Cleveland- June 9th and 10th

The last day in Niagara was nice, but I was ready to hit the road, as I had seen everything I could there. The last night in the hostel wasn't nearly as bad as the first (I only had one roommate the second night), so I got a decent sleep and headed off to Cleveland early the next morning. I took the Peace Bridge out of Canada (I had taken the Rainbow Bridge in to Canada) and although the border agent was super serious and inquisitive, he decided I wasn't a terrorist, and let me pass without a search.

The drive mostly consisted of I-90, and was pretty uneventful, although let me say, Ohio is a bit strange. I can't really put my finger on it, but I've run into some really odd people. To be honest, it makes being here more interesting. I arrived in Cleveland tired, but alive, and decided to head to the Downtown area to see the Hall of Fame while it was still open. While my visit wasn't a stunning success (thank you Subway sandwich for the stomach pains), the HoF was somewhat interesting. I am not very big into memorabilia, so seeing David Bowie's pants from 1970 doesn't do much for me. However, there were a few good exhibits on the history of rock and roll, and I always enjoy seeing the original handwritten lyrics of a song (there is just a sense of history and the moment of the birth of a song that gets me). I also find the Hall's method of inducting bands to be ridiculous and arbitrary, but whatever, it was cool to see the place regardless.

After catching a much needed nap, I headed out to dinner at this German restaurant/bar called Der Braumeister, which had a nice selection of beers, including a few Hofbrau choices. At first I found the place to contain the same oddness I had found in other parts of Ohio, but I struck up a conversation with two patrons seated next to me, one of which had rode his motorcycle across America, so we ended up having some friendly conversation. The bartender was also quite the character, and had a delightfully sharp wit about her. I was even given some sweet desserts one of the servers had brought in from her home (which was a delicious sugar, cinnamon doughy thing). The rest of the night was spent watching the game with people who really, really don't like LeBron James. Luckily, I was rooting for the Mavs (and they won), so all was well in Cleveland.

I must admit, 6 days into this thing, that my favorite part of the trip (outside my drive on NY-18) is just conversing with complete strangers. I have never been a very social person, but now that I am alone, I find I frequently try to involve myself in conversations with people as soon as I get the opportunity. Most of the time this happens because I put myself in a social situation, like the blackjack table or a seat at the bar. I do find the things you can learn about a person in a short time to be fascinating. People seem to want to open up, especially once they find out I am on a big trip. One server was talking about her excitement about going to college next Fall, and Steve at the blackjack table in Niagara explained to biggest gambling loss he ever had. While it is usually of a light cantor, there is a certain genuineness I have detected in many of the people I have dealt with, that I can't help but appreciate.

I am headed to Indiana as soon as I finish up a few things in my hotel room. By the way, while I am staying at a "budget" inn, compared to the hostel, it feels like a palace. Funny how perspective can change so quickly, as if I had stayed here right after the Marriot, I would probably be somewhat disappointed. I am supposed to camp in Indiana for the next two days, but of course there are severe storms moving through the area, so we will see how that goes. I just hope there is enough good weather so I can do a bit of hiking and perhaps some kayaking before the big push into Chicago. Hope all is well with everyone at home, take care!