This place kicked off our first day of adventures, and oh what a start it was! We left home at about 6:30 am and managed to only hit traffic twice along the way. Overall the weather was perfect for a long drive along the countryside. We spotted cows and horses every few hours and we kept mooing like idiots in the car just for the hell of it.
Music kept our attention focused as the highway melted into one continuous slithering road. In Pennsylvania we passed through four different mountains, driving through long tunnels that were once filled with bedrock. Truly amazing advances in human abilities to shape the earth to their will, though that ability has caused a lot of damage too, and might outweigh some of the great accomplishments.
We noticed a lot of run-down barns and storage houses in the landscapes. They felt like little time capsules left forgotten by the modern world. There was something haunting about the paint peeling and the wooden boards missing from their frames.
We didn’t reach Hocking Hills State Park until 5:45 pm. Our legs were jellied before we even hit the trail. After being in the car for almost 10 hours. During that time we had already cut through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and part of Ohio. Hocking Hills State Park sits under Columbus, OH on the map.
Once we parked, just smelling the fresh air mixed with the excitement of finally reaching our destination gave us the burst of energy needed to jump right into the action. Video camera in one hand, and phone in the other, we found the entrance to the trail and began to explore.
Right away the beauty of the trees took our breath away. There were cliffs immediately, making us take a step back to regain ourselves before approaching the edge for a proper look. Phenomenal. No amount of film or angle in photos can truly grasp the grandeur of these cliffs. We tried to use ourselves as a comparison but then upon inspection, we didn't feel it was nearly enough.
As we investigated our surroundings, we went deeper into the forest, following the side of the rocks, until we finally encountered the entrance to the cavernous caves. Their interesting textures and surprisingly smooth surface was etched into the bedrock over centuries, if not millennia, of water slowly dripping through them.
Rouge pigeons had made this cave their home and their constant calls echoed like purrs off the stone walls. There were multiple openings in the rock that framed breathtaking views of the surrounding forest. There were letters and words etched into the bedrock and they looked like names of people that had passed through Rock House before us.
One lady that was visiting at the same time as us, told us that she heard that bandits used to live in that cave back in the day. Without more to go by, it is easy to let your imagination go wild. I could easily picture what it would be like to use the safety of the natural cave as a hideout. The thick forest surrounding it, keeping it hidden from outsiders.
Once we chose to move on, we completed the trail, crossing a wooden bridge towards the end. Seeing the end of the trail was bittersweet, but honestly, we didn't want to overdo it on our first day. We didn't have a cellphone signal for a long time, and with the help of a local, we managed to find our way to the nearest town with motels. 15 miles without GPS makes you appreciate the olden times when you had to read maps and ask questions to reach your destination.
With a roof and shower available, this brings an end to our first day on this adventurous road trip! Stay tuned!
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