On Sunday, we left Wabash, Indiana after breakfast, heading for Canton, Ohio. Our first stop was the Trader Joe’s at Fort Wayne. To make sure we weren’t disappointed, Kathy called ahead first, and found that they did, indeed, have the special Indiana shopping bags.
Leaving Fort Wayne, we headed for Canton, Ohio on the 2-lane “Old Lincoln Highway”. This route took us through small rural towns, past flat corn fields as far as we could see, and, finally through the rolling hills and farms of western Ohio. One interesting thing we saw was a number of small cemeteries, popping up in the middle of a corn field or beside the road, with no church or other buildings anywhere near.
Finally, in Upper Sandusky, construction on the original Lincoln Highway detoured us back onto the divided highway. We stopped for a quick lunch at a Subway, and got to our hotel around 3:30 in the afternoon. At 5:00, we met with Kathy’s aunt Joann and her uncle Tom for a wonderful dinner at Olive Garden, catching up with their lives.
On Monday, we got up a little earlier, and left by 8:30 AM. Our goal was to drive down the Ohio River Scenic Byway, from East Liverpool to Marietta, Ohio. It was divided highway to East Liverpool, where we turned off onto 2-lane scenic Ohio Highway 7, going south.
Halfway there, we decided to take a detour. We crossed the river at Wheeling, West Virginia, and drove the east side of the river (on West Virginia Highway 2) until just before Marietta, Ohio. This was a smaller road, and it was really interesting.
This section of the road contains Ohio’s only National Forest, The Wayne National Forest. Despite that, the Ohio River is highly industrialized, and the basin is considered one of the most highly polluted in the United States. We drove by several decommissioned coal-fired power plants, with giant machines tearing down the smokestacks. Despite the quasi-apocalyptic vibe, the drive was still fascinating.
Before we crossed back into Ohio, we stopped in Moundsville, West Virgina, at the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery for lunch. It was great comfort food.
Kathy had the grilled fish dinner with asparagus and broccoli, while I had turkey, stuffing, gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, buttered corn and cranberry sauce. Everything was delicious. With drinks and a good tip, the total was $44. Such a deal.
We crossed back into Ohio for the last stretch and arrived at our hotel around 3:30 PM. Tomorrow, we head to Catonsville, Maryland, where we’ll stay with Kathy’s brother Tom, and his family, for a few days.
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