January 11, 1994

Time to go back to Carbondale. Left very early from my parents' house, backtracking on the same roads, crossing the Delaware Water Gap around 7:30 am. Made good time through Pennsylvania. In the western part of the state I saw the above, a tractor-trailer on its side on the road's shoulder, which I assumed was a victim of icy roads. Shortly after I saw flurries, then real snow, but the road stayed dry for the moment. Made my usual lunch stop just over the Ohio state line. As I ate at McDonald's, I saw the snow rapidly accumulating. Filled my tank and got back on the road. Slow going through heavy snow as I joined I-76 past Youngstown, and I-71 past Akron. Luckily I fell in with a convoy of trucks following a fast moving highway snowplow/salter/sander- not quite interstate speed, but safer and better than I had been doing. As the road turned south, eventually I reached warmer temperatures and the snow changed over to rain. Speed increased. On these long drives I usually liked to get off the road before or shortly after dark, so I made my usual westbound winter stop in Lebanon, Ohio, a little north of Cincinnati. There was a hotel with cheap off-season rates and plenty of fast food chains withing walking distance.