Birthday Week Road Trip

For my 58th birthday, I chose to take another road trip with Victoria. This time it was to investigate the possibility of investing in a cabin and boat rental business in Tennessee. The trip also afforded us the opportunity to spend a few days with friends, who drove over from Wichita KS. 

Monday the 29th, we made the trip from Xenia to Chattanooga mostly on non-interstate highways. We stayed in one of the cabins at the business we were investigating for a couple of nights. Here's our view of the Tennessee River from the front porch of the cabin where we stayed.

Here's a picture from our pontoon boat ride on Tuesday when we were out on the Tennessee River.

On Wednesday, we took the short drive to Tracy City to look at luxury tiny homes in several developments there. That afternoon we met our friends from Wichita, Don and Paula, at the condo we had rented for the rest of the week.

Here are a couple of pictures from Montague Park near our condo looking towards Lookout Mountain. Montague Park is a 33-acre parkland showcasing large, contemporary sculptures in open, grassy surroundings. 

Friday found us visiting the Tennessee Valley Railroad and Museum. We took the Missionary Ridge local train ride which begins at the Grand Junction Station and takes you over four bridges and through the pre-Civil War Missionary Ridge Tunnel to the East Chattanooga station. 

The roundtrip is about an hour long (15 minutes to East Chattanooga, 25 minute layover, and 15 minutes back to Grand Junction) and includes a turntable demonstration. Here’s the locomotive being turned around on the turntable.

During our train ride, we learned of The Great Locomotive Chase (also known as the Andrews' Raid) which was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army, led by civilian scout James J. Andrews, commandeered a train, The General, and took it northward toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, doing as much damage as possible to the vital Western and Atlantic Railroad (W&A) line as they went.

When Victoria and I took a walk through the Chattanooga National Cemetery later that afternoon, we came across Ohio's tribute to the Andrews Raiders. 

Here's a short video showing the entire Chattanooga National Cemetery from its highest point.

Saturday found us taking a scenic drive on a short portion of the Lookout Mountain Scenic Parkway. We stumbled across the Lookout Mountain Flight Park. This is a picture of the ramp from where hang gliders launch. It looks almost as crazy as jumping from a perfectly good airplane when skydiving!

Although we did not ride the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, I did capture this short video of one of the trains arriving on Lookout Mountain.

We finished our drive by visiting Point Park at the northern end of Lookout Mountain. The park offers some fantastic views of Chattanooga and the surrounding area.

On Easter Sunday we made the drive from Chattanooga to our home in Xenia, and found our home still standing, and senior our cat still alive. One more road trip in the great memories portion of my brain!

Anniversary Road Trip!

What do you do for your 32nd wedding anniversary when there is a COVID-19 pandemic?

Well, when your wife says "we need to go somewhere!" you get creative and figure out that you can drive across the state on Route 32 for your 32nd wedding anniversary.

State Route 32 Sign

So, on the day of our wedding anniversary, August 20th, we drove from Newtown OH to Marietta OH and saw some interesting sites along the way.

Our first stop Thursday morning was East Fork State Park just east of Batavia.

After a short break at the lake (see what I did there), we continued our drive east and stopped by the historic Buckeye Furnace State Memorial, just southeast of Jackson.

Once we left the Buckeye Furnace, it was a short drive to Athens OH. Between Athens and Belpre we stopped at a rest area and found The Healing Chapel, "Ohio's Smallest Church"

Once we arrived in Marietta, we found our lodging (The Lafayette Hotel) and then took a walk through historic downtown and enjoyed dinner by the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers. 

Here's a picture of Victoria sitting on the USMC bench in Veterans Walk of Honor in Marietta the evening of our trip across the state of Ohio.

The next morning, we had a nice traditional breakfast in the gun room of the hotel. Here's a picture of one of the gun displays.

After breakfast, we took another walk to find The Castle, which was built in 1855.

On our drive back home, mostly on Route 50, we stopped at Lake Hope State Park. The lodge and cabins sit atop a hill which is almost surrounded by the lake itself.

After enjoying our brief time at Lake Hope, we made our way to Chillicothe, the first and third capital of Ohio. Adena Mansion & Gardens Historic Site was our objective there. According to historical lore, the Seal of Ohio was based on the eastern view from Adena. Here are a couple of pictures of that view.

Our last stop of the day before arriving back home was for Victoria. She was very excited to learn of the Country Crust Bakery near Bainbridge OH. It is located in a small Amish Mennonite community.

 

We enjoyed apple (Barak) and peach (Victoria) "frye pyes" and brought some cinnamon bread and apricot jam home with us. 

Overall, a very enjoyable trip commemorating our 32 years of marriage. As Victoria reminded me, we're now halfway to our 64 years :-)

Glen Ferris West Virginia

Day One - Xenia OH to St Louis MO

This Monday morning started a little differently than most. A road trip to pack for, not a commute to the office :-)

Victoria and I packed up the trusty Toyota Camry, said good-bye to Samoa (Kayla's 13-year-old cat) and headed west.

It was an uneventful trip but we were lured off Interstate 70 by the promise of the world's largest rocking chair and wind chime. Sure enough, right in the middle of Casey IL they stood.

After arriving in St Louis, and checking into our accommodations for the night, we headed over to infamous "Aunt Millie's" to meet extended family and have dinner together. It was a very enjoyable evening, and I have not laughed so hard in a long time.

Around the table with me were Uncle Donald, Aunt Sharon, Cousin Rhonda, Aunt Mille, Uncle Wendel (not pictured), Aunt Carole (not pictured), Aunt Debbie (almost in the picture), and Victoria (taking the picture).

Here's a shot of me and my favorite cuz, Rhonda.

A great start to a great trip!

Spring Break Road Trip!

Victoria and I plan to travel from Ohio to Texas and back to Ohio over the next two weeks. Similar to our 2013 road trip to Montana, 10 states in 12 days is our plan. The primary purpose of this trip is to spend Easter weekend with our son, Darren, who is currently stationed in Corpus Christi TX. We will also enjoy visiting with family and friends along the way. A side benefit, and the primary reason for the return trip route, is to visit 2 of the 3 remaining states on my list of 50. Louisiana and Mississippi should be crossed off the list next week. Our planned 3000 mile route is below.