The yo-yo nature of Ohio's and America's economy can be tracked by Ohio Turnpike traffic. When the economy is strong, the proportion of the trucks on the turnpike rises; in a weak economy the proportion of trucks drops.
The cargo transported along Ohio's toll road for delivery throughout the United States is fascinating in its diversity.
The seemingly endless variety begins with living things—including, of course, human beings of every age, shape and color, all bound for business or pleasure in Everywhere, USA.
Other live shipments include horses, sheep, cattle, hogs, carp and chickens, as well as circus animals such as elephants, bears, camels and tigers.
To keep the country's commercial lifeline and production lines moving, there are trucks carrying steel, cement, logs, ink, fuel, chemicals, construction supplies, new automobiles, parts for auto-assembly plants, paper products and huge containers packed with manufactured goods of every kind.
Also to be found are loads of milk, orange juice, soft drinks, fresh beef and pork, potatoes and other vegetables, fruit (fresh, canned and frozen), fish and even, ugh, beef tongues.
More unusual are flatbed trucks carrying guided missiles, tanks and other war material, such as a 90-ton propeller shaft for the nuclear submarine, the USS Ohio, not to mention a load of U.S. Treasury silver bars valued at $750,000, and the Tutankamen exhibit.
And, disturbing though it may be, it cannot be denied that some vehicles on the turnpike contain caches of cocaine, heroin or marijuana. But the drug shippers must contend with Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, who police the road with the help of drug-sniffing dogs.
