Dayton, OH to New Matamoras, OH

We left the Dayton area early in the morning because we wanted to get to the Ford dealer in Columbus as quickly as possible. We got the oil change and transmission fluid flush and headed east. Traveling on US Hwy 40, the "National Road," we stopped at New Concord, OH at the boyhood home of John Glenn, the former astronaut and senator. Photo to the right. US 40 follows the route of what was the first federally funded road, the National Road. Construction began in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland to provide a connection between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and a gateway to the west for thousands of settlers. It was the first road in the US to use the new "macadam" road surfacing. (google "macadam" for more information on that.) On the way we stopped alongside Hwy 40 at a stone arch bridge over a creek. It was part of the original National Road. It is an "S bridge," built in 1828 and so called because its shape is like the letter. There were apparently cost saving reasons for this as the bridge crossed a bend in a creek. Photo to the right. We ended this portion of our trip at Leih Run Campground in Wayne National Forest alongside the Ohio River. Opposite side of the river from us is West Virginia. Photo of the river from the campground is to the right. While walking through the campground, we observed a beaver dam, but no beavers. Photo. Tomorrow we head to West Virginia.