September 16, 2011

A Day of Firsts

After a break on the back roads yesterday, it was time for the interstate again.  The Ohio State Highway Patrol was certainly active today.  I can’t ever remember seeing so many cars pulled over for one reason or another.

A quick stop at the First Ladies National Historic Site was more enlightening than expected.  A National Park Service student intern gave us a private tour of the home of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley, while a young docent at the education center practiced her tour-giving skills with us as she took us through the new exhibit on first ladies in times of crisis.

First Ladies National Historic Site
Cuyahoga Valley National Park was the primary destination for the day.  One of my goals is to visit every national park in the country.  Cuyahoga is one of the newest national parks and was only designated in 2000.  It’s by no means your typical national park and is truly an urban park.  Situated between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, the park was intended to bring national parks to people living in cities.

Boston Store
We visited the Boston Store, which is one of the park’s historic structures.  The store is located along the Ohio and Erie Canal which runs through the park.  Features like Brandywine Falls and the Everett Road Covered Bridge are interspersed between small towns and subdivisions.  It’s a beautiful area and a wonderful amenity for the neighboring cities, but it’s different.

Jane at Brandywine Falls

Brandywine Falls
Everett Covered Bridge
Can I Go Across the Bridge?
If you thought Lake Rudolph RV Resort was an unusual choice for a campground, just wait until you hear where we stayed tonight.  Geneva, Ohio, seemed to be a good destination, and Jane found what she thought was a lovely campground.  When we stopped to purchase a bottle of local Ohio wine, we asked the bartender for a recommendation.  He highly recommended a different campground, so we decided to follow his suggestion.  Imagine how surprised we were when we pulled into the NASCAR RV Resorts at Indian Creek in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio!


It was too late to turn around, so we looked at each other and said, “Why not?”  I’ve never seen anything quite like it.  I’ve read about this type of campground, but seeing one in person was an eye-opener.  This was definitely a first for me.  There was a gate and guard, and a man in a golf cart escorted us to our site.  Ducks and swans swam in a pond with a fountain in the middle.  Activities abounded.  Roads and campsite pads were paved, and everything was manicured.

NASCAR Resorts at Indian Creek
Our site was very nice, on the end of a row next to a wooded area with lots of grass for the cat.  The bathrooms were spotless.  Although I never thought I’d camp in a place like this, I have to admit that it does have its advantages.

Lake Erie, Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio

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