Monday 22nd May – Tuesday 23rd May – Buck Creek State Park

So far away from home.... or were we?!

Check-out was midday from our expensive weekend retreat.  We literally filled and emptied our tanks as required before driving a mile up the road to an Aldi car park.  Mostly because we didn’t actually know where or what we were going to do today!

We have three nights’ accommodation left this week and need to spend as little as possible. But, we have only two and a half hours of driving between today and Thursday so we will not need to spend any more on gas for once.  The only freebies west of us were Walmarts, so not very inviting.  Then I discovered another State Park that accepts Passport America – this must be a ‘thing’ in Ohio.  Great!

Buck Creek State Park was only about 45 minutes west of Columbus and we used our PA membership to secure a spot for two nights for only $14 a night.  Plus, they have a laundry so I could do a wash to tide us over for the next week or so.

The rest of Monday was a recovery day.  Just like if we’d spent the weekend at a festival in the UK, it was a case of finding a good spot and relaxing for the afternoon, apart from me heading out for a small orientation bike ride.

Of course, now the weekend is over, there is no risk of any rain or thunderstorms for today when it wouldn’t really cause any dramas!

The other thing that happened tonight, tragically, was the Manchester Arena bombing following an Ariana Grande concert.  They interrupted programming over here to report on the atrocity as details started to filter across the Atlantic. What can you say?  Not the first act of terrorism and meaningless waste of life in the UK since we left. But to target a concert where the victims are highly likely to be young people with no say at all over our political system, past or present, innocently enjoying an evening out – that’s a whole new low isn’t it? Sickening.

The next morning brought more distressing reports from back home in the aftermath of the bombing.  Simon’s sister and nephew were at a London gig by Ariana Grande only days before the Manchester incident so we are experiencing contrasting feelings of relief that the same thing didn’t happen there, whilst also feeling guilty for thinking that! People are still searching for missing family members, not knowing whether they will find them in a hospital or a morgue.

Powerless to help in any way from here, we headed out for a bike ride which was uneventful, followed by a quick dose of sunbathing and an evening BBQ.

Debris left by our neighbours being scavenged...

Quite a quiet State Park with not much exciting wildlife to report, but we have now seen raccoons alive and well in the wild, instead of just as roadkill!