My Week that Was - October 11

Keepsakes, Sharonville, OH. 10/3/2026 dwm

 The first day of this week was Friday, October 3 as we started our vacation. The destination was Ohio, and we wanted to get there that day.

 To make up the loss of an hour when we crossed from Central to Eastern Daylight Savings Time, we left early. 

 Topping the list of places my wife wanted to see was a small shop outside Cincinnati, a cross-stitch shop called Keepsakes.

 My wife loves cross-stitching and a You Tube show that originates from the shop. The director of shipping and her mom talk cross-stitching each week and my wife doesn't miss it. 

The Jediah Hill bridge.10/3/26 dwm

We made it across Illinois and Indiana and to the store around 3:30 EST, 90-minutes before it closed. My wife met the show's co-host and took a picture with her, then looked over the cozy shop, and bought supplies. It's nice when there is a highlight on the first day of a trip.

After the shop, we drove a few miles to see the first bridge of the trip, the Jediah Hill covered bridge, which is still used to cross an old mill stream, but is now surrounded by people.

Friday evening we ate at one of our favorite places. McAlister's Deli was a go-to for lunch or dinner while we lived in Indiana but since moving to Wisconsin, we rarely see one unless we're on the road. 

Cincinnati. 10/3/2026

 I enjoyed the McAlister's Club. It was quite good with a nice balance of flavors in four triangle-shaped sandwiches.  

 Saturday night we went a different way with a stop at Happy Daz (days). They claim tenderloins, burgers, and milkshakes as their specialty, so we gave them a try.

 The restaurant has six locations - four in Lima, Ohio and one each in Celina and Wapakoneta - where we spent the night. It looks and feels like a 1950s diner.

Wakaponeta. 10/4/26 dwm

My wife had the tenderloin and shared a few bites - it was quite good. One thing I like in my pork tenderloins is seeing the fried loin hanging over the bun on at least two sides. It had a crisp bite and wonderful taste. My burger was delicious and the Moose Tracks milkshake was so good, I was thankful I stayed away from the large size.

The restaurant appeals to all ages - there were a few diners our age either eating in or carrying out; young families; and a couple stopping in before their homecoming dance.

Geneva-on-the-Lake. 10/5/25 dwm

 Sunday, we crossed Ohio to reach Ashtabula County for a three-night stay. The county has 19 covered bridges and is home to two lighthouses on Lake Erie, which piqued our interest. The forecast predicted Tuesday would be a wash-out, so we adjusted our schedule to take advantage of the sun the first two days.

 We visited five bridges in the west half of the county then drove along Lake Erie with a stop in Conneaut, Ohio, and in Erie, Pennsylvania, where we saw the three lights the Keystone State has on Lake Erie. 

 While in Geneva-on-the-lake, we enjoyed a late summer-like day with a walk-up lunch at Captain Gus.' 

I had a chicken parmesan sandwich, my wife went with a grilled cheese and we shared a funnel cake! No, it wasn't good for us, but it was fun.

Crossing the lift bridge. 10/5/2025 dwm

Monday we saw more bridges in in Ashtabula County. Tuesday wasn't as stormy as predicted, but it was wet. We visited Brant's Apple Orchard. It was nice, but it's not the same when it's wet. 

After the orchard, we went downtown Ashtabula to check out the old part of the city near the harbor. I was hoping to see the 100-year-old bridge in action, and when I saw a sign indicating the bridge is raised at the top and bottom of each hour, it seemed I was in luck.

Either the sign is out-dated, or out of season, because after waiting for the bottom of the hour to strike, nothing happened. We did see the bridge up our first day in town, but I wasn't able to get a picture.

The Root Road bridge. 10/6/25 dwm

 As we spent our last day in the "North Coast" of Ohio, we wrapped up seeing 23 covered bridges, including all 19 in Ashtabula County. There are approximately 150 covered bridges in Ohio, so I doubt we'll get them all.

 We've already seen 8 lighthouses on the trip with another 6 I planned to visit. 

 The first lighthouse blog goes live tomorrow, featuring Behm's Lighthouse on Ohio's Grand Lake. I expect to start the covered bridge posts on Thursday. 

 Our last full day in Ohio was Thursday. Thanks to a bright sun, I was able to get pictures of the Toledo Harbor light, a few miles off-shore from Maumee Bay State Park. As we drove into Toledo, I found the business which purchased the Manhattan range lights and has them on display. The lights helped with navigation on Maumee Bay and Maumee River.

Maumee, Ohio. 10/9/2025 dwm

We met friends for lunch in Maumee. We last saw them in person seven years ago, so there was a lot of
catching up to do. We ate at Dale's Bar & Grill, a century-old gathering place. In addition to being known for food and drink, it's proud of the state football team known as the Buckeyes. We had a great lunch and a wonderful time.

Our last day in Ohio was in Wauseon in the northwest corner. It's a bustling rural community with several new businesses, including the Holiday Inn Express where we spent the night.

Friday was the second longest day on the road, about an hour less than the first day. 

An Indiana service plaza. 10/10/25 dwm

 We left Wauseon, Friday morning, following the Ohio Turnpike to the state line, then got on the Indiana Toll Road across the top of the Hoosier State.

 I think there was a time when I was on both of those roads, but it was a long time ago. Toll roads are their eco-system, with their own service plazas offering fuel, food, and other amenities. 

 Toll roads are better than decades earlier when cars had to stop at toll booths in intervals as they drove the private highway.  It goes faster now because toll-taking happens at highway speeds with scanners reading codes from each passing car or truck to collect their fee.

We stopped twice, once near South Bend for a pit stop at an Indiana plaza, and northeast of Chicago for another break before lunch.

Sign in Roscoe, IL. dwm 

When I was growing up in Janesville, a restaurant sprang up that we went to regularly. It was called Beef-a-Roo and featured roast beef. Either we stopped going or the restaurant disappeared because it wasn't until just a few years ago, we found one near Rockford, Illinois. It was very good.

There was one more stop before reaching home. Each year around this time, the Frostie Freeze in Janesville wraps up its season. It was my fourth and last visit as they will call it a year this coming Wednesday. If you get a chance, get over to the location on West Court Street before it closes.

It was a fun week with a lot of cool experiences and places to visit, you'll get an opportunity to read about them in the coming weeks. I'm glad to be home Friday night and have both Saturday and Sunday to recover before returning to work Monday morning; have a great week! 

Even on cool and cloudy days, it's good weather for ice cream! 10/10/2025 dwm