Ohio & Kentucky

Sunday (4/19) we were in Akron, OH.  We went to see Stan Hywet Hall (see inset picture), the home of F.A. Seiberling, one of the founders of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.  It is a 65 room "home."  The thing is - it really felt like a home and not mansion.  It was a home that welcomed many people and the Seiberlings did not lock the gates to the grounds.   That way, anyone could enjoy the grounds.

From there we went to Canton, OH to see the McKinley Monument, Museum and Presidential Library.  We only toured the monument as it was too late in the afternoon to see the museum and library.  To see the monument you have to climb 96 steps.  It was very impressive.

We then drove to Walton, KY which is just south of Cincinnati, OH.   We camped there for two nights.  It rained most of the 5 hour trip and stopped just long enough for us to set up the screen room and the T@B upon arrival.  We encountered a couple of T@B related problems that we were able to resolve relatively easy - not the way we wanted the beginning of our trip to be.

Monday (4/20)  We slept late as it was raining and we were a bit tired.  We had lunch at the Camp Washington restaurant.   They are know for their 5-way chili which is spaghetti with meat, beans, onion and cheese on top.  It was very good.

Because is was still raining, we decided to go to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal.  It is an old art deco train station that has three museums and an IMAX.  It was a very cool building with a great history museum the only one of the three museums we got to see.  The building is located on the same site where the Cincinnati Red Legs, the first professional baseball team, played their games.

In the evening, we Skyped our families - what a great way to stay in touch.  The ability to actually see your family is priceless.

Tuesday (4/21)  Rain again all night but had stopped in the morning.   We packed up everything WET!!!  What fun!!!!  Drove to Lexington, KY to visit Henry Clay's home, Ashland.  Henry Clay was very politically active in the early 1800's and was Abraham Lincoln's mentor.  A beautiful home that five generations of the Clay family lived in.  The most recent being in the Victorian period, so that is the decor that was reflected in the home.  Then we crossed town to go to Mary Todd Lincoln's family home.  It was not a very big home, but a brick home that at the time would have been considered to be very impressive.  Lexington appears to be a nice city with many charming older homes.

Late afternoon, we drove to Frankfort, KY, the state capital.   Drove around the capitol building as it was too late to go in.   We will spend tomorrow seeing attractions in the Frankfort area.