HUGGING LAKE ERIE

We arrived late in the day at Ashtabula on the 18th, with the heat. It wasn’t a friendly area of the city and we didn’t see anything of the town, just tucked into the motor home and read and did paperwork, made a few phone calls until bedtime.
In the morning we lit out for Sandusky, staying away from the interstates, following Highway 6, 2, and 24, hugging Lake Erie. Having grown up on the Great Lakes, in the Upper peninsula of Michigan, I’m familiar with them but had not traveled anywhere near the south side of Lake Erie.
First, though, we threaded our way through Cleveland. An appealing place, with a pretty skyline and home of the Cleveland Browns.

A bit of Cleveland skyline through the window.

Got a passing shot at the Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Our first good glimpse of the lake, with a barely visible lighthouse out on a point.
Leaving Cleveland, I took a number of photos of the blue, beauty.

Below, the Huron River dumps into the Lake.

The drive was quite scenic, unhurried and uneventful.

I got a skewed picture of this old building where the owner has nicely allowed an old painted ad to remain. Its says, Honest Scrap. Below, that, 5 cents. Could be a pack of cigs. Our computers no longer contain a cents sign. Not much use for it.

An asphalt parking lot in front of a grocery store had nary a tree, but sported instead some electrical assistance with a generating windmill. I spotted three stand alones in as many days. I wish more businesses would to that.

Our last stop of the day, Sandusky. The American Legion Post 83 put us up for the night in their back lot. A huge place-the third largest in the U.S. It had a great restaurant and we enjoyed a nice dinner and good draft beer. We are on our way to visit friends of Jim’s on the Detroit River for a few days.

WE MADE IT TO ASHTABULA, OHIO

If you like a good ghost story you might enjoy this one. Before we left Smethport, PA. we saw a sign to visit the old jail where the ghost of Ralph Crossmire appeared after he was hung by his neck until dead. We didn’t visit the jail, which is run by the local Historical Society, I believe, but I did go on-line and read his whole story. You can check it out at:     http://www.smethporthistory.org/king.street/jail/crossmiremurder/crossmire.htm

Smethport was a nice town, friendly and pretty with a good sized lake and park.

A huge flock of Canadian Geese make this lake their home. Above is a small portion of the lake and a small portion of the flock.

I walked around the lake on Goose Chasing Trail, appropriately enough. I saw along this wall of greenery on the trail many berry bushes and a huge plop of bear scat. Not a place to walk at night. The park had ball fields, several childrens playgrounds, tennis courts, a skate board area; You can fish and kayak, and sail boats and swim here. A huge barbeque area for group affairs plus many strategically located more private picnic areas with benches. I crossed two bridges over the water. For a small population of about 19,000 people, it was commendable. If I were to chose a place to live in Pennsylvania, this might be it.

Down the road apiece was this figure attached to a hunt and bait shop. Methinks the area is a great hunting, fishing and skiing area, judging from the mountainous terrain of the Allegheny Mountains. And, the main grocery here had better prices compared to what we were paying for items in Ivoryton and Dartmouth.

Yesterday, I attempted to get a picture of a snowmobile crossing sign and missed several of them. But, I finally succeeded after three tries on this stretch of road headed for Ashtabula.

Our journey was somewhat eventful in that a truck turning right pulled within inches of us at a stop light, then backed up and made the narrow turn. I was so transfixed I didn’t get his picture. Likewise when we came to a very narrow underpass. This one, pictured below, was lower than normal, but not so narrow. The transportation department gave plenty of warning that it was coming up. Twelve feet seven inches. The motor home is Eleven feet two inches.

Then, we stopped for lunch and a stretch at Union City and wondered what all the yellow ribbons were for? Maybe vets? Maybe cancer awareness? Its a local thing.

Signs we saw, but not in time to get a picture:
HOME OF FLAMETHROWER BURGERS
(That was Conneaut)
BLIND PERSON AREA
(On cape cod, we saw a DEAF CHILD sign.)
BUCKLE UP ITS YOUR LIFE ITS OUR LAW
SOULSHINES BETTER THAN A SHOESHINE
WORLDS STRONGEST REDNECK
That last one really has me curious. We saw it in three places in two small towns???
Life on the road is fun even whizzing by. We made it to Ashtabula.