Ohio: Heartland of America

You're going to vacation in Ohio? That's what I thought too until I got there! Not really a typical summer destination, but it sure has plenty to offer, and is quite a pretty place -- and still cool-ish temperatures in early June. (No sigh of the 2024 heat dome here!)

I do not really know much about the Midwest region and its geography, and forgot that Ohio borders one of the "Great Lakes", Lake Erie, which is quite spectacular. The lake is expansive and even has small waves (due to weather, not tidal currents). Almost feels like you're on a bay near the ocean.

This gigantic lake even has multiple lighthouses! Marblehead Lighthouse was build in 1821. (Jeff enjoys lighthouses.)

Another thing this great lake has to offer is islands! And that means we get to ride the Miller Ferry to the island Put-In Bay. (Jeff enjoys ferries.)

Put-In-Bay Island is famous for being the location of a successful battle against the British in 1813, a battle led by Oliver Hazard Perry.

And since it was a successful battle, there is now a memorial for it! Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the battle AND represents an everlasting peace and friendship between nations. This world can always use more symbols and visuals to remind us of the power and importance of peace.

The "thing" to do on the island is to rent a golf cart and cruise around to the various sites, and just enjoy the cool, peaceful vibe all around. Perhaps we should get rid of all regular vehicles and restrict everyone to a golf cart -- that equalizes everyone and would be so much more calm: life at a max of 15 miles an hour (though we did hit 18 mph going downhill).

We hiked a few short trails through the trees to the water's edge -- heard lots of birds, spotted a deer and scared off a slithering snake that was sunning itself on the trail. 

And speaking of snakes, there was a brood of vipers in the water headed straight for us! (Too dramatic? It sure felt daunting in the moment -- there were at least 4 heads popping out of the water coming towards the small pier we were standing on!) Fortunately, they seemed to want to get to whatever was under the pier, not to us standing on the pier!

Thankfully, the only wildlife we spotted on Saunders Golf Course were squirrels, who knew how to dodge golf balls while we played 9-holes of par 3 & 4 golf. Jeff crushed it. I managed to stay straight on the fairway, except for one lost ball in a thicket of bushes. (After the snake siting's, I was not going in.)

The only downside about being near Lake Erie at this time of year, was the infestation of mayflies. (They are much like June bugs in Texas.)  These things literally covered the entire outside of buildings! However, the more there are, is a sign of good health in the lake (ie. plenty of oxygen and less pollution), but it was a bit unnerving to me, not Jeff. They are completely harmless - they have no need for a mouth to eat because they only live about 2 days, just enough time to mate and die. Strange little creatures.

Back on the mainland, another strange little activity that we attended was harness racing at Northfield Park. The jockey's sit on a small two-wheeled cart and the horses have straps on their legs to keep them trotting instead of breaking into a full sprint. It is also different as the races use a "rolling start" instead of launching out of a gate. We win some, we lose some by regularly betting $2 to Show on the best non-favorite, and only lost $5.20 over the course of 10 races!

On the subject of strange, we couldn't resist snapping a picture with Jacque, the statue with freakishly large hands! He's got a story to tell. But honestly, aren't we all a little strange, with a story to tell?

One of our hotels had a neat story: The Orbit is a former NASA office building -- just across the street from the John Glen Research Center. NASA employees, including John Glen, roamed the halls of the then-office from 1964 - 2001. It ten sat empty until about 2019 when it was purchased and renovated into a cool hotel that opened in 2021. (Jeff enjoys all things NASA.)

An unplanned stop, as we were driving by, was at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, one of two in the state of Ohio. It was hard to miss, and too unique to not get a photo. It also launched me into a learning session about nuclear power plants. (As of April 2024, there are 54 nuclear power plants with 94 reactors operating in 28 states in America. The Department of Energy oversees the treatment and disposal of millions of  gallons of radioactive waste, currently stored in a variety of states, including the only deep geological repository in New Mexico.)

Fazoli's used to be a regular dining place for us many years ago but is no longer nearby, so it was a nice dinner treat while in Ohio! The simple things in life...

Event after all that, there's still more to come...