Central NJ –> Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH –> Michigan City, IN

800 miles, 14 hours of driving, 4 states, 2.5 tanks of gas, 5 rest stops, 1 National Park, too much coffee!

Our day started off early, trying to leave around 7AM. We had some logistical things that needed to be done before we hit the road for awhile, so we got on the road around 8 AM. Neither of us could sleep very well, being so anxious about the long days travels. We decided to load the first 2 days with a lot of driving for our cross-country trip, since we are so familiar with the East Coast and figured that if we wanted to do something in that area we could make a day or weekend trip out of it. So, the first two days we would grind to get to the mid-west, then decrease our driving after that to explore the area more. Our original route was supposed to start in eastern PA, but some unavoidable circumstances came up for Gabby’s requirements for her travel position and we left from NJ instead. We thought our drive was going to be about 11 hours, but with the change in starting location and traffic during the morning commute, turned into an expected 13 hours. We left NJ taking route 287 to 33 to 80. We were on route 80 FOR-EV-ER. We went into Ohio and stopped at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We went into the Boston Visitor’s Center, where a park ranger taught us about the canal that went through the area that brought money into the state of Ohio. Apparently, the town of Boston, Ohio (where the visitor center was) was a larger town than Akron, and one of the largest towns in the state. This was hard to believe since it seems like one of the smaller towns I’ve seen. Since we only had time to really stretch our legs since we had another 6 or so hours to drive, we tried to take a short hike. Key word there is “tried”. The Buckeye Trail was across the street from the Boston Visitor’s Center, which quickly took us up into the woods, mud, and a good amount of elevation. The go-pro got its inaugural hike along the trail, which was fun to experiment with. We came out of the woods at the top of the hill about 1.5 miles later searching for a waterfall, however the time was getting away from us, and the mosquitos were getting a hefty dinner. Neither of us were entirely prepared for the hike- Gabby had on her regular sneakers with little traction, no bug spray, and we were running out of water. Instead of wandering down the road to cross over and chase a waterfall, we decided to make it an out-and-back and get back “on the road again”.

Gabby was at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the early spring this year (see previous blog post), which was a dramatically different experience from the one today. There was significant greenery everywhere with lush forest. A dramatic comparison to the brown hibernation of early April. There was also a stark difference in the overall experience- the summer in the forest with scurries of chipmunks, small creeks, and birds chirping almost makes you forget that you can hear the highway with the hum of cars and trunks in the distance. The early spring with the scenic train ride made it abundantly clear you were on a man-made trip through nature.

The rest of the trip for the day went through Ohio and a significant chunk of Indiana. The sunset was incredible. Vibrant pinks and reds lit up the sky, with a flaming red ball falling in and out behind the clouds and eventually the horizon. We pushed into the night, arriving in Michigan City, Indiana around 11:30 Central Time. We found a hotel to stay for the night, changed, brushed our teeth and got some sleep to prepare for another long day tomorrow.

LESSONS LEARNED:

-TLC was right, don’t go chasing waterfalls (at least not when you are driving 14 hours in a day…) Every other time, chase the waterfalls.

-Make sure to plan out your hikes and check them for distance, map scales are NOT always accurate

-Even if you were never a boy scout, their motto is super important:  Always be prepared. Bug spray, sunscreen, hiking boots. Every time you get out of the car (ok, maybe not at rest stops).

-Communication is super important- just because you are spending 24 hours with your spouse, that doesn’t mean you can read each other’s mind. Spending time on a cross country road trip probably means you need to communicate more so you don’t get frustrated with each other!

~GW