Hitched and Rolling

Cambridge, OH to Columbus, OH

Yesterday started outside of Patches’ house with some fetch with Duker Doggins. The space wasn’t enough for the full throw, but it was enough to get the job done. I went into Patches’ house to use the bathroom (the bathroom in the van is emergency-only) and then we hit the road. 

First stop was Walmart where I set up the Starlink and caught up on some emails while Woo went shopping for some van-inspired ornaments – a mini cutting board, a small handheld vacuum, a pair of soft indoor foot mats for bare feet on the van floor, and a chew toy for Duke. 

Compared to our last major adventure’s accommodations, the van is luxurious in a way that we really appreciate. When she got back, Bre used the stove to warm up some bagels that my mom had included with our departing care package, and we enjoyed those while I proudly demonstrated the Starlink’s abilities. 

Our destination for the day was my friend Alex Franco’s house which was just a couple hours away in Columbus, Ohio. Because the day was so short, we decided to take a detour to Hocking Hills State Park. Hocking Hills is famous for its autumnal beauty so we drove the 2ish hours to go see it. 

The park did not disappoint. True to its name, hocking hills is slightly mountainous, and reminded me vividly of the rolling hills of Vermont or the Blue Ridge area. There was a beautiful stone staircase that led up to a covered picnic area. This part of south eastern Ohio is distinctly Appalachian in form. 

Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative. It was POURING. Because of this, we decided to have a “recharge” day in the van. We were the only vehicle parked in the large, leafy, wet parking lot and we were very cozy in our new home. After having been through the wedding and then packed up and departed on Monday, we hadn’t really had a chance to catch our breath. We spent the afternoon talking, writing cards, reading the guest book, and napping. 

We had talked about meeting Alex and his wife Lauren around dinner time, so around 4 we pulled out of the state park to continue our meandering pilgrimage. After a quick stop for some eggs at an Amish market, we were on our way to Columbus. 

We arrived right on time and went into to say hi to the newly married Francos. Duke played with Nina, their chocolate lab, and we headed out to dinner where we met Alex’s brother Nicky and his friend Jimmy for wings. 

Nicky, Jimmy, and Alex had come to visit Bre and me on the AT in 2020, so it was fun to get to have dinner and catch up. I enjoyed hearing about their fantasy football league which has trade rules that make it more resemble the social and political aspects of Survivor than anything in the football world. Because any player can be traded, and the league “punishment” is so severe (a couple years back the loser had to go to Mexico to obtain a jar of dirt), no one cares about winning and instead people just focus on not loosing. The result is that whoever has done well enough to secure a top spot can trade away all their good players, and those at risk of being in last have to do whatever it takes to be on the favorable side of trades from those at the top. All this to say that Nicky is very pleased to be at the top of this corruption-is-a-fun-part-of-it fantasy football league. 

After a big dinner at a local wing spot we headed back to Alex’s where we said our good nights and retired to our mobile palace. A wonderful and relaxing day on Hitched and rolling.