Ohio – Kentucky – Indiana

The anticipation builds as the two of us load up our Town and Country with the bare essentials for our maiden voyage, 2nomadsinavan. We have decided to tackle a fourteen hour loop to test out “Betsy”. Armed with our Jetboil, three clean pairs of underwear and enough dehydrated meals to feed the Brady Bunch, we are ready. Nights will be spent stealth camping in public parking lots and our days spent exploring everything and anything the world has to offer.

Crossing the Ambassador Bridge after a day’s work…..Cincinnati here we come!

Day 1 – March 25th, 2016

We rolled into Cincinnati around one in the morning and quickly realized that the downtown core was not a place for these two small town nomads to linger. Heading back to the outskirts of the city we stopped for a quick bathroom break at a local gas station, fueled up and settled in for the night in a well lit plaza parking lot. Window covers up, futon down, these two weary travelers called it a night.

Williams innate need for a coffee every morning gave us an excuse to revisit the local gas station so we could start our day off with a flushing toilet. Not a Tim Hortons coffee but a $1.25 very well spent.

Lets hope that our first official stop on our Maiden Voyage doesn’t set the tone for these two happy nomads. Off to a CEMETERY!?!?

The Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati. It just happens to be the second largest cemetery in the United States and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. From mausoleums that resemble small castles to tombstones that date back to 1845, it is a must see.

 

After driving through what seemed to be an endless maze of beautiful monuments, ponds and tombstones we turned to Google to discover that Spring Grove Cemetery encompasses a total of 733 acres. The two hours we allotted for this adventure was definitely not going to be enough time to see everything. Lucky for us these two nomads don’t wear watches.

As we were reading all the classic family names we couldn’t help but notice the cascading fragrant white flower branches that seemed to surround us.

It was very reminiscent of a mystical wedding scene of the eighteenth century. A quick search told us that these trees were National Champion trees called Cladrastis kentukea and Halesia diptera.

In summary anyone with a love of history or an eye for photography would love to spend time exploring the Spring Grove Cemetery.

Now armed with the light of day these two nomads are heading back to the city to the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. Time to get Williams engineering mind buzzing. The bridge spans the Ohio River. When it opened on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at 1,057 feet main span. The bridge was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1983.

With the help of our Jetboil’s trusty pot attachment, we enjoyed hot soup and sandwiches in the van before heading into the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a museum located in the downtown core of Cincinnati, Ohio based on the history of the Underground Railroad. We found that the Center offers insight into the struggle for freedom in the past, the present, and the future.   It challenged even these two happy nomads to contemplate the true meaning of freedom.

 

“We are living in the midst of a tragic paradox; no longer is there an underground network to guide slaves to freedom, but rather there is a underground criminal network to entrapped people and sell them into slavery. And until we unite to confront this grave human rights violation, it will continue to plague the world and feed off vulnerable men, women, and children.” ~ The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

The museum’s main exhibit is a 21 by 30 foot, two-story log slave pen built in 1830. It is the only known surviving rural slave jail, previously used to house slaves prior to their being shipped to auction.

While standing in the exhibit one cannot help but feel the anguish and misery.  The presence of the heavy metal central chaining ring used to keep the slaves from reaching the outside walls and digging themselves to freedom was heart wrenching.

We found that this state of the art museum effectively kept us interested and engaged throughout the entire visit. With an admission fee of $15, we would highly recommend it to anyone who visits the Cincinnati area.

The hunt for a quaint local cafe is often a priority for this traveling duo.  Whether we are in pursuit of the world’s best spicy chai tea latte or simply the free wifi, we love cafes. Thankfully, Cincinnati didn’t disappoint!   Coffee at Lola’s is located in the heart of downtown.  It is a new, cozy, unique cafe owned and operated by Brandon, the most passionate barista we have ever met. Not only did we manage to snag the “secret recipe” of the best chai tea latte EVER- shhhh…..but the optimism in the air was contagious. Be sure to check it out!

A road trip that spans across Good Friday needs a church. The Roman Catholic St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption is located at 1130 Madison Avenue, Covington, Kentucky and it was bustling with parishioners when we arrived. Constructed in 1895, it is said to house the world’s largest handmade stained glass window in a church.

As you can see from the photograph the stained glass was a breathtaking reminder of the importance of how religion influenced art throughout centuries. A beautiful ending to a fun filled day.

Day 2 – March 26th, 2016

Morning comes early when you secretly spend the night within ear shot of a McDonald’s drive thru window.  Time to lace up the hiking boots, don the packs and embrace nature in the “Who’s your Daddy” National Forest. Or as the more serious nomad William refers to as Hoosier National Forest. This massive place is located in the hills of southern Indiana, spanning through several counties and covering over 200,000 acres.

Our first stop, in this beauty, is the Hemlock Cliff Trail and if I don’t stop repeatedly referring to this national treasure as “Who’s your Daddy” forest William may toss me off the cliff.  This unique little box canyon has a very diverse plant ecosystem. Mountain laurel, several varieties of fern, evergreen, hemlock and wild flowers are all thriving in this cool damp environment. Common critters to the area are frogs, deer, squirrel, mice, and a variety of birds. Phew….no bears! Throughout our journey we noticed the stunning limestone cliffs rise some 200 feet above the canyon into two distinct waterfalls, “Messmore Cliffs Falls” and “Hemlock Cliffs Falls”.

Both are quite remarkable and easily accessible to hikers of any level.

Our second stop in Hoosier National Forest was the Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest. It is an 88-acre oak-hickory forest located in Orange County, Indiana. It is identified as a surviving fragment of virgin central hardwood forest, and is considered a National Natural Landmark. Although this would be considered an extremely easy hike, unfortunately a number of the large older protected trees have fallen leaving just the wall itself as the main attraction.

Although we are sad to leave “Who’s your Daddy” forest, it is time to hop back into the van and see what downtown Indianapolis, Indiana has to offer. Turning the corner towards Monument Circle, these two nomads could not help but simultaneously gasp.

The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is an impressive 284 ft high monument. It is located in Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street in the center of downtown Indianapolis. The monument is the first in the United States to be dedicated to the common soldier and now acts as the beating heart of a budding outdoor metropolis. The loud growl of revving Harley engines surrounds us and we happily stroll hand and hand exploring the circle. Restaurants, cafes, an outdoor library and even the Indiana State House built in 1888, border the heart of Monument Circle.

The sun is setting behind the monument as we sit on the outdoor patio of The Chocolate Cafe, surrounded by motorcycles, sipping our TASTY cherry jubilee hot chocolate.  Life is truly epic!

Grumbling stomachs caught our attention. The usual two nomads in a van dilemma. Should we whip up the designated dehydrated meal while parked in the center of Monument Circle or do we “test out” the highly rated pizza place Pie Five Pizza Company?  Sharing a classic crust Athenian pizza on the patio was just too perfect to resist and definitely did not disappoint.

So incredibly tasty that we picked up a second pizza to share as a midnight snack. Hunkered down safely for the night in a Meijer parking lot, pizza never tasted so good.

Day 3 – March 27th, 2016

Meijer + stealth van camping = Two well rested nomads.  Good morning world!  While planning our route home a vivid childhood memory involving the name Johnny Appleseed sparked a quest to find Johnny Appleseed’s grave and memorial park located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845), often called Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to many parts of North America.

Surprisingly this quest resulted in an uproar of laughter as our G.P.S. navigation system unexpectedly instructed us to turn left on “Harry Baals Drive”.  Apparently, Harry Baals Drive was named in honor of the late mayor, and it extends into Johnny Appleseed Park. In recent years, the double meaning arising from Harry Baals’s name has led Fort Wayne officials to shy away from naming streets and buildings after him. The aforementioned street has been renamed to “H. W. Baals Drive” as the old street sign was constantly being stolen. Apparently our G.P.S. navigation system missed that memo…..lol

Eventually we found Johnny Appleseed’s modest final resting place atop a natural mound, fittingly surrounded by apple trees. Mission accomplished.

Heading home these two nomads in a van couldn’t help but happily reminisce about our amazing Maiden Voyage. Cemeteries, “Who’s Your Daddy” Forest and Harry Baals Drive….go figure!