You Take The Long Way Home - Small Town 4th

I got off Interstate (happy 50th birthday to the Interstate system, by the way) just past Richmond and onto US 35. I realized not long after that that I was almost out of gas and there seemed to be a good chance as I rolled past farmland that I wasn't going to find a station in time. I did finally get into a station just outside of Eaton, Ohio about the time that I realied that 35 was closed going through town. I figured it was just road construction but when I somehow lost the detour and ended up going through town on the north-south main drag, I realized that Main Street was closed for a town festival, including an amazing number of classic cars restored faithfully, turned into hot rods or low-riders or just driven as they were.

Other than an odd detour around Dayton, the rest of the drive to the Ohio River was pretty unremarkable. Took US 35 through Chillicothe down to Gallipolis, where I had a Holiday Inn room waiting for me. About halfway through the drive I started worrying that I wouldn't be able to make it that far, but I actually got there about half an hour before my original schedule - in time to go find a Subway and a six-pack of Sierra Nevada (SN is perfect for road trips - excellent pale ale but it also has a twist top) and watch most of Jurassic Park before falling asleep in the chair in front of Lake Placid.

Sunday morning I left early enough to drive down Highway 7 along the Ohio River past all the fast food joints and body shops to Gallipolis proper. They were preparing the town park for a craft fair/4th of July celebration complete with amusement park rides.

I love small towns, but I know myself well enough to know that there are only a few that I would really want to live in. Chapel Hill of course, Blowing Rock and Manteo for sure, but beyond that there aren't many. But I love the architecture and the feel of a small town on the weekends - great photo ops!

Photo 1: Custom cars along Main Street in Eaton, Ohio

Photo 2: The Chevy BelAir's for you, Dad!

Photo 3: Downtown Gallipolis, Ohio