ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA WELCOMES US WITH FREEZING TEMPERATURES!

Saturday, January  31, 2026
Erie, Pennsylvania
4F, sunny

When we left Cincinnati today, it was -7F. We do not need to catch up to Erie weather so quickly.  Son Brian said that was the temperature in Erie on Thursday.  After a quick stop at Dunkin for more coffee, we were on our way home.

Columbus was not far away and by then it had warmed up to 10F.  The roads were dry and the traffic was not bad. We started to see more and more snow along the highway, but it was still 10F when we hit Cleveland.  Thankfully the sun was shining and there were very few flurries along the way. 

Columbus, Ohio, with light traffic

Ohio is flat! 

TK occasionally enjoys hands free driving. That is

an amazing feature--our car will pass another and 

return to the lane without any guidance.

We made a quick stop at Trader Joe's near Beachwood--sure wish we had one in Erie.  Cleveland is a hop and skip from Erie and finally we were approaching Erie.  Still 10F.  It is always a happy day to see that our house is still the same, with Son Brian's care.  

Getting closer to home!

Closer still!

Home Sweet Home!

After unloading the car we headed to Donato's for  a pizza, Janie's favorite.  

TK needed a long rest after all that driving!  So dear Readers, that is a wrap on our January adventure, exploring the world!

TK's Takes: Ohio roads need work.  Later, he asked, "How are we going to last 50 days?"  This was in reference to our upcoming October - November cruise that is 50 days--from Fort Lauderdale to the Mediterranean and back to Fort Lauderdale.  He may have meant how are WE going to last with all this togetherness...

I answered that we had to work on our communication skills.😂😂  Keep in mind that we are also cruising for 27 days in August - September to the British Isles and Northern European passage-from Copenhagen to Boston.  God willing

FOUR STATES TODAY--SNOW ALONG THE WAY--CINCINNATI, OHIO!

Friday, January 30, 2026
Hampton Inn Cincinnati-Kings Island/I-71/Ohio
16F, sunny, snowed along the way

 

We started the day at 29F and the temperature kept dropping as we drove along the way.  Mike told us that we needed to catch up to Erie weather, gradually! This was another long day and we did not know what to expect traffic or weather-wise.  Since we were north of Atlanta, the morning traffic was not that bad.

 

I had mentioned to TK, “No heroics.” That meant no long haul driving and driving through blizzards. We followed Route 140 for some time and that was a nice leisurely drive without much traffic. The mountains are scenic, with goats, horses, beef cattle, milk cows (mostly Holsteins), Baptist churches, and red dirt.  I love the name of some of their roads, like Gum Springs Road and Iron Mountain Road.

 

How about a stop at Stinking Creek Road?

Back on I-75, we left Georgia and 14 lane highway segment behind and entered Tennessee, and the roads were still dry until just south of Kentucky.  Snow was falling, but visibility was good, and other drivers seemed to know what they were doing.

Kentucky Welcome Center

Knoxville/I-75

We made the obligatory stops at Buc-ees in both Tennessee and Kentucky.  Their restrooms are amazing—this is information readers need to know. 

I got to see tortillas being made at Buc-ee's!

We finally made it to Ohio, and I feared TK was going to drive all the way through with 5 more hours to go, but fortunately he wanted to stop too. We are east of Cincinnati so we will have a good start tomorrow and will arrive home tomorrow in daylight.  We never ate today except a piece of sour dough toast that Melissa made.  That is not good for either one of us. 

 

The nearby Texas Roadhouse had an hour wait (by that time it was 5:30 p.m.), so we went to Waffle House, next door to the hotel.  That worked out just fine. Now it is time to rest. TK, the expert driver, got us this far! And again, we turned a 6.5 hour drive into a 9 hour drive.

 

TK’s Takes:  There are Buc-ee’s everywhere. I-75 is busier than I-95, our usual route.