The Journey Home (OH & KY) - December 27, 2008

We began our journey home at about noon today. We decided to again try to avoid the interstate highways and take a meandering, scenic route. We headed south and stopped for a Lustron Home in Circleville, Ohio -- the only one that was constructed there. Then onward to Chillicothe. And what do you think we saw as we were heading into town on Hwy 23 but a Fireworks Tree! We'd been keeping our eyes open for one of these for months now and there one was! After the Biologist stopped hyperventilating, we stopped to take photos. It was a bit damaged from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan that passed through Ohio earlier this year, but it was very cool just the same.

We spotted quite a few Painted Quilt Barns on our journey but only stopped at four of them, three in Ohio and one in Kentucky. They were fun to look for as we wandered along.


We made a planned stop at the Fort Hill State Memorial in Hillsboro, Ohio, to once again search for a North Country Trail sign. We knew the trail passed through this park jointly with the Buckeye Trail, but weren't sure if it would be marked as such. As luck would have it, it was! We would love to have hiked on the trail for a bit to view the 1 1/2-mile long Hopewell Indian earthwork hilltop enclosure, but all the trails were closed for the hunting season. What we did see of the park, though, was very nice and we'd love to make a return visit.

A little while later we passed through Peebles, Ohio, on the historic Zane's Trace and spotted a historical marker at the old Wickerham Inn and stopped to read about it. Not only was it used as a hiding place for runaway slaves when the Underground Railroad was in operation, it's also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is reported to be Haunted by the Ghost of a stagecoach driver who was murdered and beheaded in the tavern! Yikes!!

After getting back on the road, we soon passed by what looked like a golden plow. We just had to know what it was so we turned around and went back. It was a Peace Monument! Who would have thought?! It was a monument to commemorate the World's Plowing Match held near Peebles in 1957 when Northern Ireland, Sweden, Germany, New Zealand, and many other countries came together peaceably for a common purpose. Wow! I mean, we were out in the middle of NOWHERE!

A bit later we finally made it to Kentucky and stopped at just a few of the Kentucky Historical Markers that we passed on our way to Lexington for the night. We learned that Mason County is the only major hemp-producing Kentucky county outside the Blue Grass area, the last Kentucky raid by CSA General John H. Morgan and the Raiders occurred in Mays Lick, Daniel Boone's last home in Kentucky was near Carlisle, and the historic home of Kentucky governor and United States Senator Thomas Metcalfe is in Carlisle.

We pulled into Lexington shortly after dark and grabbed a quick bite to eat before retiring for the night to re-energize for the next day's adventure.

Columbus for the Holidays - December 17-26, 2008

By the time we arrived in Columbus yesterday, the snow had stopped falling (yea!) and we joyfully reunited with the Marine's parents. On our first full day in town, the Marine went off to play poker for the day with his dad, and his mom had to go bowl with her bowling league. So that left the Biologist all alone with nothing to do... or did it? She grabbed the car keys, the GPSr, and her camera (as well as a heavy winter coat) and off she went. First stop: the Fort Hayes Shot Tower. Wow, we couldn't believe this hadn't been claimed yet! A very cool structure. Second and last stop: a visit to the Shop24 Machine at a Kroger's near the Ohio State University. Quite a selection of items for a vending machine! Then back to the Marine's parents' house to warm up. Brrr... it rarely gets this cold in Florida.

On our second full day, the Marine's folks took us to see a Lego exhibit in Groveport. Wouldn't you know it? The exhibit was in the local History Museum, which just happens to be on the National Register of Historic Places and a former Masonic Lodge and Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge. What are the odds of that?

A few days into our visit, we decided to go for a day trip and explore the area north and east of Columbus. During our drive, we spotted quite a few interesting things including a set of Unique Chimney Pots in Worthington; an Omnivorous Tree at Highbanks Metro Park; an Underground Railroad marker near Marion; a Maritime Memorial, an Obelisk memorial to Johnny Appleseed, Static Artillery, an Eagle Scout Project, and a Painted Fire Hydrant in Mansfield; and a Botanical Garden, Rose Garden, Childrens Garden, Treehouse, and a Wee Folk Fairy Door at the Inniswood Metro Gardens back in Columbus! What a fun day!!! In spite of the cold...

On Christmas Eve, the Biologist located a potential Quadrivia on Map Source in the Groveport area and drug the Marine out into the 7 degree Fahrenheit weather to search for it. It didn't pan out (darn it) but we did take the time to check out the Groveport Log Cabin the Marine's dad told us about. It was awesome and it turns out it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Marine gamely posed for a photograph in the below freezing temperature to make the Biologist happy. Isn't he wonderful?!

We had a very nice Christmas Day with the Marine's family. After having breakfast with the Marine's younger brother, his parents, a couple of their friends, and the two of us drove to Morrow (just east of Cincinnati) to spend the afternoon and have dinner with the Marine's brother-in-law, nieces, and several grandnieces and grandnephews. Hectic, but nice. And the food was yummy!

On our last day in Columbus, we all went to the Ohio Historical Society to check out the Norman Rockwell Exhibit. It was fantastic! Really nicely done. We had no idea Rockwell had painted quite so many covers (322) for the Saturday Evening Post. Afterward, we wandered around the rest of the place to check out the long-term exhibits. We particularly liked the Mastodon on display. Very cool.

Onward to Columbus, Ohio - December 14-16, 2008

After departing Jacksonville, North Carolina, we continued our leisurely drive along the back roads of the Eastern U.S. and enjoyed seeing the beautiful countrysides of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia (again), and Ohio.

In Virginia, we passed through the small town of Lawrenceville and spotted a Celtic cross at the St. Andrew's Episcopal Church -- turns out it was a Dead Poet's Memorial to Goronwy Owen, one of the 18th century's greatest Welsh poets. What an unexpected surprise! Next we passed through the Geographical Center of Virginia. Not much to see here, but very cool just the same.

From there we made our way to the Lincoln Highway and spotted many, many Lincoln Highway Markers and points of interest along the way and stopped at a few. We would have loved to spend more time in Chambersburg and McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, but needed to make tracks to Ohio.
Once we made it into Ohio, we decided to make a short detour to the Salt Fork State Park to see if we could spot a North Country Trail marker. The trail runs through this park and overlaps with the Buckeye Trail. We spotted markers for the Buckeye Trail, but no markings specifically for the North Country Trail. I guess we'll just have to keep looking. Anyway, before leaving this state park, white things started falling from the sky. Aack! Snow! We don't have that in Florida. Oh boy.

From Jacksonville to Jacksonville - December 12-13, 2008

After dropping the boys off with family, we began the trek from Jacksonville, Florida, to Jacksonville, North Carolina, to visit the Marine's daughter Jamie - an eagerly anticipated stop on our way to the Marine's hometown of Columbus, Ohio. We decided to take a leisurely drive and stay off the interstate as much as possible. We had a nice relaxing trip until we made a quick stop at a convenience store in Jamestown, South Carolina, for a bathroom break and soda purchase. Just after we pulled back onto Highway 17, we saw flashing blue lights behind us. We were pulled over by the local Barney Fife on the pretext of not having come to a complete stop before getting onto 17. We had seen the same cop with a semi (with out-of-state plates) pulled over just south of the convenience store on our way in. After departing with a $237 ticket, we googled Jamestown and found out that this place is notorious for pulling over people with out-of-state plates for ridiculous reasons. If you ever pass through this area, BEWARE! They are not visitor-friendly.

Anyway, once the Marine's blood pressure had returned to normal levels, we were able to once again enjoy our holiday jaunt. Upon arriving in Jacksonville, NC, we stopped at the Beirut Memorial, which is being expanded to include other memorials. In fact, a memorial with a steel beam from the World Trade Center dedicated to the Marines on the Battlefields of Iraq in the Spring of 2003 was now on display. A very touching memorial and a new icon.

Next we headed to our hotel to check in and rest for a little while until the Marine's daughter got off work. Had a great time and got to meet Jamie's significant other for the first time. Yea!

Rascal and Scamp Take a Vacation - December 11, 2008

Rascal and Scamp needed a break and decided to spend the holidays with Aunt Joanie, Uncle Mikey, and cousins Scat and Bandit. So we packed up the car and headed south to Melbourne, Florida. Occasionally there were queries from the back seat... you know, the usual. "Are we there yet?" "I have to go potty!" Kids, they're so predictable.

When we arrived in Melbourne, the boys were very happy to be released from their carriers and to see their cousins. Okay, so maybe they don't really like their cousins all that much, but they love Aunt Joanie, and Uncle Mikey's starting to grow on them. We left the four boys to get reacquainted and off the adults went to The Melting Pot for a belated celebration of Cache Free Keri's (aka Aunt Joanie's) birthday. What fun!... and the Chocolate Cherries Jubilee fondue for desert was out of this world! Then back to Joan and Michael's house to get a good night's sleep in preparation for our journey to Columbus, Ohio, to spend the holidays with the Marine's family.

Spiders and Chiggers and Ticks, Oh My! - October 4, 2008

Today the Biologist had plans to head out to find a few new icons! The Marine agreed to cooperate and got up several hours earlier than usual this Saturday morning so we could head off to the Etoniah Creek State Forest (about an hour and a half drive from home) and take a hike on the Florida Trail while it was still cool. Along the way we spotted a Florida Historical Marker that no one had claimed yet! How in the world did the federation miss this one so close to Palatka?!!

Anyway, after bouncing around on a washboard dirt road leading into the State Forest, we finally arrived at around 9am and parked at the Holloway Road Trailhead for the Florida Trail. Lo and behold, there was a Trail Register there! Of course we had to sign it and take some photos and some coords (cha ching). Then off we headed with our hiking sticks in hand for our main goal this morning... the Iron Bridge Shelter, a Remote Backcountry Shelter that the Biologist estimated was only about a mile from the trailhead. Off we went all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and all but singing "Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to waymark we go" when splat, the Biologist ended up with a spider web wrapped around her face. "Oh! Poor spider," she said. "All that work to be re-done!" The Marine just gave her one of those looks. You know the look I'm talking about. He's not too fond of spiders.

About a half mile in, the Biologist said, "Oh shoot! We forgot to put on bug spray. I hope we don't get eaten up by chiggers." The Marine confidently replied, "This is a really nice trail and we can avoid the bushes. We won't get any chigger bites." The Biologist, who was taking point (remember, he is a bit squeamish about spiders... and snakes), just rolled her eyes and wondered what turnip truck he'd rolled off of. So, about 2 miles after leaving the trailhead and starting to wonder if we'd gone in the wrong direction, we spotted the Shelter's roof through the trees. Cha ching, another icon bites the dust! A very nice Shelter with another Trail Register inside! Woo hoo! After spending a little time checking out the Shelter, we got back on the trail and headed back to our vehicle. We are sadly out of shape and after a nearly 4-mile round-trip hike, we were ready to hop back in the geomobile. After all, we still had to make our way to Gainesville for yet another new icon.

After a quick bite for lunch, we drove into the domain of the Florida Gators and went directly to a Solar System Model we knew of there. It's located along about a mile-stretch of road so the Marine dropped the Biologist off at one end and she took coords and photos. We decided to take photos of every station so we could visit them once others posted them. Because we had a limited amount of time (the Marine needed to get home and start doing some school work), the Marine would drop the Biologist off at a station and she'd grab the coords and photos before he circled back to pick her up and take her to the next station. We were rushing around so quickly that we lost track of which stations we'd already been to and the Biologist ended up circling around Uranus twice. She must have looked very odd to all the motorists passing by. After visiting and photographing all the Solar System Model stations, it was time to make tracks and head home. We only made one more brief stop along the way. We absolutely had to stop to photograph some Old Agricultural Equipment on display outside Waldo's Antique Village. Yep, you got it, cha ching!Oh, we almost forgot. You may be wondering why we titled today's blog as we did. Well, once we got home, the Marine couldn't wait to take a shower. So he went first as the Biologist was looking forward to a nice, long soak in the tub with some Epsom salts to ease some sore leg muscles. While taking her soak, she noticed a little black spot on the middle finger of her left hand. She went to wash it off when it moved! Yuck, a seed tick. Well shoot. So she calls to the Marine. I found a tick! We need to do a tick check. We found about 5 more on him, none on the Biologist. She's sure he left that tick in the tub during his shower. You know, there are some things a husband really doesn't need to share with his wife! Oh, and we did get bitten by chiggers too. Many, many chiggers. All over. Everywhere. We're not exaggerating. Itch, itch, scratch scratch.

Sticking Close to Home - mid-August thru mid-September, 2008

Our wacky waymarking adventures have slowed down a bit over the past month. Not only have gas prices skyrocketed, but the Marine's two Fantasy Football leagues are now in full swing and he's the Commissioner of both of them. So, instead the Biologist has been waymarking fairly close to home. She's gone around to most of the National Register of Historic Places in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, and posted waymarks for those that had not already been taken.

She's also made day trips to the cities of Daytona Beach, Lake City, White Springs, Ocala, and Micanopy in Florida, and the city of Valdosta in Georgia and posted waymarks in all of them, as well as a few places in between.

Stay tuned for our next adventure!