5-Day Black & White Photo Challenge, Day 5

MAY 20, 2015 IN GENERAL, PHOTO CHALLENGE

I would be remiss in listing local “must sees” if I did not mention one of my favorite places on the PLANET: Oglebay Park on the outskirts of Wheeling, West Virginia. The park began with a moneyed family’s summer home (now on the National Historic Register) and has become a premier park system, unique in the United States. Its 1600+ acres sprawl across hills and valleys, ponds and a lake.  

Everyone and anyone can find something to do at Oglebay. There are three golf courses (a Par 3, a nine-hole and a championship 18-hole;) the Mansion Museum; a pool; tennis courts; Schrader Environmental Education Center; Good Zoo; a planetarium; a ski slope; Schenk Lake with paddle boats and fishing; picnic areas; an amphitheater; and miles of trails around the lake and all over the hills.

Wilson Lodge Resort & Conference Center has more than 270 rooms, a spa, conference center and two restaurants. There are also various sized cottages for rent.  

Special seasonal events include a huge Festival of Lights driving tour Nov to Jan; Fort Henry Days in Sept; OglebayFest in Oct (arts and crafts;) a Maple Syrup Festival in March.

When I was in college at nearby West Liberty, friends and I spent many a day picnicking and skiing and just hanging out in the sun at Oglebay. I love walking the trails around the lake, and it’s rare when I don’t see various kinds of wildlife: deer grazing, turtles sunning, Canadian geese paddling around a pond; ducks in the lake; dragonflies; cranes.

Regarding the next challenge nominee, one is not able to do it, and I should hear from another any time now.  Thanks so much for allowing me to participate—it was FUN!

Happy trails and safe travels…

5-Day Black & White Photo Challenge, Day 4 (already!)

MAY 19, 2015 IN GENERAL, PHOTO CHALLENGE

These are Concord grapes grown at Georgetown Vineyards in Cambridge, Ohio—about 30 miles west of Barkcamp. Concord is a native grape that produces jelly and wine. Most of the time Concord wine is fairly sweet, though I’ve had some less sweet that is very good.  

Believe it or not, Ohio was the leading wine producer in America’s first 50 years. Land along the Ohio River east of Cincinnati was the prime spot. Blight destroyed most of the crop in the late 1850s, however, and the Civil War took the workforce. The industry didn’t “take root” again until the mid to late 20th century. Nearly all of today’s 110+ wineries are smaller and family-run, but Ohio ranks 10th in US wine production. Wineries and vineyards are located throughout the state from the Lake Erie shore to the banks of the Ohio River.

In Belmont County, Vino di Piccin is owned by six siblings who grew up with a wine-making father from Italy. They use his recipes and order grapes from Ohio and California to make some really nice Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as blends and whites.

Black Sheep Vineyards is on the border of Belmont and Jefferson Counties in Adena, Ohio. John and Becky Black bought an old sheep farm and planted several types of grapes. The tasting room is in the big, old barn, and the wine is made downstairs. They set high standards for their wines, and it’s quite good. They have music and dinner events regularly.

Georgetown Vineyards grows some estate grapes and orders grapes, juice and fruit from various sources to create some nice wines. Their Cranberry and Rhubarb wines are kind of fun. The site is beautiful—on top of a hill overlooking the town of Cambridge.

Beyond Cambridge, west on I-70 lies Terra Cotta Vineyards near New Concord. Their wines are hand-crafted, also, and they have a nice port called Hummingbird. North of Cambridge on I-77, you’ll find Ravens Glenn Winery in Newcomerstown just a few miles west of the freeway. This is a very popular tasting room with a restaurant, a large selection of wines to try and a sizeable gift shop. It sits right on the banks of the Tuscarawas River, and they host a lot of weddings and special dinners.  

5-Day Black & White Photo Challenge, Day 3

MAY 18, 2015 IN GENERAL, PHOTO CHALLENGE

Some people may recognize this Candlewick from Imperial Glass. These are pieces from my mother’s collection—it was her wedding china pattern. Aside from steel mills and coal mines, this area was known for its quality glass like Imperial, Fostoria and Fenton, and there were many artisans crafting hand-blown and hand-painted pieces. Two of my grandfathers worked for Imperial, but the factory is gone now. However, the Imperial Glass Museum is located in Bellaire, Ohio, along the Ohio River. Zanesville Pottery and Roseville Pottery were located about 60 miles west.

In fact, Belmont County has been historically significant since before the Revolutionary War when it was considered the wilderness, a sort of no-man’s-land. Many of the settlers were soldiers and their families who received plots of land in exchange for their service. In Morristown (near Barkcamp) several soldiers’ remains rest in Pioneer Cemetery.  

Before, during and after the Civil War Belmont County was a gateway to points north for the Underground Railroad. A few miles from Morristown, in Flushing, Dr. John Mattox hosts visitors at the Underground Railroad Museum Foundation. The thousands of artifacts he has collected are fascinating, and he is a great storyteller.

In Barnesville, the Victorian Mansion Museum is the preserved and restored residence of one of the town’s prominent families. Beautiful  hand-crafted woodwork, furniture, period collections and special displays are well worth a look.

The county seat, St. Clairsville, has a new museum next to the County Courthouse. It’s a converted Sheriff’s Residence (and jail) with information on many of the local museums I’ve mentioned and on upcoming events.       

5-Day Black & White Photo Challenge, Day 2

MAY 17, 2015 IN GENERAL, PHOTO CHALLENGE

Since I don’t have current camping photos, I thought I would share some of the local attractions that may be of interest to RVers in the event that you decide to visit this part of the Ohio Valley. I stopped at Barkcamp State Park yesterday, (a few miles north of my house) where my brother and sister-in-law set up their giant travel trailer when they bring it down from Michigan.

Barkcamp is a local favorite for hikers, fisherman, and hunters. It has horse trails and equestrian camping areas, an archery range and miniature golf, playgrounds, a stony beach, picnic areas throughout, and, I believe, family movies are shown during the summer in one area. This is the “quintessential Barkcamp photo” of the lake that everyone would recognize. One of the boat launches and a dock are just out of the photo, to the left.

Sites seem to go quickly since it’s a state park. I do know that locals camp here because I’ve walked there as training for a 5k (a combination of hills and flat roads with limited traffic) and chatted with people from nearby towns. There is also a popular and difficult trail run every fall called--wait for it--the Barkcamp Race founded by a friend of mine. Sometimes I take a chair and book and my pup Zsa Zsa on summer Sunday afternoons and sit in a quiet picnic area under the trees. I’ve been here in all four seasons, and it’s always beautiful.   

5-Day Black & White Photo Challenge, Day 1

MAY 16, 2015 IN GENERAL, PHOTO CHALLENGE

Thank you, Chris Hughes of CUontheRoad.net for naming me in this challenge and for your kind words. I’ve really enjoyed your black & whites this week, and I always like reading posts from the RV Happiness community.

As Chris noted, I’m not currently an "RVer,” but my family began camping in a 17’ Scotty (?) when I was around 10 years old and moved to larger campers from there. We stayed mostly in Ohio and Pennsylvania but did travel up through New England to Maine one summer. In my teens, my parents decided to lease a “permanent” space in PA’s Allegheny National Forest/Kinzua area, and they kept that location until after they retired.

I was thinking about Chris’s challenge standing at my kitchen window this morning getting breakfast when I had a flashback of my camping mornings. I would be the first up (of my parents and brother) so I could get ready and dressed and out of the way. I would make a cup of tea and sit outside in the quiet, cool, fresh morning air. In the high forest it was often a bit misty, but that burned off by mid-morning. I always enjoyed the sounds of birds singing, the breath of a breeze rustling tree leaves and other campers stirring. So I'll start at the beginning with this first photo of my morning coffee on the deck. It takes me back to those days and has me considering the possibility of experiencing those simple pleasures again.