Blogs from Wilmington, Ohio, United States, North America

Caesar Creek State Park, Wilmington, Ohio Originally I had wanted to visit three of the four Hopewell Culture sites (that are open) to make sure that I was gaining a broad enough perspective on the park. The plan was to tour the re-creations at Mound City Group, then head out to the Hopewell Group for a picnic lunch and a hike through that very large area (100 football fields), then on to either Hopeton (which has recently been opened to the public) or the Seip Earthworks site to see more of the elaborate architecture on display. But we ended up cutting our visit short and it is all because of the weather. Dogs, on leashes, are allowed to walk with you through the mound sites and since the girls don’t often get to go with us, ... read more

Wilmington, Ohio Last year, while touring the south, we made an effort to sample local cooking. I mean, who wouldn’t want to try some genuine ‘southern fried chicken’, or key lime pie while in the Keys. It turned out to be a rewarding experience and an additional way of talking about our travel experiences. So this year I thought I’d try the same thing. The problem, of course, is that the ‘Great Lakes Region’ doesn’t exactly have a cooking style that they are famous for. What I did discover in my Google searches was that there are foods that develop in a very local way for some reason. And people have actually gone to the length of identifying different foods by states. So I recorded those options and actually put them into the trip plan so ... read more

Caesar Creek State Park, Wilmington, Ohio Yep, we hitched up a moved about 250 miles east. I picked a leisurely route, at least the part through southern Indiana, and we were rewarded by rich, rolling hills near the rivers and then flat farmland as we got towards the Ohio border. Some of the road was four lane, divided highway, but most of it was two lanes, and some of those lanes were barely wide enough for the trailer. But if the locals were upset with my speed-limit driving, they didn’t show it too much and it was a pleasant enough drive. Stopped for lunch in North Vernon, Indiana, a small city big enough to have its own identity but small enough to remain a typical Midwestern town. Joan found us a spot to eat called Grateful ... read more