This makes for a good story, right?

Greetings from Toledo, Ohio! I have just discovered that sometimes there are worse things than driving tired. Like checking into a motel tired. But I’ll get to that later.

Today has been full of surprises. Unlike my prediction in my last post, I had a beautiful morning weather-wise. The rain finally came (or maybe I should say that I came to the rain) but not until 1:30 this afternoon. Also, I was wrong about thinking I’d get to a Starbucks. I did find the Starbucks near the motel, but it was located deep in the bowels of a large shopping mall. I did not want to subject Toby to fifteen minutes alone in the car first thing in the morning, so I decided to find my inner stoic and press ahead without my latte. For a person who loves doing new things as much as I do, I can be amazingly stuck in my ways. I really, really wanted that latte. When I didn’t get it, I was discombobulated for at least twenty minutes. I was driving somewhat erratically (varying speeds, making unnecessary lane changes, etc.) until I came up with a new plan.

My new plan was to detour to Grinnell, Iowa, where my good friends, Leslie and Rameen, went to college. (They happen to be the wonderful souls who are putting us up when we get to Maine.) What a beautiful college and town! I have the happy habit of discovering that I could live in many of the places I have visited over the years. Grinnell is now one of those places. Toby and I wandered (briefly) around the campus and then, with help from a friendly cyclist, found our way to the Saints Rest Coffeehouse in downtown Grinnell (population 9,167). It is probably the only coffeehouse in town, but at least it’s a good one. I ordered my usual on-the-road latte (triple shot soy with whip) after asking the barista whether their lattes were any good. Of course she said “yes.” What else would she say? While she was whipping it up, I ran back to the car for my camera, thinking the place was pretty neat and I needed a photo. Then I asked the barista if I could take her picture while she pulled the espresso shots. She seemed a little bit uncomfortable with my request, but I explained that I was on a cross-country trip and was documenting it as I went. When she gave me my drink, she also handed me their business card, which says that Chuck Offenberger of AAA Home Away Magazine said the Saints Rest was “One of the top ten coffeehouses in Iowa” back in January of 2004! She also assured me that their soy milk was locally produced and completely organic. Gosh. My comment about documenting my trip somehow gave me some major cachet. I need to remember that line more often. Perhaps I should have used it when I was checking into this motel. But again, more about that later.


As soon as I got back on the interstate, I discovered that I was able to drive nearly as fast as I did in Wyoming and Nebraska. The day was shaping up to be a good driving day after all. A ways down the road, I passed the turnoff for Mount Vernon, Iowa (population 3390), home of Cornell College. The other Cornell College. Six years ago, when we were driving across the country looking at colleges with Caitlyn, our first stop was in Mount Vernon. Caitlyn wasn’t overly impressed with Cornell, so the visit was quick. Unfortunately, our departure from town was anything but. Some sort of hometown parade was going on and it seemed like no matter what street we turned down, we were stopped by the parade. I turned around in driveways, did U-turns, drove in reverse, and yet we were blocked by the parade every way we turned. It was starting to feel like a very creepy episode of The Twilight Zone by the time we eventually found our way free of the place. Needless to say, I did not stop there this time around.

Some other places I did not stop today: The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum (West Branch, Iowa). The Birthplace of Ronald Reagan (Tampico, Illinois). The Hometown of Ronald Reagan (Dixon, Illinois). The Minooka Distribution Center located along I-80 in Minooka, Illinois. (This place is brand new, currently unoccupied, and contains more than 1,000,000 SF of leasable space. It looked as worthy of a visit as any distribution center I’ve ever seen.) I also did not stop at any of the Starbucks that started turning up along my route this afternoon. (I would have gladly had it not been past my point-of-no-return caffeine-wise.)

So where DID I stop? The rest area in Wilton, Iowa, which hands-down wins the Best Rest Area Award so far! The place was gorgeous. Toby and I had a rather idyllic stroll through the grounds, which looked like a park. There were lovely picnic shelters scattered here and there, connected by a meandering walkway. The theme of the place was centered on traditional quilt patterns and each picnic shelter was identified by one of the patterns. (I didn’t know that rest areas had themes. Did you?) Seriously, the place was plush. I took numerous pictures and thought about grabbing one of the free real estate guides in front of the building to see if this was yet another place I could live. Maybe even in the rest area itself. Did I mention, they had wireless internet there?

I also stopped in Geneseo, Illinois, a high school football powerhouse, according to an informational sign I noticed while driving into town for gas and a cup of coffee. I also noticed that, according to the sign at the BP station where I filled up, Steve was celebrating his 50th. I hope he has an easier time of it than I did.


Not much of a sight-seeing day to be sure, yet it was enjoyable nonetheless. I listened to some great music and spent money at three separate toll booths (Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio). I got stuck in some very slow traffic near the Illinois/Indiana border, but otherwise the drive was pretty easy.




Toby has resigned himself to spending the rest of his life in a car. For the most part, he curls up in the front seat, but sometimes climbs in back or stands right next to me seeking some affection. Or at least acknowledgment that he is a fellow creature who really should be allowed a bathroom break every now and then. He is almost pathetically happy every time I let him out of the car, even if it is only for the two minutes it takes to fill up the gas tank. He has most definitely earned some major walks once we get to Portland.

Highlights of the day: The Saints Rest Coffeehouse. The rest area in Wilton. Seeing some flooding along the Rock River (Milan, Illinois). Listening to two of the most beautiful songs I know as I drove through peaceful farmland (Tá Mé 'Mo Shuí by Altan and the song I only know as Track 07 by Apocalyptica).

Not-so-great part of the day: It’s kind of humorous in retrospect, but apparently I was more tired than I thought earlier today. Several times I found myself fumbling for the appropriate controls in the car. At one point, I saw a state trooper in the median area of the Indiana Turnpike. I was only going 75 in a 70 MPH zone yet started to panic. I reached for the cruise control lever to slow my speed but only managed to increase the speed of the windshield wipers. Then I tried to toggle the little gear shift knob into engine braking mode to slow the car without hitting the brakes. A split second before I realized what I was doing, I pushed instead the button that puts the car into park. I am extremely happy to report that when you do that in a speeding Prius, you only put the car into neutral. Otherwise, I might be writing a somewhat different narrative right now.

Worst part of the day: As I mentioned earlier, it isn’t good to be too tired when choosing your motel for the evening. I was feeling fine all day (or so I thought) and was hoping to make it to Cleveland tonight. But thirty miles out of Toledo, I completely hit the wall. I knew I had to stop when it took me several seconds to remember how to turn down the volume when a song came on too loud. I took the first Toledo exit off the Ohio Turnpike and quickly located the Motel 6, got a room, and drove to the appropriate entrance. It was only when I started to unpack the car that I noticed that this isn’t a very nice Motel 6. In fact, I’d honestly have to put it in the “somewhat scary” category. I seriously considered walking away right then and there and chalking up the $38.20 to experience. But I have decided to be brave. I quickly carried everything in and immediately called my sister to tell her exactly where I am, in case I should disappear. (And in the same vein, I’ll repeat that information here. I am at the Toledo Motel 6, just off the Ohio Turnpike. The phone number is 419-865-2308. Please tell the police to start looking for me here if I’m never heard from again.) When I realized that I really had to take Toby out to pee one last time, my mace was in my hand with my finger on the trigger. Really. I even tested it when I got outside – just in case. I am also armed with a very large Maglite, which I brought along just in case I need to hit someone with something heavy. I figure between the chair and suitcase I’ll have in front of the door, Toby who will sound the alarm, a non-opening window, the Maglite and the mace, I will probably survive the night and make it back on the road in the morning. So stay tuned.

Finally, I don’t want to end this post on a bad note. Probably the best part of my day (which came just minutes before I left the turnpike) was when the car that was passing me in the fast lane slowed down alongside me. That always gives me the willies. You never know if someone might be pointing a gun at you (which actually happened to me once in Portland, Maine). Anyway, I turned to see if I had anything to worry about and noticed the woman in the passenger seat was looking at me and laughing. This was the first time (at least that I'm aware of) that I was able to offer amusement to one of my fellow motorists. Pink Cadillac happened to be playing on the iPod just then. Need I say more?

Total mileage for the day: 585.5
Total time in the car: 10 hours
Total mileage so far: 2297 (only 860 miles to go!)
Destination tomorrow: Maybe all the way to Portland!