Carol was a mountain girl and wanted to stay that way, but Daddy had to find work. So, despite misgivings, the Richardson family cranked up the 1936 Dodge and headed for Ohio where the jobs were. They camped overnight by the side of the road and peed in the woods in every state they crossed. After two days and 500 miles, they pulled in front of a sorry-looking brick house on Leap Road in Hilliard, Ohio. It seemed even worse than they'd feared.
But Ohio had surprises -- many good, some mysterious, a few scary, and a couple sad. The family bumped along in the Leap Road house and life got smoother and better as they went. Then Mom and Daddy started whispering secrets, and that brought the biggest surprise of all.