Tag Archives: travel

Christmas At Stella’s

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As you’re planning your shopping this season, consider supporting small businesses that provide a special experience while you shop for things you won’t find anywhere else.

I stopped by Stella’s Mercantile after my hike Saturday and was delighted to see they are decorated for Christmas. Life sized nutcrackers flank the front door that’s always painted a festive red.

Step through those red doors and warm greetings abound in a space that feels like something out of a Hallmark movie. This building operated as Fout’s Store for generations until I was a kid and I have fond memories of the old wood floors and fixtures. They’ve done a great job of holding onto the historic charm of the space while shifting their focus to local artists, candy makers and others who make things.

Here you’ll find paintings, plants, quilts, jewelry, and so much more. There’s fudge and candy, bread and cinnamon rolls. Don’t forget the cinnamon rolls.

There are so many goodies to enjoy and gifts to take home for yourself and for folks on your list.

One of my favorite memories from this place when I was a kid was going there for bulk Christmas candy. They currently have bulk candy in jars on the counter so you can take home a few pieces or a whole bag!

Check out the vintage tinsel tree that belonged to the grandparents of one of the owners.

I like a place that gives me an experience rather than just a thing. You feel something when you walk into a place like Stella’s. You feel the history, the community and charm that have made it what it is today and I think that’s way better than a big box store where no one thinks to greet you and no one cares that you get that special thing that makes you smile.

I bought myself a Christmas gift Saturday and the owner remembered that I had missed out on getting something similar earlier this year. That’s pretty impressive, if you ask me.

They’ll have Santa on Saturday, December 13. What a fun environment it would be to meet Santa!

I have written about Stella’s before. I hope you’ll take a minute to read that story. Also, I wrote about the old Fout’s Store at Christmas. I hope you’ll read that one too.

It’s a special place. Go visit. Support their efforts to give local people a venue to sell their things and to breathe new life into a historic space. I think you’ll like it!

However, if you’re not in Vinton County, Ohio this Christmas, be sure to support local businesses near you!

Slow And Dusty: Sightseeing In Yellowstone

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Modern travelers don’t really understand what a journey was like before cars and airplanes made it quick and easy to move around. The human experience has changed so much since the days of stagecoaches that we can’t imagine needing months to cross the country when airlines can get us there in a matter of hours. Days spent in a buggy on a trip my Elantra could finish in hours is unfathomable. 

Just inside the Buffalo Bill Center Of The West stands an old sightseeing coach that was once used to give folks tours of Yellowstone. They called it the Yellowstone Observation Wagon. Pulled by a team of four horses, it followed a set route at 6-8 miles per hour. At that pace, the route took about six days. Your car could travel it in four to seven hours, according to their signage.  

These coaches fell out of fashion with the rise of the automobile and were deemed unsafe after cars were allowed in Yellowstone in 1915. The horses were afraid of noisy cars so the touring companies closed down the fleet in 1917. Unfortunately, a retired sightseeing coach wasn’t in demand at the time and those that didn’t sell were piled up and burned. This coach at the Buffalo Bill Museum is a rare survivor. 

Imagine how dusty and exhausting that trip would be. Plus, you were packed into the wagon with other people including some you might not want falling asleep on your shoulder! There was also a chance that the driver would need you to get out and walk and passengers were asked to not complain if this occurred. 

After having spent a lot of time in the car that week, I was conscious of how cushy my ride was compared with what it might have been like in 1915. I need to apologize to my friend for how many times I complained about the journey from Cody to Casper! It could have been worse. 

There are lots of grand treasures and tales to be found at the Buffalo Bill Museum. Learn more here and keep coming back for more of these stories. 

Favorite Moment

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Some of my favorite travel memories are odd. For example, as we were headed out of Yellowstone we encountered this big boy at the side of the road. We had seen him on the way in, a memorable sight because you don’t often find bison traveling alone. There’s safety in numbers.

We pulled over at a safe-ish distance to snap a couple of photos and admire his beauty when he started to meander down the road. Toward us.

In case you’ve never seen one, they’re about the size of an Elantra.

And as he meandered and we sat there silently hoping he didn’t notice us, he slowly began moving toward the center of the road and then turned his head so that we could see the red of his eye. And we simultaneously, wordlessly, and with urgent certainty knew that we were in the absolute wrong place at the wrong time.

We are fortunate he did not ram the Jeep and send us both flying like rag dolls off the side of a mountain.

Our saving grace was that an older couple in a Buick interrupted the moment and he kept moving.

Holy cow. What a moment. I will be eternally grateful that this situation was resolved without incident. I told my friend later that my favorite trip memory was when the bison didn’t kill us. I said it as a joke but it’s true.

If you go, keep a safe distance from the wildlife and don’t try to pet the fluffy cows.

At least I got a story out of it.

Around Here: Back Home Edition

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Around here, I am freshly back from vacation and barely acclimating. I’m not one to rest well when I travel nor do I allow myself a lot of time to just breathe. If I’m going to the trouble of traveling someplace, I want to enjoy that place and see as much as possible. Then I was in hurry up and wait mode as air travel felt like more like a chore than a luxury this time.

So I came home tired, jet lagged and possibly fighting off a cold or something worse.

I slept about fifteen hours last night. While I regret missing so much of this day, I am glad to wake up feeling much better and less like knocking on death’s door.

Around here, the colors are muted, the sky is dull and it is chilly. It’s the perfect day to lollygag with a book and cat and to piddle around the house, putting things back in order. Dishes are done, the bedsheets are drying, and the bed is airing out while it waits to be made up.

It’s also a good day for soup. I found a recipe to try but I’m going to Brandify it so wish me luck. This could go well or be terrible.

Around here, I broke down and turned on the heat today. Overnight temperatures outside have been in the thirties since I got home. I play this game to see how long I can hold out before turning on the furnace. My goal is November 1. It’s October 25 and was 50 degrees inside when I got up.

I’m choosing comfort over valor this year.

Around here, I am five books behind on my annual reading goal with little hope of catching up by December 31. Thats ok. The reading goal is really designed to keep me pushing forward rather than to make me feel bad for missing the mark. In the end, I will still have read a ton of truly good books this year.

Around here I am contemplating what travel stories to tell you in the coming weeks. This trip to Cody was exactly what I needed – some museums, some outdoors, some shopping and some time with my friend who I miss very much.

There wasn’t any hiking though as my knee continues to be an issue. Instead, we did some sightseeing and even some off-roading in her Jeep. Cody isn’t especially friendly to those of us who don’t eat meat so I came home excited for vegetables and with few restaurant recommendations to share.

And much of what we learned in museums wasn’t especially cheerful. The most meaningful place we went was Heart Mountain, the site of an internment camp where Japanese Americans were held during World War II. Their interpretive center is a place I believe every American should experience at least once. Yet, I notice that people I have tried to talk to about it completely check out of the conversation because they don’t want to hear it.

Because ignoring it will certainly make it go away, right?

Around here I’m thinking a lot about the stories we tell ourselves, the ones we choose to hear, and how our ability to only be exposed to what we like or agree with is killing our nation.

Around here, I have a lot on my mind. But for now, I’ll cuddle my kitty cat who is desperately glad to have me here and I’ll make my soup and read my book and be glad to be back home.

Like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, around here is a pretty cool place to be.

Back Home

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Today is my first day back after a being gone for a week of adventure out west. I flew to Casper, Wyoming and got in my friend’s Jeep so we could head up to the Cody/Yellowstone area.

Yes. In the middle of a government shutdown, I thought it was a good idea to fly AND go to a national park.

The security line in Columbus was long at 6:15 a.m. last Wednesday. TSA seemed to be running with a skeleton crew and then I slowed things down even more with the two metal pieces in my knee brace. My leg got scanned and patted down and my hands even got scanned for residue but they evidently decided I wasn’t a risk and let me go. Ha!

Johnna and I explored museums and thrift stores, went Jeeping in the back country, saw some wildlife, and had a wonderful time wandering around. I had an especially lovely gloomy afternoon in a wonderful bookstore.

I ate badly, didn’t get enough rest, and needed far stronger moisturizer than I had packed. Holy cow. My skin wasn’t prepared for the dry air and winds that are trademark of Wyoming. The 60 mph wind we drove through Sunday is what locals call “a breeze.”

Travel scares a lot of people but I find it exhilarating and fascinating. The more time you spend in places where you encounter people who look, sound, and think differently than you, the more clear it becomes that the world isn’t so scary at all. Leaving your comfort zone and exploring this big world of ours is one of the most amazing things you can do for yourself and for your understanding of your place in the world.

I learned a lot this trip and have much to think about in the near future and I’m grateful for this opportunity. Stay tuned. I have lots to share and a few stories that may take me a while to mentally unpack. We’ll get there.

Meanwhile, if you need me, I’ll be here with my industrial strength moisturizer, trying to coax my skin back to life.

New Mural For Chillicothe

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Chillicothe, Ohio has gained a new mural and it’s a fun one. It looks like a vintage postcard with every letter featuring a local landmark. It’s colorful, bright, and a nice addition to this historic downtown.

Interestingly, it was printed on vinyl by a local business called Square Ghost Creative. Then these vinyl panels were applied to the building using heat and glue. This is a very modern technique for a growing community rooted in history.

If you’re in Chillicothe, pop over by the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce at 45 East Main Street. Be sure to stop in some local shops and grab a bite at a local restaurant while you’re there!