DAY 3–PEACHAM TO PORTLAND–HOWE, IN

 

Day 3_Peacham to Howe Indiana

 Dearest Readers,

This is me at the wheel zipping through an industrial area of Cleveland this morning right near the wind-whipped, white-capped, frigid Lake Erie. I’m content driving on I-90. It’s like needle work, or knitting–but a bit dulling to the senses. I’m in a 65 mile per hour groove with frequent stops at service centers for food, and the potty. I’m getting better at snapping selfies and stop-action views out my side window, like this vision of a cornfield, 

but I'm not too efficient at lugging all my dog and person luggage in and out of motels each day.  Etta is my silent partner. Mostly she sleeps and jumps down to drink some water. Poor kid…Yesterday she was agitated and confused trying to sniff out the right door to our room in the existential corridor of the ancient Days Inn two days ago in Conneaut Ohio. 

I carried her to the right one and eased her frustration. It’s hard for a little girl who loves food and a routine.

A semi barreling down I-90 outside my motel window_6am this morning

This time I’m in a Holiday Inn Express plunked down in the vast emptiness of the prairie, but nestled alongside the river of I-90. I paid $264.00 for this regular motel room because they assured me at the desk that all of northern Indiana was sold out because it was a home game night between Notre Dame and USC. After calling all the other motels in the area that accepted dogs, I realized I was stuck. I think Notre Dame won, which is a comfort only to the fans who rumbled in late. I had all the fans (the motorized kind) in the room blasting as a sound screen.

Occasionally I run into people who interest me-like the group of retired-age black men from the Moorish Temple of America-National Mufti Corps. They wore buttons that urged against hating. Not sure what exactly, or where they were from, but I bet they are a volunteer community service fraternity like the Elks or the Shriners.We shared a brief wordless moment in a service center along the interstate. 

Here’s a gallery of road scenes yesterday  from my windshield on the world.

Heavy rains started the day, but quickly changed to sun, gale force winds and temperatures in the 30's (I think)

Sun on the green man as we plunge into the flattening prairie landscape

Nice irony of the Amish horse and buggy in front of a going-out-of-business K-Mart in Sturgis MI.  

Am I boring you all with weather and topography, agriculture and service centers? This is my world right now. It’s an adventure! See you tomorrow.