On the Road Again 7-11 June 2010

Well it’s been awhile since our last blog and I apologise for that.
The last week has been pretty relaxing. We have done quite a bit of resting and just mucking about locally. Here’s some of the highlights, though.

On Monday the 7th, Pia and I went to a nearby town called Lebanon, Ohio. It is a very handsome, old-fashioned little town and we had a great time checking out all the local antique shops (as well as the ice cream parlor). This is the same town that has the tavern/hotel, The Golden Lamb, which we checked out last week with Gary and Norma. That hotel has been open since 1807 and many, many famous people (including several Presidents) have stayed there.

In the evening Gary and Norma held a wine tasting party at their place. There were about 20 guests and it was a great evening with some great wines. There were a few Aussie wines there too. It was all very cordial and a bit of a treat for me in another way. Two of their guests were former-Marines. Ed was an infantry officer who served in Vietnam and Alex was a Force Recon Marine who served after me, but did his training on the west coast like me. Another “Hollywood” Marine. We sat and chatted for awhile. It’s the first time in the 17 years since I was in the Marines that I’ve chatted with another Marine. We might of drunk a bit too much and told some tall stories but at least there was no howling at the moon.

On Tuesday the 8th, Pia stayed at the house all day, as she was feeling a bit ill. Possibly too much wine and good food the evening before…
The most exciting thing I did was to go out for a haircut.
Exciting stuff, eh?

On Wednesday the 9th, I went to the Ohio State Highway Patrol and sat my practical driving test. Although my Australian license and International license are both recognized here by the various government authorities, it is a condition of our insurance policy on the van that I get a US driving license. So I passed the written test last week (free of charge) and today I sat the driving test (free of charge) and once I passed (about 15 minutes), I was issued with a 4-year Ohio driver’s license ($23).

Pia and I celebrated with lunch at Cracker Barrel, the best chain-restaurant in the US. We spent a quiet afternoon in with Edna, who was back from Bob and Becky’s place in Shelbyville, Indiana.

Funny fact: Simpsons fans take note: There is a town called Springfield in Ohio and a town called Shelbyville in neighbouring Indiana AND a town called Homer in between them. Coincidence?

In the evening (it was to be our last in Ohio), Edna, Gary, Norma, Norma’s son Chris and Chris’ young son Aiden, and us went out to dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. It was really good. Okay, it wasn’t very Australian, but they had lamb on the menu (first lamb in 2 months) which Pia had and I had a couple of bottles of Boag’s lager.
The food was really excellent (even though they didn’t have Vegemite) and we all had a really great time.

On Thursday the 10th, it was time to bid a sad goodbye to Edna, Gary and Norma. They have been the most generous and enjoyable hosts imaginable. As when we left Virginia, we were very reluctant to go. We have made such great friends on this trip. We are truly blessed. Edna, Gary and Norma will be in Oregon for Edna’s granddaughter’s wedding at the end of the month and our time there may coincide, so we hope to see each other again a third time before returning to our antipodean home.

Before we left Ohio, we paid another visit to Millie and Henry. We stayed for an hour or so and had a great chat. They are really nice people.
Leaving their house, we drove west a couple hours to Connersville, Indiana, where we revisited cousins Molly and John and their son Jim. Jim is the same age as I am and we played together as children when my Mom, Dad and I visited the US in 1984. We also briefly saw each other 17 years ago when I was on leave from the Marines.
We spent the whole day with them and got the grand tour of the town. It’s a nice place, but considering it was a thriving commercial hub up until 30 years ago its pretty quiet now. We saw where Esther lived and Mark's great grandmother house (we think that is the right relative. And Esther we will have some photos for you when we get home). Still a nice town, though. We had dinner with them and Pia cooked her famous chilli con carne (thanks to Suzi’s wonderful recipe). We stayed the night in their spare bedroom.

Friday the 11th. This morning we said another sad farewell. It’s a damn bittersweet journey, sometimes. We headed west on the old country roads until we joined Interstate 74, turning Northwest. We passed through Indianapolis and crossed out of Indiana into Illinois. Staying on I 74, we crossed right through Illinois diagonally, passing through Peoria and crossing the Mississippi River (again) into Iowa in the late afternoon.

We got onto I 80 and headed west. About 50 miles up I 80, on the North side we came across the Iowa 80 Truckstop, the largest truckstop in the world. Really. It’s like a small shopping mall with a couple gas stations, motels, a barber, dentist, cinema, lounges restaurants and parking out back for 800 (that’s eight hundred) trucks. And one blue van. This place has to be seen to be believed (check out their website) and we’re staying here tonight.

This is only half of the Truck Showroom at Iowa 80 (and yes, Mark has been going a little crazy whilst here and yes he wants the trucks at the other end of the showroom)

Sign for the Iowa 80 (can be seen for a good mile before you get there)

John, Jim and Molly (cousins from Connersville) - thanks for the hospitality and laughs guys

How's that for a stained glass window. From John and Molly's church. All the other windows were just as beautiful.

Little girls doll house. This doll house was erected by Vivianne May Allison's parents on her death. She was only five years old. It has been in the same spot since 1899 and was refurbished in 1991. How's that for keeping a childs love of doll houses alive.

Country Town Indiana. Very pretty on the back roads.