Beautiful Southern Ohio

A couple days ago I drove across southern Ohio...for the first time.  It was rolling country, with forests and meadows, towns and farms.  The overall impression I had was of beauty, tranquility, and a peaceful way of life, slow paced.  Cincinnati of course is busier, but still not all that hectic.  This is old country by American standards; many cities and towns have been settled for over two hundred years.  Even the vestiges of the bygone industrial era have symmetry and grace.

Here, the Lizards are at the Ohio River.  This is the third of American's major rivers they've seen on this trip...the Columbia, Mississippi, and Ohio.  Indeed, one could argue that those are THE three main rivers of the US, as far as transportation and commerce are concerned.

I was kickin' at a pleasant rest area on the river, when a sternwheeler and an old tug passed each other.  I was transported back about a century in time.

Ohio has its share of covered bridges.  A few miles inland from the big river, the Rinard Bridge spans a small stream.  This bridge was destroyed during floods about a decade ago, since rebuilt.

The Hune Bridge spans the Little Muskingum, running fitfully in mid September.  Overall it's been a wet year in these parts, but the last few weeks have been fairly dry.  The bridge dates to 1879.

Cedar Falls, in Hocking Hills State Park.

The Lizards are connecting with their spiritual ancestors, as portrayed in the Serpent Mound.  This Indian memorial was constructed about 900 years ago.

I eventually arrived in Cincinnati.  It's a pleasant city with a fine skyline.  Good zoo too...I'll make a critter post later.

This is the John Roebling Bridge, spanning the Ohio between Cincinnati and Covington, Kentucky.  The remarkable thing about this bridge is its age...it was finished in 1866! And it's still heavily used, by pedestrian and vehicle traffic.  I walked across it.  I just finished a fine book by David McCullough, The Great Bridge, on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was designed by the same man who designed and built  this one, John Roebling, and the bridges in Cincinnati and Brooklyn are very similar in their construction...the one in Cincy was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was constructed...the Brooklyn Bridge surpassed it 17 years later.  Roebling died shortly after construction began on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1869, and his son, Washington, built that span.

The new home of the Reds, Great American Ballpark, is adjacent to the insurance company of the same name, which is housed in the most distinctive skyscraper in the Queen City's skyline.

Night action at the ballpark.  Reds have the bases loaded here.  However, Jay Bruce hit into a double play, killing the rally.  The Reds won anyway, 2-1.