Hocking Hills State Park was our 3RD and final
stop on our Fall Color Trip. What a
Grand Finale to an already beautiful trip!
The campground sat sprawled on several lengths of the high ridge and
there were just 5 sites available when we arrived. Again – it was only Wednesday!
The folks to the right of us who pulled in just after we did were from
Texas and the folks on the left were from Florida! They both pulled out the following morning to continue their
separate journeys and were replaced by folks from Delaware and fun folks from
Columbus! Every day there were trailers
moving in and out!
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| Life size mural in Circleville |
H rolled his decision dice and we headed for Circleville to
revisit the 120th Anniversary of the World Famous Pumpkin Show. Each time that we have visited this festival
it has grown bigger and bigger. Now it
takes up most of the entire downtown area. The mammoth display of every variety of pumpkin and squash and gourds
took up one entire block with a Pumpkin Tree in the middle. If you look past the tree in the photo – you
can see the huge blob of pumpkin that won the 1ST prize, weighing in
at over
1500 pounds! Amusement park
rides filled up several blocks on each end of the display. Then there were the row upon row, block
after block of pumpkin donuts, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin chili and pumpkin pizza
vendors! The newscasters on TV had been
touting the deliciousness of these treats and we had to try the waffles – then
wished we had chosen a donut instead!!
Rain had also been forecast but it held off till we were on our way out
of town. After that, it rained for the
entire afternoon, that night and all the next day! On Saturday, when the deluge had finally ended, we headed for the
caves and gorges of Hocking Hills!
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| Old Mans Cave |
Hocking Hills is located on 2,356 acres and has gained an
international reputation for its impressive waterfalls, gorges, vistas,
bountiful wildlife and recreational opportunities.
There are 6 non-contiguous natural areas in this diverse park. We ”hiked” 3 of those 6 - Old Man’s Cave
named for its early 1800’s occupant, Cedar Falls which pumps the greatest water
volume of the Hocking County waterfalls, and Ash Cave, the largest recess cave
east of the Mississippi River.
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| Ceder Falls |
These old folks are worn out now! Our old legs are not used to that up and
down all those steep stairways and rocky pathways! It’s time to head home.
It’s time to prepare for this winter’s voyage. That time will come soon enough!
See you then!
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| Ash Cave |
H rolled his decision dice and we headed for Circleville to
revisit the 120th Anniversary of the World Famous Pumpkin Show. Each time that we have visited this festival
it has grown bigger and bigger. Now it
takes up most of the entire downtown area. The mammoth display of every variety of pumpkin and squash and gourds
took up one entire block with a Pumpkin Tree in the middle. If you look past the tree in the photo – you
can see the huge blob of pumpkin that won the 1ST prize, weighing in
at over
