Mentor Ohio

Ohio was on our list of stops from the start of our planning as Laurel has extended family in Mentor. It didn’t register with me until my sister reminded me that her husband is from Cleveland and one of his sisters lives in Mentor. We made our way to our next campsite, Aunt Wally and Uncle Bill’s. They live on a beautiful cul-de-sac and offered us a spot in their tree lined, long and narrow driveway. With power hooked up we were set.

The family all came together for a dinner out at local spot. Great times were had by all as everyone caught up.

With the never ending load of school work looming over us we spent the next day, all day at the local library. The kids worked hard to get caught up on studies while Aunt Wally spent the day preparing a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. The meal and great company made me wish we would be coming back in November. A HUGE thank you to Aunt Wally and Uncle Bill for their hospitality and perfect campsite. We appreciate you making us all feel like part of the family. After a couple night’s stay and a long goodbye we were off to Niagara Falls.

A late start and late arrival seem to be our modus operandi. We focus most of our driving on roads less traveled which tend to require more time to get to our destination. This being no different, Aunt Wally recommended we drive through Geneva on the way out of Ohio. The route heads toward the coast of Lake Erie and passes through a few wineries and B & B’s.

Once off route 90 heading toward Geneva we stopped for propane as I like to keep our fuel topped off. Unfortunately our propane tanks are not the ones you can exchange at the local hardware store. They require finding a filling station which can be a challenge in itself. In our quest for fuel we soon felt as if we had entered an episode of the Twilight Zone. The spot we found was up on a hill not far off the road. The driveway was dirt and gravel filled with holes large enough to eat an entire wheel off the Windryder. The large propane tank and fueling station sat in the middle of the sloped driveway between the large metal building and the road. I carefully pulled our rig up the drive and around the large propane tank so we sat between the tank and the main building. As we pulled up into the driveway I noticed two girls on the other side of the building. They were smoking cigarettes whilst sitting on top of the cage that housed the five gallon portable propane tanks. Once parked I walked around the rig and up to the building looking for someone to help fill our tank. There were two service bays open on each end that ran the length of the building front to back and were large enough to drive a semi-truck through. I spotted a fellow at the other end of one of the service bays and when I went to get his attention he stepped out of view. Rather than walk the length of the service bay I turned and headed toward a narrow hallway that went through the lower part of the building to the side where the girls were smoking. I stepped inside to discover a steep and narrow stairway leading up to the office. The two girls came in the hallway from the other side to ask what I needed. I told them I was looking for help with the propane and before they could answer,  a tall, lanky mustached Vietnam vet looking biker appeared next to me at the base of the stairwell. I couldn’t tell if he had walked up behind me or had come down the stairway as I spoke to the girls. Toothless and tattooed they offered their assistance with the portable tanks. The tattooed biker spoke over them to let me know that there would be someone up front to help me and when finished to come upstairs to the office to pay the bill. As I walked back to the rig it crossed my mind to just drive off as the vibe was straight outta deliverance. As I came around the end of the coach I met “The Gas Man” as he called himself, face to face. The Gas Man looked like had been working on trucks for a week without a proper scrubbing. He had no teeth, skin of leather and wore saggy jeans and a cap that looked older than me. I got everyone out of the coach as a safety precaution while he filled the tank. Friendly enough, he showed me how many gallons I was going to be charged for and sent me upstairs to pay.

As I summited the tall and narrow staircase there were a variety of options from which to choose. Step forward to the vacant office area and ring the bell with a sign above it that said, “ring bell at your own risk” or turn left to walk into the full bar with pool tables and a juke box, or wander the other hallways until I found someone to take my money? As I stuck my head in the empty bar I thought of my family’s wellbeing and turned back toward the “Ring bell at your own risk” option. But Before I could turn all the way around, a road weathered biker woman seemingly appeared out of nowhere and asked if she could get me a drink. I said I was looking to pay for propane. She yelled down the hallway to Dale to come get paid. Dale was obviously the owner as there were signs posted all over the office that read, “No One borrows Dale’s tools, don’t even ask” and “If you pay anyone else you haven’t paid Dale”. He took the longest time to show up to ask if I was paying by cash or credit. He must have seen the California plates as his propane price was a dollar more per gallon than anywhere else we have purchased propane. Without question I paid the bill, thanked him and made no haste in getting back to the coach. Not one of the characters were to be found on my way out. The theme song from Twilight Zone played in my head as we entered the roadway.

Glad to be out of there, we headed up route 20 north from Geneva towards Pennsylvania. After thirty or forty miles we came to our second “Road Closure” of the trip.

The first gave us warning however this one was a surprise. With enough room to barely turn around without unhooking our truck we made our way back a few miles to a cut off we identified through Google maps. At twenty-five miles per hour we headed a few miles through a rural, forested neighborhood that took us to the shore of Lake Erie. We continued on that road until we reached Presque Island State Park located on the shore of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania.

Presque state park is on a seven mile long peninsula extending into Lake Erie and offers day use only so we needed to find a campground. Luckily, just a fifteen minute drive away we found an affordable site across the bay from the state park. Through some beautiful old neighborhoods with tree lined streets and a number of houses baring full Halloween decorations the drive was a treat. That is until we got closer to our destination at Lampe Campground. The drive into Lampe Campground takes you along the shore of Lake Erie in front of the ferry and shipping terminal, nice enough. However, then you take a left at the waste water treatment facility and continue a mile down a broken concrete road until you pass the concrete manufacturing plant. At the roads end take the only possible right leading into parking lot, continue across the large lot and take a right through the gate into another parking lot. Continue through the abandoned parking area until you reach the entrance on the left. Once through the gate there is a small well-manicured campground with paved back in spaces. There are no large trees on the grounds, only a bath and shower building in the middle. The entire campground is shaped like a peanut in its shell and not much larger. It is surrounded by a waist high chain link fence with grass in between the sites. It was empty with only four of forty spaces occupied by campers.  As we rolled through and evening was giving way to night we decided to look for another option. We have learned when the vibe is not right to move along.

With darkness falling we found Sara’s, a private campground that we had actually passed on the way out of Presque State Park. Sara’s Campground is divided by the road that enters Presque State Park. Half of the park is on the shores of Lake Erie sporting private lake front beaches and the other half is on the other side at the base of some cliffs and behind a few eateries. There is a theme park built upon the cliffs above the park with a wooden rollercoaster actually dropping below the cliff on the lake side just above the campground. I can only imagine the added chaos the rollercoaster adds in the summer with the clackety clack of the cars and the people screaming as it drops below the cliff above the campground. After speaking with the groundskeeper I came to find out that Sara’s is a summer destination and is packed from June first to Columbus Day. Holiday weekends see tent camping on the beach with barely enough room to walk in between. So glad we hit it in the off season.

The campground was started in the fifties by the current owner’s father. The second generation has expanded the grounds to offer seasonal spaces where people leave their RV’s year round and have built decks around them as well as cottages and tent sites. The grounds are well kept and the semi-permanent sites are all well maintained. For Two thousand twenty five dollars per year plus the cost of your camper you can have a second home here for the duration of their seven month season. It includes beach access and all the cable, sewer, electricity and water you can use. He must do well as the maintenance guy said he recently spent a couple million dollars in reloading the beach with sand.

 

With Laundry and schoolwork done we headed out for a bike ride through the state park and around the peninsula.

After a refreshing eight mile bike ride exploring we headed out in the afternoon towards Niagara Falls.