FLINT RIDGE STATE PARK

On Friday, August 29th, Annie and I drove to Flint Ridge State Park, about an hours drive towards Columbus to attend a "knapp-in" and to see if someone could identify a rock I had brought back from Utah that looked like flint.  We got there early morning and got a place in the shade to park, so I left Annie in the car while I went to the museum to look around.  Got some stuff there, including flint chips from a farm across the road from the Park, then took Annie and wandered around watching people work (or knapp) the flint into projectile points.  It's not as easy as you might think it is, and every knapper has old and new cuts on their hands - some even wrap their fingers in tape before they start working the stone.  Annie and I also took a couple of hikes in the park - past pits (now filled in with dirt and leaves) where the Native Americans quarried their stone.  There was a German lady and her husband selling home made ice cream, so on a hot day, I was going to get a dish of vanilla (I really like chocolate) for Annie and I to share, but the lady asked if Annie could have some and gave her a small dish of her own at no charge - so naturally - I got chocolate for myself.  It was some of the best ice cream I have ever had.  I also found out from a geologist that the rock I got in Utah was blood Jasper which can also be knapped or made jewelry out of.

One of the pits from eons ago - now filled in with water

Knappers

Kind of an overview of the Knapp-In

A closer look at finishing a point

More mushrooms

AMISH COUNTRY

Took a day and went with my other cousin, Penny, to a cheese factory and got LOTS of cheese to take home with  me.  Then we took a ride up through the German and Swiss communities of Sugarcreek (Swiss), Berlin (German) and Millersburg (German) and had lunch.  It was nice having some German cooking again like I had as a child.  Lots of Amish ladies going to market in their buggies.

The parking lot for Amish at the bank

On the side of a building

Swiss Chalet

The clock that chimes and the dancers dance

The Amish parking lot at the German supermarket

Making cheese

Making cheese

Making cheese

The cheese factory



ROSCOE VILLAGE

Roscoe Village is an 18th century town along the banks of the Ohio canal just outside of Coshocton.  If any of you saw the series years ago of Centennial by James Michener, the Amish scenes of Hell Street were shot in Roscoe Village.  There is a path from Roscoe to the canal boat about a mile down the canal, and Annie and I took a walk down to the canal boat and back one day.  People are in period costumes in the Village and interpret what the houses were used for, and some history behind them.

The livery/blacksmith shop

The path along the canal

Tuscarawas River

The canal boat

The canal boat engines

Taking tourists for a ride on the canal

One of the old canal locks

Outside the General Store

Decked out for Labor Day

OHIO

After leaving Fairy Stone State Park, it was a hard drive to Ohio.  The first part of the trip from Fairy Stone to Hillsville, VA took me about an hour and a half.  The campground hosts at Fairy Stone advised me to go a different route than what I had planned - both routes were uphill - but their route was up the side of a frickin MOUNTAIN.  I finally got to Ohio after about an 8 hour drive, and finally got settled into my site at my cousin's "garage" which is where he keeps his huge motor home, has supplies for his business, and a couple of mobile home lots.  It was nice being away from everyone and being able to come and go and not be a burden on anyone.....except my cousin, who came back down to check out the power when one of my breakers popped in the camper.  I thought I had reset it, but I finally figured out that I had not turned it all the way off before turning it back on.  Amazing how when the breakers are set properly, all the electrical things in the camper also work properly.  My cousin had a project to pour a cement slab for a trailer than he had removed from the site, leveled up the ground and was going to put back on the slab when it hardened.  It was an all day job, and HOT.  I took the morning to visit my parents' graves and put some ornaments on the headstone, then just kind of hung around the camper.

My campsite

Annie shows her approval for being back in real grass country

Close enough?

This was my cousin's project the day after I got there

The finished product

Flowers out back of the trailer

Flowers along the stream back of the property

The stream

INTERNET ACCESS - AT LAST

It's only taken a week to get internet access - but that's life in the country.  So let me start at the beginning, with Fairy Stone State Park.  Interesting drive there, and an interesting little place.  The Fairy Stones are not found near the campsite, but down the road a bit.  They have had a lot of people looking for them, but not finding many - and I didn't find any either when I was there, but got a bunch of cool rocks to bring back nevertheless.  The first night there it really rained - I mean, poured!  There was a puddle under the trailer in the morning from the rain, and then it misted and sprinkled all the next day.  Annie and I went for several walks and the mushrooms were unbelievable.  I have never seen so many different kinds, colors, and shapes.  Two nights at Fairy Stone State Park and then on to Ohio.

Mushroom

The "beach" at Fairy Stone Lake

A walk in the woods