Posts Tagged ‘Ohio’

Mak’in Moonshine

Sunday, August 14th, 2011
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Sunday, August 14, 2011

Mak’in Moonshine

Tionestia, Pennsylvania

Last night we heard about the horrible tragedy at the Indiana State Fair. Could have been us….could have been anyone. We also keep thinking about all of the wonderful vendors and fairground workers who put their hearts into the fair – they must be devastated.

Well, we haven’t posted the last couple of days because, frankly, we haven’t done anything to write home about. On Friday, we decided it was time to start heading toward New England where we’re going to visit our Granddaughters! Yea! (and their parents). So we put pedal to metal and from Lake Loramie, Ohio we drove almost to the eastern state line – back roads of course. We really enjoyed the Ohio countryside…stopped at a couple of roadside farmer vegetable stands for lunch…and then headed to an Army Corp of Engineer’s Campground North of Canton, Ohio.

Saturday morning, we didn’t waste anytime…we were back on the road and soon crossed into Pennsylvania. Once again, our goal was an Army Corp campsite on the Shenango River Lake near Hermitage, PA. What a beautiful town…lots of Victorian Homes on quiet streets….mountains always in the background… pure Pennsylvania. We spent the afternoon enjoying the lake and hiking around the campground and then this morning, we broke camp and drove into Hermitage to attend Mass at the Church of Notre Dame.

After Mass we continued our Army Corp of Engineers Hopscotch route …this time we headed into Pennsylvania’s Great Forest Country and the Allegheny National Forest. Our goal today was the small mountain town of Tionesta where my tourist info told me we would be just in time for Tionesta’s annual Indian Festival Days. Super! We are ready for some fun and excitement after 3-days of driving. According to my information, the “Festival” takes over the whole town….lots of food…a carnival….exhibits…vendors…a Festive Occasion – and today was the opening day!

We drove into town and there was a banner over Main Street announcing the Tionesta Indian Festival and an empty Tee-pee standing on the town green. That was it. We drove up and down Main Street – not many people and no festivities. A couple of streets over (there are only a couple of streets in town) Ted spotted some Boy Scouts putting something up so we asked them when the activities started. “Might be something tomorrow but the Carnival starts on Tuesday. What the….even their banner over Main Street said that the Indian Festival runs from Aug. 14 – Aug 21. Oh well. While we were talking with the Boy Scouts we spotted a Lighthouse- of all things – in the middle of the forest overlooking Tionesta Creek. We decided to investigate.

 

The lighthouse sits on a beautifully landscaped hill on what is called Lighthouse Island. There are two large new looking buildings in front of the lighthouse that are completely empty except for the “For Rent” signs out front. Don’t know what they once were, but a sign explained the beautiful lighthouse in the forest. It is the Sherman Memorial Lighthouse – owned and operated by the Jack and Grace Sherman Family. The lighthouse was built as a beneficial Landmark for the Tionesta Community and to serve as a place to preserve the heritage of the Sherman family. The Sherman’s designed and built the 75-foot high lighthouse. It has 6 floors and a basement. This Tionesta Sherman Memorial Lighthouse is one of 4 Sherman Memorial Lighthouses in Pennsylvania – the other 3 are on Lake Erie.

Since there was noth’in do’in in Tionesta today, we decided head to the Army Corp Campground. Turns out, they were having a Heritage Festival of their own. We spent an enjoyable hour listening to very knowledgeable Park Rangers tell us about life in Pennsylvania’s North Woods back in the day. In particular, we learned how to start a fire with nothing but flint, steel and a bird’s nest….we also learned how to turn small bits of a t-shirt into charcoal. A very patient Game Warden told us about hunting, trapping and how to skin the pelts off a beaver or a mink.

But the most valuable bit of information received today was how to make Moonshine. We learned how to build and operate a backwoods still so that the revenuers will not find it. The still itself is a complicated apparatus involving crocks, barrels, copper pipe and a slops bucket. This is the kind of information I tend to store in my brain till it’s needed…and who knows when that might be.

Tionesta is a one-night stop.

Thanks For Riding Along!

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Corn

Thursday, August 11th, 2011
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Thursday, August 11, 2011

Corn

Lake Loramie State Park, Minster, Ohio

What a wonderful night for sleeping! The weather here in Indiana has been heaven after our 95+ degree month in the south. Last night it got down to 54-degrees! Perfect for sleeping. This morning was a near perfect 72-degrees when we checked out of our campsite and headed to the small town of Losantville, Indiana to ride the Cardinal Greenway Rail-to-Trail.

I’m not sure of the total length of the Cardinal Greenway because it is divided into sections. I think it is close to 90-miles in total (Peg, do you know?). It runs from Gas City – through Muncie – to Richmond, Indiana. This morning at the Losantville trailhead, we met another cyclist who told us that the Losantville to Richmond section was not “officially” open yet, but lots of people were already riding it. The trail looked new and fresh so we decided to head south.

Our new friend was right. In fact, there were workmen on the trail today painting warning lines and crossings at intersections on the newly paved surface. The trail is “Indiana” flat so the riding is easy. We passed through uncountable cornfields and very picturesque farms. A couple of them were Amish or Mennonite properties…you could tell by the “neat as a pin” look and the all black clothes hanging on the cloths lines. Now here’s a sign that we’ve never seen on any other trails we’ve ridden.

There were quite a few other cyclists on the trail, which is impressive for a Thursday morning. Many were riding recumbent cycles. I’d like to try one of those sometime. We rode through the small towns of Econony and Willimasburg and at 15-miles out decided to turn around and head back to Losantville. It is easy to get carried away on the ride out because you are seeing all new countryside – especially on a perfect weather day like today, but, it’s always in the back of our minds that we have to pedal the same number of miles back. So, with 30-miles under our belts (or should I say butts?), we loaded the bikes back onto the van and headed for Ohio.

We have no real destination in mind, except that we’d like to visit the Amish community in Northeast Ohio as we make our way northeast to Connecticut. So, for today, we just picked out a green spot on the Western Ohio map that had a camping symbol ….Lake Loramie. We set the GPS (mistake!) and away we went. We were just closing in on Lake Loramie when we came upon a one-of-a-kind rural road accident: A farm tractor somehow got away from it’s driver and ended up willy-nilly across the road. We were first on the scene but don’t know how it happened…all we saw was the frustrated farmer and lots of skid marks.

We sat at a respectful distance and watched (we couldn’t do anything else because traffic had backed up behind us and we couldn’t turn around) as the frustrated farmer summoned help to pull him off the road. Soon we were on our way…but not for long…the road ahead was closed – they were replacing a bridge. We had to take a gravel road detour which really through Dora (the GPS Lady) for a loop. Then, back on track she led us down country lanes…through farmer’s fields….past little towns …till suddenly – in the middle of cornfields for as far as you could see… she said, “You Have Reached Your Destination!” You’d think we’d be used to this by now.

Luckily, my smart phone was able to help. We found a street address and plugged that in …Dora was off and running again. This time I also tracked us with phone navigation – just to make sure she didn’t pull any more of her tricks!

Lake Loramie campground is an Ohio State Park. There are lots of families here and it’s really nice to hear kids playing and riding their bikes. Right now we are enjoying watching our neighbors… a young Mennonite family tent camping. They brought everything but the kitchen sink.

Thanks For Riding Along!

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We Deserved A Good Meal

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

 

  We Deserved A Good Meal

Geneva, Ohio to Brockton, New York

 

    I forgot to mention a scary incident we had yesterday on the Interstate after leaving Cleveland.  We were in the far right slow lane on Interstate 90.  Traffic was fairly heavy because it was quitting time…5:00 pm.  A big Semi came barreling down an on-ramp right beside us.  Ted couldn’t pull into the left lane because cars were beside us….couldn’t slow down much or hit the breaks because traffic was close behind us.  The Tractor-trailer was literally inches away from my side and then cut us off as he sped down the ramp and into our lane. Missed our front bumper by inches!  Guys like that give all truck drivers a bad name.  I wanted to get his license plate number but he kept speeding ahead and we never caught up to him again.  This kind of thing; and the fact that you don’t really get to “see” the country when you’re driving 70 mph; is why we don’t like to travel on interstates.

    Last night we stayed at Ohio’s Geneva State Park, which is right on Lake Erie.  We were starved when we got there because, sometime after leaving the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we realized that we had never eaten lunch and breakfast had been a really long time ago.  So, as soon as we were settled in our campsite, we made Turkey Reuben’s for dinner – the quickest meal we could make with the ingredients at hand.  The rest of the evening was spent trying to say cool.   For the first time since Missouri, the evening was hot and muggy and we had to run the AC to cool our little house off enough to get to sleep.  When we went to the shower house to take our showers we met a really pleasant couple from Italy.  They flew over to NYC and rented an RV.  They will spend the next 32 days touring the USA in their camper.  They said they do this every summer and each year they pick out a different section of America that they want to see.  This is the 2nd European family we have met traveling in RV’s…must be a popular way to see the USA.  Perfect for Europeans because they get a lot more vacation time than most Americans.

    We woke to an already muggy morning.  The park includes a beach and harbor on Lake Erie so, after breakfast, we took a walk down to the shore following the shoreline trail.  By the time we reached the beach we were hot and sweaty.  It was only 9:00 am but there were already people in the water swimming.  We continued our walk on the beach and into the Geneva Harbor.

 

   At the marina we found King Neptune overseeing things.

 

  Three miles later, hot and dripping, we returned to the van and cranked up the AC.  No way we were going to cycle in this humidity.  We left the campground heading for Pennsylvania – 25 or so miles away.   One the way there we made note of many “firsts” we were aware of this morning, now that we are officially “back east”:  Hottest most humid temps so far this trip;  goldenrod on the roadside – sure sign of fall;  in PA some of the trees are already showing hints of reds and golds; cicada’s making lots of noise; and we just passed our first “Sheets” Mini-mart and gas station – a big mid-Atlantic chain.

   We were traveling on Route 5 – the Seaway Scenic Trail that follows the Lake Erie Coastline from Ohio to Upstate New York.   Driving through Erie PA we realized that we were driving along the only coastline in Pennsylvania…funny, I guess I didn’t realize that Pennsylvania even Had a coastline.   Leaving Erie, PA we were driving through vineyards as we followed the coast into New York State. 

    Vineyards continued to line the sides of the road as we went north.  Coming into the town of Barcelona, New York, Ted spotted a Lighthouse and pulled into a lovely marina/beach area.

 

    Lucky for us, there was a well-stocked Tourist Info Center in the local Chamber of Commerce building. I was able to pick-up a stack of brochures and NY travel Information.  We are hoping to cycle the Erie Canal for a short distance when we reach Buffalo.  The Erie Canal has been converted to a 400-mile bike path that runs from Buffalo NY to Albany NY.  We have ridden sections of it before but never this far west. 

   Before leaving Barcelona, we walked down to the waterfront where we stopped to admire this is perfect line of seagulls.  Reminded me of “The Birds”.

 

    We stopped fairly early today because we have been spending way too much time driving lately, and we deserved a good meal today.  Our home for the night is Lake Erie State Park in New York.  After selecting a campsite we got right to work making ourselves a good dinner….grilled salmon,  broccoli in cheese sauce, spinach salad, and smashed new red potatoes with  garlic and butter (Ted smashed with our hand masher – one of his very favorite jobs), and instant pistachio pudding compliments of Jello.  Just as we sat down to eat at our picnic table, two huge RV Busses pulled in to the sites right beside us.  Beside them, we look like a tonka toy.

   Our (very loose) plan for now is to continue north to Niagara Falls and then work our way southeast to Connecticut.

 Thanks for Riding Along!

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ROCK and or ROLLA

Monday, August 9th, 2010
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Monday, August 09, 2010

ROCK and or ROLLA

Oregon, Ohio to Geneva, Ohio

 

Today was an exciting day.  We spent the entire afternoon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, and we still didn’t see everything!

 

  The Building itself is really unique, kind of a geometric glass structure that sits right on Lake Erie in Cleveland’s lakefront park.  Its neighbors are the Cleveland Brown’s Stadium and the Cleveland Science Museum. 

 

     The entrance fee was a little pricey for our budget…$22.00 each… plus parking…we swallowed hard and went in. When you arrive, the first thing visitors do is view a history of the evolution of Rock & Roll.  For us, (and for many of you), this is like watching yourself grow up.  It starts with early 50’s radio music…Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra…moves on to Chuck Berry…Little Anthony and the Imperials…Elvis…Bob Dylan….Beatles…Stones, Simon & Garfinkle…Michael Jackson…B-Gees, Sting…Pink Floyd…U2…Springtseen.  I’ve left a lot of holes in there but you get the idea – it’s the Baby Boomer generation.

    Actually, the first thing they did when we arrived was confiscate Ted’s SLR Camera.  No cameras or video allowed.  We actually had to check it before they’d let us in.  So the only inside photos Ted took were in the main lobby.  This is a tribute to Michael Jackson that is prominently displayed as you enter the Hall.

 

   And there is a nice collection of tribute cars like this ZZ Tops Coupe.

 

  And this “Gwen” Stephaini Wall where “NOW” Rockers are featured (photographed for our Auntie Gwen)

 

   Right now the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a special exhibit featuring the Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen…Amazing.

 

  We did not get to see half of the exhibits because we ran out of time…they close at 5:00 pm – guess we’ll have to save that for another tour.

 

  Tomorrow…Erie and Beyond!

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Dashing Through Detroit

Sunday, August 8th, 2010
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Sunday, August 8, 2010

Dashing Through Detroit

Port Hope, Michigan to Oregon, Ohio

 

     Last evening we were sitting outside at our campsite picnic table.  I was typing up yesterday’s log entry – just posting it online when one of our tenting neighbors came over with a bottle of wine for us.  It was a thank you gift for the coffee we surprised them with yesterday morning.  How nice!  The funny thing is that just before Orlan walked into our camp, I was reading Ted the part of yesterday’s log where I said that we were entertained by their inexperience…etc…etc…  When I saw him, I felt like hiding the log under my shirt.  He asked us what we were doing (computer, phone and cameras all over the picnic table), so Ted told him about our “mission” and the website and then, laughingly told him that he and his friends were mentioned in the latest blog entry, and why.  Our new friend laughed.    We continued to talk about all kinds of stuff – a really enjoyable evening.

   

 

     This morning we didn’t waste anytime packing up.  Today we wanted to make it through Detroit and into Ohio.  We were dreading the drive through Detroit (we don’t like big cities, traffic or interstate driving) but thought that on Sunday the drive shouldn’t be too bad.  All in all we were looking at a 200-mile day…big for us.  We need to start burning up some miles because we want to be in New England by next week.

    Initially, we thought that we’d cross over into Canada and drive down through New York at Niagara Falls, a much shorter trip.  That’s what we did on our self-contained bike tour a few years ago but, unfortunately, we didn’t bring our passports – we weren’t planning a border crossing when we left home.  We checked with a Postmaster (they oversee passports) to see if we’d need our passports to go into Canada; or were our driver’s licenses ok (used to be ok just to cross with a drivers licenses).  Found out that we’d have absolutely no problem getting into Canada.  The problem would be crossing back over the border into the USA.  Turns out, you have to have a passport to get back in.  If you don’t have one, they will detain you and the whole process gets real complicated.  Of course, if we were Illeagel Aliens we could just walk over the border..no problem.   Anyway…we have to drive the long way around Lake Erie.

    Our route out of Michigan continued around the east side of the “thumb”.  Along the way, we stopped in Port Sanilac, Michigan to attend Mass at Saint Mary’s, a really beautiful church on the Lake.

    Leaving Port Sanilac, we were following exactly the same route that we took on our cross-country bike tour.  There were parts of the route that we remembered very well.   When we reached Port Huron we left our old route because that was where we rode our bikes across a bridge into Canada…actually we didn’t ride across…they loaded us into a pickup truck, drove us over and dropped us in front of the Canada Immigration Office.

    This time, we stopped at a Sam’s Club in Port Huron and pigged out on their free samples…never seen a Sam’s Club handing out so many free eats!  Of course, all of the “freebies” were questionably healthy things that we normally wouldn’t eat like..cookies, ice cream, potato chips, ham sandwiches, mac and cheese, lagazna, pastries and BBQ Chicken.  Just really small bits of each….I swear.

    Back in the van the tension was building…we really don’t like driving through big cities and Detroit was looming ahead of us.  Actually, it wasn’t too bad except that there was major construction going on most of the way through.  Would have been a lot worse on a weekday.  Made it through…whew…and headed south on Michigan I75 into Toledo Ohio.

   We made a beeline for the first Ohio State Park east of Toledo on Lake Erie…Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, Ohio. Tonight we are camped on the Lake.  Erie is our 4thGreat Lake on this trip…only one more to go.  Tomorrow morning we plan to cycle around the lakeshore.  The state park and the city of Oregon have a pretty extensive bike route system.

Thanks for riding along!

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