Travel writing is one of my niches, and when I'm writing about something not exactly travel oriented, my tendency is to look for a travel angle. Currently, I'm working on a story on rare and native plants in Ohio which has led me on a little journey to southern Ohio. Here are some facts I've learned about, again, through the Ohio Division of Natural Resources (ODNR). (If you don't know this already, this is a stellar group of people passionate about Ohio's natural glory-and there's a lot in Ohio to be passionate about).

The facts:

Adams County is the one with the biggest diversity of natural plant life in the entire state. Lucas County is a close second. In Adams County, between the two state parks, Shawnee and Adams Lake, plus five state preserves: Adams Lake Prairie, Chaparral Prairie, Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve, Johnson Ridge State Nature Preserve and Whipple (Robert A.) State Nature Preserve, PLUS the two state forests, Shawnee and Brush Creek, there are plenty of places to go wandering to see what plants you can find. I've been to Shawnee State Park and stayed at the group campground. Excellent. The nature center there has award winning naturalist , Jenny Richards who is delighted to tell folks about the area and organizes events through the center.

While I was talking with the folks at ODNR I also found out that besides overseeing our state's land, the division also partners with private preserves. Here's one that popped out as a don't miss. The Highlands Nature Sanctuary is located in what is called the Arc of Appalachia that includes a five county range in the Appalachians of Ohio. You do need a permit before you go hiking, and the permit needs to be applied for at least a week ahead of when you are planning to go. The sanctuary won't make exceptions so don't think you can show up and beg. You can get the permit from the website.

If you really want to apply ahead, think about going to the Highlands Nature Sanctuary-boasting 88 gorgeous acres with at least 43 rare plants- for the 2nd Annual Wildflower Pilgrimage, April 20-22. There's information about this event plus others on the sanctuary's website as well. The above photo is from the sanctuary, and they kindly agreed to let me use it. One more thing. On the Highlands website, you can sign up for their free e-magazine. This place is an Ohio gem.

Karen Wynn Fonstad, author of The Atlas of Middle-Earth, has created a wonderful web page on which she breaks down, day by day, the first leg of Frodo's journey in Lord of the Rings, from Hobbiton to Rivendell. To get a better perspective on his journey, I've overlaid these distances on a walk across Ohio.

I started in the hills north of Oxford, because the terrain seems perfect for hobbit holes. Zoar Village stands in for Rivendell, for convenience, not appearance. After all, what could stand in for Rivendell?

To make sense of this, you'll need an Ohio map and access to Fonstad's web page, along with a working knowledge of LOTR.

Start:
Assumptions: I multiplied as-the-crow-flies mileage x .7 to compensate for foot travel.

• Day 1- 18 miles
• Fairhaven to woods near Gratis (Preble Co.)
• Day 2- 28 miles
• Near Colonial Vineyards, Ridgeville
• Day 3- 27 miles
• Ridgeville to King's Mill
• (Cross Little Miami River, think of Buckleberry Ferry)
• Day 4- 25 miles
• King's Mill to Marathon
• Day 5- Rest day
• Day 6- 17 miles
• Marathon to Bethel

Sometimes travel writers don't actually go to the places they write about, unless of course, one needs to go for an indepth look. Often articles are just a round-up of ideas, thus an actual see-it-for-yourself is not necessary. For example, several years ago I was writing a piece on the best fall foliage pieces in Ohio. The due date was in August. The research was done in July. With good research though, you find the people who actually know the places and write in a way that entices others to go there. In my case I called places like the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to see what they would suggest. Such was the case when Conkle's Hollow was included in my article round-up. Since then, I have been there which qualifies it as a place I feel confident about naming as one of Ohio's natural wonders.

Conkle's Hollow, named for the man who carved his name, W. J. Conkle and the date 1797 in the sandstone rock on the west side of the gorge is a hiker's gem that I think might get overlooked by the close by Old Man's Cave which seems to get more press. Both are in Hocking Hills. Conkle's Hollow is a state nature preserve with well-marked trails. One of them takes you around the top of the hollow. Think gorge. Since my travel piece enticed me to go there myself, I did one of the hikes. At the time our daughter was 5. If you go hiking, be careful about the trail you choose. The one that is around the top (not the one we went on) is dangerous in spots because of the sheer drop-offs.

Some features about Conkle's Hollow that made me think of it as one of Ohio's Natural Wonders.

• It's considered one of the deepest gorges in Ohio. The vertical cliffs are more than 200 feet.
• The foliage runs the gamut from wildflowers to hardwoods that are protected due to the state preserve status
• There is a legend that settlers found a petroglyph made by Indians on a gorge wall to hide the location of buried treasure. This really isn't a natural wonder element, but it makes for a cool story.

If you've gone to Old Man's Cave, Conkle's Hollow is past there. It is easy to find and worth the trip. You could actually take in both places in the same day. Even if you don't hike one of Conkle Hollow's trails you can get a good view of the gorge from the bottom. The hiking is year-round.

You can download a brochure of Conkle's Hollow from the ODNR website.

I just had no idea! I was literally just at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and I even visited the polar bears (what, it was really cold out, and I especially like to visit the polar bears on those kind of days, because then it's like I'm seeing them in their natural habitat).

Little One, the only male polar bear in residence in Cleveland, is being loaned to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden for at least two years. And why? Breeding! Yes! We are desperate for more young polar bears in Cleveland, apparently, and we certainly couldn't mate Little One to his sisters here in Cleveland. It's actually even bigger than that, because polar bears are being considered for the threatened species list. I shouldn't mock too much - I would be really saddened to see the polar bears go. But I am seriously surprised - I feel like I should run back over to the zoo and figure out if there's anything else there that I missed. Are they shipping out the tigers? The rhino? Anything?

I have to admit that "severe weather" warnings seem to be getting more common, along with warnings of "don't go out if you don't have to." I don't think it's because we have more bad weather than ever before. It's just because we hear about it a lot more in this day of instant information. If you'd like to see just how bad Ohio weather can get, and you don't scare easily, there's a good website Ohio History called Severe Weather in Ohio. It might make you a little less ready to run for the basement, thinking the latest storm isn't all that big a deal, or it might make you take the next plane out in terror. i wouldn't recommend that course, though. You can't run from Mother Nature.

The site was developed with information from a book called Thunder in the Heartland: A Chronicle of Outstanding Weather Events in Ohio, by Dr. Thomas Schmidlin and Jeanne Appelhaus Schmidlin. Brief accounts of twenty-five events are presented, with photographs and, in some cases, videos. Whoever designed the site did an excellent job. There's a weather glossary and a good page of links. If you go to Weather for You, you'll find out that, on any given day, there was a time when the weather was a lot worse. Maybe it will make shoveling the snow a little easier. Want a forecast? Just go to the National Weather Service. It's a lot faster than waiting for the news.

The site deals with tornadoes, floods, heat waves, and some mysterious eight-foot waves that hit Cleveland. Toledoans remember the day in, 1992, when twenty-eight tornadoes passed through Northwest Ohio, a record that I'm glad I missed. There is an event on the list that I remember well, even though I survived it in the next state over. January of 1977 is a month I'll never forget. The blisters on my hands from shoveling snow ten times a day for a whole month lasted till spring. I never want to see twenty-five below on a thermometer again! After that shock, it takes a lot to impress me.

And when you think about it, isn't that one of the biggest ones? We don't have a lot of mountains, we have no enormous canyons, we have no volcanoes - I'm thinking that we do however have quite a few really amazing bodies of water, like Lake Erie!

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (and frankly, they're great for giving good information), Lake Erie is a fairly recent phenomenon, less than 4,000 years old. It was formed by glacial deposits (which is one of the reasons it's one of the smallest Great Lakes; by the time the glaciers got this far south, they were pretty thin and didn't have a lot of gouging power). Various natural and geological aspects of northern Ohio caused by Lake Erie include the Black Swamp region (up by Toledo), beach ridges (the dunes!), a score of other lakes and rivers, and a lot of the soil makeup of northern Ohio. It's also part of the Great Lakes, and a part of the Erie Canal and larger waterways that allowed trading to go from the Midwest to the East and Canada! You might also want to check the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio organization, which gives a lot of good information about the lake.

Although there's lots of man-made efforts currently going to keep Lake Erie contained, it was one of the first natural-made wonders of Ohio, and was the cause of a lot of others!

photo credit: katherine galo

My first choice for one of Ohio's natural wonders would have to be the Oak Openings region of Northwest Ohio. I'm not alone in that choice. The Nature Conservancy calls this distinctive ecosystem left by glacial Lake Warren, "one of America's last great places".

The oak openings are formed by a layer of sandy soil on a clay base. This blend of sand dunes, stands of trees, and grassland provides a home to a wide variety of wildflowers and native plants. It also shelters wildlife, such as the badger, the lark sparrow, and the Karner blue butterfly. The oak openings cover about 130 square miles of Lucas, Henry, and Fulton Counties, down from their original 300. Development is further shrinking this stretch of oak savanna and wet prairie habitats. Efforts are under way by a variety of public and governmental agencies, including the Green Ribbon Initiative, to lessen the impact of progress and preserve this globally significant resource.

Walking through any of the preserves or recreated oak openings habitats is like nothing I've ever seen. An area like that surrounding the Owens-Corning complex, in Toledo, gives some idea of what this part of Ohio must have been like when the first settlers arrived. That's where the picture was taken. You can imagine what it would be like to walk through those tall grasses without a ready-made path.

We're fortunate to have several parks and preserves to visit for a taste of this unique ecosystem and to learn about Northwest Ohio, as nature made it. The oak openings are one of the wonders, not only of Ohio, but of the United States.

What other natural formation in Ohio is more grand than the Ohio River itself? Approximately 981 miles long, it is the largest tributary of the Mississippi River.

The Ohio River was an essential source of life for the many Native American tribes that lived along it, and later became one of the main transport routes for pioneers traveling west from Pennsylvania in the early years of America's expansion. During the eighteenth century, it was considered the boundary for the Northwest Territory, and due to this was the borderline between freedom and slave territories. The river flows along or through six states, and its watershed is comprised by fourteen states.

It's grandeur and beauty is so powerful that it's captured the imaginations of a number of writers and poets, including the Zane Gray "Ohio River Valley" trilogy.

When I threw it out to my writing group, "So, who here is a blogger?" Carol Nowlin didn't hesitate. Her blog, "carol's blog-o-rama" is proof she's a blogger with a brain--and a fine writer besides. Unlike most folks I know, Carol lives in Plain City. With her roots in smaller town Ohio she has an off -the-beaten-track take on things to do. If you're passing through her part of Ohio some day, slow down and look for the landmarks she mentions--and definitely plan on a meal and picking up some baked goods for the trip home.

1) You and your town: a marriage of love, convenience, or necessity? Me and Plain City. I'd say it's a marriage of necessity, since I moved (back) here to rent and mooch off my parents for a while. I'm growing to love it too, though, but mostly in secret. I love the weathered brick buildings of uptown, and the plain-talking locals who wouldn't know how to put on airs even if they wanted to. I love the clock tower, and the new coffee shop, and the quiet, leafy homes on Chillicothe Street.

2) A mysterious benefactor gives you $75, with the condition that you must do nothing productive. Where in town do you go, and what do you do? Spending seventy-five dollars in Plain City would take a while. First thing in the morning, I would stop at Der Dutchman to fuel up on the breakfast buffet, being sure to get there early for fried mush, home fries, bacon, and long john donuts. With tax and tip, that would be about ten bucks. Then I would head next door to the Plain City Lanes for a couple games of bowling, using the bumper lanes of course, because I stink at bowling. That would be another ten bucks. Then I guess I'd saunter over to the Country Closet, an MCC Thrift Shop, and pick up a lemonade pitcher or denim skirt. Five bucks. Then I'd hope in my car and head a couple miles out of town to pick up provisions at Yutzy's Farm Market. They've got bulk foods, fresh produce, and best of all, deli meats and cheeses that are cheap, cheap, cheap. If I tried really hard, I could spend twenty bucks. I'd take my booty to Pastime Park and enjoy a late picnic lunch, and then head over to the Pioneer Coffee Company to wash it all down with some fair trade coffee ($1.45). If it was the second or fourth Friday of the month, I'd finish my day by heading over to the Plain City Auction to spend my remaining twenty-odd dollars. People from near and far crowd into this red-brick building on Main Street to munch popcorn and bid on everything from retro sectionals to old farming journals.

3) You are your town's tour guide, on a tight schedule. What is the one place you show visitors? Okay. Two places. For better or worse, Der Dutchman is our town's biggest attraction. So I would have to head over for a meal in the buggy, knick-knack browsing in the Gift Barn, and consumption of some oversized pastries from the bakery. In the summertime, Ralph Miller offers free carriage rides to people waiting for a table. For other places, see my packed itinerary above.

4) The mysterious benefactor is back, this time with $500, three days off, and the condition that you must not leave the state. What's your plan? Sans kids, I would definitely head to Cleveland for a long weekend of shopping, sightseeing, and good eats. I'd buy some greasy olives and stinky cheese at the Westside Market and then visit Coventry, where I'd enjoy primo veggie fare at Tommy's. After Tommy's I'd do some shopping at the eclectic stores and take a few rides down the giant slide at the nearby neighborhood park. Then I'd head south for a long ramble on the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Of course, I'd have to dedicate an afternoon to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and also spend some time hanging out at the Lake Erie shore. Okay, so since I can't quite imagine three days sans kids, I'm running out of ideas. I'd probably work in some naps. And I'd cap my visit with a trip to Little Italy for some vino and pasta with sidewalk views. After dinner I'd sip a cappuccino with my pinky sticking out and browse some of the local art galleries and shops.

5) You're an Ohioan. What about that makes you proudest? The flip side of pride is shame; go there too if you want. The idea of state pride is a little weird to me. I guess you are who you are, and there's not much point in being proud, or for that matter, ashamed of it. However, we as Midwesterners tend to wallow in a bit of local embarrassment. Shucks, it ain't New York, and we know it, but who died and made New Yorkers the only arbiters of cool? I hereby renounce Ohio-shame. We helped decide the last election (which, depending on your leanings, is a source of pride or shame), and we have a great sense of particularity, of history, and by golly, we've got more Amish folks than any other state.

According to the Arbor Day organization, which created the well-known Hardiness Zone Map for trees that divides the country into ten climate zones, the changes in our climate are shifting the areas in which weather-sensitive plants thrive.

In 1990, most of Ohio north of US 70 was in their zone five. Now, they have redrawn their map such that the entire state (and the lower half of Michigan) is in the more temperate zone six.

The transition does not move our climate over a tipping point at which some varieties of our common trees are threatened, but it does move us closer to the day when heat-intolerant species could fail. I'd suggest, if you're looking to plant a 100-year tree, picking one that can deal with a warming atmosphere. Perhaps the Al Gore Oak. (Joke)

I'm sure you've all been reading along with David Beckham's change to the LA Galaxy from Real Madrid. No? I'm quite shocked. I thought most young women, I mean young men, would be excited at this revitalization of professional soccer. The man's got a five-year deal that could end up being well over $50 million! Major league soccer in the US is hoping to be revved up with all of this attention, and Cleveland is going to benefit!

Yes, we are. Cleveland and Twinsburg are the new homes of the Cleveland City Stars, a member of the United Soccer League and owned by the Cleveland Soccer Foundation. We can expect to see them play other pro soccer teams from Baltimore, Maryland; Cincinnati; the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts; the country of Bermuda, and Charlotte, North Carolina! Big doings. I myself am really excited at this, both because I love soccer and because the team will be holding their home matches at Cleveland State University's Krenzler Field, and that is so close to me! I think this is going to be tons of fun.

The other day I stumbled on a website offering a chance to vote for the New Seven Wonders of the World. I put my two cents worth in, of course, but I can't say I was all that impressed with the nominations. My first thought was of an Ohio landmark that's just as important and interesting as some of the ones offered.

One thing led to another and we've to start our list of the ( Drum roll, please! ) Seven Wonders of Ohio. In a state with so much to offer, this should be both interesting and easy.

My nomination, today, is a site of international importance that can hold its own with any world-class prehistoric site you can name. It's the Great Serpent Mound, in Adams County. It's hard to argue that a mound in the shape of a snake, almost a quarter mile long, isn't impressive. It's probably the biggest effigy mound and the biggest representation of a serpent in the world.

The Great Serpent Mound, now a state memorial, is believed to have been built by the Fort Ancient Culture, a Native America society that lived in parts of Ohio and Kentucky, between the years 1000 and 1650. Carbon dating tests on charcoal found at the site yielded a date of about AD 1070. The question of why the mound was built remains a mystery. There is no evidence of burials in the mound itself. The head, however, does appear to be aligned to the summer solstice sunrise. This offers the possibility of some astronomical significance.

Our list of the Seven Wonders of Ohio is now off and running. Let's see what my intrepid colleagues have to add.

Lanterman's Mill in Youngstown's Millcreek Park is one of the most gorgeous spots we have in Ohio. The first mill was built in 1799, and was replaced by a second one in 1823. The mill you see now was constructed between 1845-1846.

Visitors to Toledo just can't help noticing the bridge over Swan Creek in front of the headquarters of Owens Corning. It's just unusual enough to be an effective approach to a very unconventional building. The bright blue color goes pretty well with the black and red of the headquarters, too.

Looks sort of lopsided, doesn't it? There's a reason for that. The bridge was meant to open and close. Now, moving a bridge is no easy task. But that strange curve you see at the left made it a lot easier. This is called a rolling lift bridge. That left end is balanced on steel rollers. There used to be big concrete weights attached over there that could be raised and lowered. When that happened, the whole superstructure of the bridge went up and down, too. It was so well balanced on those rollers that there was hardly any friction and the whole thing moved like a charm. It sort of worked like a see-saw. A rolling lift bridge is a kind of bascule bridge, that means see-saw or balance in French. A man from Chicago named William Scherzer came up with the idea back in 1895. The railroads were so impressed with the way the idea worked that soon these contraptions were being used as railroad bridges all over the Northeast. I understand there were some in Cleveland.

According to one of my favorite sources, the Discover Downtown Toledo Walking Tour book published by the UT Urban Affairs Center and the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, Toledo's bridge was built in 1920 and was in working order until 1947. It hasn't been raised since then. Working order or not, it's still a nice place to stand and watch the ducks swimming on Swan Creek.

Update 1/10/06: Space Weather News today announced that Comet McNaught has continued to brighten and is now the brightest comet in 30 years.
For Ohioans, this evening will be the best time to see the comet. It will appear low on the western horizon shortly after the sun sets, and should be visible without binoculars. With them, it is said to be a fantastic sight.


Original post of 1/8/07

Comet McNaught is streaking toward the sun, and for the next few nights can be seen with binoculars at sunrise and sunset from Ohio. To locate the comet, look for Venus in the western sky at sunset. McNaught should be to the right. Observers report clearly seeing the tail.

Venus will be the slightly green object brighter than the stars sharing this portion of the sky.

A gallery of photos of the comet is online here.

A star chart and aid to locating the comet can be found here.

To take a photo of the comet, start with a one-second exposure with your lens wide open. Use a tripod or rest the camera securely (a bag of beans makes a good stable platform) and use your timed shutter release feature to keep from shaking the camera. Bracket your shots by trying various times.

The comet will pass close to the sun on Jan. 13th. After the 12th, it will no longer be visible from Earth with the naked eye.