Where does this road go ? What's down there ? A flowing creek, a natural spring, an abandoned cabin, old barn, abandoned house ? We were wandering aimlessly and found this road. It turned out to be a great find. We followed the road, spent a quiet, peaceful hour here eating our lunch. The smell of dirt roads and wood smoke... it's beautiful place.
Road Trip Food
I have seen
several posts recently about road trip food. I thought I would write a post
about what we eat when on the road… maybe a list of things to take like
carrots, celery, protein bars, sandwiches etc. This is personal preference. There’s just not a lot to say about food on the road without
rambling about the obvious. You can prepare something at home to take with you
or eat at restaurants. It might be tempting to take a highway exit and visit the cluster of
franchise restaurants that are present at almost every exit. But settling for
heavily processed fast food can mean missing out on some really good local
food. We have our favorite places to eat in certain areas. These are special
places, locally owned mom & pop restaurants that serve down home good food.
One place makes great open face roast beef sandwiches and mashed potatoes with brown beef gravy poured over everything. If we’re in the
area we always take time to eat there. For a one tank trip, we don’t need a lot of
food. It is important to have a cooler with plenty of
water. We avoid sweet snacks or any form of sugar. Sugar gives you energy for a
short time but soon leaves you feeling tired. We usually have homemade beef
jerky and always have a bag of mixed nuts in the car. That’s often all we need
for a day trip. For a longer trip, raw vegetables, cheese, boiled eggs
and grapes are perfect.
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| Goodale Park |
I occasionally share recipes… Here’s something
from a Columbus deli.
It’s the Good Ole Goodale, named after the iconic Goodale Park in the heart of
the Short North, the Good Ole Goodale is the most popular sandwich at the Short
North Bagel Deli. In the heart of Ohio’s capital city, Goodale Park is a haven
of green space in the midst of urban living. The picturesque park is one of the
first city parks in the United States, and its history dates back to the
mid-19th century. Goodale Park covers nearly 30 acres, and its central location
makes it easy to get to from anywhere in Columbus. The park is bordered by
North High Street, West Goodale Street, Park Street, and Buttles Avenue.
Block’s Bagel
Block’s homemade cream cheese
Thinly sliced Brickman’s Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast
Thick, hand-sliced piece Colby Jack cheese
1 Hass avocado, freshly mashed
Honey mustard dressing, to taste
Iceberg lettuce, chopped
Add a generous schmear of Block’s homemade cream cheese, followed by a pile of
thinly sliced Brickman’s oven roasted Turkey Breast and a thick, hand-sliced
piece of Colby Jack cheese.
Put all that in the steamer and let it work its magic. Once the bagel is super
soft, the meat is nice and hot and the cheese is ooey gooey, take
the top half of the bagel out of the steamer and add a hearty layer of freshly
mashed Hass avocado, drench it with some tangy honey
mustard dressing and throw on a handful of chopped iceberg lettuce.
A Working Blacksmith Shop - A blacksmith is a craftsman who fabricates objects out of iron by hot and cold forging on an anvil. Blacksmiths who specialized in the forging of shoes for horses were called farriers. Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, grilles, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items and cooking utensils. There are about 57 blacksmiths in Ohio. Some operate as instructors, some give demonstrations and some are working blacksmiths who do custom work and produce items for sale.
We were feeling rather touristy one morning in late fall and decided to take a day trip. We ended up in one of our favorite places. It’s very quiet and peaceful here and the view is beautiful. A photo can’t capture the true beauty, smells, atmosphere and emotion of a place. When you look at photos of places you’ve visited, you’re brought back into the moment.
It is not on any map, true places never are.
Southeastern Ohio
Small local restaurants serve home baked pies. There are many covered bridges in the area and many homes have traditional carved wood furniture.
You can spend many hours discovering the Appalachian lifestyle, while wandering the back roads in the southeastern corner of Ohio.
There are some places in the region where time seems to have stood still. There are quaint historic towns with original downtown neighborhoods and Victorian homes.
Scenic byways connect these places, passing through hollows, and over rolling hills. Wandering in these out of the way places let’s you get away from cell phones and computers and explore pieces of the past. It's a different kind of vacation, but one we love, away from the hustle and bustle.