I started my trip the morning of August 6 and took I-66 west and then I-81 north to Winchester, where I picked up Route 50. The morning was drizzly, but nothing too bad until I got to Front Royal, where the floodgates opened. However, The Weather Channel showed clear weather in West Virginia and sure enough, I was greeted with partly cloudy skies just a few miles across the state line. The road had dried almost completely once I got to Romney and so I got to really enjoy the roads between there and Clarksburg. And the best part was all the things I learned at Reg Pridmore’s CLASS last month came in handy once the road got really curvy.
Once out of Clarksburg, 50 turns into an almost Interstate-type road (read, boring). I missed one photo opportunity when I came across a railroad bridge still painted with B&O markings. I used to be a railfan about 15 years ago and finding remnants of “fallen flag” railroads is always fun. It struck me odd that the B&O’s current successor, CSX, didn’t paint over the old emblem like I’ve seen in other places. I couldn’t find a place to stop in time and decided to save the photo for another trip.
I continued on 50 to Chillicothe, OH and picked up US 35 into Dayton. All in all, It took me 9 ½ hours to ride 475 miles with a half hour for lunch at a Dairy Queen. Everything was uneventful until I parked at the bed and breakfast I had planned to stay at for the night. I knocked on the door and there was no reply. I walked around and found no one. I called the phone number and got no response. Finally, the B&B owner’s nephew spotted me and called the owner. He claimed he had no reservation for me and made no effort to come over to rectify the situation, so I headed into downtown Dayton and got a room at the Doubletree. That actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise since it put me closer to the ballpark, which was the first sight on my trip.
Once I was settled into my room, I walked over to Fifth Third Field, home of the Dayton Dragons, a Single A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The team boasts the second-longest consecutive sellout streak of any pro sports team, behind the Portland Trailblazers. I managed to get a ticket anyway and here was the view from my seat:
Fifteen bucks wasn’t bad for two rows off the field. Too bad the Dragons were blown out, but it was a great night to see a game nonetheless. The best part was I was within staggering distance of my room.
Another interesting feature about Dayton is its Avenue of the Arts. This is the street where all the performing arts occur. It also features a few other galleries and some street sculptures. Some of the sculptures were recreations of famous photographs, like this one of Marilyn Monroe:
I spent all day Friday at the Air Force Museum. I must say it was the second best part of the trip. If you’re into military aircraft, this is a must-see. They have everything from the very old like this Wright Flyer:
To the very latest, like the F-22 Raptor:
This plane needs no introduction IMO:
Also on display was Bockscar, the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki:
Of course, walking all the various wings of the museum was a sure way to work up an appetite and someone had recommended Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, just outside Dayton. It’s a family restaurant that is famous for its homemade ice cream. The burger was okay, but the sundae was something else! If you’re ever in the Dayton area, be sure to plan a stop there. My camera’s battery died and so I couldn’t get photos of the place, but here’s a link to their website:
http://www.youngsdairy.com
I rode on to Grove City, just south of Columbus, for the night to see a friend’s band. Once again, I managed to get a room within staggering distance of the bar. And thankfully, Ohio has a smoking ban, which made the night quite enjoyable. The band was good, my friend was his usual entertaining self and I had a great time.
Saturday morning was a little drizzly, but I rode over to the AMA Museum. There were two larger exhibits; one of celebrity motorcycles and one for Arlen Ness. One of the celebrity bikes was Neil Peart’s R1150GS, which he used to ride around North and South America following the deaths of his wife and daughter:
The outcome of that ride was a book called Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, which chronicled his trip.
Also on display was one of Peart’s drum kits:
An Aston Martin bike that appeared in the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace:
A replica of Captain America from Easy Rider:
An Arlen Ness Victory (I had to get this for Yellowjacket):
And finally, this one from the Hall of Fame section:
Notice the similarity to the XR1200?
The rain had cleared out by the time I left the AMA Museum and I made my way to Mid Ohio going up some backroads. While the ride was enjoyable compared to Interstates, I think I saw enough cornfields for a while. I arrived at the track around 2:30 and staked out a campsite. I was running behind and left my bike packed up while I grabbed my camera and headed over to watch the American Le Mans Series race. My seat was at the entry to esses off the back straight. It soon became evident that the entry to the esses was more aptly named Calamity Corner since several cars made some off-course excursions, such as this Aston Martin:
And this BMW M3:
The neat part of endurance racing is that there are several classes competing at the same time, from the “prototype” classes which included this Porsche-powered car:
To race-prepped versions of street machines, like this Corvette:
Having all the classes together made for some tight racing:
After that race, I made my back to my campsite and pitched my tent.
I was lucky enough to be camping near someone who also posts on the Indy Car forum and so we had dinner, camaraderie and some brewskis:
Well, his son didn’t drink. While we sat around, we took in the various goings-on. Various folks had football games or other games going on. This gang impressed me for their preparedness:
Now tell me, is that a party wagon or what?
Some folks had fireworks going off after sundown and they were okay for a while. I eventually made it to bed around 9:30 and work up at 6:30 Sunday morning. My Indy Car friend already had ham and eggs cooking, so we had breakfast and said our farewells to head into the track. I caught part of the Indy cars practicing before the race:
My ticket package included a paddock pass, so I walked around while pre-race preparations were going on:
Danica Patrick walked by me on her way back to her hauler. Some people have said she can be “difficult” personality-wise, but I’m hoping I caught her at a bad time. I kinda rushed the photo, but she was walking past me and a group of fans at a pretty brisk pace with a pretty sour look on her face:
I guess her car wasn’t working too well, but it wouldn’t have hurt to at least wave to us.
After that, I made my way back to my seat for the driver introductions and other pre-race ceremonies. Included was Dario Franchitti, aka Mr. Ashley Judd:
The race went off without a hitch, although one car was well off the pace. That was due to an incompetent driver who eventually played a role in the outcome of the race when she got in the way of the leaders (no, it wasn’t Danica). Here are some pics of the race:
Calamity Corner, which no one had any problems with until someone bumped Danica off the track.
Danica, before her wreck.
And Scott Dixon, the race winner
I waited a while for traffic to clear out and headed for Canton for the night. I got a hotel just one exit up from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Game was going on when I rode past, but I was no mood to watch.
I stopped by the Hall of Fame the next morning. I got there when the Hall opened and stayed about 90 minutes. Here’s what I saw there:
Sign outside the entrance
The Class of 2009
Some early football gear:
A tribute to “The Greatest Game Ever Played, the 1958 Championship:
Paying my “respects” (with self-edit):
Baltimore Ravens display:
A room chronicling other pro football leagues like the AFL, WFL, USFL:
The highlight for me was the room with busts of all the Hall inductees. They’re arranged by year of induction with a computer in the middle of the room to research specific players. I found some of my favorites, including:
Artie Donovan
Jim Parker
Lenny Moore
Raymond Berry
And my man, the great Johnny U
I departed Canton around 11:00 and slabbed it home. The ride was uneventful except for a brief downpour about 15 miles north of Morgantown. But all said and done, I got home about 6:30, 7 ½ miles and 445 miles later. My trip totaled 1244 miles and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Here we are, home at last:
Too intimidating to walk through, huh? I don't blame you. 
