US-50 Coast-to-Coast: Day 4

I left Clarksburg, WV about 8:00 am. The temperature was about 70 degrees and very humid. Within a few miles I was in Ohio. Eastern Ohio was a continuation of West Virginia in that the roads were twisting and turning, but without the elevation changes. In West Virginia I was constantly going up or down at a 9% grade. A light rain started after an hour making the ride nice and cool. The roads were constantly changing from divided highways to small country lanes.  One minute you were on a major highway and then an exit for 50 would come up, and you were twisting and turning through a forest in the country. 

East Ohio lasted about 4 hours and then the landscape changed into what I would call more classic mid-west with fields of corn and straight roads. For several hours I would ride straight at 55 MPH and then come to a town where the limit turned to 45 MPH.  This went on at least 20 times with 10 minute intervals in West Ohio. 

I found out where the first dam in Ohio was created. I was in Athens, Ohio where I had to stop by the side of the road to adjust some gear. Right off the road was a very small plaque that said that on this spot was the first dam.  I never would have seen the plaque if I had not stopped. 

I went around Cincinnati on the 275.  I could not see running through the middle of Cincinnati.  The sky started clearing around 1:00 PM and the rest of the day was sunny, with temperatures in the high 80s. 

Indiana was very much the classic Midwest ride. It really looked like what I was used to back in Northern Illinois, right down to the limestone rock cliffs. The last 40 miles through the willow valley was great. Deep forest with the road cut through limestone cliffs.I pulled into Washington, Indiana where I will be staying the night.   I did somewhere over 300 miles today.

At one point in Indiana,  I saw a river then once I got closer it was really a corn field that was flooded. Indiana had the most rain that I have seen on the trip.