We had a lot of things happening in September of '24 in a lot of different places. A wedding in Ohio, an Optavia retreat in Chicago and a need to visit family in Kentucky, all within a tight timeline. We decided to make a road trip of it and turn it into a two week excursion. We would be leaving on Tuesday the 10th and returning on Tuesday the 24th.
We would visit Lynn's mom in Ohio as we attended her nephew's wedding there on the 13th (bonus of visiting some home town friends and other family as well). After the wedding (and visiting with the new in-laws from Mumbai), we headed northeast toward Chicago, with a pitstop to visit (and meet in person for the first time) a few Optavia clients and coaches! The Go Big retreat in Naperville was such a great event and time to be around so many coaches from all over the country. I will share more about that event on a separate Optavia page. After the retreat was finished, we decided to take a day and go into Chicago . From there we would go down into Kentucky to visit Lynn's cousin and other family. This would be an epic road trip since we planned on taking two weeks to do it. Since the wedding and convention were set in stone it made since to fill in the space with other adventures.
We decided to take Lynn's convertible since the weather would be nice and a long drive would be more enjoyable in a sporty top down car. Now, let me tell you that I had my doubts about packing for a two week trip and fitting it into that car (mostly because Lynn specifically and Optavians generally do NOT travel light)! Needless to say we filled every empty space but we managed to make it work. We knew we would be returning with less than we started with since we packed a lot of food items as well as luggage and gifts for those along the way.
We were up and ready to roll early on the 10th ("ass in the saddle" time was 8:00 am). Our plan was to drive straight through to Ohio where we would be staying with Lynn's mom until after the wedding.
Butts in the seat, top down, and ready to roll!
It was an easy 7 hours up I-77 to Ohio, stopping only for gas and arriving around 3:30 pm. We had plans that evening to meet some of Lynn's friends for dinner at a local restaurant so a quick turn around at mom's and off we went. Lynn's mother would be joining us and it took some persuasion to convince her that the back seat was not where she needed to be sitting. I have a hard time getting in and out of that back seat so there was no reason her mom would need to attempt it!
Had to get a selfie after dinner. This is Lynn's mom in the center and Stephanie & Jenn!
The following day we had no itinerary so we decided to head up to the Oak Valley Trail Head and do some hiking. Oak Valley Trail is a nice 4 mile loop hike within the Cuyahoga National Park. A beautiful hike and not too challenging. The weather was perfect. This was a really great way to spend the afternoon.
On the way back we stopped in at the appropriately named BrewWall for some brew, appetizers, and pizza. The vibe was upbeat and the food was delicious. We really like this place!
We spent the rest of the evening visiting with Lynn's mom and playing cards. Apparently they do this a lot in Ohio. Growing up in NC we were always outside but in cold winters in Ohio staying in and playing games was the thing. They are patient with me as I have no aptitude for card games...
The next day the plan was to meet our friends, Sharon and Greg, at the Blue Heron Brewery and event center in Medina. This used to be a golf course and is located in what used to be the club house. As such, it is in the middle of a neighborhood and a little off of the beaten path. Nonetheless it is quite popular and reservations are needed. The food and the service were really top notch and we had a great time catching up with Sharon and Greg.
The next day, Friday, was the big day for Mark & Liz! Lynn is going to need to document this part for context!
So happy to jump in here and share that beautiful day! Having twin nephews has always been a treat for me and watching them grow into wonderful young men has been a blessing! At 34, we were starting to wonder if either of the boys would meet "the one", but hearing Mark talk about Liz early into their relationship it was easy to see that he had found his soulmate! With busy lives and careers, we were thrilled when the proposal finally happened and the date was set! Friday, September 13th, 2024 at Mapleside Farms in Brunswick, Ohio was the date and it luckily turned out to be a perfect day for an outside wedding (Ohio weather can be tricky)! Being able to take mom and watch her with such pride in her grandson get married was as exciting as being a proud aunt! We adore Liz and know that she will challenge Mark and they will have a wonderful life together full of fun and adventure! We had the honor of sitting with Liz's parents, Senil and Julie at the wedding and what a fun evening it was!
We were planning to head north on Wednesday, so Mark & Liz invited us to bring mom to their home for a traditional Indian meal made by Liz and her mother Julie! They spent 2 days making some amazing dishes, but kept them "toned down" with spices since we realize that our American palettes cannot handle the spice that Indians typically use when cooking! An evening of getting to know Senil and Julie better, a wonderful dinner and a rousing game of Oh Hell made for a perfect evening, complete with a full moon on a beautiful drive home from Brecksville!
The next day being Saturday, the 14th, I had plans to meet up with Greg while Lynn was taking care of things at her Mom's. We were heading up to Lake Erie to do some fishing. This would be Greg's last outing before winterizing the boat so I was looking forward to being a part of that. I am no fisherman, but Greg is quite accomplished and knowledgeable so this outing promised to be productive.
We arrived at the Grand River Marina about 9:30, loaded up the gear, and headed out on the water. The weather was excellent. I had never been out on Erie before and from my perspective it was like open ocean. We cruised out about 5 miles to where Greg thought we would have success.
Greg decided trolling would be our best bet and we got our first hit after about 30 minutes. He was kind enough to let me reel it in and this was a good sized Walleye.
Within 2 hours we had caught our limit and needed to head back into the marina. What a great experience! Greg is a seasoned captain and obviously has a few favorite spots for Walleye that are usually productive.
After cleaning up the boat and stowing the gear, we trailered the boat so Greg to do a thorough cleaning, service, and winterization at home. Before heading back we had to stop for lunch at the infamous Pickle Bill's Lobster House!
Next stop - Sylvania/Toledo to meet up with some Optavia coaches and clients! What an adorable town Sylvania is and what a perfect fall evening! Dinner at Inside the Five on Main Street with Amy and Clint and then over to the Moose Lodge to meet up with Annette and Greg and Susan and Paul was a great evening and a great halfway point to our destination in Chicago.
Thursday was a "top down" kind of day for a drive, with a stop for lunch to meet up with Mitzi and Kim at an adorable cafe called Lucrezia Cafe in Chesterton, IN. Back on the road and checked in at the Hotel Indigo in Naperville, IL for the Go Big retreat for Optavia. 3 days of fun with my favorite coaches from across the country, some great food and wonderful fellowship! (more on this event on my Optavia page - yet to be created)! :)
Rocky meanwhile spent some time seeing the sights of Naperville, including some Frank Lloyd Wright homes. Back to him for more details on that!
I did break away for the day on Friday to do some exploring. I have always been a Wright fan and wanted to take this opportunity to see some of his work in person. We were staying less than an hour drive to Oak Park, where Wright had his home and office/studio (now a museum), and many residential projects that define the neighborhood to this day.
I found street parking about a block from the Wright museum and started my walking tour there. The museum is open by appointment at that time of year and I did not want to wait for an open time slot so I toured the grounds and enjoyed the serenity and beauty of the place.
The compound was built in 1889 with a $5,000 loan from Wright's previous employer, Louis Sullivan. Wright was 22 years old at the time and newly married. Over the next several years he added his studio, office space, a dining room, and a barrel vaulted play room for the children. From this compound Wright would produce over 30% of his entire life's work.
From there it was easily walkable to view some of his defining work.
The Walter Gale House, circa 1893:
The Thomas Gale House, right next door, circa 1892:
The Robert Parker House, circa 1892:
The Laura Gale House, circa 1892:
The Frank Thomas House, one of my favorites:
The Peter Beachy House, circa 1906:
The Arthur Heurtley House, circa 1902:
The Nathan G. Moore House, circa 1895:
The Oscar Balch House, circa 1911:
From there I drove down to River Forest and took a few more photos. So many examples of his work in this area it is hard to cover them all.
This is the William H. Winslow house in River Forest, circa 1895:
The F.F. Tomek House in Riverside, circa 1906:
The Coonley House, also in Riverside, circa 1912. This is the main house of a complex of several. You cannot see the main elevation from the road. This photo is only showing the side of the house. It is quite impressive if you look it up online.
The Coonley Playhouse, also circa 1912. This is also part of the aforementioned Coonley Estate.
What a fantastic way to spend the day! The weather was perfect. Some of these homes have guided tours at certain times of the year, but most are still private residences and therefore not open to the public. I actually felt a bit intrusive to be photographing some of these, but if you live in a Wright designed dwelling I suppose you should expect some tourist activity.
Our plan was to travel to Kentucky to spend some time with Lynn's cousin but we were in no hurry to get there so we decided to spend the day Saturday exploring Chicago. We took a river cruise, lunched on the river bank, and walked to see some of the sites. We even went up to the Skydeck in Willis Tower!
We left Chicago about 4:00pm and stopped in Columbus, IN for the night on the way to Kentucky. Beautiful evening for a drive! We got into Lynn's cousin's house just outside of Louisville about noon the next day.
We spent a couple of days visiting with family, did the obligatory Bourbon distillery tour (in this case it was Heaven Hill, parent distillery for Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, and several others).
After a couple of days visiting with family it was eventually time to head home. We left Louisville around 8:00am on Tuesday the 24th in a light rain, the plan being to drive home that day.
Of course, a stop at Buc-ee's is always part of the plan:
Another stop in Knoxville for lunch at Calhoun's On The River. We love Knoxville and may have considered spending the night there but we really had our minds set for home at this point.
We arrived home around 5:00pm and were glad to be back. This was a fantastic trip but it is always good to get home. We really enjoyed spending so much time with friends and family, as well as seeing so many sites.
"TRAVELING - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller."
lbn Batutta
Please feel free to comment or reach out directly. I can be reached at Rocky@Rocklyns.com.
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