I just got clear of the city and passing into and through Indiana I ran into an unusual delay. If you look closely in this next picture you will see the light bar of an Indiana State Trooper vehicle!! Get this, I am on toll highways. The previous one excepted my credit card at the toll booth. So leaving Indiana I hit obviously another toll booth. They tell me they only take American cash. I see a credit card machine but it has an inoperative sign on it. They will not take Canadian cash. They call the State Troopers. I have to wait for the police to arrive. Believe it or not the State of Indiana passed a law that it is illegal to travel on toll highways without US cash. I think the trooper is as disgusted as I am as he gives me a warning and sends me on my way. He hands me the toll receipt and asks me to mail the funds to the address on the toll receipt. Right! I will get right on that. Jeesh...only in the U.S.! Bye the way, at the very next toll in Ohio...they took credit cards!! :)
Finally on my way I make my way through Ohio and see my first snow of the season. I thought this picture came out pretty well considering it was a moving shot through my passenger side window.
I should have realized this was a sign of things to come as the weather progressively got worse as did the lighting conditions. I ended up getting lost outside of Cleveland but my GPS got me back on track. Though I had to short cut through an angry looking suburb. I stopped to get gas and thankfully, at the same time, as did a Cleveland police officer. I have to say he was a rough looking as the locals!! :) I paid in cash and quickly got the hell out of there! :)
I soon crossed the state line into Pennsylvania and as Fred lived in as small town I found myself on rural roads for the first time in many years. I could not believe how dark and disorienting the driving became but at the same time there was something very familiar and thus comforting about it as it reminded me much of time long since passed in rural Nova Scotia. The stormy weather, the leaves from late fall, the wind...it was the perfect set up for a horror movie just waiting to happen :) The GPS sure comes in handy when your tired, feeling lost and in the middle of nowhere. You just put your faith in that little electronic device and it brings ya home! Made it to Fred's after about 10hours of traveling where I warmly greeted by he and his wife, two dogs and two cats. The ominous thoughts driven by a pending Halloween were for not as the dark spirits were averted...at least for the moment :)
The next morning I woke up to more snow and found poor Casper in the following condition...
All is well. Casper continues to be a warrior! I am taking a few days off here in the north east part of rural Pennsylvania in Meadville. Along my journey I have had the opportunity to hear from the Democrats and now my friend the Republican and member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) one of the most powerful associations in the U.S. driven by the right to bear arms. I have had many political discussions on this journey all driven by the build up to the Presidential election come Nov 4th. It has been truly insightful to hear about the views from the people living and working with the issues every day and coming to realize how distorted the messages are by the time they make their way through mainstream media and into Canada. This has been a real opportunity to re-connect with old friends, share political ideologies and together bash the media whose bias is at unprecedented levels. We'll...we do talk about lighter subjects as well...like the similiarities and differences between Americans and Canadians and I always asure them we are much cooler in every regard! :)
More to follow...
Scoop
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