As you know it has become impossible to add photos to this blog. I have started a part 2 and the new address is: agretirednomadspart2.blogspot.com
It will start with the continuation of our current road trip. In hindsight I should have set up a new one before the last world cruise. So, the last segment of the world cruise up until the start of our road trip doesn't have many or any photos added, only the links to the online albums.
Thank you for following along!
You can still access the old blog to view past posts. http://agretirednomads.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Monday, June 17, 2019
Ohio Statehouse - June 16
Ohio Statehouse - June 16
the House
the Senate
As predicted, it rained all morning.
After lunch we headed to the Statehouse for the 2:00 tour. We have visited
quite a few Capitols around the U.S. and this one was fairly understated in
comparison to many we have seen. It was an interesting tour and they had a nice
museum of Ohio State history.
state seal
After the tour we went to Jeni’s
Splendid Ice Cream place. WOW! I had the Blackout Chocolate Cake and the Peanut
Butter with chocolate flakes, and both were out of this world! Greg had the
Blackout Chocolate Cake and the Darkest Chocolate, and he enjoyed them as well.
Then we went back to the hotel to get mostly
packed up to leave tomorrow. We have a short drive so we will check out as late
as possible and will have lunch at a local street taco restaurant and then
drive to Cleveland.
I managed to get a few photos to load, but it stopped again.....
Link to photos:
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium – June 15
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium – June 15
We started the day with a small bit
of rain, but it cleared and didn’t rain again until around 2:30. The Zoo was
closing early today at 3:00 due to a function being held there. Since it
started to rain (and not let up) we would have left anyway. It’s a very good
medium sized zoo.
The zoo is laid out very well with a
nice flow to see everything. Each area makes a loop to complete before you move
on to the next area. We started with North America and then moved on to Africa.
Normally we don’t enjoy visiting zoos much anymore since we have seen most of
the animals in the wild, but we have enjoyed watching Jack Hanna over the years
and his influence at the zoo is everywhere. He has committed his life to
wildlife conservation. There are always a few species that we haven’t seen
before and great to see them up close.
We wanted to see the “Cheetah run”
where they take a “ball” on a rope and the Cheetahs run full out to chase it.
How fun was it to watch that! Greg got a short video of it. (it’s short because
they run so fast) They also introduced a Golden Retriever named Coby that lives
with the Cheetahs. Zoos around the U.S. are creating unlikely pairs in their
exhibits. Coby and other Labradors that play in the exhibit are said to get
along like siblings with the cheetahs.
It was time for lunch, and we enjoyed
a surprisingly yummy flatbread with roasted vegetables.
After our quick lunch we visited Asia
and the “aquarium” and then onto Australia and Islands.
They have a new Dinosaur Island boat
Ride that we enjoyed. Great for kids! (and big kids)
The rain started right at 2:30 as
predicted so we made our way out of the zoo. I had hoped for a stop at their
ice cream shop, but the rain had us heading to the car. We had seen the entire
zoo before it started so that was good. An enjoyable day out between the bouts of rain.
Tomorrow we had hoped to visit the
botanical gardens and the Capitol, but rain was predicted until about 1:00, so
we decided to just do the Ohio Statehouse in the afternoon.
Link to photos:
Hocking State Park, Ohio - June 14
Hocking State Park, Ohio - June 14
Today, was our best shot at a day
here without rain so we opted to do our “nature day” today. The day started out
cool (like 48*) and got up to the low 70’s.
Hocking State Park was beautiful, but
full of people. It’s Father’s Day weekend and gaggles of people were there. We
hiked the trails around Old Man’s Cave including Upper and Lower Falls, Lower
Gorge and Devils Bathtub. Old Man’s Cave travels along a breathtaking gorge cut
through the entire 150 foot thickness of the Blackhand sandstone.
We heard a lot of birds, but the
trees were thick, and they were hard to see. (plus the hordes of people made it
hard to stop in certain areas)
We hiked a couple of hours and since
this was the first day that I have had any exercise since the surgery, I was
feeling all the downhill steps. It was a beautiful area and so worth it.
We stopped for lunch at a general
store. (the main restaurant in the park burned down and isn’t quite rebuilt
yet) They had a Texas pork tenderloin that Greg & I split along with an
order of onion rings. They didn’t serve the pork tender flat and hanging inches
out of the round bun, but on a long bun and they folded it in 3 pieces. It was
tasty (and so not on our diet).
After lunch we visited another area
in Hocking State Park. There are tons of trails there in 7 different areas. We
hiked less than 2 hours at Ash Cave through a beautiful gorge lined with
stately hemlocks. The cave was named for the huge pile of ashes found by early
settlers in the cave shelter, though the source of the ashes is still a
mystery. There was a beautiful waterfall, and a wide recessed cave.
On the way back to the hotel we
stopped at another general store since it advertised 24 flavors of soft serve
ice cream. It was good, but we wouldn’t go out of our way to have it again.
We got a bit more organized back at
the hotel and had a light dinner to make up for the “bad” lunch.
The blog isn't letting me add any photos. I may need to start a new one. For now, I'll include the link to the online albums. Sorry!
The blog isn't letting me add any photos. I may need to start a new one. For now, I'll include the link to the online albums. Sorry!
Tomorrow, intermittent rain is
forecasted, and we are going to visit the Columbus Zoo. (Jack Hanna’s zoo)
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Columbia, SC to Columbus, OH - June 13
Columbia, South Carolina to Columbus
Ohio - June 13
We had another long travel day, over
500 miles again, driving through 5 different states ending in Columbus, Ohio. It
rained less than yesterday, so that was better, but the long days in the car
are hard on the butt…lol.
We left Columbia around 8:30 and continued
into North Carolina, then into the beauty of Virginia and then through the
mountainous and beautiful West Virginia. Finally, we crossed the bridge over
the Ohio River. We stopped for lunch
very close to Mount Airy where we visited 2 years ago. (Andy Griffith’s
hometown of “Mayberry”) It was a great stop, but we just stopped for fast food
nearby this time.
Fort Mill, South Carolina Baseball Water Tower
Charlotte
Blue Ridge Mountains (and bad traffic jam on the other side of the street)
best shot I could get of the border crossing
Blue Ridge Mountains
Big Walker Mountain Tunnel in the
Appalachian Mountains of Southwest Virginia that carries Interstate 77
through/under Big Walker Mountain.
East River Mountain Tunnel
West Virginia State Capitol Building in Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
William S. Ritchie Jr. Bridge
over the Ohio River
We checked into the Residence Inn around
7:30 or so and it was the exact opposite
of the one last night. New and very nice! We are here for 4 nights. Phew!
Tomorrow, we are doing some hiking at
Hocking State Park.
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