January break - exploring Ohio with a pretty cool lady!

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We - mom and I - were able to explore the all important state - Ohio - and one of its big city during the holiday season. Before that we made the 30 hour trip from Nevada to Ohio, with a very cool stop at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois (no pictures, woops). The park visit was cold, but not as cold as the state that most resembles the insides of the devil's icy heart - Iowa. Iowa, what is wrong with you?

Anyways, we made it back to southwest Ohio, and set out on a tour of the Ohio Caverns. You'll find plenty of pictures attached. We then spent a day on the Over the Rhine tour (Cincinnati area), exploring a local crypt and the history of the area. Much of the area was inhabited by people of German descent - like us! So - just a few pics to share this time, but more to come in the future as the weather starts to get a bit warmer.

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Photos

Over the Rhine walking tour
Catholic church that houses the crypt.

Over the Rhine walking tour
In the crypt under the church. The church was moved from its original location, so the graves in the original location needed to be moved - some people's families moved them to different locations while others were kept within the church grounds.

Over the Rhine walking tour
In the crypt.

Over the Rhine walking tour
Old underground beer brewing location. Beer needs to be brewed in a fairly cool location and back before refrigeration brewers created these underground caverns. Beer was king in the Over the Rhine area, which was rich with German people and their heritage. These tunnels were largely abandoned after refrigeration became the norm, but local groups, including our tour company, are working to open them up.

Nice way to end the tour
Nice beer and pretzels at a local brewery!