We soon found ourselves traveling through Indiana on our way to Ohio. Miles and miles lay between us and home, but we were making good progress. I knew we were getting closer because we finally crossed into Eastern Standard Time!
To break up the drive one day, we stopped by Hawthorne Park in Terre Haute, Indiana. This lovely city park has several walking trails that lead you around one of two ponds, playgrounds to explore, and a small campground. It also has a labyrinth!
The labyrinth isn’t exactly what we expected, as it has no walls, but it was still an interesting find. Created in honor of local man, Kenneth E. Smith and modeled after the floor of the Charles Cathedral in France, the stone maze depicted on the ground winds you back and forth for over have a mile until you reach the center. I enforced the “no crossing the ‘walls’” rule and coerced my dad to participate. My mom was already on board! We raced around, sometimes wondering if we’d ever reach the center, until success! It was a good test of patience and a fun way to stretch our legs. On our way out, I didn’t make my dad follow the path – we just walked out. 😉
We then looped around the lake and were entertained by several turtles sunning themselves on logs sticking above the surface. Some stayed for a photo opt, but others quickly skittered back into the cool waters. We arrived back at the motorhomes and continued driving east.
After a restful night at Today’s Harvest, a lovely Harvest Host spot where we enjoyed ice cream, fresh veggies, and donuts, we headed towards Columbus, Ohio.
The city of Columbus has a lovely walkway along the Scioto River. A vibrant green park stretches along both sides of the river, from the city edge down to the water. Trees and flowers decorate the parks and line the wide pathway that is busy with walkers, runners, and scooter riders. The river flows peaceful beside you, under tall bridges in various designs.
My dad and I walked a few miles while my mom napped, taking in the views and quiet on this Sunday morning. A few trees had begun to change color, with pops of red and orange coated their tops. It made me excited for the fall colors awaiting us at home!
As we went along, there were Lime scooters scattered about, catching my dad’s attention. But of course, he had no interest in riding them and just thought they were strange, so we moved on. Eventually we came to the Science and Industry Center, which has a large children’s park in front. Large outdoor musical instruments lined the edge, which of course we had to play (using hand sanitizer before and after of course!). I like the big tubes you could hit with the gong the best.
Again we came across the scooters, which my dad asked about again. “How do they work? How much do they cost?” I asked if he wanted to ride one, clearly he was interested, but he said no no again. But as we walked, he kept eyeing them, so I just rented one. And guess what, my dad loved it! We zoomed around the patio and sidewalk, testing out the throttle power and breaks. My dad couldn’t have had a bigger smile on his face! I’m glad I just went for it!
After our joy rides, we packed up and headed for our last major stop and final national park for the next two days, Cuyahoga Valley National Park between Columbus, OH and Akron, OH.
Tonelli's Travels 