Day 27 - Columbus, OH to Marietta, OH

Our Fairfield Inn in Dublin was really nice, and surprisingly quiet given it was next to the I-270 and in a busy area. We'd stay there again. This morning upon walking outside it was very humid. The skies looked a bit unsettled and showers were already coming down in the distance, so we wondered if there would be rain in our future. 

We left the hotel at 8:30am. We back-tracked on I-270 South to the south side of Columbus and picked up US 23 South. About an hour in Michele needed a quick bathroom break. When she came back out Rob said we’d likely get rain. We rode a few miles and he decided to pull over in South Bloomfield on US 23 to put our rain suits on. With our rain pants this time! Looking at the radar and the skies it appeared to be moving fast and looked like it would blow through in an hour. Given the intensity of the rain and the darkness caused by it, Rob decided to wait out the heavy rain since the trailer lights weren't working consistently. Heavy rain causes poor visibility for other drivers to see the trailer. The below radar clip shows us as the blue dot and we were heading due south on US23 into the red blobs. 

There was quite a bit of lightning and thunder all around us.

Rob set up our chairs and we waited it out under an abandoned gas station across the street from Buckeye Pawn Shop (they buy gold and sell chainsaws!) and a TJ Hortons with a non-stop line of folks getting their morning joe. Definitely not glamorous travel, but we were dry, comfortable and safe. 

We arrived there around 9:30am and left at 10:15am. The rain moved out and we had a small window to drive south and east before the next round came our way. Michele was watching this cloud with interest as it moved quickly and was changing colors. 

We ended up having light rain from 11am to 4pm today.

We rode through Amish Country and saw one horse and buggy, the horse definitely gave the Wing the side eye!

We continued on US 23 South through Circleville, and headed east through the Tar Hollow State Forest and Zaleski State Forest areas and into the Hocking Hills area. Mechele told us this area is really beautiful and we agree. It looked like there was plenty to do regarding hikes and outdoor activities and we'll have to add this to our list of places to return to. 

Rob planned our lunch stop at the Lake Hope Lodge. It was the first state park lodge built in Ohio in 1951. It burned down in 2006 due to an electrical fire and was rebuilt in 2013. Rob was worried it would be very busy on a holiday weekend for lunch (similar to how Skyline's dining rooms are always packed) but it had plenty of tables available. Perhaps the rain kept the crowds away today. Lucky us!

It was very welcoming inside, especially on this nasty weather day. We got a nice table by the window and shed our rain gear for the time being.

We shared a smoked turkey (not the one above) bacon swiss sandwich and looked outside at kayakers in the river below. We also saw the rain roll back in over the hills. Once done with lunch, we suited back up and decided to keep going since the radar showed that the rain wouldn't let up for the next hour. As we were ready to go, a kind gent stopped by to ask us about the trailer. We chatted a bit and got moving. Again, no lights on the trailer, unfortunately. We even passed a trooper and Rob said, "Don't look at us!" for fear he'd give us a ticket for no lights on the trailer. He didn't see us or didn't care.

We had a good bit of light to moderate rain for at least an hour after lunch on our 90-minute ride to Marietta. Lighting remained good so Rob wasn't worried about visibility. Michele didn't take many photos because of the rain today, but it was very scenic.

As we approached the Marietta area, the rain stopped. We arrived in Marietta and at our hotel, The Hackett Hotel, in Marietta at 3:30pm. By then we were dry so we could immediately pack up and stow our rain gear. 

Our  hotel sits above The Gallery restaurant and pub in an old building, and along the Ohio River. Our room is along a hallway of a handful of rooms above the pub and has a large common area. It's charming, has really high ceilings, and is a nice change from the chain hotels. 

Our room is named after a prominent ship builder in the area. This is his biography if you'd like to read it.

We brought our bags up the long two-story staircase (51 steps), and then quickly cleaned off the bike and put the cover on since light sprinkles started up again. The rain that we rode through earlier caught back up to us and we wanted to get the bike secured for the night.

We rested in our room for awhile and walked down for dinner at 6:30pm. We got a table outside on the patio facing the street. Rob ordered a berry bourbon cocktail and Michele ordered a Piña Colada sangria, both delicious. We shared the homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a salad. After dinner we walked to the river to look about. 

Marietta is the oldest city in the state of Ohio, established in 1788. It is the first American settlement territory north and west of the Ohio River and known for its riverboats, although we didn't see them. 

This is a love locks sculpture.

This is a war walk to honor the branches of the military.

This is a Spanish War relic.

Then we walked along Front Street and looked in the shop windows since they were closed. A restaurant had a live band just starting up and there are a lot of eateries in the area. The band is right outside our hotel window. We could very clearly hear them playing. We hope they don't play too late into the night!

We head home tomorrow. We've been traveling so long it will be a bit surreal to live in our house again!