Follow me around the world
Expedition Team: Dave Miller Date: July 28, 2020
This Roadside Attraction is not edible. This eight foot tall apple created by a local artist was made from thousands of recycled silverware – knives, spoons and forks. It sits in a beautiful flowerbed outside of the Dayton Foodbank. A very creative work of art!
Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller Date: August 6, 2020
Built in 1855 by the Gregg Family, this eight-sided house was a real oddity back then. The old Ohio Historical Site sports two large chimneys, an octagon shaped attic with windows and inside a spiral staircase.
Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller Date: August 6, 2020
Located at the heart of town, this Roadside Attraction promotes the annual Pumpkin Festival where a 1,350 pound pumpkin set a record a few years back. At the festival you can sample pumpkin hamburgers, pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin cheesecake.
Expedition Team: Dave Miller Date: August 6, 2020
Did one of the most evil men in the history of the world escape from Germany in 1945 at the end of World War II and live in central Ohio? Of course not. But just the Hitler name is negative and somewhat rare to hear. But in this case the Hitler’s were a pioneer family that moved from Maryland to Ohio in 1799. They became successful wheat farmers were very respected. In 1867 they started a family cemetery with the Ludwig family. In Circleville, two roads are named after the Hitler’s and Circleville has a Hitler Park.
Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Matt Miller, Nick Kelly, Rosie Miller, Breanna Miller, Holly Miller, Jacque Miller Investigation Date: June 2020
The tunnel is in the middle of nowhere by the Wayne National Forest and difficult to find. The parking lot is small. Fortunately, the Moonville Tunnel was only about ¼ mile from the parking lot along Racoon Creek.
HISTORY: The mining town of Moonsville, consisting of a general store, saloon and a few houses, had a population of one hundred in 1870. The town sprang up on the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad. By the early 1900’s, the town was abandoned. Only a small cemetery and the tunnel remains.
PARANORMAL CLAIMS: Many railroad workers died during construction of the tunnel or working on the line like brakeman standing on the train and falling off. Some Moonville residents perished walking in the tunnel or on nearby rails walking to other towns. Rastus Dexter was a dunken local who walked into the tunnel and could not get out in time and the train hit him. This was an article documented from the “McArthur Democrat” newspaper of March 29, 1859. An urban legend also has it that there was an epidemic in Moonville and the train would not stop there. The story claims a local took a lantern to try to flag down the train for supplies but he didn’t make it to the other side of the tunnel and the train hit him. Today, people claim seeing lanterns (called “Lantern Man”) moving in the tunnel along the track bed carried by dark figurers or just the lanterns floating by themselves. Reports of train whistles or noises are heard.
INVESTIGATION: In the daytime the tunnel looks more historical than paranormal. Photos from the inside are spooky looking. I did two rushed EVP’s but to evidence reported. I can only imagine how creepy this isolated tunnel would like at night, hence why it is called one of the Top 10 Haunted Places in Ohio.
Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller Expedition Date: October 5 & 6, 2019
Rosie & I camped at the Tucson KOA then attended Catholic Mass at the historic Mission San Xavier del Bac, an old Spanish Mission built in 1797. After mass, we ate delicious Indian burritos sold by parishioners while fighting off an annoying baby scorpion (Photo#5-#7).
We drove to Saguaro NP, where we hiked the 2 mile Mica View Trail, home to tens of thousands of saguaro cactus plus cactus flowers, desert tortoises, gila monsters and javelina (Photo#7-#11). After driving we slowly drove through the park and saw Mount Lemmon in the distance. We made it a future goal to hike to the summit. Rosie admitted this was her least favorite national park on the trip due to the lack of diversity of scenery but I felt at home with the thousands of cactus. For my birthday Rosie bought me a beautiful Saguaro NP orange bicyclist jersey and a Gene Autry Greatest Hits CD at the educational Visitors Center.
We camped at the Tucson KOA, the most fancy KOA campground ever. It has a restaurant, pickleball court, swimming pool & hot tub. Our campsite had a two level platform with chairs on the top deck and table, chairs and firepit on ground level (Photo#1-#4). Orange & other citrus trees were everywhere. If I beat this cancer for the third time we will return and winter here for a month in 2020-2021.
