Day 2/7 – Alegany, NY to Richmond, IN

Today was a big driving day because it takes four hours to cross Ohio. Starting with Cleveland, then down to Columbus and over past Dayton, there’s a ton of city traffic, with many miles of “grooved” pavement, and a generous soupçon of stress to go with it. That said, we did fine, and here we are in Indiana for the night.

But first we had to get started, and there was a lot of fog in upstate New York this morning, so we didn’t hit the road until about 9:15.

The sun started to peek out shortly after we got going, and again I felt grateful for taking this new route through the Southern Tier of NY State, instead of going I-90 through Buffalo like last year. I hardly saw another vehicle, the road itself was in great shape, and the views were spectacular.

Due to heavy rain all summer, the fall foliage isn’t really going to pop this year, but the mostly muted colors are still very pretty.

I was impressed while driving through Seneca Nation territory that the road signs were bilingual, displaying both English and Native place names. I had not seen that elsewhere. Sounds like a new and welcome trend, one that has been a long time coming. (Sorry no photo, but here is a link to learn more: https://www.newyorkupstate.com/news/2016/10/bilingual_road_signs_growing_trend_on_state_roads_crossing_indian_land.html.)

Alas, I-86 eventually came to an end. As soon as we ran into I-90 there were a zillion trucks to contend with and traffic galore. But the first hour of todays journey was peaceful and serene, shared with just a few other drivers. I wish everyone in the world could experience such peace.

After leaving New York, we traversed the Pennsylvania panhandle on I-90 and crossed into Ohio. There we took our first break at the Ohio Welcome Center, which features an illustrated walking path. Something about the place gave me the sense that Eric Carle might hail from the Buckeye State.

My top highlight from the rest of the drive was this unusual opening in the clouds, spotted north of Columbus. Love that slice of blue in the mottled mass, like a window to clarity, with a feathery swoop inside. Angelic! 🌿🦉🌵