To Utopia and Back!

The sign here says something about the Appalachian Trail...and I believe it's the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. No, we're not doing that any time soon. Unless I could do it by car! We decided to take a "little" sidetrip, my hubby and I. We were due for a get-away day, and decided to see parts of Ohio we haven't seen - regardless of the fact that we've lived here over 20 years now! This was taken at one of our first stops.

My husband was kind enough to humor me a LOT on this trip. He pulled into these people's driveway so I could take a picture of their house. It just looked so pretty amidst the trees - and we both loved the window on the second floor.



So, we headed on east to Chillecothe, down to Portsmouth, driving on and on, then picked up the byway along the Ohio River. It was hard enough to get pictures out the window while on the highway - though I did, but a scenic byway...you'd THINK would have some places to pull over and take pictures!! Uh...no. So most of my pictures were taken from the car. Not bad for a moving vehicle and through the glass!


We saw some beautiful color, but were a little disappointed because I think we were about a week past the prime time for colors. However, the gorgeous contrast between the deep yellows and the light green in the above picture was fantastic!


I had to laugh, we drove through a little town named Utopia...and we both said someone had a unique idea about what Utopia should look like...granted you could see the river, but Utopia didn't seem to fit. You drove by in an instant...and sadly, it looked poverty stricken - with the exception of about 4 houses that might have considered they're little stretch of land, Utopia. Not long after that, though, I saw this little white church with the beautiful trees behind...and couldn't resist shooting a picture. I made my poor hubby turn around, drive into the Fire Department's parking lot and pick just the right location to park so I could get this picture! I'm sure some volunteer fireman looked out the window and grunted..."oh brother, another tourist!"



Well, finally! We found a spot to actually get out and look up close at the Ohio River. This bridge crosses to Kentucky. On the Ohio side, it was just a dinky little town...but the town across the way seemed to be pretty big.



Now, about now, I think my hubby was getting to the - quick, take your picture and let's go - stage. By this time it was mid-afternoon, and we were MILES from 275 that by-passes Cincinnatti...which is at least and hour and a half from home...barring traffic...more on that later.




God's creative artistry at work! The color here was beautiful. Finally, in the late afternoon, we found our way to 275 and headed north. Thankfully, 275 skirts Cinci - but did that mean we'd miss the traffic? Nada. We hit a standstill. It didn't seem like your normal, after work day traffic, though - and sure enough; there had been an accident. It was slow and nerve-wracking.

Finally, when we hit yet another traffic stall due to construction...we decided to opt for good 'ol Rte. 48. Drove through Dayton...up through Englewood...Union...ahhh. West Milton. Home!

It was fun, it was a gorgeous day, it was FURTHER than we expected...but we made it home. To be sure, we were done for the day. Next time....check the miles involved!! But now we've been to Utopia!!