Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018--Cincinnati
Some of you who know I am on a trip and have been reading my travel blog probably have noticed there have been no entries for the past two days. It is because I am upset about something that has happened, and it has caused me to lose interested in writing about my travels.
Before the travel blog, I wrote long, handwritten entries into journals related to my travels. They took a great amount of time to write. I didn't do this just to be doing it. These were the records of my past. I have gone back through entries occasionally and have always been surprised to find details that my mind had forgotten. My plans, my reasons for writing the journals, were twofold: 1) To have them to read and remind me of my travels throughout my life as I age and can no longer travel, and 2) To possibly pick out the best of the entries to write a memoir someday.
Neither of those is going to be possible now, and that is the reason I have lost interest in writing the blog. Someone has removed about half of my handwritten journals--from the beginning of my travels in the 1970s through early 2002--from the bookshelves in my home, and these are years BEFORE my blog, so there were no other records other than those handwritten journals.
I've known all along that people liked to read about my travels, and I didn't mind sharing them via the blog. That's one of the reasons why I started the blog. But since I discovered the disappearance of my early handwritten journals, I cannot keep the loss off my mind. Next to losing Arne as my partner, it is the worse loss I have experienced in my life. Actually, losing those journals is like losing much of my life. Only someone who enjoys reading about my travels would have taken them, and only someone who is enough of a friend to be invited in my home would have known what they were and have had an interest in them.
Losing the journals has caused me to lose interest in writing the blog. I tried on this trip, but while traveling, the loss of the journals has been on my mind every day. Finally, on Friday, I just didn't want to write another blog entry. Yesterday was the same. And last night when I should have been sleeping but was in fact staying away suffering from the loss of the journals I decided it is time to end the blog for now. Maybe it will come back someday, but I am not sure. I do plan to keep traveling with trips next year tentatively planned for Bolivia and Peru and for Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, and Egypt. But at the present time I have no interest in sharing my travels with anyone, since among the readers is likely to be the person who took my journals.
Not everyone knows I am traveling right now. So in addition to writing this last entry in the blog, I plan to email the entry to everyone I know well. That way, more than likely the person who took the journals (out of interest in reading about my travels, I'm sure) will realize that they should be returned to me.
If you have my journals would you PLEASE return them?
I promise I will not try to find out who had them. They can even be sent to my sister's mailing address and I will ask her to remove them from the packaging and to discard the packaging before giving them to me, and I promise to her now and to you that I will not ask if there was any indication of where they were sent from or who might have sent them.
Randell Drum
8000 Donore Pl. #47
San Antonio, TX 78229
My sister:
Scharlotte Bradley
8415 Fredericksburg Rd. #806
San Antonio, TX 78229
PLEASE, and goodbye.
Randy
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Thursday, October 25, 2018
German Village and Granville
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2017--Columbus and Granville
Today was a bit cloudy, but it was still dry. My body was a bit sore from all the walking yesterday. But I had plans and followed through with them.
In the morning, I drove south of downtown to the area of town called the German Village. It is a very quaint area with mostly narrow streets paved with bricks and mostly small houses built close together with the fronts at the sidewalk line and small yards on the sides and in the back and an occasional corner retail spot, each probably a former corner grocery but now a variety of places such as chocolate shops, gift shops, restaurants, etc. It has a European feeling to it and is a very popular neighborhood covering many blocks. I just walked up and down the streets throughout the area and through the local Schiller Park.
From there, I needed to get to Hwy 16 to take me to the small rural town of Granville, but it wasn't easy. So many streets are one-way and so many of those are closed off at various points because of reconstruction of intersections, installation of new under-street infrastructure, etc. At least I knew I needed to go north to Broad Street and turn right. But it took a backtrack or two and some zigzagging to make my way there.
When I did reach Broad Street, I was beside Franklin Park which is surrounded by nice mansions and is the home of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. I didn't stop, because I had read they are closed temporarily until tomorrow because of some work happening there. If it doesn't rain, maybe I will go there part of tomorrow which will be my last day in Columbus.
Even though it is only 35 miles away, it was a long drive to Granville via Hwy 16, but it gave me a chance to see that part of Columbus. For blocks after Franklin Park, there were nice neighborhoods. Then I passed through an older area that has gone downhill over time. Next came a suburban area with offices, new shopping areas, etc. Finally, I was in the countryside.
Granville is nice and small New England-style town--one of the Top Towns in Ohio as far as multiple lists of places to visit. It must have been a wealthy town, because there are so many large houses (blocks and blocks of them) from the 1800s and early 1900s. There is a tiny, but beautiful and nice, downtown that is about 1 1/2 blocks long with one more block off to the side. I walked the streets for a couple of blocks in all directions seeing the houses, the shops, etc.
Granville is also a college town with Denison University located on top of the hill above the downtown area. Denison is similar to Trinity in San Antonio. They have the same enrollments, are both highly ranked among small colleges, both have similar size endowments, both have campuses on hills overlooking the town, etc. Denison has a noticeably diverse student body I observed and then read about online. Up on the hilltop, I parked my car and walked through the major (central) part of the campus.
Back at the apartment in the middle of the afternoon, I finished watching the Danish series (the first 3 seasons of it) Dicte on Netflix; the series expires on Oct. 31. Then at 19:30, I walked over to the High Street to explore the part of it nearest to my apartment. There was only a short section of about two blocks with shops and restaurants. Most of the businesses on High Street are the other direction from where I live, but now I know.
Today was a bit cloudy, but it was still dry. My body was a bit sore from all the walking yesterday. But I had plans and followed through with them.
In the morning, I drove south of downtown to the area of town called the German Village. It is a very quaint area with mostly narrow streets paved with bricks and mostly small houses built close together with the fronts at the sidewalk line and small yards on the sides and in the back and an occasional corner retail spot, each probably a former corner grocery but now a variety of places such as chocolate shops, gift shops, restaurants, etc. It has a European feeling to it and is a very popular neighborhood covering many blocks. I just walked up and down the streets throughout the area and through the local Schiller Park.
From there, I needed to get to Hwy 16 to take me to the small rural town of Granville, but it wasn't easy. So many streets are one-way and so many of those are closed off at various points because of reconstruction of intersections, installation of new under-street infrastructure, etc. At least I knew I needed to go north to Broad Street and turn right. But it took a backtrack or two and some zigzagging to make my way there.
When I did reach Broad Street, I was beside Franklin Park which is surrounded by nice mansions and is the home of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. I didn't stop, because I had read they are closed temporarily until tomorrow because of some work happening there. If it doesn't rain, maybe I will go there part of tomorrow which will be my last day in Columbus.
Even though it is only 35 miles away, it was a long drive to Granville via Hwy 16, but it gave me a chance to see that part of Columbus. For blocks after Franklin Park, there were nice neighborhoods. Then I passed through an older area that has gone downhill over time. Next came a suburban area with offices, new shopping areas, etc. Finally, I was in the countryside.
Granville is nice and small New England-style town--one of the Top Towns in Ohio as far as multiple lists of places to visit. It must have been a wealthy town, because there are so many large houses (blocks and blocks of them) from the 1800s and early 1900s. There is a tiny, but beautiful and nice, downtown that is about 1 1/2 blocks long with one more block off to the side. I walked the streets for a couple of blocks in all directions seeing the houses, the shops, etc.
Granville is also a college town with Denison University located on top of the hill above the downtown area. Denison is similar to Trinity in San Antonio. They have the same enrollments, are both highly ranked among small colleges, both have similar size endowments, both have campuses on hills overlooking the town, etc. Denison has a noticeably diverse student body I observed and then read about online. Up on the hilltop, I parked my car and walked through the major (central) part of the campus.
Back at the apartment in the middle of the afternoon, I finished watching the Danish series (the first 3 seasons of it) Dicte on Netflix; the series expires on Oct. 31. Then at 19:30, I walked over to the High Street to explore the part of it nearest to my apartment. There was only a short section of about two blocks with shops and restaurants. Most of the businesses on High Street are the other direction from where I live, but now I know.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
A Big Walking Day
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018--Columbus
The goal today was to explore a large portion of Columbus. Starting at my apartment, I walked over to High Street and then down it and off to the sides all the way to the end of downtown--to the Franklin County Municipal Court building.
Observations along the way:
On the corner by apartment there were three Bird scooters lined up. So scooters are this far from downtown here. I encountered a few people on scooters during the day, but not as many as I normally encounter in San Antonio.
I walked through the Ohio State University campus. (Well, to be honest, they are as silly about being uppity here as they are at UT in Austin: with the official name being The Ohio State University. Isn't that a sign of trying to overcome an inferiority complex?) Anyway, the campus is not one to recommend to people as a place to see architecture. Almost all buildings from about the 1930s through the early 2000s are rectangular solids (box-shaped), built of bricks--sturdy, but not very attractive and with no ornamentation. There are a few modern attempts of buildings built of glass or metal, but even they are not ones worth a postcard image. Most of the buildings with character and some architectural flourishes are on the Oval, the campus' version of a great lawn. But there are even a few non-special box-like buildings there. Since my interest was strictly architectural, I was disappointed.
High Street runs for miles north and south in this city and is lined with shops, restaurants, apartments, and offices. It is like a multi-mile local shopping, entertainment, living, and working street. It is very urban looking--long blocks of connected buildings rather than long stretches of separated, individual buildings. It makes a nice urban environment for all those living a few blocks from it.
I stopped at The Angry Bakery in the area known as Short North (a popular district between the university and downtown) and bought two pastries--a chocolate babka and an almond croissant. Then I continued a few more blocks before turning off to Goodale Park to sit on a bench by the lake and eat them. Being on the edge of downtown by then, I rested while reading a couple of articles in TIME magazine which arrived before I left on Saturday.
From there, I set off for the rest of downtown. I explored the North Market, a surprisingly successful old market filled with stalls hosting restaurants, bakeries, chocolates, seafood, spices, etc. All but one stall was occupied on the lower floor. Its success is probably greatly attributable to the fact it is only a block from the local convention center.
There are few buildings downtown that attracted me architecturally even though most are the typical office buildings that most cities have--attractive, but bland. But I did enjoy seeing the Leveque Tower and its adjacent Palace Theater, the Ohio Statehouse (capitol which I would have toured if I could have found an entrance, but the tourist entrance was blocked off for installation of new air conditioners), the Ohio Theatre, the Westin Great Southern Columbus Hotel and the adjacent Southern Theater, etc. I explored as far east as Grant Avenue and as far west as Front St.
After all of that, I walked back to the apartment along High Street and then Indianola Street (where the apartment is located). That carried me through the "Greek District," the blocks lined with fraternity houses and possibly some sorority houses.
I was exhausted when I got home. I had been gone about 5 1/2 hours and had been walking about 5 of those. Whew!
The goal today was to explore a large portion of Columbus. Starting at my apartment, I walked over to High Street and then down it and off to the sides all the way to the end of downtown--to the Franklin County Municipal Court building.
Observations along the way:
On the corner by apartment there were three Bird scooters lined up. So scooters are this far from downtown here. I encountered a few people on scooters during the day, but not as many as I normally encounter in San Antonio.
I walked through the Ohio State University campus. (Well, to be honest, they are as silly about being uppity here as they are at UT in Austin: with the official name being The Ohio State University. Isn't that a sign of trying to overcome an inferiority complex?) Anyway, the campus is not one to recommend to people as a place to see architecture. Almost all buildings from about the 1930s through the early 2000s are rectangular solids (box-shaped), built of bricks--sturdy, but not very attractive and with no ornamentation. There are a few modern attempts of buildings built of glass or metal, but even they are not ones worth a postcard image. Most of the buildings with character and some architectural flourishes are on the Oval, the campus' version of a great lawn. But there are even a few non-special box-like buildings there. Since my interest was strictly architectural, I was disappointed.
High Street runs for miles north and south in this city and is lined with shops, restaurants, apartments, and offices. It is like a multi-mile local shopping, entertainment, living, and working street. It is very urban looking--long blocks of connected buildings rather than long stretches of separated, individual buildings. It makes a nice urban environment for all those living a few blocks from it.
I stopped at The Angry Bakery in the area known as Short North (a popular district between the university and downtown) and bought two pastries--a chocolate babka and an almond croissant. Then I continued a few more blocks before turning off to Goodale Park to sit on a bench by the lake and eat them. Being on the edge of downtown by then, I rested while reading a couple of articles in TIME magazine which arrived before I left on Saturday.
From there, I set off for the rest of downtown. I explored the North Market, a surprisingly successful old market filled with stalls hosting restaurants, bakeries, chocolates, seafood, spices, etc. All but one stall was occupied on the lower floor. Its success is probably greatly attributable to the fact it is only a block from the local convention center.
There are few buildings downtown that attracted me architecturally even though most are the typical office buildings that most cities have--attractive, but bland. But I did enjoy seeing the Leveque Tower and its adjacent Palace Theater, the Ohio Statehouse (capitol which I would have toured if I could have found an entrance, but the tourist entrance was blocked off for installation of new air conditioners), the Ohio Theatre, the Westin Great Southern Columbus Hotel and the adjacent Southern Theater, etc. I explored as far east as Grant Avenue and as far west as Front St.
After all of that, I walked back to the apartment along High Street and then Indianola Street (where the apartment is located). That carried me through the "Greek District," the blocks lined with fraternity houses and possibly some sorority houses.
I was exhausted when I got home. I had been gone about 5 1/2 hours and had been walking about 5 of those. Whew!
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
The Last and Best of the Days in Nature on This Trip
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018--Marietta to Columbus
It was another day wandering through natural areas on back roads--Wayne National Forest, Trimble Wilderness Area, Lake Hope State Park, Zalesky State Forest, Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area, and Hocking Hills State Park. Along the way, I also explored the interesting small town of Nelsonville and the Hocking College campus there. The best was the Hocking Hills State Park where I hiked through the woods on trails going beside a gorge, waterfalls, and a lake. It is truly the most beautiful part of Ohio I have found.
I arrived in Columbus in the afternoon, bought gas and some groceries, and arrived at the apartment I have rented for the next four nights around 16:30. I was tired and stayed inside for the rest of the evening.
It was another day wandering through natural areas on back roads--Wayne National Forest, Trimble Wilderness Area, Lake Hope State Park, Zalesky State Forest, Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area, and Hocking Hills State Park. Along the way, I also explored the interesting small town of Nelsonville and the Hocking College campus there. The best was the Hocking Hills State Park where I hiked through the woods on trails going beside a gorge, waterfalls, and a lake. It is truly the most beautiful part of Ohio I have found.
I arrived in Columbus in the afternoon, bought gas and some groceries, and arrived at the apartment I have rented for the next four nights around 16:30. I was tired and stayed inside for the rest of the evening.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Better Scenery by Taking County Roads
Monday, Oct. 22, 2018--Huntington, WV to Marietta, OH
I altered my itinerary for today. I didn't want to backtrack on the uninteresting highway between Huntington and Portsmouth. In making the changes, I ended up on winding, hilly, narrow roads with lots more trees than the major highways.
Just a few miles back into Ohio, I branched off the main highway onto Rd. 650 through Pine Grove and eventually took Rd. 522 back to the main highway. This route took me through Dean Forest as well as through pure Appalachia with scattered homes (many mobile homes and some with trash piles in the yards) of mostly poor people. Just a few miles up the main road, I branched off again on Rd. 335 and then Bonser Run Rd. which took me to Rd. 139. Just a few miles north from there, I turned onto Rd. 159 (Houston Hollow-Long Run Rd.) which took me to US 23. This whole route was fascinating. There were actually trees slightly more colorful along it than I had seen yesterday, but the routes were nice because of the forests along them and interesting because of the backwoods nature of the communities/residences along the way.
After a while on US 23, I turned east on Hwys. 32 and 124--a detour to the east to see one of the top roads in Ohio. After a few miles, I another rural County Rd. 23 (not the same as US 23 mentioned before) through Elm Grove and Arkoe to reach Hwy 302 White Oak Hill Rd. (also above), an unpaved road twisting and winding up a hill until it reached Hwy 1. It is the best road I have traveled so far on the trip.
Returning through Arkoe to Hwy 32, I turned westward and headed to Athens. This is the Appalachian Trail Highway I said was uninteresting yesterday. But the section of US 32 between US 23 and the town of Jackson is very beautiful. It is a 4-lane highway that has woods up to its edges and that twists and winds through the hills.
Athens was a pleasant surprise. I had originally intended to stay there overnight, but finding few decent hotels there and discovering that Marietta is a Top Town in Ohio, I decided to book in Marietta. But I arrived in Athens just during lunch hour. It is a nice town with Ohio University and the downtown (called Uptown) district abutting each other--just across the street from one another. I parked the car to the opposite edge of the downtown district, walked down the main street, and then wandered through the nice university campus watching a beehive of activity with students and professors leaving classes, going to lunch, etc. I noted a sign where someone had named the town the best small college town in the country. I can see why. I didn't see a single empty storefront downtown, and there were all the special types of places that make a town more livable--a theater showing foreign and independent films, coffee shops, restaurants, etc., with almost all of them being locally owned and operated rather than chains.
Marietta is truly a nice town. On the riverfront where the Muskingum River runs into the Ohio River (which places it across the river from West Virginia with the nearest big town there being Parkerburg), it has a large, old downtown area. Riverboats used to dock here regularly, and there are wonderful old downtown buildings and churches and blocks and blocks of nice, large, old homes. I walked up and down the downtown streets and drove up and down the others. I found a wonderful old Jewish bakery and Middle Eastern restaurant (closed on Monday!). And I explored the Marietta College campus.
It was a battle deciding where to stay in town between two hotels that were among the highest rated in town--the 100+ year-old Lafayette Hotel downtown and the Microtel out on the edge of town. Although the Lafayette said they had free parking, I questioned how simple parking there would be since it is downtown. (I now know they have their own lot.) The Lafayette did not include breakfast, and the Microtel, was a few dollars cheaper WITH breakfast and had a higher rating. However, after seeing inside the Lafayette Hotel today, I can see that staying there would have been a special experience.
I researched local restaurants and decided on The Original Pizza Place, a restaurant that is highly rated and has lots of great reviews from people who always go there when passing through town. They make New York-style pizza by the slice meaning that the pieces are thin with lots of cheese and have a browned crust. They are just like what you get at NYC places where you buy by the slice at a window except here you can eat inside. I got a piece of cheese and a piece of cheese/pepperoni. Both were great.
As noted above, the trees in the areas I traveled today were nicer than the ones I saw yesterday. It still is not a good autumn (nothing like the photo I posted above), but I saw a number of red and orange-turning-brown trees among the others. It really felt like traveling through the forests during the autumn.
I altered my itinerary for today. I didn't want to backtrack on the uninteresting highway between Huntington and Portsmouth. In making the changes, I ended up on winding, hilly, narrow roads with lots more trees than the major highways.
Just a few miles back into Ohio, I branched off the main highway onto Rd. 650 through Pine Grove and eventually took Rd. 522 back to the main highway. This route took me through Dean Forest as well as through pure Appalachia with scattered homes (many mobile homes and some with trash piles in the yards) of mostly poor people. Just a few miles up the main road, I branched off again on Rd. 335 and then Bonser Run Rd. which took me to Rd. 139. Just a few miles north from there, I turned onto Rd. 159 (Houston Hollow-Long Run Rd.) which took me to US 23. This whole route was fascinating. There were actually trees slightly more colorful along it than I had seen yesterday, but the routes were nice because of the forests along them and interesting because of the backwoods nature of the communities/residences along the way.
After a while on US 23, I turned east on Hwys. 32 and 124--a detour to the east to see one of the top roads in Ohio. After a few miles, I another rural County Rd. 23 (not the same as US 23 mentioned before) through Elm Grove and Arkoe to reach Hwy 302 White Oak Hill Rd. (also above), an unpaved road twisting and winding up a hill until it reached Hwy 1. It is the best road I have traveled so far on the trip.
Returning through Arkoe to Hwy 32, I turned westward and headed to Athens. This is the Appalachian Trail Highway I said was uninteresting yesterday. But the section of US 32 between US 23 and the town of Jackson is very beautiful. It is a 4-lane highway that has woods up to its edges and that twists and winds through the hills.
Athens was a pleasant surprise. I had originally intended to stay there overnight, but finding few decent hotels there and discovering that Marietta is a Top Town in Ohio, I decided to book in Marietta. But I arrived in Athens just during lunch hour. It is a nice town with Ohio University and the downtown (called Uptown) district abutting each other--just across the street from one another. I parked the car to the opposite edge of the downtown district, walked down the main street, and then wandered through the nice university campus watching a beehive of activity with students and professors leaving classes, going to lunch, etc. I noted a sign where someone had named the town the best small college town in the country. I can see why. I didn't see a single empty storefront downtown, and there were all the special types of places that make a town more livable--a theater showing foreign and independent films, coffee shops, restaurants, etc., with almost all of them being locally owned and operated rather than chains.
Marietta is truly a nice town. On the riverfront where the Muskingum River runs into the Ohio River (which places it across the river from West Virginia with the nearest big town there being Parkerburg), it has a large, old downtown area. Riverboats used to dock here regularly, and there are wonderful old downtown buildings and churches and blocks and blocks of nice, large, old homes. I walked up and down the downtown streets and drove up and down the others. I found a wonderful old Jewish bakery and Middle Eastern restaurant (closed on Monday!). And I explored the Marietta College campus.
It was a battle deciding where to stay in town between two hotels that were among the highest rated in town--the 100+ year-old Lafayette Hotel downtown and the Microtel out on the edge of town. Although the Lafayette said they had free parking, I questioned how simple parking there would be since it is downtown. (I now know they have their own lot.) The Lafayette did not include breakfast, and the Microtel, was a few dollars cheaper WITH breakfast and had a higher rating. However, after seeing inside the Lafayette Hotel today, I can see that staying there would have been a special experience.
I researched local restaurants and decided on The Original Pizza Place, a restaurant that is highly rated and has lots of great reviews from people who always go there when passing through town. They make New York-style pizza by the slice meaning that the pieces are thin with lots of cheese and have a browned crust. They are just like what you get at NYC places where you buy by the slice at a window except here you can eat inside. I got a piece of cheese and a piece of cheese/pepperoni. Both were great.
As noted above, the trees in the areas I traveled today were nicer than the ones I saw yesterday. It still is not a good autumn (nothing like the photo I posted above), but I saw a number of red and orange-turning-brown trees among the others. It really felt like traveling through the forests during the autumn.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
First Day of Exploration
Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018--Cincinnati to Huntington, WV
It was cold at the apartment in Covington (across the street from Cincinnati). Heat was turned off during the night, but there was a nice comforter which made it better. But even when the heat was on, I'm guessing the thermostat was no warmer than 65 degrees. It was uncomfortably cool. And I have a booking for the same place for 3 more nights. Hope it is a bit warmer next week.
I may have written yesterday that I reserved my car to be picked up in downtown Cincinnati at an office which is a short bus ride from Covington or a walk of 1 mile. I didn't need the car last night, and the price for the same car from the same company was $311 airport pickup vs. $185 for downtown pickup! Yet when I got to the downtown office this morning, the lady said they had just brought the car for me from the airport.
I was right about the leaves. There is nothing much to see. Although there are lots of leaves on the streets and sidewalks, most trees still look full and mostly green. But those that are turning color seem to be going straight from green to brown this year except for a VERY FEW (total less than 10) that I saw today that were red or yellow. However, the scenic drives were very scenic for the most part. The disappointments were US 32, the Appalachian Highway, which was somewhat like going down any 4-lane highway and US 52, the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which was okay but not great. Highway 50 going east from Cincinnati was nice because of the hills and the homes along it, but it had concrete barriers without a shoulder which made it difficult to enjoy the views. The best routes I took were Hwy 222 between US 50 and Batavia (which curved, had lots of trees, and was hilly) and Hwy 100 (Pond Run Rd) off US 52 between Vanceberg KY and Portsmouth OH which became a series of State Forest roads. This very scenic route was a narrow road twisting and winding up into the mountains with dense forest coming right to the edges of the roadway. One section of it had a beautiful narrow stream flowing beside it. It was remote with few cars after the first few miles. There was a trail I wanted to walk, but it was too muddy from recent rains.
I had a bit of a panic in the late afternoon. I knew I wanted to stay somewhere in the area around Portsmouth or south of it. But the ratings for all the reasonably priced places were BAD! I mean ratings like 1 to 3 out of 5. I kept searching further and further south finding the same range of ratings for each town. But websites list nearby places. I remember looking at a park lodge on the Kentucky side that looked good and was rated higher, but it was priced rather high, did not include breakfast, and also required paying for park entrance. Somewhere along the way, I saw a Red Roof Inn in Huntington with a rating 4 out of 5--so much higher than any of the other places. I booked it. But today as I was driving south of Portsmouth, I seemed to be going further than I though I should. Then I saw a sign indicating that Huntington, WEST VIRGINIA, was another 20 minutes ahead of me. I knew Kentucky had been across the river all day. Suddenly, I started wondering: Is there a Huntington, Ohio, somewhere else in the state where I accidentally made a reservation? I remembered putting "Huntington Ohio" in my search after seeing the highly rated Red Roof Inn. I pulled into a parking lot to check the mapping app on my phone. My reservation was for the Red Roof Inn in West Virginia, so I was okay! Whew. But it is further south than I expected. And though it is fine, so far I don't see why it has a 4/5 rating. How bad must the others be?
After checking in, I drove downtown to see it and the nearby Marshall University campus. Downtown covers a large area that has lots of unused buildings now. It must have been nice at one time. And it still has quite a few shops and offices--more than most downtown areas have today. And the old train station area has been developed with more modern shops, a cinema, etc., as an entertainment district. But the old downtown is just too big for it to be totally occupied under the situation cities face today, and the Marshall University campus is just a bit too far from downtown (12-15 blocks) for it to be an active area for students. The campus seems nice, but it is surrounded by major streets with lots of traffic. There wasn't a place for me to park and walk inside the two-block-wide and multi-block long campus. I did park downtown and walk around it.
I searched for local restaurants on Yelp and picked out about 5 that interested me. I opened each in a separate tab and started going through them one-by-one. Every one of them was closed on Sundays!! My guess is that students leave campus on weekends and return on Monday and that those staying party on Friday and Saturday leaving Sunday as a dead night which then is considered to be the best night for locally-owned restaurants to be closed. I just stopped at a Burger King on the way back from downtown to eat.
Now I will watch Masterpiece Theater before putting links on here and going to bed.
It was cold at the apartment in Covington (across the street from Cincinnati). Heat was turned off during the night, but there was a nice comforter which made it better. But even when the heat was on, I'm guessing the thermostat was no warmer than 65 degrees. It was uncomfortably cool. And I have a booking for the same place for 3 more nights. Hope it is a bit warmer next week.
I may have written yesterday that I reserved my car to be picked up in downtown Cincinnati at an office which is a short bus ride from Covington or a walk of 1 mile. I didn't need the car last night, and the price for the same car from the same company was $311 airport pickup vs. $185 for downtown pickup! Yet when I got to the downtown office this morning, the lady said they had just brought the car for me from the airport.
I was right about the leaves. There is nothing much to see. Although there are lots of leaves on the streets and sidewalks, most trees still look full and mostly green. But those that are turning color seem to be going straight from green to brown this year except for a VERY FEW (total less than 10) that I saw today that were red or yellow. However, the scenic drives were very scenic for the most part. The disappointments were US 32, the Appalachian Highway, which was somewhat like going down any 4-lane highway and US 52, the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which was okay but not great. Highway 50 going east from Cincinnati was nice because of the hills and the homes along it, but it had concrete barriers without a shoulder which made it difficult to enjoy the views. The best routes I took were Hwy 222 between US 50 and Batavia (which curved, had lots of trees, and was hilly) and Hwy 100 (Pond Run Rd) off US 52 between Vanceberg KY and Portsmouth OH which became a series of State Forest roads. This very scenic route was a narrow road twisting and winding up into the mountains with dense forest coming right to the edges of the roadway. One section of it had a beautiful narrow stream flowing beside it. It was remote with few cars after the first few miles. There was a trail I wanted to walk, but it was too muddy from recent rains.
I had a bit of a panic in the late afternoon. I knew I wanted to stay somewhere in the area around Portsmouth or south of it. But the ratings for all the reasonably priced places were BAD! I mean ratings like 1 to 3 out of 5. I kept searching further and further south finding the same range of ratings for each town. But websites list nearby places. I remember looking at a park lodge on the Kentucky side that looked good and was rated higher, but it was priced rather high, did not include breakfast, and also required paying for park entrance. Somewhere along the way, I saw a Red Roof Inn in Huntington with a rating 4 out of 5--so much higher than any of the other places. I booked it. But today as I was driving south of Portsmouth, I seemed to be going further than I though I should. Then I saw a sign indicating that Huntington, WEST VIRGINIA, was another 20 minutes ahead of me. I knew Kentucky had been across the river all day. Suddenly, I started wondering: Is there a Huntington, Ohio, somewhere else in the state where I accidentally made a reservation? I remembered putting "Huntington Ohio" in my search after seeing the highly rated Red Roof Inn. I pulled into a parking lot to check the mapping app on my phone. My reservation was for the Red Roof Inn in West Virginia, so I was okay! Whew. But it is further south than I expected. And though it is fine, so far I don't see why it has a 4/5 rating. How bad must the others be?
After checking in, I drove downtown to see it and the nearby Marshall University campus. Downtown covers a large area that has lots of unused buildings now. It must have been nice at one time. And it still has quite a few shops and offices--more than most downtown areas have today. And the old train station area has been developed with more modern shops, a cinema, etc., as an entertainment district. But the old downtown is just too big for it to be totally occupied under the situation cities face today, and the Marshall University campus is just a bit too far from downtown (12-15 blocks) for it to be an active area for students. The campus seems nice, but it is surrounded by major streets with lots of traffic. There wasn't a place for me to park and walk inside the two-block-wide and multi-block long campus. I did park downtown and walk around it.
I searched for local restaurants on Yelp and picked out about 5 that interested me. I opened each in a separate tab and started going through them one-by-one. Every one of them was closed on Sundays!! My guess is that students leave campus on weekends and return on Monday and that those staying party on Friday and Saturday leaving Sunday as a dead night which then is considered to be the best night for locally-owned restaurants to be closed. I just stopped at a Burger King on the way back from downtown to eat.
Now I will watch Masterpiece Theater before putting links on here and going to bed.
Saturday, October 20, 2018
A Travel Experiment
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018--San Antonio to Cincinnati
Today I leave on a trip that is a travel experiment. I have always traveled lightly. Even when taking a 10 week trip, I have taken only the smaller carry-on size suitcase and a student-type backpack. And with just that amount of storage, I have always taken too much with me.
The experiment is about taking a shorter trip with even less baggage packed with nothing unneeded on a short trip for a cheap price. Frontier Airlines, an ultra-low-cost airline now flies from San Antonio to about 27 cities. Some of those are cities I have never visited before. Frontier, however, is only really cheap if you travel lightly and are flexible to avoid fees. I bought my round-trip ticket to Cincinnati for $99 roundtrip, including taxes. But that only allows me to take one bag for free, and it MUST fit UNDER the seat in front of me. If I want to put a bag overhead, there is an extra charge. For a checked bag, there is another charge. For a seat assignment, there is an extra charge. For doing anything at the check-in counter, there is an extra charge. For planning incorrectly and having to do any of the above, the charges get more expensive at the check-in desk and even more expensive at the boarding gate.
I bought a special under-the-seat bag for making this and future trips at Costco for only $39--much cheaper than the linked website price. It fits the maximum dimensions that Frontier allows. In it, I have packed an extra pair of pants, 4 shirts, underwear, socks, minimum toiletries, camera, computer, and cords. I will wear a pullover and jacket as clothing and have stuffed the jacket pockets with a thin book, two magazines, and a small umbrella. I will only take the shoes I wear. The bag does not bulge, and, therefore, should be within the Frontier guidelines. If they say otherwise, then this will be the only trip I take with the airline. Otherwise, there might be future trips to Charlotte, Jacksonville, Raleigh/Durham, and other cities I have not visited for years.
This particular trip is for 1 1/2 weeks because I planned it to drive scenic roads in southern Ohio and to visit Columbus as well as Cincinnati. I got my rental car from downtown Cincinnati instead of from the airport and saved approximately $140 for the week of rental. (Airports now have extremely high fees for rental cars, taxis leaving the airport, restaurants operating within the airport, etc.) So I will stay one night in an AIRBNB, then leave Cincinnati for my drive. After I return my car, I will have 3 more nights in Cincinnati.
I don't know how often I will update the blog. It will depend on how tired I am each evening and whether there is anything worth telling. I had hoped to see fall foliage on this trip, since the last two weeks of October is usually the best time for it in southern Ohio, but maps and reports I have seen online indicate that hardly anywhere in the US is having nice fall foliage this year due to rainfall and cold fronts coming at the wrong times. But the scenic roads should still be scenic, and I will visit a number of quaint towns that are reported as being top places to visit. Below is my itinerary:
Oct. 20--Fly to Cincinnati. AIRBNB reserved in Covington across the river from Cincinnati
Oct. 21--Pick up rental car at 11:00 a.m. in downtown Cincinnati and start driving trip
Day 1 of Driving Trip
Spend the night in Huntington--Red Roof Inn
Oct. 22--Day 2 of Driving Trip
Spend the night in Top Town: Marietta-- Microtel
Oct. 23--Day 3 of Driving Trip ending in Columbus
Spend the night in Columbus. AIRBNB reserved
Oct. 24--Columbus
Oct. 25--Columbus
Drive out to Top Town: Granville--New England charm, nice downtown & Denison University
Oct. 26--Columbus
Oct. 27--Day 4 of Driving Trip ending in Cincinnati
Top Town: Tip City just north of Dayton between Columbus and Cincinatti
Top Town: Yellow Springs (Antioch College) just east of Dayton
Hotel in Cincinnati: Days Inn Cincinnati North
Oct. 28--Return car in downtown Cincinnati-- Move into AIRBNB reserved in Covington
Oct. 29--Cincinnati--AIRBNB in Covington
Oct. 30--Cincinnati--AIRBNB in Covington
Oct. 31--Go to airport for return flight (9:01 bus at 5th and Philadelphia)
And here is the itinerary for my driving trip if anyone wants to search the roads on a map:
Leaving Cincinnati for Driving Trip
Take US 50 east.
Just before Stonelick--Turn right onto Hwy 222 toward Batavia
Just before Batavia--Turn left onto 32 (Appalachian Hwy)
At People, detour south (right turn) on Hwy 41 to Bentonville
At Bentonville, turn left onto Hwy 136 to Manchester.
At Manchester, turn left onto Hwy 52, the Ohio River Scenic Byway, to Hwy 100 (between Vanceberg and Portsmouth)
At Hwy 100 (Pond Run Rd) , turn left for the Shawnee Driving Tour Path
At Y, take State Forest Service Rd. 1 to the left through Pheasant Hollow and Gabe Run to Brushy Fork
At Brushy Fork, continue straight (to left) onto State Forest Service Rd. 7
At intersection with State Forest Service Rd. 5, turn left onto 5!
Follow State Forest Service Rd. 5 all the way back to SFSR 1 and turn right
At McBride Run, turn left on State Forest Service Rd. 13
Stay on SFSR 13 past SFSR 12 until you get to SFSR 2 and turn right
Turn left onto SFSR 8
Turn left on SFSR 9
Turn right onto SFSR 1
At Hwy 125 EITHER 1)Continue tour of area by going left and then immediately right onto Bridal Trail Rd (going until end of trees and then returning back to Hwy 125 to continue right, OR 2) turn right onto Hwy 125 and go to Friendship.
At Friendship turn left on Hwy 52 to Portsmouth (Shawnee State University)
Spend the night at Huntington
_____
Return to Portsmouth and turn right onto Hwy 23
Just before Piketon, turn left onto Hwys 124/32 (continuing on 32 when the highways separate) to Hwy 23 (Chenoweth Fork Rd.)
Turn Right on Hwy 23 and Hwy 302 (White Oak Hill Rd.) after Arkoe
Turn Right on Hwy 302
Drive Scenic Hwy 302 to Hwy 1 and then return back to Arkoe
At Arkoe, turn right on Golf Rd. , then turn left on Hwy 32 following it and then Hwy 50 to Athens (Ohio University)
Continue on Hwy 50 to Top Town: Marietta, OH --River town on West Virginia border
Spend the Night at Marietta
_____
Take Hwy 550 (upper route toward Athens)
Just before reaching Athens, turn right on Hwy 33 north to Nelsonville (Hocking College)
At Nelsonville, turn left onto Hwy 278 (Lake Hope Drive) to Zeleski
At Zeleski, get on Hwy 677 (Powder Plant Rd.), then just after Raccoon Creek, turn right onto Hwy 14 (Infirmery Rd.)
Continue on Hwy 14 to Hwy 93 and turn RIGHT
Turn left on Hwy 272 (A top scenic road in Ohio)
Turn right onto Hwy 374
Turn right onto Hwy 664 (but first make a short detour to the left to see **Hocking Hills State Park**: Corkscrew Falls a top sight in Ohio)
Turn left onto Hwy 33 to Columbus
Spend 4 nights in Columbus
_____
Take IH 70 W.
Exit 52 A. (US 68) Turn left to to Top Town: Yellow Springs
Go west on Dayton Rd. until intersection with OH 235 (North Xenia). Turn Right
Turn left onto IH 675
Continue straight as it becomes Spangler Rd. and later Medlay/Carlisle Rd. (OH 571)
Turn right to continue on OH 571 at intersection with OH 328 to Top Town: Tip City
Leaving Tip City, take IH 75 S to Cincinatti
Exit onto IH 275 W
Take Exit 41 Springfield Pike (OH 4)
Turn left onto Springfield Pike
On other side of interchange, turn right onto Greensprings Dr. for Days Inn and Suites North Cincinnati
Today I leave on a trip that is a travel experiment. I have always traveled lightly. Even when taking a 10 week trip, I have taken only the smaller carry-on size suitcase and a student-type backpack. And with just that amount of storage, I have always taken too much with me.
The experiment is about taking a shorter trip with even less baggage packed with nothing unneeded on a short trip for a cheap price. Frontier Airlines, an ultra-low-cost airline now flies from San Antonio to about 27 cities. Some of those are cities I have never visited before. Frontier, however, is only really cheap if you travel lightly and are flexible to avoid fees. I bought my round-trip ticket to Cincinnati for $99 roundtrip, including taxes. But that only allows me to take one bag for free, and it MUST fit UNDER the seat in front of me. If I want to put a bag overhead, there is an extra charge. For a checked bag, there is another charge. For a seat assignment, there is an extra charge. For doing anything at the check-in counter, there is an extra charge. For planning incorrectly and having to do any of the above, the charges get more expensive at the check-in desk and even more expensive at the boarding gate.
I bought a special under-the-seat bag for making this and future trips at Costco for only $39--much cheaper than the linked website price. It fits the maximum dimensions that Frontier allows. In it, I have packed an extra pair of pants, 4 shirts, underwear, socks, minimum toiletries, camera, computer, and cords. I will wear a pullover and jacket as clothing and have stuffed the jacket pockets with a thin book, two magazines, and a small umbrella. I will only take the shoes I wear. The bag does not bulge, and, therefore, should be within the Frontier guidelines. If they say otherwise, then this will be the only trip I take with the airline. Otherwise, there might be future trips to Charlotte, Jacksonville, Raleigh/Durham, and other cities I have not visited for years.
This particular trip is for 1 1/2 weeks because I planned it to drive scenic roads in southern Ohio and to visit Columbus as well as Cincinnati. I got my rental car from downtown Cincinnati instead of from the airport and saved approximately $140 for the week of rental. (Airports now have extremely high fees for rental cars, taxis leaving the airport, restaurants operating within the airport, etc.) So I will stay one night in an AIRBNB, then leave Cincinnati for my drive. After I return my car, I will have 3 more nights in Cincinnati.
I don't know how often I will update the blog. It will depend on how tired I am each evening and whether there is anything worth telling. I had hoped to see fall foliage on this trip, since the last two weeks of October is usually the best time for it in southern Ohio, but maps and reports I have seen online indicate that hardly anywhere in the US is having nice fall foliage this year due to rainfall and cold fronts coming at the wrong times. But the scenic roads should still be scenic, and I will visit a number of quaint towns that are reported as being top places to visit. Below is my itinerary:
Oct. 20--Fly to Cincinnati. AIRBNB reserved in Covington across the river from Cincinnati
Oct. 21--Pick up rental car at 11:00 a.m. in downtown Cincinnati and start driving trip
Day 1 of Driving Trip
Spend the night in Huntington--Red Roof Inn
Oct. 22--Day 2 of Driving Trip
Spend the night in Top Town: Marietta-- Microtel
Oct. 23--Day 3 of Driving Trip ending in Columbus
Spend the night in Columbus. AIRBNB reserved
Oct. 24--Columbus
Oct. 25--Columbus
Drive out to Top Town: Granville--New England charm, nice downtown & Denison University
Oct. 26--Columbus
Oct. 27--Day 4 of Driving Trip ending in Cincinnati
Top Town: Tip City just north of Dayton between Columbus and Cincinatti
Top Town: Yellow Springs (Antioch College) just east of Dayton
Hotel in Cincinnati: Days Inn Cincinnati North
Oct. 28--Return car in downtown Cincinnati-- Move into AIRBNB reserved in Covington
Oct. 29--Cincinnati--AIRBNB in Covington
Oct. 30--Cincinnati--AIRBNB in Covington
Oct. 31--Go to airport for return flight (9:01 bus at 5th and Philadelphia)
And here is the itinerary for my driving trip if anyone wants to search the roads on a map:
Leaving Cincinnati for Driving Trip
Take US 50 east.
Just before Stonelick--Turn right onto Hwy 222 toward Batavia
Just before Batavia--Turn left onto 32 (Appalachian Hwy)
At People, detour south (right turn) on Hwy 41 to Bentonville
At Bentonville, turn left onto Hwy 136 to Manchester.
At Manchester, turn left onto Hwy 52, the Ohio River Scenic Byway, to Hwy 100 (between Vanceberg and Portsmouth)
At Hwy 100 (Pond Run Rd) , turn left for the Shawnee Driving Tour Path
At Y, take State Forest Service Rd. 1 to the left through Pheasant Hollow and Gabe Run to Brushy Fork
At Brushy Fork, continue straight (to left) onto State Forest Service Rd. 7
At intersection with State Forest Service Rd. 5, turn left onto 5!
Follow State Forest Service Rd. 5 all the way back to SFSR 1 and turn right
At McBride Run, turn left on State Forest Service Rd. 13
Stay on SFSR 13 past SFSR 12 until you get to SFSR 2 and turn right
Turn left onto SFSR 8
Turn left on SFSR 9
Turn right onto SFSR 1
At Hwy 125 EITHER 1)Continue tour of area by going left and then immediately right onto Bridal Trail Rd (going until end of trees and then returning back to Hwy 125 to continue right, OR 2) turn right onto Hwy 125 and go to Friendship.
At Friendship turn left on Hwy 52 to Portsmouth (Shawnee State University)
Spend the night at Huntington
_____
Return to Portsmouth and turn right onto Hwy 23
Just before Piketon, turn left onto Hwys 124/32 (continuing on 32 when the highways separate) to Hwy 23 (Chenoweth Fork Rd.)
Turn Right on Hwy 23 and Hwy 302 (White Oak Hill Rd.) after Arkoe
Turn Right on Hwy 302
Drive Scenic Hwy 302 to Hwy 1 and then return back to Arkoe
At Arkoe, turn right on Golf Rd. , then turn left on Hwy 32 following it and then Hwy 50 to Athens (Ohio University)
Continue on Hwy 50 to Top Town: Marietta, OH --River town on West Virginia border
Spend the Night at Marietta
_____
Take Hwy 550 (upper route toward Athens)
Just before reaching Athens, turn right on Hwy 33 north to Nelsonville (Hocking College)
At Nelsonville, turn left onto Hwy 278 (Lake Hope Drive) to Zeleski
At Zeleski, get on Hwy 677 (Powder Plant Rd.), then just after Raccoon Creek, turn right onto Hwy 14 (Infirmery Rd.)
Continue on Hwy 14 to Hwy 93 and turn RIGHT
Turn left on Hwy 272 (A top scenic road in Ohio)
Turn right onto Hwy 374
Turn right onto Hwy 664 (but first make a short detour to the left to see **Hocking Hills State Park**: Corkscrew Falls a top sight in Ohio)
Turn left onto Hwy 33 to Columbus
Spend 4 nights in Columbus
_____
Take IH 70 W.
Exit 52 A. (US 68) Turn left to to Top Town: Yellow Springs
Go west on Dayton Rd. until intersection with OH 235 (North Xenia). Turn Right
Turn left onto IH 675
Continue straight as it becomes Spangler Rd. and later Medlay/Carlisle Rd. (OH 571)
Turn right to continue on OH 571 at intersection with OH 328 to Top Town: Tip City
Leaving Tip City, take IH 75 S to Cincinatti
Exit onto IH 275 W
Take Exit 41 Springfield Pike (OH 4)
Turn left onto Springfield Pike
On other side of interchange, turn right onto Greensprings Dr. for Days Inn and Suites North Cincinnati
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