| We finally left Lorain in Ohio and set off for the
west. We had noted the poor condition of the roads in Ohio, not that New
York was any better. But this road seemed worse than most. It is similar to
many of the roads in the US and laid in concrete. With time the concrete
breaks at the separations of each pour. The water gets in, it freezes and
the cracks get worse. They fill them up with tar in the winter but it just
goes again, especially if it is done when the road substructure is wet. Then
the corners break and you get a truly dreadful surface. For years they have
accepted the lowest bid for repairs. Now at last they are beginning to look
for the most cost effective solutions. Private enterprise can be good, but
only if you ask the right question. |  |
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We had to pass very close to Sandusky since we chose not to use the toll
road interstate. This gave us another opportunity to look at some of the
houses in Sandusky and contrast the brick built styles with the all wood
ones. Both have stood the tests of time quite well. The overhead wire
infrastructure does get in the way a bit, but that is how they do it here. |
| Both wood and brick built houses can look almost the
same. That is because they are still wooden framed houses but some are brick
faced, unlike English houses which are almost all built with double brick
skins. |  |
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You still get the large 'colonial' style house which we have found all over
the eastern US. These can be most impressive. |
| We stopped for a fish dinner at the same fish shop we
had been introduced to a few days earlier. It serves all sorts of lake fish
particularly small yellow perch which are delicious. They are locally
caught by fishermen who have some stiff competition. |  |
 | We travelled on, eventually succumbing to the faster travel on the interstates as we moved into Indiana. We stayed for a couple of nights at Elkhart, the RV capital of the world. Here we know of a surplus shop where we have bought things in the past. This time we bought a stainless steel double sink (for $20) to replace the somewhat discoloured plastic one which was originally fitted.
It was, of course, a damaged second, but who can tell? I spent the rest of the
day fitting it. |
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We travelled onward past South Bend before turning north to face the maze
which is Chicago. As with many large cities, the greater Chicago
conurbation extends for 25 miles in all directions. But the fates smiled on
us and the travel was event free and without significant delays. Mind, it
can get confusing with the multiple road numbers and expressways and
collectors. For example there are at least 10 lanes in each direction at
this point and in the rush hour they are all full of stationary traffic. But
at midday it was all moving freely (on our route!) |  |
 | The skyline looks like any other major US city, or any
other country for that matter. |
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Just for information, Tyvek is a brand name of breathable membrane very
commonly used in building construction in the US to protect the wooden
boards underneath. These buildings will be
wood or steel framed, with particle board walls, Tyvek membrane for weather protection
followed by an outer siding usually of wood or PVC, occasionally brick or
steel. That has yet to be added to the buildings in the foreground. |  |
 | The tall building is the Sears Tower, at one time the
tallest building in the world, but now very much an also ran. |
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As we headed north we passed this impressive church/cathedral. More research
may reveal what it actually was but for the moment just a very attractive
building adjacent to the I-94. We travelled north and west eventually
stopping at Milton in Wisconsin, our 47th state. |  |
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