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The woman at the Gloria Jean’s coffee bar recoiled when I started to hand her my Steep ‘n’ Brew cup for the coffee I just bought.

-We’re not allowed to have that behind the counter – as she was filling the type of stainless steel graduate I use for mixing my pyro developer.

I thought that heading east on Sunday would solve two main problems – the endless congestion around Chicago and something to listen to on the wireless. It being Sunday there would be an afternoon ball game to listen two in the dead air space – unless I want eternal salvation – that is Indiana and Ohio.

No such luck. No traffic meant that only two wickets were open on the Skyway so it was a 10 minute wait to pay the $3.00. The worse is Indiana as they don’t bother to publish the toll rates on their tickets, I guess they reckon it will ruin the surprise when paying.

I seemed to remember that Michigan Public Radio made it into Indiana and was saved for a while. Thought myself even more lucky as at the Ohio border I tuned in the CBC out of Windsor just in time to hear Enright sign off for the summer. The signal was lost just as Vinyl Café was ending.

Must be getting used to the trip as I simply sat back and endured Ohio all 240 miles of it. Had to stop twice as one oasis was so crowded that there was no parking to be found. Had a bag of fries al fresco wanted something a little more nutritional as there was a Panera but there is so much one can take of people staring blankly at the menu board baffled at the choices. There were more than 20 in the queue and I was still in “making time” mode.

Kept going up and down the dial trying to find something and wondering why passing within radio waves of Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh there were no games to be heard. Again thought that my lifeline of NPR stations would come back to live around Pittsburgh but only found classical music or something unintelligible – am guessing it was yinser NPR.

16 miles from Breezewood traffic stops, torrential rains – I stop at an oasis just in case and between heading in and buying three post cards

-three cards…

one dollar six cents


anything else


ninety four cents is your change.

And coming back out it was raining so that I couldn’t take a few snaps.

I took the camera in during a rest stop in Indiana but got dirty looks from the men in the bog.

Having to slow me down slowed me down. Thought about getting off at Bedford but I couldn’t miss Breezewood the town in the middle of the interstate. What a cash cow, the Las Vegas of gasbars.

I lost my bearings for a bit but finally got some gasoline and something to eat at Sheetz – think a name change is in order. It was that central Pennsylvania evening – the rain having just stopped the sky was clear and contrasted nicely with the towering signs.

Was completely at a loss, it took me three tries to buy an egg mayonnaise sandwich, simply wanted to head out and photograph. That urge was even greater as I took a back road out of town (is there a town there?) by these old motels all lined up and no sheets soiled.

Decided against easting in Sheetz after someone broke a bottle of Jones grape drink. Headed to a lay-by to have the sandwiches before heading below the Mason Dixon Line.

A few snaps of the picnic area when buddy seeing me asked what camera I had and a discussion of photography ensued – he was an armed forces photographer hated the Sony – yeah yeah that is another entry - in Iraq he used a lumix to sneak pictures.

I had to leave.

Still light out play with the dial one last time to find WAMU when I come across the Hagerstown Suns, Delmarva Shorebirds game.