OOPS! I STEPPED IN A MUD HOLE IN BARBERTON!!!

 

One of my friends sent me a Facebook post from "Barberton Neighbors" complaining about Hudson Run.  They said there was trash from the ice cream stand all the way to Wooster Road.  So I headed there when I got done working, and I drove the length of it.  Barberton is very clean, but this street is indeed a mess.  They weren't exaggerating at all.

I parked at the ice cream shop and started picking up trash.  It was tangled in the briars, and just past the curve in the road, there was very little space to walk.  Since Wooster Road is closed for construction, all the traffic is diverted this way.  And there was a lot of traffic!  The speed limit is 35 mph, but I don't think I saw any cars going that slow.

I was watching out for cars and vines that would trip me, and I stepped in a mud hole!  Ick!  So glad I didn't wear the new shoes I bought in Columbus last weekend!

I took a picture of this area all trashed up, but it wasn't in my phone.  No idea what happened.  

This area was very, very hard.  I think the neighbors will try to keep it clean once I get it all cleaned up.  Picking up a few pieces is possible, even in briars, but not hundreds of pieces.  It's back breaking to try to squirm through the thorns without getting scratched or stuck there!

Cleaning this first part was very hard, but at least there was plenty of room to work.

Only one person yelled "Thank you!"  I was surprised.  I know the people who live around here will be thrilled when they see how nice it looks. 

This is how far I got.  I can still see my car at the ice cream stand, so I didn't get very far, but this part is probably the most important.

Will I go back tomorrow?  Probably, but it will take days to clean the entire road.  It's a slow process.  

The hardest part was hauling the bags back to one spot.

The Mayor of Barberton is kind enough to send workers out to pick up my trash bags, but he asked that I put them all in one spot.

I had to haul the first bag all the way from the ice cream stand to here, and then haul the third bag back to this spot.  It would be better for me if I could leave them where they are when they are full, but I'm grateful he will help me.  If I had to haul them back to my car, that would be so much worse. 

I think this might be the hardest project I ever worked on.  I only picked up 1,176 pieces, but they were big pieces.  Lots of glass bottles.  Lots of big styrofoam cups and plates.  Lots of plastic bags, including a Science Diet 25 pound dog food bag!  Wow!  Anybody who can afford Science Diet ought to be able to dispose of it properly.  But maybe it caught in the wind and ended up here.  Who knows.

It was a very good day.  I'm proud of what I accomplished.