1- 30-2012 finding the good and ignoring the bad in everything we do

         well to live in ohio requires a certain sense of optimism .to know that it is perfectly normal to have the weather change 60 degrees in a matter of hours. and that if you don't like it it will change in 5 minutes .that an orange barrel signifies the beginning of spring as they begin to blossom along the road in spring signifying the beginning of construction season. it is hard to be optimistic when faced with day after day of gray skies punctuated spits of snow and ice. and if we are real lucky we can get some sunshine once in awhile as we did yesterday. mom and i took a trip to wellsville ohio , over by the west virginia ohio line alongside the ohio river. 

        originally we had started out to get something to eat but instead grabbed a cup of coffee and headed east through minerva and then more east to hanoverton. the brown scrub would dominate the landscape intermittently interrupted by dilapidated structure's in various stages of decay and abandonment. it was like this until we reached hanoverton , ohio.then we took a different route and went straight onto rt. 644 out of hanoverton . it was quite a visual trip at this point as it was bleak and depressed looking but then the terrain opened up into flat fields and open neat winter- brown grass and manicured fields . and well kept houses. then we dropped into salineville, ohio. it has the look of an old coal mining town and is located in a river valley. then we headed up onto a plains area and would go along looking at interesting houses neat looking then happened on this one property that can best be described as if a tornado threw up on the place. i have seen humans do some pretty mean things to mother nature but his guy had the prize by all means. hunks of metal thrusting up out the earth , large metal tanks parts and pieces of past automobiles barely recognizable, from apparent loss of parts. rusted and deteriorating into mounds of rotten red iron staining the ground with by gone oil residue mixed with trash paper wood, insulation , and who knows what surrounding a building of who knows what it contains. rats would have a hard time maneuvering the mazes of trash of unknown origins and tires no longer capable of doing much more than breed malignant hordes of pestulence about the neighbors surrounding.  

        to say the least i could not imagine one man or a family of of people or hoarders could allow themselves to purposely treat a hunk of earth this way. they must be planning purposely to screw this all up so no one person should ever dare set foot upon this place. there has to be bodies buried there. it left an image on the back of my brain . and now i understand the need for zoning even though i understand regulation isn't always the answer.i was driving and unable to take pictures but would have to give this place the most screwed up place in ohio. a visual wonder. that is still burning a hole in my brain a day later. but at same time providing me comfort as i have traveled this part of ohio extensively  and have seen some messes but we have nothing on this place that would compare. take st. rt 164out of salineville  to st. rt 518 , and then 45 south into wellsville, ohio.  and brace yourself for around the next corner will be this lovely piece of real estate . it would be hard to find good there but there might be a fortune in junk alone. 

     coming into wellsville on 45 was quite an experience as it drops off quick down the side of a steep hill , with nothing but a river far below you and at that time snow covered roads. grabbing a quick bite and heading out of town on st rt. 39 we encountered some heavy snow but soon drove out of it but not before seeing a brilliant sunset as in picture above. the snow was bad but the trip ended good .