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12/8/08, Greenville, OH - If you asked what kind of travel day this is in September, I would have said, “terrible, I froze my butt off”. However, if I compare it with the weather we’ve been having lately, I would say, “Not too bad, it was already warmed up to the mid 20’s by the time I started driving, and we only had a little freezing rain today.”
A couple of miles after leaving Covington, I was flagged down by Marion Rogers. In addition to a lumber and millwork business, Marion runs a nice grass fed beef operation (see top picture). Marion asked if I needed any hay, and shortly thereafter produced six of the most beautiful bales of second cut clover you ever saw - Thanks.
A little something about the hay people have given me on this trip. It’s inevitably the best hay they have in their barn. Good quality second cut alfalfa and clover normally only makes up a small percentage of the hay a farmer puts in his barn. There’s a lot more first cut and a lot of stuff mowed in poorer fields. There’s also a lot of what is commonly referred to as “snowball hay” - that’s because of the line that always accompanies it - “It’s better then feeding snowballs”.
When these generous people give me hay, it’s always the stuff they count on to hold their stock through the roughest months of the winter. Good quality, second cut legume hay has at least twice the feed value of some of the other stuff. The bales are also big - 60 to 80 lbs. So, not only do I see their generosity, I also see the best they have to offer!
Lunch was at the side of the road. I tried to park in the town of Gettysburg, but couldn’t quite make a sharp turn and the horses ended up bending my wagon tongue a little.
During lunch, I was visited by a state policeman who said he had a call that the horses were too close to the road - all the horses were clear of the shoulder. He didn’t have a problem with them. This is the second time I have been visited by the state police for this in the past few days. The other time the horses were clear of the shoulder by 6 feet.
An observation I have made in the past 5 weeks of travel in Ohio - Not once in all the hours of travel on busy roads, have I seen a policeman passing out a ticket or laying in wait to catch a speeder.
Tonight, we’re two or three miles west of Greenville, OH. at the Flory farm. Kevin has both Belgians and Haflingers. He and his wife treated me to some really good roast beef sandwiches for supper.
Tomorrow, I’ve been invited to stop at a German Baptist school to show the kids the team and wagon and talk with them. I look forward to it.
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