With one eye on the weather forecast for afternoon thundershowers and having gotten a good night's sleep, we were on the road by 8 a.m.
We had a few navigational difficulties, but with Ohio's marvelous grid system of roads, we were soon back on track.
We have mixed feelings about seeing these spinning. Fortunately, most of today we probably had a net benefit from the wind.
After about an hour's ride, we came to Grand Rapids, Ohio, a charming little town on the Maumee River. Notice how high and brown the water is from all the recent rain. We followed the Maumee for the rest of the day.
Outside of Napoleon, we passed a Campbell's Soup plant. Somehow it seemed more industrial than m-m-m good suggests.
Napoleon is a cute little town with a courthouse reminiscent of Les Invalides. We stumbled on a coffee shop, Country Gourmet, not listed on Google, but Roy said there had to be a coffee shop near a courthouse. We ended up spending an hour there, having lunch, and waiting out the rain.
Obviously, we spent too much time there. But the coffee, cookies, and sandwiches were good.
Next stop, Florida, Ohio.
I think all the town's residents must have moved to the state. Not much going on, but the park had welcome shelter.
We dodged rain for the rest of the trip, and somehow didn't take any photos.
We were passed by a huge funeral, every car bearing an orange flag. Miles later, a (the returning?) hearse turned left in front of us and some of the cars in the opposite lane seemed familiar. Miles later, we passed Riverview Memorial Gardens. Appropriate weather for a funeral.
We arrived in Defiance, Ohio, in the early afternoon. The Elliott Rose Guesthouse is immaculate. Having doffed our wet clothes and showered, we feel like we are in heaven. The sun has come out.
If I can tear Roy away from reading The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, we may find a place to eat and take more pictures.