If there were not those hidden benefits for the rest of us, I would ordinarily say to anyone who sleeps in: Ya Goof!
DAY 1
We aimed to get going at noon and left right on schedule at 2:00.
Ethan had a sketch pad with him, as well as some markers. He lost no time in creating a sign to put in a side window. Yes, he also brought tape to mount the sign.
Ethan, Ya Goof!
We made our way to Wooster, Ohio, to stay overnight. The morning would bring exciting stops like the Cats Meow Village, where they make those way cool-knick-knacks, and Simply Smuckers, the store at the world headquarters of Smuckers in nearby Orrville. There’s also rumored to be this special spot: a cow on top of a water tower.
We didn’t have motel reservations in this area, and the first place we stopped had no vacancy. The sun was setting, so this provided an anxiety rush for part of the party!
Note: Do you worry too much? Then I say: Ya Goof!
The next motel did have vacancy. And it offers a free hot breakfast! Whew!
We lit out to try to catch a showing of “Superman Returns.” This town is kind of an in-between size, and the motel didn’t have a newspaper with show times, and the theater didn’t answer their phone, so we just drove out to find it with the motel’s directions. Much driving about in two shopping centers on either side of the road ensued. Samples of conversation during the trip:
SAMPLE 1
Janet: Watch! Watch! (This is what she says whenever I’m about to hit something with the car. In this case, it was a good call. I stomped on the brake just before smacking into a little red car past a stop sign that I hadn’t seen)
Kids: Dad, Ya Goof!
SAMPLE 2
Me (to a man about to enter his car): Excuse me, is there a movie theater around here?
Man: There sure is. (pause)
Me: (Thinking: Dang these brief-spoken Ohioans!) Will you tell me where it is?
He gave me directions. We had been very close. All of the driving had been in vain. The next showing wasn’t for over an hour, and that would be too late. We went back to the hotel for a brief swim in their nice little pool and then some viewing of “Animal Planet.” We watched a guy taken off in handcuffs for neglecting his dogs. They were skinny and full of sores.
If you mistreat your animal, we say: Ya Goof! (In the interest of full disclosure, I admit to often suggesting to our dog and to others that he is as dumb as a rock, something which could be construed as mistreatment, but I hasten to add, could also be construed as grudging affection.)
One final note about Wooster: Some tornadoes touched down around here recently. At first, we noticed piles of brush in front of dozens of houses, and then we noticed that some of the piles were pretty big. Then we noticed lots of broken branches, and then we were in the real storm zone. We spoke to one man with a very big tree toppled in his yard. He said that wind shear took hundreds of trees in all. We took a picture at his house, as well as at the nearby golf course.
Wow.
Apologies for the poor pictures. When you don’t know how to get good shots out of your own camera, you deserve to hear: “Ya Goof!”
YaGoof! Trip Report: DAY 2
Make a note: The Best Western in Wooster is clean, attractive, gives a good breakfast and has helpful staff.
Highlights of the morning:
We found the Smuckers gift shop, Simply Smuckers, after driving about twenty miles, even though it was only about ten miles away (we came to find out after some mis-driving). Ethan in particular was less than thrilled to be there.
We found Cat’s Meow Village with much less trouble. Quite the business, but I’d like to point out that it’s very easy to go in the wrong door and find out that it’s the exit.
It took quite a bit more driving to find an ice cream shop called SSScoops. A fifties-style place that used the name “SuperFriends” for the flavor “Crazy Vanilla.”
Exciting stuff, followed by lots and lots of driving. We got off course a couple times and lost about forty-five minutes in all getting back on course.
However, one wrong turn in Bucyrus, Ohio, led us to take pictures at a very cool mural that we found out was created by this artist.
After that, the only highlight was stopping at a place that has an impressive billboard that turned out to be false in three key ways:
1.Low price for fuel! (Except the advertised price turns out to be for diesel.)
2.Use any credit card! (As long as it’s MasterCard or Visa!)
3. Clean restrooms! (Not.)
But they did have gas and fast pumps and provided handy parking for the Burger King next door. This one happened to offer a very good Veggie Burger.
We ended up in Danville, Illinois, a town that's not very big but whose high school has a heck of hall of fame with members including Dick and Jerry Van Dyke, Donald O’Connor, Gene Hackman, and Paul Hawkins, the man who created the Good Humor ice cream truck.
If you’re on vacation today and will take a wrong turn, we affectionately say: Ya Goof!
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