St. Henry to Marion

July 30, 1981

A Return to Normalcy (Not Yet)

Today was a long one in the saddle, made more difficult by a headwind at times. It began with a morning swim in the pool at the St. Henry town park. From there, we traveled East on some very quiet backroads. An Amish woman, in a horse drawn buggy, passed by us from the other direction. I waved, said hello, and got a cold stare in return, at first. Then she waved in return and smiled a bit. Perhaps the Amish are not too used to people being friendly toward them. We had noticed in some parts of the country that some people put down other groups of people. In Washington, it was the Canadians. In Montana and South Dakota, it was the Native Americans. Here in Ohio, the Amish can be looked down upon. We tried not to be part of any of that, wherever we happened to be.

When we finally reached Marion, we went to one of our "go to" places to eat... Wendy's and the all you can eat salad bar. Wendy's is a good deal, if there is a franchise location nearby, when you are on the road.

Marion was the home of our 29th President, Warren G. Harding, who presided during the beginning of the roaring 1920s (1921-1923). It was a time of prosperity, greed, and high living that was followed by the stock market crash in 1929 and the great depression of the 1930s. Harding coined the term, "return to normalcy" during his election campaign in 1920 when the USA was in a bit of turmoil after the end of World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic.

He died in office and was succeeded by his Vice President, Calvin Coolidge. At the time of his death, he was very popular but that status was eroded by the discovery of an extra-marital affair and the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Collage of 4 photos from riding in Western Ohio: Upper left, The Harding Memorial, in Marion; Upper right, taking a swim during the day, at Clear Fork Reservoir; Lower right, a manufacturing plant in Marion; Lower left, our camp for the night, in Marion.

The Teapot Dome scandal occurred during Harding's time but was not uncovered until after his death. It included bribery (of a Senator) to give leases to petroleum companies, without going through a competitive bidding process. The petroleum reserves were in an area of Wyoming known as Teapot Dome. Harding's image was tarnished after all of this was discovered and the Senator involved went to prison. Since I remembered having been taught some of this in History classes, it was very interesting to actually be here and see the tributes to President Harding.

More US Presidents have come from Ohio than from any other state. There are 8 altogether: William Henry Harrison (9); Ulysses S. Grant (18); Rutherford B. Hayes (19); James Garfield (20); Benjamin Harrison (23); William McKinley (25); William H. Taft (27); and Warren G. Harding (29).

Several of these Presidents died in office, before their terms were finished: W.H. Harrison, Garfield, McKinley, and Harding. Only U.S. Grant served a full two terms.

Yours truly, on the steps of the Harding Memorial, in Marion, Ohio.

Despite the scandals, Harding is a favorite son of Marion and there is an impressive Memorial to him in town. Marion is also a manufacturing area where there are good jobs and employment security for many.

At least it was that way in 1981. These days, many Ohio towns and cities have been adversely impacted by industrial decline, corporate relocations, and business closures. I am not sure how or if Marion was affected by any of these economic downturns.

The Whirlpool plant, lifeblood of Marion, Ohio.

Today's ride: 91 miles (146 km)
Total: 4,248 miles (6,836 km)

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