550 miles today in order to make it into Indiana. Traffic on the beltway was light when I left around 9:15 and the only other traffic I hit was the toll at the end of the Ohio Turnpike (weird that EZ Pass was backed up, but the cash lines were flowing quickly).

However, even before the drive started, the day was off to a good start because I hung with Catalina the dog this morning. Her most energetic time of day is the morning and we had a lot of fun playing in the backyard running through the bushes. This picture of her makes her look really anxious with my hand looming to pet her:

I'm trying to take an hour each day to break up the drive and have some extra fun on the trip. So on the way through Ohio, I stopped at Cuyahoga Valley National Park to visit my former boss Lisa. We had a good time catching up, comparing agencies, and I got to meet the Acting Park Supervisor.

It sounded like they've got a couple big projects ahead of them to revisit their park-wide trail plan as well as figure out how to manage their deer population. And with me working on travel management for the Okanogan-Wenatchee, we talked quite a bit about how the most effective planning specialists and efforts include an understanding of the particulars of the natural resources issues they are dealing with (ie not just doing NEPA the same way it is done for highway projects) and integrate knowledge of problems faced and addressed in similar planning efforts in other locations. Lisa and I hanging out in her office and talking about stewarding the public's lands:

Cuyahoga Valley HQ is right off of I-80, so I was back on the road and out of Ohio around sunset. So here I am, settled into the hotel room, watching the Senate Finance Markup (I can't believe they are still chugging along at 9 at night after 7 days), and with more dinner than any one person can eat:

Tomorrow the goal is Minneapolis/St Paul. If you have any ideas for the 1 hour near highway stop between Altona, IN and the twin cities, please post to the comments - I'll check them tomorrow morning before I leave.

PS If you suggest the place that I end up visiting, you win a free Indian food dinner for four (I must be one of the four for you to claim the prize).