Hey friends!  It’s been awhile.  If you follow me on facebook or instagram (please do), I have mentioned that one of our favorite quarantine activities is getting in the Jeep and taking long drives.  Our drives range from three hours to eight hours, all within the state of Ohio. For those of you concerned, we are being super careful. We pack drinks, snacks, and hand sanitizer while we explore the back roads of this state. Sometimes we find a local ice cream shop, a local coffee shop, or a local restaurant to support.  Sometimes, we find all of the above!  These are sweet finds that make each trip richer.  

This last trip we took all backroads which led us to Yellow Springs, John Bryant State Park, and Caesar’s Creek State Park. We had lunch at Young’s Jersey Dairy, a place very dear to my heart. We enjoyed burgers, cheese curds, and ice cream while sitting in the safety of our car. Speaking of safety, I was super impressed with the safety and efficiency of Young’s makeshift drive-thru. I love seeing how people and businesses are adapting to the times we are living in right now.  It’s always been important for me to support locally owned businesses so we make a point to find those as we go.   

The parks we visited were so impressive.  I remember visiting John Bryant State Park a couple times while I was in college, but I don’t remember exploring many of the trails. And there are many trails jetting off to various scenic spots from various locations in the area. I’m looking forward to going back when it’s warmer to do some hiking. If you want to go now, I suggest going on a weekday so that you encounter less people. Remember to keep your distance and wear a mask. To this point, the people I saw hiking were wearing masks and stepping off to the side to let others pass at a super safe distance. There were a couple people playing tennis and no one came around them. I saw a family playing volleyball, and again, no one else approached them.  I do know that staying in the house is the best way to avoid getting sick right now or passing that sickness on, but I also believe in the restorative power of nature. So while I’m not advocating that you go out, I personally need these drives for my own well-being.  

Our backroad travels also took us through little towns like Corwin, Clifton, Roxanna, Waynesville, Spring Valley, and Harveysburg. Our drive from Yellow Springs to Caesar’s Creek took us past horse farms, goat farms, cow farms, and llama farms– so many farms and I loved it.  I also realize that even though we live pretty close to Caesar’s Creek State Park, I’ve never been. As we cruised the country roads around and through the park, we saw so many creeks, a couple lakes, and lots of rolling hills.

Any bikers out there?  And by bikers I mean cyclists.  And by cyclists I mean people who ride bicycles for fun.  If so, take your bike on this day drive because the Little Miami Scenic Trail goes through some of the very places I’m referring to such as  Spring valley, Corwin, and Yellow Springs. 

All of our quarantine drives have just made me more excited about warmer days and no more sickness.  I’m eagerly anticipating where all of our scouting will take us.  We have so places to go back to, to explore further, and to support!

P.S.- Thanks to my friends Elyse and Korie for offering up some photos.  We were not at these locations together; I just knew these two had, on separate occasions, visited some of these sights recently.

GO THERE (take a scenic drive)!  TRY THAT (explore your state)!