This refuge just west of Titusville is an important nesting habitat for threatened and endangered birds and a wide range of flora and fauna. I was on the perimeter looking in as the refuge was closed to public access due to protect the sensitive bird habitat. I still observed the marshland, the hammocks, and several birds such as hawks and egrets plus an alligator. Just down the road was an airboat company that offered rides along the St. Johns River that paralleled the refuge.
Located on No Name Key and Big Pine Key 27 miles north of Key West, we passed the refuge while driving along US 1 to Key West to scuba dive. The refuge is home to the endangered key deer. Other threatened and endangered species of plants and animals are also found here. We stopped and observed the habitat, a mix of tropical hardwood hammocks, salt and freshwater wetlands and mangrove forests. Along one short trail mosquitoes were a nuisance on this hot day. We saw an alligator, wading birds and a couple key deer. The key deer have antlered bucks the size of a German shepherd. The key deer are smaller in size than regular deer.
Hiking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Nick Kelly, Jacque Kelly
Date: 1977, 1978, 2017, November 16, 2023
This vast national forest stretches through multiple counties and includes thick rugged forests, great hiking trails and picturesque Red River Gorge that has scenic rock formations, towering cliffs, and sandstone arches. We hiked almost a dozen trails through the years in this vast forest. On the recent trip we visited the DBNF icon, the Nada Tunnel. The tunnel was built in the early 1900’s by a lumber company to accommodate a narrow-gauge train that would carry logs from the gorge. The tunnel is a single lane, not very wide or tall. I yelled out the window to hear my echo as we slowly drove the darkened tunnel.
The 1905 Wright Flyer III is on display at Wright Hall is the only airplane designated as a National Historic Landmark. This plane is considered the first practical flying machine and flew at Huffman Prairie. In June 2025, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 24, officially designating the plane as “Ohio’s State Airplane”.
Rosie & me plus our kids and friends have kayaked this National & State Scenic River at least a dozen times on various sections of the river. The river flows south 111 miles through five counties and eventually flows into the Ohio River. We have seen turtles, ducks, geese, blue herons, snakes but no Frogman down along the Loveland part. The river meanders past pleasant farmlands and occasional small riverside communities, with swift water found generally only on the bends of the river. It is always a fun time to kayak on this scenic river especially using the rope swing that is in the Bellbrook section.
This was the fifth site of the National Historic Park located a good seventeen miles east of the visitor center. The site had one huge mound and at least 18 more mounds. A large circular embankment connected to a smaller circle and a square embankment. In the center was the huge mound which covered the remains of large ceremonial buildings. I hiked a 1.1-mile trail past and around to the backside of the large mound. Many educational kiosks were along the trail explaining the history of the site. The black and white photo shows how the mound looked in the 1930’s.
This famous 32 room mansion farmhouse was built on his farm in 1939 by Louis Bromfield. Broomfield wrote novels, articles, and screenplays. Bromfield’s third novel, “Early Autumn”, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1927. The mansion is an example of Western Reserve Architecture. Bromfield also dabbled in water and soil conservation. The Hollywood elite saw this mansion and picturesque farm as a haven in the peaceful countryside. This is a famous Roadside Attraction because Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were married in front of the twin staircase and honeymooned at the farm. The Big House remains a living tribute to Ohio’s rural heritage. When we visited, staff were setting up for a huge weekend festival with over 100 food, craft, and farm related booths. Also, on Malabar Farm is a barn painted for Ohio’s 200th anniversary of statehood, the 2003 Bicentennial Celebration. Each of Ohio’s 88 counties has one barn painted with the bicentennial logo.
This National Historic Park was recently recommended as a World Heritage Site, the first in Ohio and the 25th in the USA. The prehistoric Hopewell Culture lived in the Ohio River Valley from 200 BCE to CE 500. The culture constructed earthen mounds of various shapes and enclosures offering insight as to how the people lived. Five separate locations of mounds and earthworks make up the National Historic Park.
Behind the small visitor center at the Mound City Group, we walked a half mile around the former ceremonial center viewing many of the 23 remaining mounds. A low earthen embankment (Photo#2) encloses the dense concentration of mounds. Rosie called this the most boring national park she has ever been to.
A few miles away we stopped at a second site called the Hopewell Mound Group. It contained 40 mounds. The bike trail from Chillicothe to Washington Court House runs by here so we hope to return and bike 15 or 20 miles of it.
The gorge is one thousand feet wide and three hundred feet deep. Its seclusion has preserved a rare forest community that includes native white pine, American chestnut, and towering eastern hemlock. Pioneer legend Johnny Appleseed tended his apple orchards nearby. We hiked a short part of the Gorge Overlook Trail built in the 1930’s that gave us views of the gorge below.
Hiking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Nick Kelly, Jacque Kelly, Elizabeth Kelly
Date: August 22, 2023
Driving the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, we entered a scenic covered bridge. Stopping at the backside of the Dune Climb, we hiked a short trail that showed the summit of the large dune and the 1.5 additional miles of dunes and hills needed for hikers to reach the lake. Later at the Lake Michigan Overlook, a park worker sat under an umbrella with the sign saying $3,000 to rescue you if you descend the mammoth sand dune and need help or rescue coming back up. I wanted to descend to Lake Michigan and then climb back up this 450-foot dune, but we had granddaughter Elizabeth with us. The climb would take at least two hours. I did see at least five Amish people, both male and female, in full pants and long sleeve shirts, or dresses completing the last leg of their ascent on this hot day. Very impressive.
After hiking and touring the Boat Rescue Museum, we had a great dinner at Cherry Republic where I inhaled delicious chowder soup, fish tacos, a cherry beer and fresh chocolate covered cherries. We stopped by a fishing village that had a unique weathervane shaped like a northern pike. That night another outstanding sunset which Nick & Jacque enjoyed in a paddleboat.
