Hocking Hills
Posted by: Adam Fuson @ 2006.10.18.0148

Though I had been promising Charlie and Melissa, that I would visit their new home, only the temptation of computers and more importantly sight-seeing at Hocking Hills motivated me to actually drive to Athens, OH. So Katherine and I drove to Athens early Friday morning, and found Charlie at home about noon. The three of us then proceeded to uptown Athens and bought some burritos on our way to Hocking Hills State Park. We spent the next 5 hours walking around Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Old Man's Cave and Conkel's Hollow. Each site is unique and impressive, and perhaps due to the surrounding foliage they all seem hidden and unexpected. Conkel's Hollow seems the most surreal of the sites we explored. Deep green landscape covers the rich, dark soil and as you walk from an unassuming field you progress into a deep gorge, which closes in from above. Finally, only a sliver of light makes its way into the gorge, where a delicate waterfall drops from above to feed a creek on the gorge floor.

After hours of exploration we were each hungry and tired and made our way back to Charlie and Melissa's house, where we ate Chinese food from a local restaurant. By this time it was getting dark and we drove into town to commandeer some computers for the return trip. Katherine spent the night with her friend, David, while Charlie and I played with computers. Very late in the night Charlie and I finally gave in to sleep. Charlie, Melissa and I woke the next morning and had some excellent fried chicken from Miller's Chicken. College towns such as Athens usually make me feel a bit nauseous either due to the demography or the diversity of industry. I would rather be in a larger city or more rural space. Anyway, the three of us went shopping at a local bulk food store before meeting Katherine at Charlie's house to load the car and return to Cincinnati.

Katherine and I thought about which route to follow home. We decided the Great Serpent Mound of Peebles, Ohio was the most interesting thing to see on the return trip, and so took SR-32. We drove through Pike Lake State Park and then proceeded west to SR-73, where the serpent mound sits overlooking the Brush Creek Valley. Despite arriving 10 minutes after the official closing time, the guard allowed us to park and peruse the site, as long as we departed within 20 minutes. Near the mound is a man-made watch-tower from where the entire serpent mound can be seen. Perhaps it is the season or the fresh manicure of the mound, but the intensity of color and precision of the sculpture was moving. Though it is a simple monument, it is one definitely worth seeing.

White Man make peace with Pale Man at Hocking Rock.

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