Thoughts & Ramblings: August 2015

Planning

Our original vacation plans for this summer included a visit to San Francisco and the Yosemite National Park. When we added up the expenses and factored in the relatively short time we’d have in the park, we decided to simplify the plans.

Plan B was developed while my Mom and I drove around the Florida Peninsula this Spring. A few years ago, we visited Niagara Falls in December and vowed to go back when it’s warmer. This summer seemed like the right time to make the trip back. I started making a list of destinations, transportation, and lodging options. But this plan, too, hit a snag. Our passports expired in the Spring and we did not renew them.

One day, while watching one of our favorite shows on the TiVo we hatched a Plan C. The show was Rock The Park and they were visiting the Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky. Andrew and I decided that we must see Mammoth Caves someday. And that began the planning process. Then, to make it even better, we saw a show about train layouts and it showed a place in Cincinnati. Now we had to go.

Given the relative proximity of Kentucky and Ohio, we started thinking about inviting family along. Mom was a given and was in, but we thought it would be great fun for Andrew if his cousin Mike could join us as well. We asked Mom to send out the feelers to see if Mike was available and his parents willing to let him join us. In the meantime, we started thinking we should just home base at Mom’s house and plan a series of other trips and visits from there. Andrew found plane tickets and the vacation plans started to take shape.

Friday, August 14

Well before dawn, we sprang to life, got dressed, grabbed our last minute items, and drove to the Melbourne airport. From Melbourne, we flew to Pittsburgh via Atlanta on Delta Air Lines. We were met at the airport by Mom and Mike. As is the norm, our first stop was the Giant Eagle Marketplace in Robinson and our second stop was DiCarlo’s Pizza in Wintersville.

Andrew loves to fly

Saturday, August 15

- Cleaned up pine tree
- Bonfire

Sunday, August 16

On Sunday afternoon, we drove down to Austin Lake to have lunch and play in the lake. After eating, we drove the golf cart up the hill with two adults and two kids – we barely made it up the hill! We bought wristbands for all and headed for the paddle boats. Andrew and I jumped on one while Susan and Emily jumped on another. Unlike kayaks that must be paddled with your arms, these boats have pedals and are much easier for little people to operate. After a visit to the beach and the ‘lighthouse’, we switched kids and returned to the pier.

The next attraction was the beach and the cool water toys that were floating near the beach. Andrew and I jumped in from the little pier to get used to the water, then grabbed life jackets for the floating toys. The first was the Wibit. This yellow monster had three slopes and one jumping platform. Two of the slopes were for climbing and one was a slide. I like to think that I’m an “American Ninja Warrior”, but climbing these slopes was a lot of work. Andrew, on the other hand, zipped straight to the top. The other was the Rockit. This was a top-shape inflatable with four opposing sitting positions. If you managed to get on, the object was to get four people sitting on it and try to rock the others off. I climbed to the top and a bunch of kids enjoyed themselves as they rocked me back into the lake. Finally, I returned the life jackets and swam out to the tall pier. I dove off the first level and jumped off the third. I was not willing to try a swan dive off the top like I did when I was a kid.

After the lake, Andrew and I put on our water shoes and headed to the creek. We probably spent a half hour working on a nice little rock and mud dam.

Back at the camper, the plans for the week were discussed. Patti told us that she’d like to go, too. This was great, but it was a little late and unplanned. As it currently stood, we could all go in one car, but adding her meant we’d need two cars or a bigger vehicle. We decided to try to find a rental in town. Being Sunday afternoon, the best we could do was a drive-by of Enterprise and Alamo. Enterprise had three vans on the lot. Promising…

Monday, August 17

Monday was the beginning of our road trip adventure, but we still had to solve the vehicle problem. We drove separately to Enterprise to see if one of the van’s was available. Unfortunately, all three were rented. The rep called around and found a van available… in St. Clairsville. Since it was in the right direction, we asked him to hold it for us and were on our way. Once we found the place (Google Maps led us the wrong way), we transferred our belongings and headed west.

That's one giant bucket!

Our first stop was the Miners’ Memorial Park, near Caldwell. It is here that you can find the only remains of the Big Muskie dragline; its enormous bucket.

Our second stop, which was unplanned, was the Rokeby Lock on the Muskingum River. Here we found the only human-powered locks in the country that are still in service. Two guys literally turn a large crank to open and close the lock doors, then water is transferred in or out by gravity.

The Rokeby Lock on the Muskingum River

Our third stop was EnterTRAINment Junction in Cincinnati, which houses the world’s largest indoor train display. Click the link and check out the site. It is absolutely amazing. We were given four pamphlets with items to search, like a bear catching a salmon or a lady hanging laundry. In addition to this, there were 10 tiny dinosaurs hidden throughout the display – we found two. Upstairs was an amazing, animated version of the old Coney Island Amusement Park.

Miniature Coney Island Amusement Park

Tuesday, August 18

Tuesday was all about touring Mammoth Cave National Park. We got a bit of a late start getting on the road. I wanted to be there first thing so we could sign up for the tours we wanted. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we were 15 minutes earlier than my desired arrival time. How did that happen? We crossed into the Central Time Zone somewhere along the interstate. Awesome!

We quickly signed up for one of the easiest tours on the list – the Domes & Dripstones tour. This tour covered 3/4 of a mile in two hours and included the Frozen Niagara formation. I left my camera in the car for this tour, since flash and tripods are prohibited.

After this tour, we had lunch and thought about what to do next. Patti and Mom decided to stay above ground while the rest of us signed up for the Historic Tour. This tour shows you why they named it Mammoth Cave. The cave is enormous is both size and length. I felt like I was in a D.C. Metro subway station, only this was bigger. The tour started in this large room, but quickly got smaller and tighter as we descended to the lower levels. Andrew’s favorite section was called Fat Man’s Misery, but is also known as Tall Man’s Misery. We finally reached Mammoth Dome, where we climbed 155 stairs to return to the first level.