Ohio....continued

Whew!!  It's been a busy couple of weeks.  I think we will find, as we go along, that there are two main components to our visits.  First, the campground that we are in and second, the surrounding area.  Our first campground was awesome.  There was privacy, lots of nice people coming and going and it was in a beautiful area.  This one was a nice campground, but it wasn't in the most perfect setting.  We were close to the highway and most of the people here make this campground their home (which I will explain later.)   When we first got here the owner asked us if we needed help finding things to do here.  When we said yes, she lit up and said "it's so nice to have someone here who just wants to enjoy all that this area has to offer."  And she was right.  I've already mentioned the fantastic motorcycle roads, but there was so much more to find if you were willing to explore.

We found a great nature area where we spent a gorgeous day kayaking.  I don't know how many of you kayak - or are thinking of kayaking - but it is so enjoyable.  Cliff & I each have our own so we can go at our own pace - he can explore and fish while I like to just drift and read and listen to music.  There is just such a peaceful feeling that you are "part" of the water, it's different than any other kind of boating I have done.  The nature area also had a great hiking path that was just perfect for us.  We spent another whole day there hiking and exploring the trails and driving around the lake.

We spent a day in Zanesville which is known for being the birthplace of Zane Grey, the famous author.  Someone had the great idea of making a museum dedicated to him inside a bar.  We sat and chatted a bit with the bartender then walked around and looked at all the memorabilia as we drank our beer.  Now I want to read all of Zane Grey's books.  Imagine what we could learn if they made every museum a  museum/bar?  And right next door was "Weasel Boys" a great brewpub where I had Paw Paw beer and found out that the Paw Paw fruit is only found in Ohio.  Who knew?

Yesterday we spent the day in Marietta, with a quick jaunt across the bridge into West Virginia so we could claim it as one of our motorcycle states.  We are a bit weird - for lots of reasons - but one of them is that we are fascinated by cemeteries.  We always have been because there is so much history to be found.   We found the most unique one yet - called the Mound Cemetery.  Back in prehistoric days they used to build these giant mounds for rituals and burials.  This one is estimated to have been built between 100 BC and 500 AD.   Seriously?  Who knew something like that existed in Ohio.  The other interesting thing in this cemetery is that it is the burial place for many pioneers who made there way out here back in the day.  And they didn't have an RV or pickup truck or even a GPS.  It is really amazing to look at these gravestones and see "Born in Massachusetts and Died in Ohio", and to think about what that person lived thru in those in between years.  The other thing that amazed us is how long they lived.  I always thought people in those days only lived to 40 or 50 years old - but they were in their 70's, 80's and even 90's.   They were doing something right.

Cliff climbing the stairs at the "Mound cemetery"

 



We also found a memorial to John Chapman or "Johnny Appleseed".  While this may not seem like such a big thrill to many - my Dad's name is John Chapman...so it was pretty cool.

Our other activities this week included the biggest Oktoberfest we have been to.  I'm sure there are bigger ones that we will find thru the years, but this one was pretty awesome.  We found a great shooting range where I  have to say...I did pretty well.  I haven't shot a lot, but I do enjoy it and would love to change my fear of guns to a healthy respect with a little bit of skill.  I'll keep you posted on that one.  I love watching Cliff shoot, too - so it was great to find a place where we could just pay by the hour and play.  And my favorite...again, I am weird... but today we found the International Logger's Competition.  It is so much fun to surround yourself in a world that you really know nothing about and watch people who embrace it as their own.  The logging equipment was amazing to watch and the skill and determination of the loggers was awesome.  I just wish they let us play too!

And just so you know that its not all fun and games, we also go our air conditioner replaced (fortunately we are about 2 hrs from the dealer we bought the RV from and they came here to replace it for us), Cliff fixed a water leak in "the basement", we got the new motorcycle tire and Cliff installed it, I have finally gotten used to the fact that a load of laundry takes 3 hours, and we are finally starting to feel like we have an idea where we have put stuff.  But we are also watching the leaves fall and realizing that we don't have to rake them!

So tomorrow we move on.  The motorcycle is on the trailer, the kayaks are on the roof, the glasses and dishes are all packed up and we are headed to Indiana.  I can't wait to see what it has to offer.