I worked in Michigan for 11 years. I traveled from DC/MD through Ohio and back to Michigan, perhaps 100-150 times during that time. It reached the point where I was afraid to stop overnight in Ohio. It felt like Mississippi or Arkansas. So many Confederate flags on cars and other signs of overt hatred, I would usually stop in Pittsburgh. Sometimes, I made sure I had enough gas to not stop until I reached Michigan. Michigan has its issues but Ohio is a wasteland to me. So sad too because I remember a different time. Great piece of writing. You could turn this into a book or a longer piece.