The day started slow, but finished fast.

My plan was head north to I-80, then turn left and ride as far as possible. Based on the forecast, this should have kept me (mostly) north of the rain. Things went as planned with two exceptions: as I headed up I-476, I hit steady light rain; heading west on I-80, there was more rain in central PA. For the most part, the rain was light, but there were a few times when it was heavy & steady.  Hitting rain in central PA has become something of a tradition: nearly every road trip, I hit rain somewhere before I get out of PA.  By 1 PM, I had cleared the rain, but my clothing was consistently damp. All things considered, it wasn’t bad, but the morning was slow going.

Late in the afternoon, approaching the Ohio border, things really started to pick up.  I have driven across Ohio many times, on both I-70 and I-80, and it’s always a fast ride; today was no different. I was able to cover enough ground to bring the average for the day to almost 60 MPH; my typical average is 55-60 MPH (this includes stops for rest, food & fuel).

For day 2, I will be crossing the “I” states: Indiana, Illinois & Iowa. The big question will be when to turn south. Google’s directions keeps to I-80 until reaching Colorado, but NWS shows a chance of (light) rain for the Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. I’m considering turning south near Des Moines and heading toward Kansas. This would take me thru a small section of Missouri (aka Misery). After my trip last year, I said I would never drive thru Missouri again, but I may have to make an exception.

From Toledo, Des Moines is 558 mile ride – that’s a little more than I covered today. The “I” states are tend fast rides, but I may postpone the decision about when to head south until Tuesday.