After a few very long and hectic days (and nights) of packing, the apartment was vacated on August 30th - - It was 11pm when I got to my friend's house and 6:30 came around awfully quick the next morning! After my doctor's appointment in Fort Wayne on Monday, I finished going through the last bit of stuff deciding what to take and what to store. We worked a while on installing curtains in the van and after several unsuccessful attempts, came up with something that will work, I hope.
It was a little after 4 pm Tuesday when the bicycle rack and bike were secured to the back of the van. A few minutes later I was on my way, almost. A couple of quick stops to drop off the last few items in storage, get ice for the chest, and gas for the car... I left Columbia City at 5:00 pm
My friends thought I was crazy to leave so late in the day, but I just wanted to be on my way. I also knew, from past experience, that I wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Just too hyper and stressed out. I only drove for 3 hours or so and stopped for the night on my way to southern Indiana.
The next morning I was up at 7:00 but didn't leave the motel until 10:30. The plan was to go to Vevay, in Switzerland County, and to McKay Cemetery to get some good photographs of the grave-sites of my 3rd great grandparents, Samuel and Susanna (Ball) Bray. I had previously taken pictures of the stones but they were covered with moss or lichens and the images were not legible. I knew that the stones faced west, so the best time to photograph them would be shortly after noon. It was about 12:30 when I arrived at the cemetery and, as suspected the stones were still covered with lichen and illegible. However, a little bit of water and a soft bristle brush made all the difference in the world!
Vevay is a nice little town on the Ohio River that was a major stop for river boats and packets traveling along the Ohio back in the day. Someone has commemorated that history with a fine mural painted on one of the buildings just north of the city parking lot, near the library. I should have, but didn't, take the time to find out who the artist was or when it was done.
It's a challenge to drive on the backroads through the hills and valleys of Switzerland County, but it is fun too. McKay Cemetery is situated on top of a hill on the east side of Patton Hollow Road. Isn't that a neat name? Nice and quiet, except for the dogs barking. There are three houses near the cemetery, one on the east side and two on the west, but I saw nary another soul. And though I could hear people talking occasionally, I couldn't make out what they were saying. Once in a while a car or farm vehicle would pass by, but otherwise it was pretty quiet and peaceful.
I stopped for lunch in Vevay at 3 o'clock and finally hit the road again at 3:30. A couple more hours driving and I stopped for the night at some little burg along US 231.
The next day I took US 231 south to Owensboro, Kentucky and then to US 60 the rest of the way through Kentucky and on into Springfield, Missouri. The drive through Kentucky was beautiful. It was a two-lane highway all the way and not much traffic. I enjoyed it tremendously. Crossing the Mississippi River into Missouri, the road changed to a four lane limited access highway, with parts still under construction. Somewhat desolate looking and rather boring scenery. But it was easy driving and I made good time, arriving at my destination a little after 7 pm.
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