Alton RV Park, Columbus, OH – June 3-10, 2022

Friday, 3 June

Alton RV Park

We left Indianapolis around 9:15 am and had beautiful blue skies to Columbus. The roads between Indianapolis and the Ohio border were terrible, but as soon as we crossed the state border, the roads improved.

It took about 4 hours to get to Alton RV Park, a small gravel parking lot. There were no trees, the sites were about 3-5 feet apart, and it was right on Hwy 40, which was very busy and noisy with trucks. At $55/night, this was not a good campground. They had emailed me a map to my site, so we could bypass check-in and go right to our site. Though the site had a hump in the middle, we were able to find a level spot and quickly set up. The utilities were in a covered pit with lots of spiders, so getting the water connection was no fun. Yuck!

Dublin, OH

After getting set up, we headed to the Field of Giant Corn Cobs in Dublin. This quirky attraction is a former corn field covered with 109 six-foot ears of concrete corn as a tribute to Sam Frantz, an inventor of hybrid corn. Frantz farmed this site from 1935 to 1963 and donated the land to be used as a park at the end of his career. This tribute and “art” installation was created in 1994 using three different molds. The white paint was fading, but it was a fascinating site. Some plaques along the side provided some information about hybrid corn.

We then drove downtown to see another quirky attraction, the Jumping Frog Monument. Every year since 1967, the Dublin Kiwanis sponsored a popular frog jumping contest. This monument was hidden away in a small park to commemorate that event.

After a short walk around the small downtown area, we headed to Indian Run Falls. The small parking lot at the entrance to the park was full, so we parked across the street at the post office, though it was posted that it was only for customers. There was a short trail with wood chips to the falls in a deep ravine with a bridge across it. There were signs everywhere stating that you were not allowed to swim or wade in the creek, but there was a large group of 20 or so people sitting under the bridge watching their children play in the water. Hmmm.

Hayden Falls

We then decided to head to Hayden Falls. The park’s parking lot was very small and packed. We drove around the area, trying to find parking, but we ended up leaving with the intent to return later.

Germantown

We then decided to head downtown and check out Germantown. We found the traffic crazier as we headed toward the downtown area, but it thinned way down once we hit the downtown area around 4 pm. We drove through the downtown area and into the Germantown district, full of cute little red brick homes. We parked outside Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, where we planned to eat later, and walked around the neighborhood.

We stopped at Schmitts Fudge Haus during our walk, where the storekeeper made chocolate buckeyes. They looked so good that we bought some fresh ones to try, and they were really good!

We discovered that most of the homes, streets, and sidewalks in the Germantown area are covered with bricks. The homes were often very narrow and set back a little from the sidewalk, usually behind a red brick wall. The front yard was usually covered with a small, well-kept flower garden. What little yard was not covered by a garden was often covered with brick. Most homes were nicely restored, but many “row homes” were in bad shape.

We stopped at an “Ohio-made” gift shop before heading into Schmidt’s Sausage Haus around 5 pm.

Schmidt’s Sausage Haus

Schmidt’s Sausage House was a famous tourist stop in Columbus. Its history began in 1886 when Schmidt opened a meat packing plant known for its sausages. He then started vending at the state fair in 1914 and is the oldest food concessionaire there. He opened Schmidt’s Sausage Haus in the heart of Germantown in 1967. Inside and out, it looked like an old traditional German restaurant. We were seated at a table and greeted by a waitress wearing a traditional German dress. We ordered some 22 oz glasses of German beers and settled on a Cabbage Roll platter with Green Beans and Red Potatoes for Lisa and a Sausage on Kraut with chunky applesauce and red potatoes for me. The food was excellent. When we left, we bought one of their famous chocolate cream puffs at the front counter.

Evening

We then drove around downtown Columbus briefly to explore its architecture since it was not too crowded before heading back to the camper. We got back to the camper around 7 pm.

Saturday, 4 June

Worthington Farmers Market

The following day, we decided to go to a farmer’s market. Since there were several in the area, we chose the one in Worthington because it boasted to be the largest in the area with more than 70 vendors.

Located in Old Worthington, this market was not in an open lot or park but spread out along their main street for several blocks. We arrived around 9:30, and It was crowded, so we had to park several blocks away. It had all the usual produce, baked goods, and food stands you would expect at a farmer’s market. We thought about getting some fancy donuts, but the price was way too high for me. We did buy a pricey bag of local apples for me.

After we left the farmer’s market, we headed out to see the covered bridges in Fairfield County just southeast of Columbus.

Covered Bridges of Fairfield County

There are approximately 125 historic wooden-covered bridges in Ohio. Fairfield County has the most original covered bridges in the state, with a total of 17, and we wanted to see everyone!

Zeller-Smith Bridge, Covered Bridge Ln, Pickerington, OH

The first bridge we visited was located in a nice park in Pickerington. The Zeller-Smith Covered Bridge was built in 1906 to span 73 feet over Sycamore Creek. Like most bridges we saw that day, you could not drive across it. And like most bridges we saw that day, it was no longer in its original location. This bridge was moved in 1986 to Sycamore Creek Park but still spans the same creek. It was changed from a multiple Kingpost with an arch truss system to a Queenpost style during the reconstruction.

Hartman #2 Bridge, 5895 Pickerington Rd NW, Carroll, OH

The next bridge was also in a nice park with some ruins of an old lock system. Hartman #2 Covered Bridge was built in 1888 and spanned 48-foot length. The bridge was moved in 1967 to its current location and sits between Ohio & Erie Canal Locks 11 and 12 in Lockville Canal Park, the site of the state’s longest series of intact canal locks.

Rock Mill Bridge, 1429 Rockmill Rd NW, Carroll, OH

Access to the next bridge was blocked by construction, so we were only able to get a glimpse of it which was disappointing since it promised to be one of the more interesting bridges.

Rock Mill Covered Bridge has a 30-foot span over the Hocking River and rests on its original abutments 35 feet above the gorge. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the bridge is next to the fully restored 1824 grist mill Rock Mill. This is one of the nation’s last remaining mill and covered bridge combinations.

Hanaway Bridge, 7636 Clearport Rd SW, Lancaster, OH 43130

The next bridge was alongside the highway and had no parking lot, so we only took a quick drive-by picture. Built around 1901, the Hanaway Bridge (aka Hannaway) is 86 feet long and was restored in 1996 and again in 2017. This bridge still rests on its original cut stone abutments and is one of seven bridges that once spanned Clear Creek.

Johnston Bridge, 7636 Clearport Rd SW, Lancaster, OH

A small park was next to the Johnston Covered Bridge, so we stopped and had lunch while overlooking the bridge. The Johnston Covered Bridge (aka Johnson) was built in 1887 and is 98 feet long. It spans Clear Creek in its original location and rests on its original abutments.

While on the bridge, we saw a bulletin stating that it was reserved for an upcoming wedding. Though we both agreed that parking might be a problem in the small park, it did look like a fun place to have a wedding. As we were leaving, we saw a person carrying a guitar toward the bridge, so we assumed they might be rehearsing for the wedding.

Mink Hollow Bridge, 2340 Meister Rd SW, Lancaster, OH

The Mink Hollow Covered Bridge was down some very windy roads. We could park near the bridge, which was built in 1887 and had a 54-foot span. Though the bridge was originally located in Mink Hollow, it is not there. The name contradicts the official name, “Mink Hollow Bridge over Arney Run in Oil Mill Hollow Near Borcher’s Mill.”

George Hutchins Bridge, 2805 Old Logan Rd SE, Lancaster, OH

The next covered bridge was in Charles Alley Nature Park. When we arrived, the road into the park was blocked to vehicle traffic. When we walked into the park, counselors led several youth groups around the park’s lake to several stations. Though the groups used to bridge on their circuit, we could look at the bridge during their transitions. The 1865 George Hutchins Covered Bridge spanned 49 feet over a small outflow from the lake. It was reconstructed at Alley Park for the Fairfield County Bicentennial Celebration in 2000.

McCleery Bridge, Arbor Valley Dr, Lancaster, OH

The next bridge was the McCleery Covered Bridge. It was initially 98 feet long, but dry rot has decreased the size to 50 feet. It was built in 1883 to span a creek just south of Baltimore, OH, and moved to its current location in 2006. It now spans Fetters Run and is popular on the Lancaster bike path.

John Bright #2 Bridge, 1570 Granville Pike, Lancaster, OH

When then drove over to the 1881 John Bright #2 Covered Bridge. The 75-foot bridge was moved 12 miles to its present location over Fetters Run on the Ohio University-Lancaster campus and is part of the Lancaster Bike Path. It also serves as the gateway to the Lancaster Festival, a 10-day celebration of the arts, music, and community held every July.

Double-Edged Brewery, Lancaster, OH

We decided to take a break and go to the Double-Edged Brewery in downtown Lancaster, We had a flight of beer consisting of Silver Label lager, William the Adult Dopplebock, Brightside Tangerine Wheat, and Zappa New England IPA. We also got some cheese curds from an outside food truck. The cheese curds passed the squeaky test.

John Raab Bridge, 5695 Ireland Rd NE, Lancaster, OH

Our next stop was the John Raab Covered Bridge, which was built in 1891 and is 44 feet long. In 1974, the bridge was moved west to a nearby farm John Raab’s son owned. Because this was on private property, we could only drive up the driveway a short distance to take a picture from the truck. Unfortunately, it was mostly hidden by the trees.

R.F. Baker Bridge, 6675 Cincinnati Zanesville Rd NE, Lancaster, OH

We had to drive through parked buses to a field behind Fairfield Union High School to get to the next bridge. The 1871 R.F. Baker Covered Bridge (aka Winegardner) was removed and reconstructed over the lake on the high school grounds in 1981 and has since been used as a special student project. It is 80 feet long and originally spanned Little Rush Creek at Winegardner Mill.

Charles Holliday Bridge, 2905 Chautauqua Blvd, Millersport, OH

Our next bridge was on the Millersport Lions Club Sweet Corn Festival Grounds. To get to the bridge, we drove through an open gate surrounding the festival grounds and to the back corner through several historic buildings and empty concession stands.

The 1890s Charles Holliday Bridge bridge originally spanned 96 feet over Walnut Creek on Lake Road. It was reconstructed in 1982 at its current location.

We stopped to get pictures of the old general store and filling station as we left. We also posed our truck between some giant ears of corn.

Shryer Bridge, Basil Western Rd NW, Baltimore, OH

The next bridge was on private property, so we could only take pictures from the road as we drove past. The 1891 Shryer Covered Bridge (Shreyer) originally spanned 65 feet over Paw Paw Creek. It was reconstructed in 1987 on the Shreyer Egg Farm. 

Stemen House Bridge, 11876 Woodbridge Ln NW, Baltimore, OH

The next bridge was located in a housing area called Covered Bridge Estates. The Stemen House Covered Bridge is the only covered bridge in Fairfield County open to vehicular traffic, so of course, we had to drive across it. It was built in 1888 and moved to its present location in 1978. It was originally 72 feet long, but the damaged and decayed sections were removed during reconstruction, leaving the bridge at its current length of 36 feet.

Hizey Bridge, 12549 Toll Gate Rd, Pickerington, OH

The last bridge we saw was the Hizey Covered Bridge.  This 83-foot-long Burr Truss-covered bridge was built in 1891 and originally spanned Poplar Creek. It was moved to a private drive in 1976. Several signs were posted telling visitors they were not allowed to cross the bridge. It also informed truck delivery drivers that they needed to call if they had a delivery.

We got back to the camper around 7:40 pm.

Sunday, June 5

Canoeing the Hocking River

This morning we headed out around 8:30 am to explore the beautiful Hocking Hills southeast of the city.

Our first destination was to go canoeing on the Hocking River. Hocking Hills Canoe Livery was about an hour away from the campground in the town of Logan, OH. When we arrived, I took advantage of the Veteran parking spot that they had. We had signed up for the 7-mile trip that would have allowed us to see the Rockbridge natural feature, but when we arrived, they informed us that trees had blocked the river and we would be forced to take the shorter 5-mile route.

After we got our paddles and life jackets, we were bused out to our launch site. They were great in helping us find a canoe that would fit my padded seats. Most canoes had the rear seat too far back or too narrow. Once we got on the river and past the noisy crowds, we could float and enjoy the scenery and the bird noises. This river was pretty murky, but the scenery was beautiful, with tall trees and high sandstone cliffs. There was a slow current and only a few riffles or tight turns to navigate. Near the end of the float, the current was so slow that I had to paddle to keep us moving. The trip ended at the canoe liver,y where a staff member helped us get out. It was an enjoyable float.

Afterward, we cleaned up in the on-site showers and put on some clean, dry clothes before heading out toward Hocking Hills State Park.

Hocking Hills State Park – Cedar Falls

When then traveled down a very curvy and narrow 13-mile-long road to get to Hocking Hills State Park. There were lots of 25 mph turns and steep grades. The park is very popular so I knew ahead of time that parking was known to be a problem on weekends. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to find a well-shaded parking spot at our first stop which was Cedar Falls.

A short 1/2-mile loop trail took us along Queer Creek, past large hemlocks and towering cliffs to the large waterfall. Cedar Falls was misnamed by early white settlers who mistook the stately hemlocks lining the gorge for Cedars. The falls at the end of the gorge were beautiful as they tumbled down the sandstone cliffs. The trail and boardwalk back to the parking area were just as beautiful as they wound through more rock formations.

Hocking Hills State Park – Ash Cave

We then drove a couple of miles down the road to Ash Cave. This parking lot was packed, but we were able to find a spot quickly. The handicap-accessible trail took us to a massive horseshoe-shaped overhang — measuring 700 feet from end to end, 100 feet deep from the rear cave wall to its front edge with the rim rising 90 feet high. A small tributary of the East Fork of Queer Creek cascaded over the rim into a small plunge pool below. 

Ash Cave is named after the several thousand bushels of ashes found under the shelter by early settlers. The source of these ashes is unknown. Lisa found a bird’s nest in one of the holes in the side of the cave with a very irritated bird.

Brewdog Brewery

It was about 3 pm when we started home. On the way, we decided to stop at Brewdog Columbus which is a large complex consisting of a brewery, a bar area called the DogTap, and the “World’s First Brewery Hotel”, the DogHouse.

There were kegs lining the road when we pulled into the parking lot. We entered the complex through their gift shop. They had a large museum area off to the left with some nice display boards describing the history and process of brewing craft beers. A couple of small rooms were there that had information and displays of hops and other malts. A large map was painted in the center of the floor, showing where the different beer styles originated.

The gift shop also led to their Dogtap restaurant, which had indoor and patio seating. They overlooked a large courtyard area with a dog park and an area where you could play yard games like cornhole and Big Jenga. Inside was a small game area with pinball machines, old arcade games, and a shuffleboard. Large glass windows let you look into the area holding the large fermenting vessels.

We were seated inside because there were no outdoor tables available. We got a booth near the big fermentation vessels. We ordered a flight of beers: Hellcat (India Pale Lager), Hazy Jane (New England IPA ), West Coast IPA, and Empress Hazy Jane (Imperial / Double New England / Hazy). Their food was expensive, but we ordered a burger with fries ($16.96) and their special, a Catfish Hoagie ($17.95). The dinner and service were great.

Evening

We got back to the camper around 8 pm.

Monday, June 6

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

Today, we left at about 9 am and headed toward Dayton, which was about an hour away.

Our first stop was the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. This two-story museum told the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright and the African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

After watching a movie that told us the amazing story of the Wright Brothers, we walked through the various displays showing the lives of the Wright Brothers as printers, bicycle shop owners, and finally as pioneers in aviation. One section was devoted to the Dayton native Paul Lawrence Dunbar, one of American literature’s first influential Black poets. There was also a large display about the evolution of parachutes.

We then went across a small plaza to the Wright Cycle Company building which is home to the Wright Brothers’ bicycle business from 1895 to 1897. There, the Wright brothers began to manufacture their brand of bicycles, which gave the brothers the mechanical experience and financial resources necessary to begin their experiments with powered human flight. It was beautifully restored and we were surprised that the old restored bicycles looked very similar to today’s bicycles.

National Museum of the Air Force

After leaving the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, we headed up to the National Museum of the Air Force, the official United States Air Force museum located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  Spread over four huge interconnected hangers, the museum is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display.

Outside the hangers was a large park called the Memorial Garden, where various monuments to military organizations were located. Since it was already noon, we decided to eat lunch at one of the picnic tables. We had to hurry for lunch, though, when the rain started to sprinkle on us.

The museum was free, but had some 3-D movies and simulators you could purchase. We chose to bypass them. The planes were organized chronologically by era, so we decided to start in the back and work ourselves forward. We started with the Presidential Gallery, which had various presidential planes, including the one that carried John F Kennedy’s coffin. They also had two older Air Force Ones and several smaller presidential jets. I especially enjoyed the display case of the various items carried in the plane that had the Presidential Seal on it, including M&Ms.

As we weaved our way through the hundreds of planes, we saw the evolution of aviation and how they were used in various war and humanitarian missions. We were able to walk inside some of them. Some had the outer skin removed so that you could view their insides.

They also had additional displays about the space program, nuclear bombs and missiles, the holocaust, nose art, medical tent panels from Iraq that wounded soldiers and medical personnel autographed, parachutes, and much more.

One of the museum’s prized planes was the Memphis Belle, and for the first time, they were giving the public a look inside the B-17F Flying Fortress aircraft. We had to wait in line and climb a rickety maintenance ladder to peek inside one at a time.

We were there until around 4:15 pm. We had been in the museum for several hours and had reached sensory overload, and our feet began to hurt. We had made it through each section but it was too much to see in one day. We probably took a hundred pictures and didn’t even begin to capture the enormity of this place.

Huffman Prairie Flying Field Historic Site

It was almost 5 pm when we left the museum and decided to visit Huffman Prairie Flying Field, which was just a couple miles down the road. Though there was not much to see, we felt that we needed to see where it all began.

The Wright Brothers used this field to perfect their airplane after they returned to Dayton after their historical flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903 until 1916. The field was located on Wright Air Force Base but it has its own entrance and is separated from the base by a fence. We had to go around an active skeet shooting range to get to the field. On the large open field was a replica 1905 hangar and launching catapult and several informational signs. It was thrilling to imagine the history of the place.

Jeni’s Ice Cream

After we left Huffman Prairie, we stopped at Jeni’s Ice Cream just outside the base and got some ice cream. Lisa got the Buckeye and Salted Caramel Crunch, while I got Caramel Brownie and Choc-o-lat. They were very good and creamy.

We got back to the camper around 7 pm.

Tuesday, June 7

We left the camper around 9:30 am to explore attractions west and north of us.

Hartman Rock Garden

Our first stop was Hartman Rock Garden, about 45 minutes west down Highway 40.  Surrounding a house was a whimsical collection of folk art constructed by hand between 1932 and 1944 using stone, concrete, metal, glass, wood, and whatever else. Though some were showing some wear, fresh plantings of flowers suggested that it was being cared for.

Freshwater Farms of Ohio

We then drove north to Freshwater Farms of Ohio which was a bankrupt chicken farm that was converted into the largest indoor fish hatchery in Ohio. After we checked in with the front office, we were invited to walk around tanks of fish, including trout and sturgeon, on our own. We arrived at the same time as a busload of children, so we got to watch them get excited by the frenzy they caused when they fed the fish.

There was an area where we could pet the sturgeon, which was intimidating because of its size. There was also a “Touch Tank” where you could play with salamanders, turtles, and toads.

In tanks inside and outside the buildings, they had various types and sizes of fish for stocking commercial and private ponds. They also had a bandstand and an outdoor bar where they hosted events.

Piatt Castles Mac-a-Cheek

We then continued north to see the historic Piatt Castles called Mac-a-Cheek and Mac-o-Chee. They were located in the middle of sparsely populated farmland.  The homes were built in the 1860s and 1870s and were only about 3/4 of a mile apart. Mac-a-Cheek was open to the public in 1912, though tourism was originally a minor industry compared to the farm, distillery, and two grist mills on the property.   Mac-o-Chee was opened as a museum in 1915 but was sold in 2019 and is currently closed.  There are plans to reopen it to the public in the future. 

When we arrived at Mac-a-Cheek our first impression was that it only looked like a castle because it had a hand-cut limestone block exterior.  Our next impressions were that it was a little run-down and not very popular because we were the only car in the parking lot.  

When we walked in the weather-worn main doors, we were greeted by a receptionist who charged us $13 for admission. She gave us a brief introduction and then told us that we were free to walk around the house at our leisure, and she was available to answer any questions.   Though the house had 25 rooms and was three stories tall (the tower was five stories), we were told that a descendant of the Piatts still lived in the house, so portions were closed to the public.    

 The home was full of family portraits, antiques, and various items collected by the Piatt family.  There was lots of ornate wood throughout. The parquet floors are cherry, oak, and walnut, and the wall paneling is made of pine, ash, and walnut.  One of its chief exhibits was a massive cabinet filled with natural history treasures, including gems, Native American tools, pistols, ornamental hatchets, and a tooth from a baby mastodon. On the second floor was a room full of civil war artifacts and Ella Kirby Piatt’s works of art.  A young staff member on that floor enthusiastically showed us around and told us about his work collecting the history of the Piatt family.   His enthusiasm and the stories he told about the artifacts we saw were a highlight for me.

We then drove down to Mac-o-Chee and took a picture of it from the street since it was closed.  Along the way, we passed a historical marker about the history of Mackachack, General Logan’s massacre of the Shawnee villages in 1786, and the running of the gauntlet by Simon Kenton.

Highest Point in Ohio

We then drove to the nearby Southview Park in Bellefontaine for lunch. There, we found a nice picnic table next to a creek. After lunch, we got some gas before we continued to the Highest Point in Ohio.  

On the top of Campbell Hill, on the grounds of the Hi-Point Career Center, sits the highest point in Ohio.  We had a little trouble finding the site because it was hidden by construction and the campus buildings.  A small X marks the spot, and several signs tell of its significance.    Nearby, a flag and a plaque was telling the site’s history with NORAD.   At only 1549 feet above sea level, it was a testament to how flat Ohio is.

Flatwoods Schoolhouse and Greenville Treaty Line

As we continued driving, we stopped at the old 1868 Flatwoods Schoolhouse, used by the African American community of Flatwoods until 1923. 

Later, we stopped at a historical marker talking about the Greenville Treaty Line, which established a border between indigenous peoples’ lands and territory for European American community settlement in 1795.  Because of the continued encroachment by European Americans into indigenous lands, this treaty was just the first of a series of purchases of indigenous peoples’ lands by treaty and eventual Indigenous tribe removal by law.  

Harding Memorial and Tomb

We continued through the farmlands to Harding’s Memorial and Tomb in Marion.  This 53-foot tall and 103-foot wide roofless memorial looked like a Greek temple with 28-foot white marble Doric columns around the tombs of President Harding and his wife.  

The memorial is the last of the elaborate presidential tombs, a trend that began with the burial of President Abraham Lincoln in his tomb in Springfield, Illinois. Since President Calvin Coolidge, Harding’s successor, presidents have chosen burial plot designs that are simpler or combined with their library sites. 

Harding Home Presidential Site

It was 4 pm as we continued over to the Harding Home. Though the museum was closed, we could walk around the site.  Warren G. Harding built the home in 1890 and made it his home until he was elected the 29th president of the United States in 1920.  Harding campaigned from his front porch and won an overwhelming victory in 1920 based on a vague pledge to return America to “normalcy” after the tensions of World War I and its succeeding depression. 

Also on the site was the George Christian home (Warren’s next-door neighbor and Press Secretary), which was used as the Republican Headquarters and a bungalow-style structure behind the Christian House where newspaper reporters had a workspace to type their stories. And the Freeland house, which only had significance as a next-door neighbor.  

I enjoyed sitting on Harding’s front porch for a few minutes while trying to imagine the history there.

Chief Leatherlips

We were back in Columbus around 5:30 pm and decided to quickly stop at Scioto Park to see the quirky Chief Leatherlips monument.  

Leatherlips (1732–1810) was a Wyandot Native American leader who was condemned to death near this spot for being too accommodating to the European American settlers and for witchcraft. The 12-foot sculpture was installed on a hillside in 1990. The head is constructed using various sizes of native limestone stacked and mortared. Built into the hill is a small enclosure that you can enter in the back to give you a view of the river, the sunset, and the park’s amphitheater.

Dancing Hares

Nearby was a water splash park that had 24-foot-tall rabbits on a hill above it.  Built-in 2001 of metal scraps including pipes, hammers and screws, and other everyday household objects, the rabbits stand in a spring courtship “boxing” stance when they claim mates and territory.  We only admired them from afar, though, as we drove by. 

Wendy’s Museum

It was now about 6 pm, so we decided to have dinner at Wendy’s flagship restaurant across the street from their headquarters in Dublin.  Before going in, we stopped and got some pictures of the life-size bronze statue of Dave Thomas.  We then visited the community room that had Wendy’s historical items, such as the original uniforms and ad campaigns throughout the years. The community room also featured Dave Thomas memorabilia, including the 1996 Olympic torch he carried through Dublin and 105,000 Waterford Crystal hamburgers.  We ordered dinner using their kiosk and enjoyed a Wendy’s burger and fries. 

Flat Tire

Around 7 pm, as we were heading back to the camper, the truck’s TPMS alerted us that we had suddenly lost pressure in the passenger rear tire. We were able to safely pull over into a residential neighborhood, where we called USAA Roadside Assistance while I started the process of changing the tire on my own. It had been a long time since I had changed a tire, and never changed a tire on an F-150 pickup. As I struggled with lowering the spare tire, we got a text stating that help was on its way. A short time later, a small car pulled up, and a man wearing slippers jumped out and started to help me. He used his impact wrench and jack, which allowed him to change the tire quickly. Luckily, my spare was in pretty good shape. I am apprehensive about tires that mount under a vehicle out of view. I was disappointed that the technician did not use a torque wrench to properly torque down the lug nuts or check the spare for proper air pressure. When I asked about the torque, he said, “Don’t worry, they should be tight enough.” The tire pressure of the spare was 26 psi, so I used the air pump that I kept on the truck to get it up to the correct 37 psi.

We made it back to the camper around 8:20 pm.

Wednesday, 8 June

Flat Tire

I left the campsite around 7:40 am and took my flat tire up to Discount Tire to be first in line when they opened at 8:00 am. The tire was too damaged to repair, so they prorated my tire, which was less than four months old, and gave me a new tire. They had me out in less than 15 minutes.

Hayden Falls

When I returned to the camper, we loaded up and headed to Hayden Falls, hoping to get there before the crowds. We tried to visit these falls two times before, but the parking lot was always too full. This time, we got there at 9:30 am, and it was almost empty.

Hayden Falls is located within Griggs Nature Preserve, which sits along the Scioto River reservoir. There were no signs in the parking lot or along the road indicating a 35-foot fall there. We walked down a short boardwalk and stairs that took us down into the gorge and then to the waterfall. It was very beautiful. The Scioto River reservoir smelled like dead fish, though.

Youngs Jersey Dairy, Yellow Springs, OH

We then headed southwest toward Youngs Jersey Dairy. We arrived around 11 am, and the huge parking lot was already 90% full even though they had just opened. The complex was huge. Besides the large restaurant, they had batting cages, miniature golf, a giant slide, kiddie play areas, a golf driving range, a barn with animals, and many picnic pavilions for group events.

We decided to do a brief walk around the complex before going into the restaurant. The picnic shelters were all starting to fill up with catered group events and all the play areas were already busy with children’s groups.

After walking around the complex, we headed inside to explore the restaurant. The restaurant had a small “factory” area behind the glass where we saw them mixing milk (probably for cheese curds) and filling some pint ice cream containers. They also had a large gift shop. There was a large counter where you ordered the food and another where you picked it up. There were lots of tables inside and picnic tables outside where you could eat. Since the line was not very long, we decided to try some cheese curds, which turned out to be okay.  

Afterwards, we went over to the barn to play with the animals. A quarter bought me a handful of pellets, which we fed to the goats outside the barn until my hand was good and slimy.  They did have some hand sanitizer and wash troughs nearby, which I used. We then went inside to see the pigs, cows, and baby goats. We took pictures of ourselves on some tractors and wound our way through the complex again. We thought about the Udders & Putters miniature golf course, but despite its cute name, it was not very decorative, so we decided not to play.

We then made our way back to the restaurant for some ice cream. I ordered the daily special, which gave me two scoops of Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake for the price of one. Lisa had two scoops: Sea Salt Double Caramel and Caramel Chocolate Toffee.  

The Secret Chamber, Fairborn, OH

We left around 1 pm and drove a short distance away to Fairborn to The Secret Chamber House of Oddities and Art, which I had found listed on Roadside America. This small store had strange taxidermy, teeth in bottles, dragon skeletons, a full-size Predator on the wall, two-headed animals, skeletons, a Fiji mermaid skeleton, serial killer memorabilia, occult items, BDSM items, and many other bizarre items. It was truly a showcase for the macabre. 

Sunwatch Indian Village, Dayton, OH

We then headed over to Sunwatch Indian Village. SunWatch Indian Village / Archaeological Park is a reconstructed Fort Ancient Native American village and museum next to the Great Miami River in Dayton, Ohio.

We entered through an indoor museum with nice displays of Fort Ancient culture.

We then went outside to the 3-acre recreated village. Using Experimental Archeology, they recreated parts of the village to study how the village occupants lived. The village’s name derives from how the buildings were aligned with a cedar pole placed in the middle that acted as a solar calendar.

Tree Tower at Cox Arboretum

We then drove to the Tree Tower at the Cox Arboretum, another Roadside America attraction. The stairway up the Tree Tower winds around three 45-foot-tall Douglas Fir trunks to a covered observation deck. We followed Google Maps into the arboretum which we found out later was a maintenance road closed to the public.

Miamisburg Mound

The weather was getting bad, and it had started to rain, but I wanted to stop at the Miamisburg Mound before we headed back. Miamisburg Mound is 65 feet tall and 800 feet in circumference. It is one of the two largest conical mounds in eastern North America. The mound is visible from several miles away because it stands atop a 100-foot high ridge above the Great Miami River. It was raining when we stopped but I climbed the steps to the top of the mound anyway.

Evening

We got back to the camper around 5:30 pm, just in time to experience a round of rough weather.

Thursday, 9 June

We decided to spend the morning doing laundry and shopping for groceries.

Anthony-Thomas Chocolate Factory Tour

We left the camper after lunch for a 1 pm tour of the Anthony-Thomas Chocolate factory, which cost us $2. Their online ticket system said they were full, but Lisa could call them directly and get some tickets. We arrived about 30 minutes early and looked around the gift shop at all the handcrafted chocolates.

Our tour group ended up small, with only ourselves and a mother with her four children. The guide gave us a nice introduction to the history and production of chocolate. We were told we were not allowed to take pictures during the tour before being taken back into the factory. We were then briefly shown the first-floor shipping area before being taken by elevator to the third floor, which had a walkway over the second-floor production area. From the walkway, we could look down at various production lines that make and package chocolate.

One production line was making and packaging Twix skeletons, which we found odd. The guide told us they often contract large companies to make specialty candies. Another production line was making chocolate-covered lemon candies. We also saw someone working alone, making specialty chocolate by pouring chocolate into molds. The guide did a great job describing the entire process, and we learned a lot.

At the end of the tour, we were given our $2 back as a coupon that we could apply toward a purchase. We bought some caramel popcorn, orange slices, and two half-pound boxes of chocolates called “Sweet Slips” because they were filled with production line rejects. One box had sea salt caramel, and the other had chocolate peanut clusters.

Watlao Buddhamamakaram

After leaving the factory, we drove across the city to Watlao Buddhamamakaram, a Lao Buddhist temple. This colorful temple had a concrete fence surrounding the grounds and it stood out in the neighborhood of traditional ranch homes. The temple was under renovation, so it had construction equipment scattered around the grounds, and some parts were disassembled. After we walked around the temple, we noticed that the concrete fence posts appeared to have something in them. What we discovered was that they all appeared to be graves. Besides urns that might have contained ashes, we saw pictures, water bottles, empty beer bottles, glasses, plastic flowers, and other items for the deceased person in each post.

Otherworld

After we left the Buddhist temple, we headed over to Otherworld. Otherworld is an art installation built by more than 40 artists to fill a 32,000-square-foot facility in an empty shopping complex. After buying the tickets online and checking in, we entered a maze of 47 rooms that resemble a science-fiction research facility and fantasy land. All the rooms were dark, and they used blacklights to make everything bright with pastel colors. There were strange creatures, mirrored rooms, weird machines, secret passageways, swinging chairs, weird noises and music, projected moving images on walls, and various other strange things. They encourage you to touch and interact with everything to discover hidden things. We had a blast playing with everything, and we were done in about an hour.

Topiary Garden

We stopped downtown at the Topiary Park on the way home. The park was officially dedicated in 1992 and is a recreation of Georges Seurat’s 1884 post-impressionist painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.”  The garden comprises 54 people, eight boats, three dogs, a monkey, and a cat, all in the form of topiary sculptures made of yew trees. Many of the hedges had large chunks missing so it was sometimes hard to distinguish what they were. We also enjoyed the beautiful flower beds. 

Evening

We stopped, got some gas for our move the next day, and returned to the camper around 6:20 pm.

Friday, 10 June

The following day we packed up and left the campground around 9:30 am and headed to Fox Den Acres Campground outside Pittsburg, PA.