9:55 AM Arrived at Millcreek Mall, Erie, PA. There was a Ritz 1-hour camera store here, and I wanted to go see how the Niagara photos came out. Unfortunately, the mall was still closed, and would not open until 11:00 AM. I decided to drive further to another mall in Cleveland. I took a quick nap[38], then left Erie at 10:40 AM.
11:05 AM Ohio; 145945 miles.
12:10 PM Arrived at Randall Park Mall in Cleveland, OH. This one was open, so I gave my pictures for developing at the Ritz here. While the photos were being developed, I ate lunch at a Pizza Hut inside the mall. I tried to call Mukunda Uncle again[39], but no one was home. When I went to pick up my developed pictures, I bought some more rolls, then left the mall at 2:50 PM.
4:10 PM I was feeling exhausted all day today, so I checked in at a Travelodge motel in Ashland -- slept some more, then woke up again some time after midnight. After that, I could not fall asleep again, so I turned on the television. Nothing interesting on TV. Slept. Woke up. Slept. Woke up. Slept. Woke up.
It was long night.
Miscellaneous:
| Town: | Northeast, PA |
| Town: | Geneva, OH |
| LYNCHMOB | NY | Ford Winstar -- A lynch mob from New York? What's next? |
| $4 | Cash | Lunch -- Pizza Hut -- Randall Park Mall | Cleveland, OH |
| $64.50 | Discover | Film developing and purchase of more rolls -- Ritz One-Hour Camera; Randall Park Mall | Cleveland, OH |
Niagara Falls had completely worn me out. New York City also might have had something to do with it, so...
2:30 PM Checked in at another motel in Lima, OH -- two hours after leaving Ashland. This one was Days Inn. Went to sleep (again).
I woke up a few hours later and turned on the television. I saw a commercial for the movie "APOLLO 13", which had just opened in movie theaters nationwide. I had seen previews of this movie when I had been to the movies at Union Station in Washington, DC. I knew I wanted to see this movie, so I opened the phone book and started looking for any phone number of any local movie theater. Fortunately, Lima is big enough to have a couple of movie theaters, and APOLLO 13 was playing at one of them. The next show was supposed to start at 7:00 PM. I knew that this kind of a movie would probably be a very long one, so I left the motel early -- I wanted to eat dinner before going to the theater.
I did not find any good places to eat along the way, so I parked at the theater parking lot and walked across the street to a K-Mart to buy some healthy snacks as dinner.
I did not buy any snacks.
I bought candy![41]
7:00 PM Entered movie theater. It was playing to a full house, and I had trouble finding a seat. I should have known this and come earlier! This movie had been highly promoted as "Two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks' next big movie", and I should have known the theater would be packed! I ended up sitting in one of the front rows, looking directly UP at the screen! The movie was supposed to start at 7:00 PM.
7:30 PM The curtain went up and the previews started.
7:45 PM The movie started.
10:00 PM The End. One terrific motion picture!!!
I came back to the motel without eating dinner anywhere -- I was eating the candy throughout the movie. After coming back, I turned on the television again and was very surprised at what I saw.
There was a documentary in progress about the Apollo 13 mission to the moon! I had just seen the movie and knew all about this mission, then came to the motel and saw a documentary about the same story! The documentary had interviews with the NASA personnel who were involved with the mission, including the two surviving crew members of Apollo 13. I learned a lot more from that documentary about the inside operations of NASA during the Apollo years. It was a good supplement to the movie I had just seen.
Miscellaneous:
| Town: | Nevada, OH |
| $40.32 | Chase | Travelodge Motel | Ashland, OH |
| $5 | Cash | Lunch -- Wendys | Ashland, OH |
| $10.50 | Discover | Gas | Ashland, OH |
| $1 | Cash | Candy -- K-Mart (actually only 22 cents) | Lima, OH |
| $5 | Cash | Movie -- "APOLLO 13" | Lima, OH |
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Excerpt from Ohio postcard written to Parixit:
"It has been 88 days since I left home. During the time I have been on this trip, a building in Oklahoma City was bombed, "Pennsylvania Avenue" in front of the White House was closed permanently to all motor traffic, and the planet Mercury completed one full revolution of the Sun! The funny thing is, April 8, 1995 does not seem so long ago!!!"
Funny thing... it still doesn't, even on November 27, 1995.
I checked out of the motel at 11:30 AM, then went to a Pizza Hut in the town of Wapakoneta for their all-you-can-eat lunch buffet -- I was starving, and I ate all I could.
After lunch, I went to the "Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum" in Wapakoneta. 
. The state of Ohio is the home state of four air and space pioneers -- Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, "Buzz" Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong. I had been to the Wrights' hometown of Dayton. Wapakoneta is Neil Armstrong's hometown. This museum contained exhibits on Armstrong's career in NASA, as well as NASA exhibits in general, including exhibits on the Apollo 13 mission. I left the museum at 2:30 PM, after writing and mailing the above postcard.
My next stop was Detroit.
I was to spend the night in the town of Dearborn, at the home of one of my Mom's friends (Hema Gandhi). I had tried to call her from the mall in Cleveland, but got no answer then. I called again when I came to Ashland and had talked to her then about my so-called plans, which were changing day-to-day. But this was it. I was going to Detroit now, and I had made up my mind to get there on this day.
4:30 PM After going through Toledo's rush hour traffic, entered Michigan. 146326 miles.
Before coming to Toledo, I had considered it to be a "medium-size town", and did not expect traffic problems there. I do not know why. On my first trip, I had considered Albuquerque to be a "medium-size town" and was shocked when I found out it wasn't. My first trip's experience in Albuquerque should have taught me not to underestimate potential problems in a place like Toledo. Going through a traffic jam in Toledo was another "rude awakening". From that point onwards, I never again made any assumptions about any place I visited.
As I approached the Detroit area, it started to rain again! This time, I was glad that it was raining. At least my days at Niagara Falls were very pleasant for touristin'! Better that it rain while I wasn't sightseeing anywhere!
I stopped in front of a Wendys restaurant in Dearborn. There was a phone outside the restaurant, and I had to get directions to their house!!! So I stood there in the rain while getting directions. I am not complaining -- this was actually a lot of fun! I had missed the rain!
5:30 PM Arrived at Dearborn. Still raining. Later at night, there was an Independence Day fireworks show nearby (even in the rain), but I did not go there -- the fireworks I saw at Niagara were too good for anything I would see in Dearborn!
Miscellaneous:
| Town: | Ottawa, OH |
| Town: | Perrysburg, OH -- The third "Perry" town... so far. |
| K TEMP | MI | Jeep |
| N8NMM | MI | Ford Taurus [I could not figure out this one -- it may not have been a personalized plate, but I wrote it down anyway] |
| $34.22 | Chase | Days Inn | Lima, OH |
| $7 | Cash | Lunch -- Pizza Hut [the buffet costs $3.99; rest is for drink and tip] | Wapakoneta, OH |
| $3.20 | CB | Admission -- Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum | Wapakoneta, OH |
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Continue on to July 5
[38]All that walking in Niagara.
[39]I had also tried to call from Niagara Falls, NY on Friday afternoon, but got no answer. I assumed they had all gone out somewhere for the long weekend, and did not call again after leaving Cleveland.
[40]It may not have been EXACTLY 11:51, but you get the general idea!
[41]It was one of those "bulk" packets with individually wrapped candy pieces. I bought one bag, which cost me exactly 22 cents (typical K-Mart). This one bag lasted me the entire trip -- with enough left over that I still have some candy from that bag today -- November 27, 1995!!! Unbelievable, but absolutely true!!!