OHIO!

So Much History!

We stayed in Lebanon, between Dayton and Cincinnati for 6 nights, where we squeezed in 5 days of touring, followed by 2 nights at Buckeye Lake for 1 day of touring in Columbus, a bit short, due to the rain. Didn’t make it to Hopewell Culture National Historical Park…next time (along with a whole lot of other places!) But we did:

Visit 3 new National Park Sites:

• Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (#201), which preserves and interprets the history and legacies of the Wright Brothers and Paul Laurence Dunbar. We made it to 4 of the 6 units of the park: Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center & Wright Cycle Company, Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site, Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center & Wright Brothers Memorial, and Huffman Prairie Flying Field.
• Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument (#202), where we drove by the Charles Young House, undergoing a major renovation, and visited the temporary Visitor Center at the Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, OH, the oldest, free standing African American Seminary in the US.
• William Howard Taft National Historic Site (#203), where William Howard Taft was born and grew up, the only person to serve at President of the US and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Fascinating story.

Tour 1 new State Capitol:

• Ohio State Capitol in Columbus (#21), where we got the best (and longest) tour ever…from Richard Doll, a retired Ohio history teacher, turning 80 next week. He’s been giving tours here for 24 years, at the suggestion of the only female speaker of the house at his retirement party! His ancestry has deep roots in Ohio, and goes back to Colonial Jamestown.

Attend a game at 1 new MLB Ballpark

• Texas Rangers @ Cincinnati Reds at the Great American Ball Park (#13)
  Sunny, and warm enough (after that cold, rainy day in Kansas City!) Good Game, ending with a Walk Off Home Run!

In Lebanon!!!

The very first night we arrived, we had a lovely dinner at the historic Golden Lamb, with Dave, an old RSE Friend of Mark’s, and his wife Sharon. It was barely a mile from our campsite, and has a long history of hospitality. Many presidents have been there, from John Q Adams, Ulysses S Grant to George W Bush (and more), and the AUTHORS, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Charles Dickens, Samuel Clemens!

AND…in Cincinnati & Dayton, we also visited

• The Cincinnati Reds Museum & Hall of Fame
• The 1867 John A. Roebling Bridge, on which we walked across the Ohio River to Kentucky!
• John A. Roebling Mural Park in Covington, KY
• The National Museum of the US Air Force, in Dayton, for barely 2 hours. We must come back for 2 more DAYS!!!
• The Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati (have to return when they finish renovations)
• The National Underground Railroad Museum, AWESOME! Another stop with barely 2 hours, which we’ll have to revisit for 2 more DAYS!!!

Off to Western Pennsylvania…last stop for now

We’ll be putting travel on Pause for a bit…flying home to Bellevue May 7, for the rest of the month. Have a busy 4 days till then! Camping in Washington, PA 2 days…clean out Lizzy and store her for a month. Then 2 days in Belle Vernon…visit Mark’s brothers and attend his (belated) 50th HS Reunion. Be back at it in early June!

For more pictures, see (in-work) Adventure Album:  Prairie/Midwest Dash

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