1. Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and southern Ohio

Day 1: Sunday, May 13

Started the second trip of the year at 8:00 AM -- clear blue sky but a rather cool temperature of only 50F.

Got on I-80 and headed west. Very light traffic all the way to the Delaware Water Gap. By the way, this part of New Jersey is quite scenic. Stayed on I-80 for a couple of hours. I-80 is in resonably good condition with only a few construction sites. They did not cause traffic jams. The trees in the Poconos and in the Allegheny mountains were just beginning to develop leaves. Took US 220 south. Traveling through the Eagle Valley involves a two lane road with many construction sites and a few attractive views of the mountain range. After a while US 220 becomes I-99, the Bud Schuster Highway. Bud Schuster is the congressman for the region and he sure knows how to bring home the pork.

Detoured into Altoona, the famous Pennsylvania Railroad town. Visited the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, a most fascinating place for anyone interested in railroad history. Neat interactive displays and hands-on exhibits, definitely worth the $7.75 senior admission charge and the two hours that it takes to explore the three floors.

Continued on I-99/US 220 to I-70/I-76, the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Heavy traffic and many construction sites detract from the enjoyment of rather pretty scenery as the road rollercoasts through the Allegheny mountains and the Laurel Mountain area..

Continued on I-70 after it split off from the turnpike and crossed into West Virginia. Took the first WV exit and pulled into the Dallas Pike Campground. Not a bad place, although a bit run down. $15.90 got me a fairly level site. The campground is modem-friendly, so was able to get my e-mail.

Spent the evening trying in vain to figure out why Sprint won't connect me to my ISP. I get clear digital voice communications, but the data connection just doesn't work.

Drove 420 miles and was on the road for 9 hours. High temperature was 72F and 68F after sunset.

Day 2: Monday, May 14

It got cold during the night, 39F, and I woke up at 3 AM with a really bad allergy attack -- runny nose, itching eyes, and a cough that sounded as if I were trying out for the role of Mimi in La Boheme. Having just had a chest X-Ray I didn't get unduly concerned. But deep sleep escaped me for the rest of the night -- just tossed and turned and dozed until 6:00 AM.

Went to grab a shower. The bathhouse looked as if it had seen better days, but the water was hot and plentiful. Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then went to the office to upload/download e-mail. Was on the road by 9 AM -- sunny but only 43F.

Drove around Wheeling for a while. The last battle of the Revolutionary War was fought here September 11-13, 1782. The news of peace hadn't made it to the area yet. The 900' long Wheeling suspension bridge was built in 1849. Since it is still in use today we may conclude that for once the taxpayers got their money's worth.

The supposedly scenic SR 7 along the Ohio river wasn't particulary so. It's called the Ohio River Scenic Byway and, in my opinion, it is neither scenic nor should it be called a byway, given the heavy truck traffic. The drive ends at Marietta, a pretty little town at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers.

At Marietta picked up SR 60 for the rather enjoyable and at times scenic drive to Beverly and McConnellsville, and then took the sometimes scenic SR 37 to Lancaster.

Had planned this detour so that I could travel the supposedly scenic Lancaster-Chillicothe highway (SR 159). Don't bother. Next, US 50 to Bainbridge is not a total waste, and SR 41 to SR 73 is definitely worthwhile. From SR 73 I entered the Shawnee State Forest and enjoyed a beautiful drive. Park Road 1 connects with SR 125. Made a right turn to get to the Shawnee State Park, where I had planned to spend the night.

However, the campground does not offer water hook-ups and my water tank was pretty empty after dry-camping last night. Also, the bathhouse looked a bit crummy. Got back on SR 125 and headed for the Shawnee Village RV Park & Campground near West Portsmouth, where $16 got me a full hook-up site, a clean-looking bathhouse, and a phone jack in the laundry room.

Drove into Portsmouth to buy some supplies and to admire the 40+ murals painted on the flood walls. Quite interesting. They were painted to depict the history of the town and the surrounding area and (I suspect) to discourage local grafitti artists from spraypainting.

Here are some examples of what the artist, Robert Dafford, did with a quarter mile of concrete wall.

Was on the road for 9 hours and drove 385 miles. The temperature climbed into the high seventies during the afternoon, and there was a bit of rain after sundown. Managed to find "cheap" gas at $1.75 per gallon -- most stations charge between $1.79 and $1.85 for regular. Averaged 16.7 miles per gallon on the last tank (which had cost me $1.61 in New Jersey)

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