June 8, 2024 @ 21:30 MDT
We were relaxing in the hotel in Orem, Utah, after a morning at Dinosaur National Monument when my phone rang. It was a call from my daughter’s mother (my ex-, though we are still on good terms). She told us that my daughter’s grandmother had just passed away.
We cancelled all of our remaining hotel reservations except for the next day as it was too late to do so. Thus, we would visit the two planned sites for June 9, spend the night in Hagerman, Idaho, as planned, then head east. It’s took three long days of driving across Interstates 80 and 74 to cover the almost 2,000 miles, but we made it to Bethel, Ohio, where the funeral will be, on June 12.
With several days between our arrival and the funeral, and not much for the two of us to do, my daughter and I decided to take in a few Ohio park sites.
The current plan is to visit Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (which I have seen on my very first trip but my daughter – an anthropology major – has not) and Serpent Mound State Site on one day. Another day will be spent visiting Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, both near Dayton and about 90 minutes from where we are staying. The final trip is a bit ambitious as we head to northeastern Ohio for First Ladies National Historic Site, James A Garfield National Historic Site, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park on one day. The next morning, we would head to Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial and River Raisin National Battlefield Park.
That’s the current plan. It would finish all Ohio sites, so I will be rearranging my future groups when I get home. We’ll see how it goes.
Steve
