Round And Round We Go!!

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We motored on ever eastward, this time it was less than an hour drive. It would have been shorter but there was an oversized cabin cruiser going down the road for quite a bit which slowed things down a bit. I am now at another Ohio State Park, this one is called East Harbor. It is on a peninsula, right north of Sandusky Ohio. It is also quite a shock after the wonderful park I was just in. This one is seems very much like a private RV park. The only difference is that there are nice trails and people can build their campfires right underneath your windows so that you too can enjoy their campfire smoke.

East Harbor State Park:  You aren't supposed to park on the grass - notice how my front and rear wheels are properly placed so as not to be on the grass. 

These lily pads are actually about as big as my head

Not too sure what type of boat this is but it was in the harbor - a dredging boat?

Today we are heading to Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial. This takes some getting to – I have to drive a bit, then hop on a ferry and cross the great Lake Erie to a little town called Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island. I debated whether to take my car on the ferry but cheap person that I am, I opted for the $7 one way fare as opposed to the $16 one way fare for a car. I was a little worried about how I was going to get to the Memorial once I got to the island – I think the island is about two miles long and the ferry drops you on the south end and the Memorial is on the north end. It seems the preferred method for getting around the island is to rent a golf cart. After talking to a fellow passenger on the ferry, I decided to forego that option. He said that ten years ago, when he rented a golf cart, it was $53 for the day. I figured I was going to be doing a lot of walking. But....it all worked out – they have an old school bus which takes you from the ferry landing to the north part of the island for $2.50. Cheapness wins out in the end. Of course, those golf carts looked like a lot of fun.

The ferry leaving the pier

Approaching South Bass Island - you can see the Memorial on the right

These are all golf carts people have rented - seems like parking is at a premium

This memorial was interesting in that it was a memorial to a battle and it also is a peace memorial. The peace memorial is a 352 foot Monument – it is the world's most massive Doric column.

“Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial was established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie during the war of 1812, and to celebrate the long-lasting peace among Britain, Caada and the U.S. The Memorial column, rising over Lake Erie, is situated five miles from the longest undefended border in the world.” Wiki

There is a visitor center where I watched the movie about the sea battle in 1813. Commandant Perry was only 27 at the time of the battle (he first went to sea at 13) and it was the first time the Royal Navy suffered the loss of a complete squadron. Perry had a flag that he flew on his flagship with the words “Don't Give Up The Ship.”

You get to go up to the top of the column and the views were magnificent. It didn't hurt that it was one of those most perfect days – sun, light breeze. Even the ferry ride was perfect, I sat outside the whole twenty minute journey both ways to the island.

The View

The next day was not as great, weather-wise. It rained and rained. What to do? Let's drive to Sandusky and go to:

Did you know that there is a National Carousel Association? Evidently carousels are a quite the draw. This is actually a serious museum with many antique carved animals plus a working carousel that was built in 1939. These carvings range in value from about $5000 to over a million dollars. Some of the carvings were brought to the White House and were part of the Holidays at the White House. They have carvers on site who are restoring these figures and use many of the techniques.

Carousel Terms:
Standing: Four feet are on the ground, they do not go up and down
Prancing: Back two legs are on the ground, they do not go up and down
Jumping: All four legs are in the air and they DO go up and down

Lions and Tigers and....

Look at these beauties

Amazing as some of these creatures were, the highlight for me was to actually ride the carousel. It was going to be a private ride for me until some little toddler decided he needed to go also. The operator said that this carousel was three times faster than most carousels and revolved at nine miles per hour. It was fun and super smooth and I tried to practice my most excellent riding skills by keeping my heels down and eyes up.

My steady steed

My whirlwind ride:

Side Note: RV thing I learned - I have an auto dumping awning.  The awning is fairly flat and fills with water when it rains.  When it gets too heavy, one side of the awning automatically lowers and a great gush of water comes running out.  I first saw this when I was horse camping with friends and when it happened, the waterfall nearly hit friend Dave.  I guess I thought it was a personal problem of Dave's, but now after much research, I see this is an automatic feature.  It is rather nerve wracking when it happens but sort of cool also to see this huge wall of water falling to the ground.