On the road again...kind of

The plan is to follow the Ohio River and Mississippi Rivers, with an early visit to  Marietta Ohio.  Our friends Sandy in Carl of Lancaster, Ohio, are right on the way, and invited us make an interim stop at their house with the promise of hiking at Hocking Hills State Park.  What a deal for us!  But when we got to their home, the hydraulic levelers on our rig didn’t work.  So the RV is at the shop and we are staying a litle longer than planned at the home of the gracious Sandy and Carl.

The Hocking Hills hike was great.  The park is about 50 miles south east of Columbus, so we’re in the foothills of the Appalanchian Mountains.  The park’s sandstone was deposited over 350 million years ago when a shallow sea covered what is now Ohio.   The park is full of eastern hemlock, an evergreen with small, fine needles and glacial run off and million s of years of mother nature created many gorges and caves.

One of the caves we visited is “Old Man’s Cave,” named after Richard Rowe who lived in the cave after the Civil War.  Rowe accidentally killed himself when he was trying to chip ice with the butt of his gun and it went off. Legend has it that he was buried by Indians near the mouth of the cave.

Later, JIm and I walked at a lovely park right in Lancaster: Alley Park.  Then I took him to White Castle for lunch.  White Castle is headquartered in Columbus and sells small, square hamburgers.  Each burger has five holes about the size of a soda straw opening punched in the “steam grilled” meat.  The burgers have a near cult-like following and some former Midwesterners even get their White Castle fix via Express Mail.  White Castle’s web site features recipes created by customers that usually start out something like  “LIne a casserole dish with 10 White Castle sandwiches, cover with cheese and cream of mushroom soup.”  Jim and I didn’t love the burgers, but it was worth the trip just for the experience.  The food improved a gazillion percent that night when Carl made cod that was seriously the best fish I have ever eaten.

Jim and Carl walk along the edge of Old Man's Cave.  The Old Man Cave trail is one of nine trails at Hocking Hills State Park.

Hocking Hills State Park has a dozen water falls.  Jim and Coop walk near one of them. 

Carl takes a photo of an interesting uprooted tree.

Jim and Cooper approach one of the 17 covered bridges in Fairfield County, Ohio; Lancaster is the county seat. This bridge is part of Alley Park in Lancaster.

Alley Park has a lot of moisture, which creates a great climate for ferns and fungus.

Twin Lakes at Alley Park.

Jim at White Castle.  Each tiny hamburger come with onions and pickles only, and the company urges customers to "over order, freeze 'em, re-heat 'em and enjoy." 

Sandy and Carl's cat, Sherman, makes friends with Phil, Jr.

Carl gave me a pastry lesson, but I think I'll keep my day job -- which is navigating the Rv and figuring out places to visit.

Our friends, Sandy and Carl.  Bev has known them since the three of us went to Ohio State and has also visited them when they lived in Chicago; Fon du Lac, Wisconsin; and St. Louis.