virginia.
I purposely selected smaller roads to stair-step down to the southeast. I could not find the highway I wanted to take out of La Porte, so I went east for a bit and then south for a bit. Did this for about 16-miles before I found Hwy.30. First town of note was Walkerton, many old buildings, platted in 1856 by a railroad promoter. Very neat. Scooting down the highway I had to stop when I saw a power-pole-wire-distribution that I hadn't seen before :
Only a geek with an electrical background can have this fascination!
Continuing on Hwy.30, I enjoyed listening to the local flavor of Warsaw Radio. This took me into Fort Wayne. A medium-sized city. What I noticed first and foremost was the large number of church steeples! Wow! This city must've had quite a following of church builders! There are quite a few of these large steepled ones .. all within 30-blocks ! There are 38 churches within the city limits .. including one called 'Truckstop Ministries.'
Here's St.Paul's Lutheran Church :
I did stop at their historical museum. Noticed that a school bus of kids had just gone in. When I entered, the clerk asked .. "are you the bus driver?" We both had a good laugh. She said that the group went upstairs for an orientation by the docent and that I should start in the basement, the calaboose. I enjoyed my short visit. Here's a pic of me on the main floor :
Fort Wayne is also home to .. Indiana Tech University. I found another one!
I had to wander around a bit in the downtown area to find my southeast way back to Hwy.30 and my intermediate destination of Mansfield. Keeping me company was a radio broadcast from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. They were talking about their unbelievable number of adult volleyball teams that play every week ... 189 teams ! 1700 players ! Their program is 43-years-old! I had to look up their population .. 217,185.
After going through Wooster, I motored SE along Hwy.250. What a treat!
It was very interesting driving on a road and seeing buildings that both had been used for 200 years! Neat old towns : Apple Creek, Mt.Eaton, Wilmot, Strasburg, New Philadelphia, Midvale, Cadiz, and Harrisville. For quite a stretch of this road I noticed many Amish farms and buggies. Noticed buggy warning signs :
Here's a pic I took of a buggy waiting for the stop light to change :
Cadiz is an interesting town. Many old buildings. Here's the courthouse :
Cadiz also has the .. Clark Gable Birthplace Museum and the Puskarich Coal Museum. Hwy.250 : an important path and road for 200+ years!
I think the flying saucer that hovered over me at Sundance,WY is following me:
Tomorrow, approximately 5-hours of driving time and maybe 3-hours of sightseeing along the way. Will map it out after I publish tonight.
start odometer : 109389 (La Porte, Indiana)
4/11 odometer : 109787 (Wheeling, West Virginia)
day miles : 398
trip total : 2878
Looks like another adventure filled day! Especially like seeing the buggy at the stop light and impressive steeple. The powerpole looks like an art piece
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