On the Road, Again (with apologies to Jack Kerouac)
By: John Kumiski
Susan and I are on the road, again.
It would be easy enough to say, "Summer's here- the road called, and we responded." But Susan was already selling the idea of a road trip this summer, before we got home from our road trip last summer. Just another example of how well I married.
It was easier getting ready for this trip. The micro-camper was already built. We'd gotten almost all the gear we needed before our last trip. I put new rotors and pads on the front brakes, got new touring tires, and had the windshield replaced after it got dinged up in Jacksonville. Heck, the Sienna was almost new again!
Some real scenery- Susan poses on an oil well along the Scenic River Trail.
I ordered a new road atlas, this one including Canada. The Google Maps app was added to my phone, and the Canadian maps downloaded. We want to know where we're going!
A few days before we left, I took the kayak racks off the roof of the van, and put the solar panel back on. I plugged it in, and turned on the electrical system. Ah, the sweet smell of flowing electricity. That's a metaphor- electricity doesn't smell. I turned on the refrigerator. Still set at 37 degrees Fahrenheit. The July Florida sun beat down on me, mercilessly, as I did this, sweat stinging my eyes. Made me want to climb into the 'fridge. Made me glad I was leaving.
The first couple driving days were a get-out-of-the-south marathon. It made me remember why I avoid driving the interstate highways. Ten hours with much stop-and-go on the interstate to North Carolina, what should be an eight-hour drive, to visit friends briefly. Then another seven hours to the Leith Run Recreation Area campsite on the Ohio River in Wayne National Forest. We're spending two nights here, recovering from the drive, getting our heads into the relaxed travel mode. Shouldn't be hard, we're pretty seasoned.
An Ohio River barge, what must be close to a 1/4 mile long.
We went for a hike on the Scenic River Trail from our campsite. Wasn't scenic- you could hardly see the river. We did see a few oil wells, and a bunny.
The campsite itself has fine river views, Ohio on our side, West Virginia on the other. I had read about the Ohio River barges in John McPhee's book, Uncommon Carriers. McPhee is a superb writer, and his descriptions are vivid. But until you see for yourself just how enormous the barges are- a raft three barges wide and five barges deep, filled with coal or other dense materials, pushed by a single tug- the description is inadequate. That they don't wreck several times daily testifies to the skills of the tug captains, just fantastic.
The interior of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption.
We visited Marietta. I didn't and don't know much about Ohio, but Marietta is a lovely town. We visited a few of its landmarks- the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, the Castle, and the Mound Cemetery, before perusing the downtown area. Town lies right on the river (town has been flooded, more than once), and was Ohio's first settlement.
The Castle was built in 1855 as a private home, one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the state. Susan and I took a tour (recommended), on which photography is forbidden. So, no photos of the very photogenic interior of this extraordinary building.
You could photograph all you wanted to at the Basilica. We went in, and walked and looked, and sat and looked, and I took some photos. We were there maybe 40 minutes, but could have spent a couple hours admiring the details in the construction and decorations of this working church. As we left a woman was entering. We exchanged greetings, and she said, "It's like visiting Italy, isn't it?" I don't know about that, but it's certainly one of the more ornate churches I've seen in the U.S.A.
Our final stop in our Marietta history walking tour was Mound Cemetery. The actual Mound is a pre-Colombian burial site. Many Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans are likewise interred here (not in the Mound, but surrounding it), as are most of the town's early residents. So a quiet stroll through these well-maintained grounds truly is a walk through the past, silent though those souls may be.
Revolutionary War veteran's memorial, Mound Cemetery.
Marietta has plenty of other historic homes, and several museums, none of which we made time to visit. Time marches on! We strolled around the downtown area, noting the shops, bars, and restaurants were mostly still open post-COVID, unlike some placed we've been, where many storefronts are still empty.
If all the towns we visit on this trip offer as much as does Marietta, we can anticipate having a fantastic trip!
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