Serendipity --- West Virginia and Ohio

Roger here...  Green trees, green grass, green plants --- everywhere.  The trip from North Carolina to Coshocton, Ohio (photo) has taken us back to the midwest where everything is green in June.  

The title of this post is "Serendipity".  We have often found that our favorite stops in our travels have been accidentally finding those unique places that we did not expect.  We knew we would enjoy our destination, but are thrilled when we find places along the way that are more than just places to sleep. 

 We have been on our way from North Carolina to Mansfield, Ohio (to see my brother and sister-in-law).  We needed an easy on-off place to spend the night in West Virginia.  When planning the trip, I was unable to find a quick place for a one-night stop. However, our friends Mike and Brenda, who grew up in West Virginia, told us about a rest stop near Beckley that was far more than a rest stop.  The Tamarack Center at exit 45 from the West Virginia Turnpike provided a huge display of local crafts (for sale), a theater, and what I refer to as Sunday dinner (fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, etc.)  Yum!

Upon arrival, we took the dogs for a walk, then checked at the desk to be sure that it was ok to boondock in the RV parking lot.  Dry camping in public areas does not always seem restful and safe, but it was here.  With full tummies we woke up the next morning ready for our push into the midwest.

When (Miss Genealogy) 
Dianne noticed that we would be passing near Coshocton, Ohio, she requested a 2-3 day stop to do some research in the local library.  The  thinking was that one of my great-great-great grandfathers might have lived in Coshocton.  I expected to spend time with the dogs in the motorhome while Dianne did her research thing and possibly wandered cemeteries (ho hum).  I made reservations for three nights at the Colonial Campground and RV Park with owner Ryan over the phone, and was immediately impressed by him.   He literally sold me on his small town and all it had to offer.  When I met him, I was even more impressed.  The photo above shows Tequila and Bandido watching another dog (Zoey) chasing the soap bubbles that her young owner was spreading all over the campground.  After a while they came over to visit us.  What a friendly place.

Dianne spent the day of our arrival at the local library, and to her chagrin disproved the genealogy question that she hoped to prove.  However (serendipity), that enabled us to spend an entire day at the local historic area at Roscoe Village --- living the 1830s on the Ohio and Erie Canal. 

We opted not to pay to do the re-enactment tour of the 1830s, because we had done similar tours at Conner Prairie in Indiana.  BUT, we did want to wander through the historic area, enjoy the gardens, look through the shops, eat, AND take a horse-drawn boat ride on the canal.  So we did.

Private residences, like the one in this photo, were interspersed with shops, restaurants, and historical costumed characters.

All the sidewalks were constructed of brick pavers.  We did purchase a few items in the shops before eating lunch at the Steak and Stein.  

We enjoyed the various gardens that surrounded the Roscoe Village visitor's center. 

Soon it was time to do our 3/4 mile hike along the canal for our scheduled ride on a canal boat.  The picture below shows what was once "canal lock #2", now a landscaped garden.

Our first view of the Monticello 3 --- a replica of a 25-ton passenger boat that was part of the early westward transportation system of our nation.

... and the beautiful Belgian horses that would be powering our 45-minute cruise back into history.

Our narrator during our visit into the past was Captain Brennan.  

He explained how the Erie Canal from New York was expanded into the territory of Ohio, bringing goods and people into the emerging area.  He talked about the construction of the canal by people of Irish and German ancestry and the hardships of the time.  

He talked about daily travel along the canal and its eventual demise with the advent of rail travel.  Captain Brennan is a retired history teacher --- not a surprise.  Dianne thinks he looks like an Ohio version of Prince Charles.


Enjoy our smooth, quiet ride (no engines, no noise) through the following pictures:

While horses towed, a crew member in back steered the boat with a rudder.

Is this called a two-horse-power "engine"?

Horses were put away while we continued to coast to our stop.

Before heading back to the campground we walked over to the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum.

This interesting museum featured Native American artifacts, a temporary modern-art-type quilt display, Asian treasures, and items used by Ohio pioneers.  Dianne was fascinated by the small bathtub in the picture that looks like an upside-down hat.  (Dianne here:  I'm hoping it was just for children??   Otherwise, where would you put the candles, bubbles, and wine glass??)

I was intrigued by the intricate carving in this Asian panel.

Dianne, of course, loved the sculpture of the playing greyhounds.

(For my friend Sue, this one's for you...D.)



The museum is also home to the Newark Holy Stones, which were uncovered in the 1860s in Newark Ohio.  They were excavated among artifacts from the Hopewell Indian culture; however, the inscriptions are in Hebrew and one of the stones is believed (by some) to bear the image of Moses.  A mystery (or scam from the 1800s) wouldn't you say?  Fascinating, nonetheless.

One day in Coshocton just was not enough.  Besides, the doggies had missed out on all the fun that we had.    Soooo...

We loaded up Bandido and Tequila and headed back to Roscoe Village the next morning.  The first stop was at the leather shop, where the leathersmith fashioned dog collars for each dog with their name (and a Texas star) imprinted in the leather.  We then took the dogs on a three-mile walk along the extensive trail system along the canal.  

By the time we finished our walk we were hungry.  We stopped by "Uncorked" and got permission to have lunch with our dogs on the outdoor patio.  

We love dog-friendly towns.

Tomorrow morning we will make a fairly short drive to Mansfield to see my brother and sister-in-law.  More later.

The pet picture of the day was taken outside one of the local businesses.  When we walked by the first time, Bandido cowered when he passed the statue of the cow.  What kind of cattle dog is afraid of cows??!  He thought it was real until he got a good sniff.  His next reaction was, "Oh, I knew that was not real, take our picture next to it."

Two cattle dogs with a cow

Unlevel in West Virginia - Pipestem Resort State Park

Roger here...  Level has a new meaning in West Virginia, at least from our perspective.  The definition of West Virginia Level is any angle less than 30 degrees.

After an uneventful drive to the beautiful Pipestem Resort State Park in southern WV, we found the campground office closed.  It appeared that we would have our choice of the 31 paved, full hook-up sites, so Dianne and I set out on foot (downhill, of course) to find just the right one.  We were looking for a great view, a level site, and an open southern sky (so our satellite would work).  We found just the right one on an elevated pad that extended out over a peaceful, wooded valley.

  Lots of privacy, as we could not even see our distant neighbors.  AND, it was level, at least when we backed all the way in.  Great spot for a campfire in the woods!  Gorgeous views from our lawn chairs behind the motor home.

At that point, two hours of "fun" began.  With Dianne's direction, I backed without incident into the site.  We put down the jacks, plugged in the electricity and engaged the satellite.  We decided not to do the rest of the setup until we were sure that we had internet and DirectTV connections.  Good thing we waited. We could not get a connection because a tree was partially blocking the sky.  Sometimes this is not an issue; this time it was. 


 After 20 minutes of messing with the automatic dish, we moved to plan B.  (As it turned out, plan B had about 20 time-consuming and aggravating subparts.).  First, we checked to see if any of the other sites would work better - probably not. 


 Then we decided that if we moved forward about five feet, that the offending tree would not be an issue.  We would have to use some of our leveling blocks to compensate for the upward angle, but that should be easy -- yeah, right.


We moved up, reconnected the electricity, made sure that the satellite connected, and we were in business - not really.  We still had to level the motor home.  I did the driving while Dianne placed the plastic leveling ramps behind the four rear tires.  (Visualize when I do this, I'm crawling under the back of the motorhome to reach the inner dual wheels. --  D.)


When I backed up, the motorhome easily rose to the second level of the ramp - perfect.  Dianne placed additional blocks under the rear jacks before I deployed them so that they would not overextend.  I pushed the appropriate buttons to send the rear jacks down.  (There are lights on the automatic control panel to tell me which jacks to deploy to level everything off.  I also had a carpenter's level sitting next to me.)  We were almost level UNTIL everything moved and Dianne screamed.  The rear jacks had lifted one of the rear wheels off the ramp slightly (a no-no), just enough for one of the ramps to shift from center.  We could not leave it that way - bad for the tires.  So, we tried again.


  This time when I backed onto the ramps, one of them shifted right away.  So we tried again, and again, and again, and again.  By this time Dianne and I were both a little testy - to say the least.  (Ready to come to blows is more like it -- D.)  Dianne suggested (insisted) we give up.  

I got out of the motor home and took another look at the other sites - probably wouldn't be any better.  We (He) decided to try it one more time, and then another, and then another.  Finally, I was able to get all of the rear tires onto the first level of the ramps.  We knew that we would not be perfectly level, but felt we could live with it for our three nights - especially since we would have our TV and internet.  


So, I played with the jacks and the carpenter's level for a while to get it as level as possible.  Then Dianne and I began the long (l-o-n-g) process of calming down.  Two hours had passed since the ordeal began.


One of our favorite movies is Lucy and Desi's "The Long, Long Trailer."  We even have a poster of it hanging in the motor home.  One of the funniest scenes in the movie shows Desi attempting to level their trailer on a hilly forest road during a thunderstorm.  When Lucy tried to fry eggs, they slid out of the frying pan onto the floor.  When she opened the pantry doors, all the food fell out, covering her in flour.  As she was sleeping in the slanted bed, the jack gave way, the door opened, and she landed outside in the mud.


Our experience was not quite that bad, but it did have some of the same elements:  We could not open any of the doors -- refrigerator included -- without them slamming wide open.  We had to literally use our heads to keep the heavy outside door open when entering and exiting.  The last step out of the motor home was so uneven that we had to hold onto the handle so as not to tumble down the hill.  Inside the motor home, any steps toward the back required great care so as not to pick up momentum and end up flying into the bed.

After completely calming down and beginning to enjoy the beauty (and it was magnificent) of our surroundings, the situation began to be funny.  We started a camp fire and Dianne took a picture of her wine glass, just to illustrate how uneven we were, even on the patio.  What the photo doesn't show is that as soon as she snapped it, she lost her balance, bumped the table, resulting in the entire glass of wine finding a new home on my jeans.  (Oops, my bad....)

Leaving all that behind, we had a great time exploring the state park.  It has two lodges, two golf courses, and a myriad of hiking/biking trails, and lots more.  It even has an aerial tram that descends to one of the lodges.  

We did take the dogs on a couple of hikes.  I suggested that we hike the Canyon Rim Trail to a limestone outcropping at the bottom of one of the canyons.  It was only .7 miles, and the views were amazing.  I pointed out the way.  The problem was that it was straight down (no steps or switchbacks here, just a steep trail).  In all fairness, there was a warning sign.  (How does the song go..."When will they ever learn....")

As we were descending, I asked Dianne several times if she would like to go back, but she declined.  Let me just say that, though the views were worth it and I would do it again, it was pure drudgery climbing back up out of that canyon.  (I recall muttering at one point, "What part of 60-years-old do you not understand?"  Oh well, I needed to burn the calories after the visit to Opies Candy Store.)  What a good aerobic workout :-)

After recovering and some exploring from the car, we opted for another hike near the nature center.  It started at another old homestead (we've encountered a lot of those lately).  It was billed as an easy, mostly-level hike of .6 miles.  The first thing we did was go straight down.  What part of straight down is level?  Oh yes, I forgot the West Virginia rule of 30 degree angles.  Actually the hike wasn't that bad.  Dianne got some great shots of a butterfly, a wild flower, 

and a deer in a tiny cemetery within the park.   Dianne here:  I noticed as we drove past the cemetery while leaving that most of the names on the tombstones were "Hill."  Fitting, somehow....