Kai and Johnny D's road trip to Ohio-Part 2
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Johnny D
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Day 6 (Monday, 07/16/18), continued.
Having completed a full day at the National Museum of the USAF, we returned to the car and started planning where we would go next. Kai surprised me by proposing that we go even further East, as we were actually ahead of our itinerary schedule. He quickly plotted a course for Cleveland, with a quick stop at Columbus.
We drove Northeast on I-70
Kai settled into a nap and put his feet up on the dashboard. As I pulled off the freeway into Columbus, we heard a "CRACK!" - Kai had pushed his feet against the windshield to help him sit up in his seat and created quite a crack in the window (there apparently had been a small ding from a pebble hitting the window a week or two earlier).
Kai was pretty worried about the crack, but I told him not to worry about it. We stopped and checked out a relatively small, but cool burial mound:
While I drove the final couple of hours to Cleveland, Kai did what any kid in my family does during a crisis: he contacted his mother.
We checked into a Super 8 in Westlake and picked up a pizza (a rare hot meal!). My wife Kristen at Central Command, provided me with local windshield repair contacts and I set about trying to get the windshield replaced. I was having no luck. Independent windshield businesses told me that I had to obtain a windshield from a Toyota dealership and the dealership told me that it would take days for the windshield to be delivered - and that the windshield alone would cost $725!!!
So, I did what any father/husband in my family does during a crisis: I pleaded with my wife to look for something in Indianapolis, the next big city that we were planning to visit...
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Tim
safelite repair...safelite
safelite repair...safelite replace
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
Windshield insurance.
Windshield insurance.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Looks like you all are having
Looks like you all are having another great road trip, Johnny!
If you have the time, the West Side Market is Cleveland's oldest indoor market and worth checking out.
Good luck with the windshield.
Bon Voyage!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
^Well, I should've called you
^Well, I should've called you guys! (I wonder how windshield insurance works and how much the deductable is - with a couple of industrial freeways near our house and the periodic window-smashing break-in, that might be a good idea).
So, my wife Kristen ended up setting an appointment with a Safelite in Indianapolis for Wednesday.
Day 7 (Tuesday 07/17/8):
We had a nice short drive in beautiful weather to Cleveland and passed the homes of the Cavs and Indians along the way.
Our destination was a WWII submarine, the USS Cod; sitting pretty on Lake Erie.
The rifled view through the 5-inch deck gun.
I have to say that this was probably the best displayed ship museum I've ever visited. Clean and seemingly unaltered, it also was full of what you would expect to see in an active submarine (canned goods crammed in all corners, hanging laundry, etc...)
MUSIC!!!
This was my favorite part.
I was tempted to check out the nearby Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but figured it would be better to wait until I had more time to savor it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: I rang a silent bell
What? You didn't visit the
What? You didn't visit the RRHOF? When I saw you were headed to Cleveland I was sure you would go there. Pigpen’s banjo and John Mayer’s Jimmy Hendrix guitars are there.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
>>>>>I wonder how windshield
>>>>>I wonder how windshield insurance works and how much the deductable is
For us, in OR, it's part of a "comprehensive" package that includes windshield, towing, vandalism, uninsured motorist, maybe something else I'm forgetting. Only costs about a hundred bucks a year, no deductible. I think number of claims per year is limited. Easy to make a claim on line and they set up the appointment - at least they did for us.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Racketinmyhead
Man, you guys are dedicated,
Man, you guys are dedicated, and get it handled. I’m still driving around with a crack for a few months. Maybe I should get it replaced!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sycamore Slough
Thanks as always, for the
Thanks as always, for the Cool Fotos.
I had a windshield occurrence last Summer, and discovered that by calling around, I found a much better cost, and on the way.
It does pay to comparison - shop for the Windshield. The Subaru Outback windshield was taken out completely by an Asteroid.
A bit under $200 bucks and they got it straightened out.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
The good news about the
The good news about the windshield situation was that it ended up being about half the price that the Toyota folks said it would be. I was thinking about not dealing with the windshield until we got home and the Safelite rep concurred that the windshield would survive the return trip; however, it was good to have a clear view of the scenery and we wouldn't want to give cops another reason to potentially pull us over. I was thinking that the price of a windshield in Indianapolis is probably much, much cheaper than the same windshield in the Bay Area.
Yeah, I have a little tinge of regret not stopping by the R&R HOF, but it's alright.
We ended up spending the rest of our day at nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which I had never heard of. If you look at a map, it's a thin, long, slightly broken up stretch of parkland, with private property here-and-there. It essentially preserves the corridor that is occupied by the historic Ohio & Erie Canal.
We stopped by an old building, the Canal Exploration Center to inquire about hiking possibilities. We were directed to another center farther south.
We followed the canal (via car) a few miles south to the Boston Store Visitor Center, where we consulted with a seasoned Ranger who provided us with a few good hiking ideas. We also enjoyed checking out the small museum, which included the remains of a very old canal boat:
Admittedly, Kai and I most wanted to visit the waterfall, which was featured on the cover of the map handout for the park: Brandywine Falls. We drove to the trailhead, where several butterflies were flitting about.
As we approached the boardwalk, Kai pointed out an indigo bunting just off the walk, very close and calm. We enjoyed its cooperation immensely, as it is a beautiful bird, which does not visit us in California.
Indigo Bunting (not our photo):
We continued on the boardwalk into the shade, following the upper lip of a steep gorge.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
We enjoyed the falls
We enjoyed the falls
Then enjoyed a nice little loop across the river and down the other side
....Then back again
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Racketinmyhead
Sweet
Sweet
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
Hey Racket!
Hey Racket!
What was really sweet was our next hike, which was the highlight of my day. The Ledges Trail is a short and easy 2.2 mile loop, which is full of cool moss-covered rocks and a few labyrinth-like passages.
We loved it so much that we took dozens of photos, so pardon me if I share too many of them.
After a short walk down a dirt road, we came to a small bluff where we could look down into some deep cracks.
We descended to the bottom of the rocks and explored a little.
Soon, we entered into the corridors that we were once looking down on.
Cool lines and textures.
We discovered ancient carvings!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
We really enjoyed taking our
We really enjoyed taking our time, exploring every nook and cranny. Sometimes, I was reminded of our caving experiences, without the tons of rock enclosing us from all sides.
I spent time taking in the changing perspectives...
This rock reminded me of some sort of reptilian head (Terrapin?)
The second half of the loop, on the other side of the hill, had fewer passages, but some nice beauty.
We returned to our car, where we checked in with Kristen via a rare bit of cell phone reception (she was still working on setting our windshield repair appt - bless her soul).
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Sounds like you have an ace
Sounds like you have an ace for you pit crew chief. Great work everybody!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Pretty hike for sure.
Pretty hike for sure.
I get claustrophobic just looking at those sub photos.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
Thanks for stopping by, Dave
Thanks for stopping by, Dave and Mark.
We ended the day by driving about 5 hours through Columbus and Cincinnati and spent the night at a Days Inn in the small town of Columbus, IN.