I love the hotel Tara picked out for us. It’s really nice!
My only complaint is the slow internet. But the hardwood floors, tall ceilings, and upscale amenities more than make up for that.
Yellow Springs is a hippie mecca in the heart of conservative Ohio. The internet describes it as a charming small town in rural Ohio. It feels almost like a different world from the rest of the area and state, as there’s a pretty strong hippie/progressive/liberal vibe.
Just our speed, in other words.
Today was a good day! We got to sleep in for the first time on our trip. Didn’t get out of bed until 7 a.m. Then we mosied downstairs for coffee, which we enjoyed on the wraparound porch. It was raining but warm. We had time to spare, so we grabbed breakfast in the hotel restaurant before heading to Fairborn. Destination: my childhood home.
Chasing Ghosts
On my road trip 10 years ago, I drove to my childhood home. Rang the doorbell. There was no answer. This time around, somebody answered the door. I didn’t really have a plan as to what I would say, so I shoved this picture in his face…
I told him hey, I lived here 40 years ago, look what your house looked like back then!
He could not have been more unimpressed, ha. As Tara pointed out, at least I got somebody to answer the door this time! 10 years ago, the person who lived there ignored me. Progress! When I come back in 2031, maybe they’ll invite me into the foyer.
After walking around my old stomping grounds, which has been turned into a disc golf course now, we drove into Dayton. I wanted to show Tara another favorite from my childhood, Carillon Historical Park.
The Wright Stuff
Carillon Historical Park is a 65-acre park and museum that is home to one of five carillons in the U.S. If you don’t know what a carillon is, it’s this:
A giant bell tower, basically.
We used to visit the park often when we lived in Fairborn. There are historical buildings with guided tours covering early Dayton history, transportation, and of course, Orville and Wilbur Wright’s pioneering aviation innovations, including the Wright Flyer III…the very airplane they flew for 40 minutes over the skies of Huffman Prairie in Dayton, following trial flights in Kitty Hawk. It’s fascinating if you’re a history or aviation buff!
Tara was impressed with the displays. We spent over three hours there, and even got to ride the carousel.
After visiting Carillon Park, we drove into downtown Dayton. It was mid-afternoon and we were hungry (and thirsty), so we stopped at Coco’s Bistro for cocktails and an appetizer.
By this point we were pretty worn out from adventuring, so we headed back to the hotel, then walked a few blocks into downtown Yellow Springs, where we killed a couple of hours at Peach’s Grill. The whiskey was strong and the jukebox, loud. Walking back to our hotel, we took a detour through the woods, where we saw hundreds of fireflies lighting up the skies! That was a magical moment for me. I love fireflies. They remind me of my childhood. We don’t have them in western South Dakota, so seeing them is a very rare treat.
Tomorrow we’re headed to Cincinnati. We have no real destination; we plan to just walk around and see what’s interesting. We might meet up with a long-time blogging friend for lunch.
Ciao for now!
Mark My Words 
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