Island Adventure and a National Park

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." – Mark Twain

We enjoy RV camping in the spring and fall of the year. The temperatures are cooler, the crowds are lighter, and the bugs are fewer in number. This spring we traveled the Natchez Trace and parts of Alabama, then later headed west to the start of the great Lewis and Clark Expedition in Missouri. Now we turn our attention east to the always pleasing camping grounds of the Ohio State Parks System. For this trip, we are going to explore some new areas and return to our favorite campground in north-central Ohio.

Our traveling partners for the first part of our trip included our daughter and her family of six, with whom we've traveled before. (See Smoky Mountains and Florida trips part one and part two and Disney's Fort Wilderness.) We got about a half-day head start on them and took that time to check another presidential library and home off our bucket list. Fremont, Ohio, was just a few miles off our route and afforded us the opportunity to visit the Rutherford B. Hayes

Library and home. We were impressed with the building and its collection of pieces from his one term in office following that of Ulysses S. Grant and prior to that of another Ohioan, James A. Garfield. Rutherford Hayes was a remarkable president with a long history of government service in the House, governorship, and eventually as president. While we didn't have time to tour his home, we learned it has many original furniture pieces on display, and photographs revealed it is a beautifully designed home with grand staircases.

With their family of six, they preferred a full-service camping site, and the only full-service and close together camp sites we could find for our dates was Kelley Island. As we've had good luck with other Ohio state parks, we signed up for Kelley Island State Park with little other information. One thing that may deter some campers is the added cost of the ferry crossing to reach Kelley Island, the largest US island in Lake Erie. The ferry fares are per person and depend on the length of your RV. Our total with our 25-foot LTV Wonder RL was $125. Our daughter's fare was closer to $225 for their family of six and a 31-foot RV. I'm sure fifth-wheelers may get some heftier tolls.

Kelley Island State Park Campground, located on North Bay, is a well-maintained park, as we've come to expect from the Ohio State Parks system. Our full-service sites #10 and #11 were a good size, with mature trees and a privacy woods behind us. While these were a little shy on grass due to the heavy shade, you might opt for grassy lots on the nearby cul-de-sac. These large pie-shaped lots had more sun, so it's a trade-off as to what you're looking for in a campsite.

We enjoyed exploring the area on our bikes. That's a popular means of transportation on the island. You can rent them in town, as well as golf carts, which were frequently seen. A pavilion built right on the edge of the water is a nice place to watch the lake's activity. Next to the campground is a boat launch and breakwater.

One of the island's main attractions is a short ride or walk from the camp entrance: The Glacier Grooves. This intriguing site is well configured for viewing the unusual formation. There are a number of signs around the site explaining the geology of this rare phenomenon. Near the Glacier Groove we also discovered a couple of abandoned structures near the north trail. These were likely part of the old limestone quarry operations.

One evening, we biked into the small town and dined at Dockers. It's a mile and a half on smooth and mostly level roads. We used the wide sidewalk for biking in the more remote areas. After a tasty dinner right on the marina, we biked a couple of blocks for ice cream at Kelley Island House. It was delicious.

The kids did a lot of biking around the campground. We biked again the next day, but this time it was a greater distance to reach one of the abandoned limestone quarries on Ward Road. The kids were busy exploring the open pit, skipping rocks, finding snakes, discovering fossils, and building a replica of Stonehenge. After that, it was back into town and east along

Woodford Road to Ki Cantina for tacos and burritos. The family took a few moments to rest after a morning of biking and exploring. Our round trip back to camp totaled about seven and a half miles. We were ready to crash at the campsite.

After three wonderful days of camping, we boarded the ferry to return to the mainland. At the loading, we met another LTV couple from South Carolina. Our units were different models but had the same paint configuration. Together, we took the 1 and 2 positions on the ferry.

Our next overnight was at Findley State Park near Wellington, Ohio. This large park is well maintained, with large grassy sites. We enjoyed a level pad at site 247. The park also features a disc golf course, and supplies for the sport are available to rent. There's also an archery range in addition to fishing and boating.

The following morning, we traveled the one-hour distance to reach Cuyahoga National Park, with a stop at the visitor center at Boston Mill. Cuyahoga is an interesting park that seeks to capture the amazing history of this region just south of Cleveland. There are miles of old canal towpaths that are now bikeways. These level pathways wind throughout the park with interesting stops that explain the history of commerce and the canal economy from earlier times. We paused for lunch at Boston Mill, where they were installing a new pedestrian bridge over the river, and then traveled the short distance to Brandywine Falls. From there, we traveled down the east side of the park to the Ledges area. This interesting park area has several paths that let you wander among the dramatic rock formations. There are several points of interest in the Ice Box, the Octagon, and the Overlook. This area is worth a stop.

Back in Peninsula, Ohio, we parked at the Cuyahoga Railway station, which is next to Lock 29. This now-empty structure allows you to walk through a lock and see the dimensions and craftsmanship required to build such a structure. Of note here is the unique canal over a river aqueduct. I thought this was only a modern engineering feat in Europe, but it happened first on the canal in what is now Cuyahoga National Park. Bike paths also run through this area.

After leaving Cuyahoga National Park, we drove a little over an hour to reach Mohican State Park at Loudonville. This is our favorite state park and was the site of our first RV trip a couple of years ago.

Mohican is rated the second-best park in the Ohio parks system (second only to Hocking Hills, see our Journal Posts with Part 1 and Part 2). It's easy to see why with its nice-sized lots, large grassy mowed areas, wide trails, a swinging bridge, river rafting, and challenging trails. We enjoyed Lot 63, which is one of the full-service sites. There is a pleasant bike trail from the park to Loudonville that runs about 2 miles. Just beyond the campground (you would have to drive or hike there) is a ravine with hiking trails that lead to a waterfall and unique rock formations. (We toured that on a previous visit - See Mohican State Park to Holmes County on Route 62).

We enjoyed two nights at Mohican and then headed the three and a half hours back home. It's our custom to sing Back Home Again in Indiana whenever we cross the state line. Roll down your windows to listen if you're following us Along the PookaTrail.