Blogs from Ohio, United States, North America

After a fun- and family-filled few days at Hocking Hills, we had a new destination today: Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We set out from Hocking Hills around 9am. The drive was very windy at first as we were driving through all of the hills. Joanna started to feel car sick, so we stopped at a random gas station in Columbus and hung out there until she began to rally. The drive was all interstate after Columbus, so she fared much better from that point on. Driving from Columbus to the Cleveland area was an easy drive north, and the drive had plenty of trees to keep it feeling forested and interesting. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is just south of Cleveland, and the entrance is basically in the suburbs. In fact, it appeared to us that some ... read more

My grandma was born 100 years ago today. Some of us had casually been talking about having a family reunion (our last was in 2016). My aunt mentioned that it might be nice to do something in honor of my grandma's would-be 100th birthday. So, we decided to plan a reunion in honor of her birthday! Last summer, I spent some time putting together possibilities for a reunion and sent it to my aunts and uncles. The idea they liked best was Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio. We lucked out that a new lodge was opening at the state park in October 2022. It meant we could utilize that option for the reunion in July 2023! About half of our family opted to stay in the lodge. In addition to lodge rooms, there is a ... read more

We explored this little town while Mike's Lectric bike motor was being replaced. Memorial Park is home to many community-funded projects such as the "Belle of St. Marys" Canal Boat, Memorial Covered Bridge, Veterans Walkway, Clock Tower, and Grotto. Grand Lake St, Marys, completed in 1845, was a reservoir to supply water for the Miami and Erie Canal. For many years, the 17,500-acre reservoir was the largest artificial body of water in the world. The "Belle of St. Marys" is a replica of a full-scale canal boat that was used to travel along the canal. Celina is situated on the northwestern shores of Grand Lake St. Marys. Nearby Windy Point is a rocky jetty that protrudes out into the lake towards Safety Island. This scenic trail has a full view of the lake from both sides. ... read more

Today was a very long day of travel, starting at 2:45 AM to get to Hopkins by 4:00 AM. The airport was packed! The TSA line stretched the length of the airport, but kudos to those working the security checkpoint; I got through in record time. Flying out at 6:00 AM and then a 2 hour layover in Nashville, I landed in Phoenix about 11:00 AM Arizona time (2:00 PM our time). Then a 4 hour drive to the Grand Canyon which turned into 5 due to torrential rains, hail, and 2 detours caused by accidents. When I got to my motel, The Red Feather Lodge, it was barely raining and quickly cleared. The motel is nothing fancy, but it is clean and newly remodeled and a short drive from the gate to the park. Dropping ... read more

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