May 17, 2012 - Work in Wilmington

My sister, Diane, and Don’s parents are in Ohio, so a trip North always means a stop to see family and friends who still live in the area. We arrived on Tuesday, April 24th, for a three-week stay. The Thousand Trail Preserve is in Wilmington, about 30 miles from Dayton, which really makes it nice since it is a campground we can stay in at no charge. On Wednesday we went to visit Mom and Dad and Diane, and it was wonderful to see them. Don’s sisters, Linda and Debbie, live close by and do a great job of helping out their parents. Because we...

Jul 27, 2011 - Wilmington

We took today to go into Wilmington to walk and drive around to see what's there. Being from Delaware, we were interested in how the city got its name and some of its history. The news paper in Wilmington is the News-Journal, the same as Delaware, and there is also a Wilmington College like Delaware. According to the local history most of the early settlers were from Wilmington, NC and not Delaware. Wilmington, NC and Wilmington, DE were both charted by King George II in 1739 and presumably were named after the Prime Minister, Spencer...

Jul 26, 2011 - 3 State Shuffle

Today didn't start off very well. As I was getting up from the driver seat, I banged my head on the TV which I hadn't stowed yet. It hurt, but I didn't think much of it until I felt a warm stream running down my forehead. I guess when you don't have much hair there isn't much of a cushion. A little direct pressure stopped the bleeding, but I did have a head ache for much of the morning. Our trip today took us into 3 states - West Virginia (twice), Kentucky, and Ohio (twice). Our route was along the Kanawha River and then north along the...

Jul 1, 2011 - Kings Island - ROLLERCOASTERS!

Kings Island was super-fun! The weather couldn't have been nicer and it wasn't too crowded. We hit most of the coasters, a little of the water park and walked a few miles. When I (Liesl)was there as a kid, 20something years ago, it had great rollercoasters, but none compared to what's there now. I have to say that The Beast is STILL my favorite. It is a National Rollercoaster Enthusiasts club Landmark for being the longest (7000')and fastest wooden rollercoaster in the world. We all thought it was awesome! We also checked out The...

Jun 30, 2011 - Morgan's Creek, OH

On Thursday we drove 400 miles from Avon to Morgan's Creek campground near Wilmington, OH. This is a really nice campground that is only for tenters -- no RVs allowed! On this pre-weekend night it is really quiet and peaceful. The campground is really nice. We have an amazing tree in our site that is 50 feet tall, but it is missing most of its insides due to a lightning strike a long time ago. We will post s photo of it tomorrow. The funniest sign we passed on our drive was for the "Quaker Steak & Lube!" Anyone for an oil change with their...

Jun 2, 2011 - Oodles of Fun in Ohio

On the Tuesday after Memorial Day we left South Carolina behind and headed to Ohio, spending one night outside Knoxville and one night in Berea, Kentucky before arriving at the Thousand Trails Preserve in Wilmington, Ohio on Thursday, June 2. Right away on Friday, we went to Don’s parents and did some yard work. They have lived in their home since they got married and this year celebrated 64 years together! What an inspiration! They are both in the mid-80’s and yard work and home maintenance chores are getting difficult for them to do, so...

Oct 8, 2010 - Wilmington, Ohio

Miraculously the weather improved during our journey south to Wilmington and has been fantastic since. Bright and sunny but not too hot – just great. We are in the heart of American farmland here with endless fields of newly harvested corn. The campsite is quiet and nicely spread out around 3 lakes with the autumn trees and blue skies providing a perfect backdrop.

Jul 18, 2010 - Outings in Ohio

It was Sunday, July 18 and we were finally back in Ohio. This was going to be a busy couple of weeks, but we were really looking forward to seeing family and friends. We stayed at the Thousand Trails park in Wilmington again, so I imagine we’ll also be putting some miles on the truck driving back and forth to Dayton. As we were setting up, a couple stopped to chat and it was John and Donna...we met them in 2008 out in Texas and again in 2009. They are Harley riders, so we've spent some fun time together. It would be great to have friends so...

May 19, 2009 - Wilmington, OH - Thousand Trails

We spent some more time with family while back here in Wilmington, Ohio. While here we had a couple of nature "experiences" with a beautiful fawn waiting for his mom in back of our coach and a tornado touching down just a few miles from us. This is the second tornado near us so far this spring. We also spent lots of time with our family - we attended two of our newphew Patrick's baseball games and held our annual McIntosh family picnic.

May 9, 2009 - Wilmington, OH

We arrived in Wilmington OH on Thursday afternoon. Since Wilmington is not far (25 miles) from Dayton, I planned on showing Dan the places I spent many hours during my business trips here plus hooking up with some friend and getting to play golf at the NCR Country Club. After getting much of these plans in place, Dan's mom called and her husband (George) needs to have a kidney removed. So we left Wilmington after only visiting the local walmart. I cancelled our plans and we hit the road so that we can get to the lake house and take care of...

May 7, 2009 - Wilmington, OH - Thousand Trails

We made a short stop here on our way to Delaware, Ohio and the yearly marathon of doctor appointments. Unfortunately, our dog, Pebbles, was dying from lung cancer. We had hoped to see her before she passed, but she died the evening we arrived. She was living with Jim's brother's family and very much loved by all of us. Patty, Bob and Patrick were a blessing to her. They very generously agreed to adopt her when we discovered how unhappy she would have been with our new lifestyle.

Apr 15, 2009 - Day 1

The first day of our trip was to Wilmington, Ohio, to the Thousand Trails camp ground, where we stay for three weeks in the park. We have two Shelties, Penny and Chulea, the first week we are there we have to have Penny put to sleep because she developed breathing problems. The third week we say good bye to one of my long time school buddies and head of to Virginia. On the trip, I am towing a car and golf cart on a trailer. I have never done this type of traveling before but I learn very quick that the trailer is not easy to back up with. I...