July 28, 2023 – Traveling With Rich & Julie
Cooking outside when camping is one of the best things to do – especially in the morning. Scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and sausage patties made for a healthy start to the day.
The first place I dragged the grandkids yesterday was to the birthplace of Thomas Edison in Milan, Ohio. The house was built in 1841, and Thomas Alva Edison was born here on February 11, 1847. He lived in this house until he was seven and then his parents moved to Port Huron.
Did you know that Edison’s first patent was for a device that recorded legislative votes? He was only 21. You can read more about some of his key inventions at History.com.
From here we drove to Kelleys Island Ferry in Lakeside Marblehead, Ohio and drove our car onto the Carmen Lee, a ferry boat that took us across Lake Erie to Kelleys Island. The grandkids had never been on a ferry boat before and thought it was quite exciting.
Round trip cost us $140 for the auto ($40), one senior adult ($20), two regular adults (me and the 15-year-old grandson) ($24 each) and two children ($16 each). It might have been a little expensive, but it is an experience they will never forget.
Once we arrived on the island we headed to Kelleys Island State Park first at the northern end (only a two mile drive from the southern end) and saw the Glacial Grooves.
According to Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce website, “The glacial grooves are 400 feet long, 35 feet wide, and up to 15 feet deep. They were created by the slow movement of the massive glacier that created the Great Lakes and Lake Erie Islands.”
Lunch on the island consisted of pizza and rootbeer at Caddy Shack Square on Division Street. Shops closeby sell t-shirts, rocks, and souveneirs. The mini-golf course is $7 per person, or $10 to play as many times as you want.
On the way back to the ferry we stopped at Inscription Rock on the south end of the island.
Inscription Rock was discovered partially buried in the sand of the lake shore in 1833 and by 1915, it was appearing on postcards for tourists in the area and is still a well-visited site to this day. This rock is covered with native petroglyph drawings that are slowly fading away because of the soft nature of the limestone and the waters of Lake Erie.
The rock currently measures 32 feet by 21 feet. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Definitely worth a stop to see.
Back on the ferry, it took us back to the mainland and just 2 miles east is Marblehead Lighthouse State Park.
Marblehead Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses still in operation on the Great Lakes. You can climb the lighthouse for only $3. There are 77 winding steps to the top. They only take cash though. Don’t forget to walk through the free museum and visit the gift shop.
The park is beautiful. The kids played on the rocks at the edge of the water and watched boats go by. There are picnic tables available and clean restrooms. There is no fee to stop in and park and walk around. Don’t miss this amazing piece of history if you are ever in the area.
This day of our vacation ended with swimming in the gorgeous pool at Gotta Getaway RV Park, and sitting by a relaxing campfire eating smores.
Thank you so much for coming along with us on our RV traveling adventures. I hope you enjoy reading about all the places we visit and seeing some of the photos I take. Comment and let me know you were here. You can even share the posts on social media if you know of others who would enjoy the blog.