Ohio - From A to Z!

Season III - Chapter 5

The U.P. and Heading Down

Ohio: “Round on the corners and ‘Hi’ in the middle.”

Zanesville and Oregonia

“Find It Here” is Ohio’s slogan, so what were we looking for? The 555, the Triple Nickel, of course, Hocking Hills for hiking, no doubt, and Skyline Chili without question! What she offered up was much, much more. Let’s begin at the end, alphabetically that is.

Zanesville, Ohio is the launching pad for the rocketship of a ride that is The Triple Nickel. 🚀 Fittingly, it is also the birthplace of John Glenn, America’s Premier Astronaut. The Big Muskie and a quick dash into West Virginia, just to say we did, helped complete our first orbit of Southern Ohio.

Hocking Hills is THE destination location for outdoor enthusiasts in the “Buckeye State” and it is easy to see why. The trails are well marked and numerous. We were able to take in several due to the way the trails intersect with each other. Old Man’s Cave, Whispering Cave, and Cedar Falls ended up totaling 8 miles that day. Exhausting, but worth every step.

Our final motorcycle loop included the worlds largest Cuckoo Clock in the village of Sugarcreek, a slow ride through the Amish Country of Berlin, and a visit to a fifth generation cheesemaker in the Pearl Valley. The generous cheese samples were enough to provide us lunch. What a day! We would need to catch some ZZZ’s before our final visit to Zanesville. 😴

The Rad Power bikes provided the transport for our visit to Ohio’s former capitol. That’s right, Zanesville served as the second capitol from 1810-1812. The path to the town’s artisan center leaves right from our home base: Wolfie’s Campground... the best yet! As we pedal past outdoor public art displays, too numerous to count, we seek out their creator… Alan Cottrill is the source of most, if not all, of these impactful figures. He recommends we travel across the “Y Bridge” to the other fixture in Zanesville: Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl, established in 1948. Tom’s still serves it’s homemade ice cream by way of bow-tied soda jerks and talented tray balancing waitresses. We both agreed that the atmosphere here was the best topping to our treat. 🍨

All toys loaded, we travel the countryside to Oregonia, Ohio. The Olive Branch Campground is a peaceful location for the last week of our stay in “The Heart of it all...” “The “Birthplace of Aviation” ....

Boy, Ohio sure a a lot of nicknames! 😉

Aviation is a theme as we fly in to Dayton, on our motorcycles of course. The Wright Brothers Museum and the National Museum of the Air Force is a full day with 5 enormous warehouses filled with aircraft. So very much to take in. Let’s just say it follows the path of man’s first powered flight until he sets foot on the moon. Amazing!

It was the ride through southwest Ohio and Maysville, Kentucky that provided us with the most interesting of encounters. All across Ohio, in every county to be precise, there are barns adorned with tributes to the Ohio Bicentennial 1803-2003. We tried to capture as many as we could, but it was in Ripley that one of it’s owners captured us...

“Do you like old tractors?” Carol asked.

“I guess so?” We reply.

And with that response we were treated to nearly two hours of vintage Gold. The barn, once used to dry tobacco (harvesting sticks still present), now has been retrofitted to house the lovingly restored Ford tractors. Each tractor rebuilt, painted, and maintained by Anthony, Carol’s son, as a tribute to his father.

“We do have more to see if you are interested.”

Up the hill we are treated to more classics, not just Ford tractors, but limited edition Buicks, a 396 Chevelle SS that Carol bought new, a BSA motorcycle, and two incredibly restored ’57 Chevy Belairs, one a hardtop and the other a convertible. 👀 All that we gave in return was our contented smiles and a hug for Carol.

Finally, the Queen City and Skyline Chili. Let’s save the best for last...

Cincinnati is  beautiful city. The green landscape of Kentucky sits across the Ohio River, and Union Station should make every traveler’s list. From it’s Art Deco pools “The Nati’s” skyline shines.

Now, speaking of Skylines, no visit... I repeat, NO VISIT to Ohio is complete without a meal at Skyline Chili. This iconic Ohio dish is a treat to the eyes, the tastebuds, and the pocketbook. I cannot describe what it tastes like, just that it is not what you would expect. Now, back to our diet and the gym. 💪😃

Ohio: “Round on the corners and Hi in the middle.”

Thanks for reading and we will see you in Kentucky!

John and Caroline 🍀

Points of Interest:

1. Pearl Valley Cheese Store, in business for over 90 years, located in Fresno, Ohio. Next stop, Amish Country and shopping in Berlin.

2. Hike Hocking Hills State Park. There are several hikes in the area: Try Old Man’s Cave and Cedar Falls for the best photo ops.

3. Bike: We were able to bike to and Caesar Creek Gorge and hike about 4 miles. The RV park is just a few miles from the entrance to the visitors center.

4. Skyline Chili: There are multiple locations to choose from. This has been on John’s list for a very long time and it was definitely worth the wait!

5. Cincinnati: An active city with plenty to do. We enjoyed our visit to Union Station.

6. Dayton has several museums: Our favorites were the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park and the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and both have free admission.

7. Zanesville is an old city and worth a walk through the downtown. Be sure and stop at the Sculpture Studio and Gallery.

8. View the Zanesville’s local landmark:  The historic “Y Bridge” that was originally built in 1814.

Scenic Motorcycle Routes:

1. The Triple Nickel is the 555 road that is on most motorcyclists bucket list. It truly rides like a roller coaster. So much fun we decided to ride it again two days later.

2. Pick up the map: “Scenic Motorcycle Routes” at the Zanesville visitor center. Just pick any country road on the map and be ready to enjoy the road and the scenery that goes with it. During both our easy day rides we found ourselves in a different state: West Virginia and Kentucky!

RV Location:

Wolfie’s Campground

101 Buckeye Drive

Zanesville, Ohio 43701

*We stayed the pull through site 28: quiet, private, our own patio and picnic table. Sites 27 and 26 have a private patio built in and are a good choice as well.

An additional fun video from the state of Ohio! Thanks for watching. This OHIO: From A yo Z!