Discovering Ohio...

It's really hard to believe that we've been up here for almost two years. We've taken a few trips around the state, but this weekend we finally ventured northeast of Columbus into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Our trip was mainly for Dylan... each Memorial Day weekend, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway hosts a visit by Thomas the Tank Engine, and for Dylan, there couldn't be anything more exciting than a ride on a real train (especially Thomas). Since Canton is so close, we decided to pair the train ride with a trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We had a wonderful, but very quick, trip.

This picture was taken from our hotel in Cuyahoga Falls. The Cuyahoga River runs just below the hotel, and it was quite a view from the suite.




This is another view of the Cuyahoga River from the hotel.









Dylan waited for his train ride very eagerly and, for the most part, very patiently... he made sure he brought his own Thomas the Tank Engine blanket and pillow to sleep with at the hotel, and after enjoying dinner at Swenson's, a local drive-in diner, and a late night swim in the hotel pool (well, late night for him at least!), he nestled down with dreams of riding the rails the next day with Thomas!

Now, this is a bonus picture of Brooklyn. I couldn't resist including it because she had such a cute expression on her face. This was her first official road trip, and she proved herself to be a great traveler. Despite the heat and not-so-ideal conditions for a tiny one, she hung in there with us and complained very little.

The first stop on the trip was the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The exhibits are very well done, and I have to say that I learned a great deal about the history of the sport... like Columbus once had a team and there once was a team called the Brooklyn Dodgers. I also saw Refrigerator Perry's Super Bowl ring, and I'm pretty sure it could have fit on Brooklyn's arm --- it was a size 23 (or something really big like that)!

Now, Day Out With Thomas was the real highlight of the trip. We went to the Boston Mills station of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway along with what seemed like thousands of other toddlers and their families, and Dylan and Brian boarded the train. They rode the train for about half an hour before returning to the station.

Dylan is on board the train in this photo... holding out his ticket!




Following the train ride, Dylan posed for a picture with the train's engineer and brakeman.

He also visited with Sir Topham Hatt, Chairman of the Railway on Sodor Island. All week he talked about giving Sir Topham Hatt a high five, and when his turn came, he did just that!

On our way back home we drove through some of Ohio's Amish Country, and we saw some interesting sights like... a group of Amish ordering from a drive-in diner on foot... and an Amish woman with her horse and buggy parked at a gas station! We also stopped at Lehman's, a hardware store (of sorts) that carries all kinds of household goods designed for the "simple life." They have lots of old-fashioned and non-electric appliances and a kitchen and houseware section that made me want to linger all day. It's definitely a place I'm going back too... as is this entire region of Ohio! I think this trip is only first of many that we'll take in this area!

And a great big THANK YOU to our neighbors, Joe & Judi, who took care of Riley while we were gone. They have been two of God's greatest blessings to us since moving to Ohio!!