We woke up to bright sunshine today and it stayed that way all day.  What a difference that makes in the way I feel.  Joking and laughing with Jana as we rolled along Ohio 4 was just what I needed after the gray gloom of yesterday.  We had a light breakfast at Bob Evans and filled the tank.  The plan was for a really short day today and it came off without a hitch.  We only put in about 120 miles or so and made a couple of stops along the way.

We had hit US 30 which turned out to be just like an interstate highway – 70 MPH limits and trucks everywhere.  Not my favorite type of route but we made quick work of the miles today.  I was really in need of some liquid so I punched up cafe’s and diners on the trusty GPS.  One of them caught my eye and it wasn’t far off our route.  We pulled in to what turned out to be the home of Smucker’s jelly (and lots of other brands now).  This is exactly the kind of place I love to stop – not exactly a tourist trap and weird enough to be interesting.  The first hat pin (or lapel pin if you prefer) of the trip was purchased.  Coffee was consumed (they had a wall of Folger’s brand).  A couple of pictures for memories were taken.

Next up was the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.  I thought we were all set for getting in to the place because I actually had ordered tickets ahead of time and had them in my hot little hands. (Surprising that they didn’t get left on the kitchen counter.)  We walked in and were told that the tickets were good but we owed another 10 bucks for parking in their lot.  The Hall of Fame is just like the rest of the NFL – they need your money worse than you do.  We spent a couple of hours walking around.  Someone who is really into football probably could spend the biggest part of the day there.  Don’t go in there hungry.  The only food on the grounds is a small café with overpriced items (big surprise).  We had a couple of salads and hit the road for the final 3 or 4 miles to the hotel.

We once again relied on the GPS to find us something to eat.  About 3/4 of a mile away was a mall that had a Chili’s restaurant.  Back on the bike and head to the mall.  The food was much better than the café at the Hall.  No mall walking took place.  We did manage to find a grocery store for a couple of much needed items.  We were in for the night.  Nothing exciting happened unless you consider how happy we were to see the sun.

Where Smucker’s jelly started (actually apple butter came before jelly here).

I was afraid that everything in the bike would smell like grape jelly if I bought one of these pens.

Yes – my favorite brand of coffee

The first hatpin of the trip.

The Hall of Fame