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.

Our Columbus Day Trip

Inspired by this post at Roads Less Traveled, I surprised Victoria with a short day trip to Maysville KY for lunch.

After a 2-hour drive straight down Hwy 68, we ended up at the Ohio River and Maysville KY.

 After spending a little time walking around down by the river, we headed back across the bridge and drove a few miles east on Hwy 52 to the Moyer Winery for lunch. It was the perfect day to sit by the Ohio River and enjoy a leisurely lunch. Victoria even snagged a bottle of wine to bring home :-)

On the way home we took a different route and ended up stopping by Serpent Mound, the world's largest surviving example of an ancient animal effigy mound.