Saturday, May 2, 1992...

On the road again! I retraced my path along I-80 all the way to the I-79 junction, then turned north to catch up with US 6 again. Unfortunately, just like the last time I came through here, it began to rain soon after I turned west on 6. Didn't look like I was missing much, though; the road remained a winding two-lane road through the last 20 or so miles of Pennsylvania, then became a straight two-lane road through eastern Ohio before reaching the Cleveland metropolitan area.

In western Pennsylvania, the road crossed a long-abandoned canal, still visible as a water-filled depression with adjoining graded towpath. When I crossed into Ohio, though, it became obvious which road was laid out as a result of surveys and which had simply evolved. In Pennsylvania, the road rarely traveled a quarter-mile without bending; in Ohio, it stayed more or less straight for five or ten miles at a time, several times changing directions as part of the traffic path around a town square.

US 6 runs into my old friend US 20 right at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, a familiar landmark. I turned east on 20, returning to the motel in Mentor where I'd stayed before. Had thought of continuing on past Cleveland, but since 6 runs near the lake and tomorrow's supposed to be a nice day, I'm better off waiting until morning. I'm in no hurry anyway -- tomorrow I've just got to clear Chicago, and Monday night I'm stopping in Lincoln, which should allow me plenty of time to complete each day's drive.