Day 31

Today was a day of goodbyes to all our Ohio friends.  It had been so much fun seeing everyone I already knew and meeting so many new friends of Dave's past.  Our host Jennifer cooked up a bunch of pancakes which we gobbled up and got on the road to make our rounds. As we said goodbye to Pat & Mel, Dan & Rita, and Terry & Judy I became sad to leave but ready to make our big turn south toward home.  And into Kentucky!

There was a pretty long stretch of driving ahead of us but at least now I'd have Dave with me to share that or help entertain and pay some attention to the kids.  We stopped several times for a short break to release the wiggles and eat.  Brayden enjoyed driving right by the Reds and Bengals stadiums in Cincinatti. We might should start a list of all the professional areas we've driven by on this trip!  Once we left the interstate, Dave drove through the rolling hills to the campground. And of course 15 minutes from our stop Ryan fell asleep.

Set up of the campsite was exceptionally quick with Dave and the kids helping - even with bursts of play at the playground.  When checking out the campground postings I noticed there was going to be a program in about 30 minutes nearby about the Civil War.  We got the kids out of their Ohio University gear they had been wearing for two days and after a quick stop at the pond next to our site, headed down.  At the beginning of the program the ranger cautioned us about hanging out around the pond as there were rattlesnakes and copperheads.  Guess we won't be heading back there ever.

The program turned out to be a sing-a-long of songs that were popular in the 1860s, especially among the soldiers.  Most of the tunes were somewhat familiar and the kids enjoyed all the funny sounding, archaic words.  Dave even knew a song - Goober Peas.

The extra special part about having Dave with us is I have a wonderful chef to cook for us!  He grilled up some fish when we returned from the program and we had a very nice family meal.  By the time we cleaned up and packed everything away (we're in bear country again), it was time for brushing teeth and bed.  The kids are definitely enjoying the later bedtime but moreso the later wake up time.  They are going to be shocked in a few days!!