Lincoln Highway Road Trip, day 10.
I showed up at a bar and grill in Auburn last night to watch the Dubs but got the day wrong – oh well. I watched the US thrashing Costa Rica instead – Klinsi may keep his job if our side keeps playing like that. Tonight I shall nonetheless enjoy it with the Hoosiers on my last night on the Lincoln Highway Road trip, in South Bend IN.
Here are my final Ohio pictures from the drive yesterday. They are all from a town along the old road called Delphos. They could have been taken elsewhere but they are representative of what I have seen in so many places along the road: these remarkable little towns that are punching above their weight. That’s the city limit sign on the street which once was the Lincoln Highway. They were friendly there. Two of the shots are facades in the old downtown (about four blocks) and the two others are from the nearby residential district in the center of town – part of an ensemble of Midwestern houses in a handsome tree lined neighborhood, very well maintained and as far as I could tell lovingly cared for. Some towns and cities along the drive seem to have found the secret sauce and for others it seems very elusive.
Unfortunately, there are all too many other places on this drive – especially in Pennsylvania – slowly fading away after the mill closes, or the big factory or plant shuts and production is moved to Mexico or China…lest we think this is a Midwestern thing, I would ask my fellow Californians about when they last drove 99 and stopped in some of the cities and towns along that route? One does indeed see many prospering communities (particularly on the northern portion above Sacramento), but there are some sad stories too, especially on the stretch from Stockton to Bakersfield (which is a lot of distance)…as I mentioned to a friend in response to a comment yesterday or the day before, I think a big ingredient in that sauce is viable economics. I don’t think it is the only ingredient, however, for what seems to be a tremendous pride of place in lot of these pretty little towns where I stop. Delphos didn’t appear particularly prosperous, and I saw a number of vacant storefronts on the main street, but unlike some other dead and dying towns along the road the place had a pop to it with a lot of people out and about. What’s the sauce? Anyway, it so encouraging to see so many of these lovely and historic communities appear to be making a go of it in a challenging time for them.
Onwards we go. It seems there is Amish country here in Indiana too, and I shall head there after I check out the Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs at the car collection here in Auburn.
