Daily Archives: October 6, 2011

It was “Magical” . . .

That’s what Jan said about today’s Ohio country side tour.

But the day started a little slower at 9:30 with coffee and our great view of the Mohican River in front of our coach here at Smith’s Campground in Loudonville, OH.

Smiths Campground 7

Smiths Campground 8

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About 11, Amy Smith picked us at our coaches and we were off on our version of the Magical Mystery Tour. ‘Magical’ as I said, ‘Mystery’ because we had no ides where we were going.

Amy Van

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Our first stop was at the Country Furniture Store who makes, among other things, these colorful Adirondack chairs.

Big Chairs 5

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They even make them in XXXL size.

Big Chairs 6

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And it’s even more evident how big this chair with this photo. Yep, that’s me and The Nickster.

Big Chairs 7

Now that’s a BIG chair. And sturdy too.

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Our next stop was a nearby covered bridge.

Ohio Covered Bridge 1

Known as the ‘Bridge of Dreams’, it’s the largest non-motorized covered bridge in Ohio.

Ohio Covered Bridge 2

And we got to really see the ‘non-motorized’ part when an Amish buggy came thru while we were there.

Ohio Covered Bridge 3

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A ways down the road was Hashberger’s Farm and Bakery where they keep goats on the roof of the barn.

Why I have no idea, but they do.

Goats on the Roof

There’s a ramp on the side that lets them go up and down on their own.

Goats on the Roof 1

And you can feed them for a $1. Your $1 buys you an ice cream cone (??) full of Purina Goat Chow, and you send it up to them on the hand-cranked conveyor belt. (And no, I have no idea why the big black goat has no ears)

Goats on the Roof 2

What seems to usually happen is that the big goats fight over the cone knocking all the Goat Chow to the ground where the baby goats get most of it.

And while we were there, Jan had her chance to try out a big chair too. But it just didn’t measure up.

Jan Big Chair

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I was really impressed by all the pumpkins and gourds they had here. Quite a layout and very colorful.

Hashbergers 1

hashbergers 2

hashbergers 3

hashbergers 4

hashbergers 5

hashbergers 6

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And when they say ‘Homemade Ice Cream’ here they really mean it.

Homemade Ice Cream 1

But how many places have a gasoline-powered crank freezer? This is really neat. I could have used this all those times making ice cream at my grandparent’s house.

Homemade Ice Cream 2

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As we headed back out into the country side, we came across more signs of fall.

Red Tree

We also came across this sign.

Is this some strange Ohio version of ‘Surf and Turf’?

Llama and Fish Farm

And, of course, there were more scenic vistas around every curve,

Coblentz Choc 1

including this Amish farmer plowing his field.

We were surprised to learn from Amy that this area of Ohio has the largest concentration of Amish in the country.

Amish Plowing

As the final treat of the day, Amy took us to a gas station for dinner.

Spearmans 1

And although Spearman’s in Danville really is a gas station on the outside, we didn’t have to eat out of vending machines, or any of those week-old hot dogs rolling on that grill thingie.

No, inside was a very nice restaurant with delicious food, and fantastic desserts.

Spearmans 2

And it was the perfect end to a ‘Magical’ day, to again quote Jan.

By the time we got back to the park, it was almost 8 pm, and everyone was glad to get home.

Amy really outdid herself today, showing us a great time and some beautiful scenery. It was a really special day.

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Thought for the Day:

There’s a pill for just about everything … except stupid!

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