RAPEA - Day 11 - Marietta OH to Dayton OH

This one will be short and sweet. We drove from point A to point B with little to report. We saw some heavy rain in the distance now that we're traveling on more flat land but we only experienced a light mist. Dayton was mostly blue skies when we arrived.

It felt as though we were in the heartland of America. We passed huge agricultural farms interspersed with cattle, goats and even sheep. The highlight of my day was doing a doubletake as we passed a pond out in the country with a life-size concrete elephant standing in the brush at the water's edge dipping his trunk in the water as if he's taking a drink.

One observance is troubling though. From SC to Dayton OH every motel, convenience store and restaurant manager or worker has stated the same complaint. Employees are scarce. Openings are left unfilled. No one wants to work. Many are being paid more tax free than they brought home when they were working. Some are single parents or dual working parents who can't work because their children can't attend school and after-care programs. Even some of the schools that have reopened are only doing so part time. Motels have no one to clean the rooms and do the laundry. Restaurants who are now able to reopen fully find themselves operating limited hours because they don't have the staff to reopen fully. 

Everyone is on the gravy train headed to the end of the tracks. What happens when they reach it? Will they be able to reverse? Will there be anywhere to reverse to? If it's completely derailed who's going to put it back on the right track? Just something to think about...tomorrow - Route 66. Nostalgia is looking better and better.