PUT-IN-BAY EXPEDITION!

It was a commemorative coin from the U.S. Mint's series on state quarters, that was probably the seed that was planted, making me want to see the subject of this 2013 twenty-five cent piece.  Up until I saw this quarter, I was familiar with most of the subjects embossed on the state quarters.  In fact, I published an article about the Indiana State Quarter, called "The Quarterly Expedition", that you can see in the archives, dated May 23, 2011.   However, I had to do some research to find out what the "Perry's Victory" quarter was about, and where in Ohio, it was located!  

 

Getting to the location of the Perry monument involved boarding a ferry at the Cataba Island dock, in Ohio,  then cruising a few miles across Lake Erie, to land on the dock of Put-In-Bay Island (www.visitputinbay.com).   I had traveled this far on my quest, on a big motorcoach,, as a part of Making Memories Tours (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com), so a boat ride was a nice change of pace.  Although a few cars are allowed on the island, our group went on foot, and walked onto the ferry.  For people whose bladder starts to spasm, as soon as they see a big boat on the water that might not have a toilet, you can notice there is a port-a-potty located in the holding area, just before boarding.  

While we were in the holding area, I noticed some of the people in the group in front of us, were wearing the uniform of National Park Service employees, so I assumed they were taking the ferry to Put-in-Bay (abbreviated PIB), to report for work at the National Park Service Perry Victory Monument.  The EMS worker, accompanied by an empty stretcher, is a reminder to say there is no hospital on PIB, so avoid having an accident, which would probably involve a helicopter flight to the mainland!

 

Getting onto the ferry involves a bit of walking and stair-climbing, so keep this in mind, when planning your visit.  

This is the view from above, where most people go, once aboard the ferry.  

When we disembarked from the ferry on Put-In-Bay Island, we hopped onto an open-air trolley, to get a narrated tour around the island.  

The cart driver gave each of us a souvenir PIB bag, that had maps of the island, post cards, attraction brochures, and a souvenir ink pin.  

 

Many visitors rent golf carts during their visit, and the rental office is adjacent to the ferry landing.

 

I was thankful not to have to deal with driving, because it gave me hands free, for taking photos!

 

Our tour package included a fifteen dollar meal voucher, so the tour driver was pointing out places where we could use the voucher, such as the easily-accessible Burger and Fries cafe.

 

PIB has a nickname of "Key West North", and even has a miniature replica of the famous Key West, Florida, landmark:

I decided to use my meal voucher at a cafe on the boardwalk, that allowed me to sit on the deck and watch the boat traffic. 

At the Boardwalk, I noticed a small poster advertising harbor tours, on a decommissioned Coast Guard boat, which caught my interest, because I have a friend on active duty in the Coast Guard:

 I saw a man on on the boat preparing it to set sail, and he told me that no advance reservations were required, and I could go on the next tour, which left in five minutes.  He took the payment with my credit card, and VOILA!  I was cruising like a cadet, in a decommissioned Coast Guard vessel.  The boat only holds six customers, and it departs, even if there is only ONE customer, which was the case today!  The Boardwalk looked entirely different from the water, than it did from the land!

We circled the C-Shaped island, which gave us a good view of the Perry Monument:

 

The boat captain put the boat in neutral, and came down from the upper bridge, to where I was sitting, to see what questions I had about the tour, so far.  I asked if he would take my photo, and I explained I usually lift my arms in gratitude in a photo, to give thanks to God for getting to see a particular scene.  He very skillfully lined up the shot, so it would appear as if I had the Perry Monument, resting in the palm of my hand!

The harbor boat tour also cruised by the dock of The Ohio State University Stone Laboratory, that conducts fresh water research.  When I posted photo of this on Facebook that day, a friend from my church commented that he had done some of his graduate studies in environmental science at this location, and lived in the "castle" building which housed students at that time.  

When the very enjoyable 45 minute boat tour ended, I disembarked, and started walking back through the main part of town.  That gave me the opportunity to enjoy the shaded tranquility of DeRivera Park

Across from the park, is the hundred-plus year old Round House, which has a very colorful interior, as well as its distinctive exterior shape:

 

Eventually my walk down main street led my to the site of the National Park Service Facility :

After getting my obligatory NPS rubber passport stamp, showing the date and the location, I watched the short video, telling about the famous Battle of Lake Erie, which was a part of the War of 1812.  Then it was time to study the diorama that had miniature ships, depicting their location during the battle.  I thought of my son when I saw the diorama, because he often sets up battle dioramas on a large tabletop, with miniatures, to re-enact famous and imaginary battles.  

 

The statue that is depicted on the Ohio quarter, is the centerpiece of the Visitor Center.  I had done a bit of studying of the War of 1812, due to attending its centennial celebration in Baltimore.  The story of that event is in a blog I published called "A Very Admirable Expedition!", that can be seen in the archives, dated June 22, 2012.  

 

It is the Battle of Lake Erie,  that made the phrase "Don't give up the ship", famous:

Since my son has the word "ship" in his name, I bought one of the souvenir flags, for him to hoist on the mast of his sailboat!

 

Another famous phrase from this battle, is the one Commodore Perry wrote to his commanding officer, and was painted on the wall of the visitor center:  "We have seen they enemy, and they are ours."

The confidence that Commodore Perry had, reminded me that students of the Word can have that same confidence, because they know the triumphant conclusion of events, because of what the Bible says in Revelation 19:19-21.  "Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.  These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."

 

Before I arrived on the island, I had been looking forward to getting to visit the top of the tower, to brag I had been in the tallest structure that was part of the NPS system.  However, it was not to be.  In celebration of a huge AMERICA 250 event taking place the following weekend, access to the grounds surrounding the tower, as well as the tower itself, were closed off to the public, as NPS workers were giving it a thorough scrubbing and paint touch-up to get it ready for the big celebration:  

 

This photo shows an empty lawn around the tower, but this will be a much different scene, when the America 250 Celebration opens the grounds to the large crowds expected: (Flags were at half mast in recognition of the death of U S Senator Lindsay Graham.)

 

After a very informative visit to the NPS Visitor Center, it was time to head towards the meetup place for our group, to take the free Downtown Bus, that would take us back to the ferry dock:

At the ferry landing, cars were beginning to line up, as well as several folks who had come on bicycles, including recumbent bicycles:

Once on board the ferry, a person takes the stairs to the upper deck, where we enjoyed a beautiful, sun shiny day, gliding across the water, while meditating and giving thanks for the gorgeous weather, and the many blessings of living in the beautiful United States of America!  This trip to Put-In-Bay, Ohio, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia

Note:  In addition to being "motivated" to travel to a spot shown on a state quarter, it was nickel, that inspired a visit to Monticello, as shown in blog called "MONTICELLO EXPEDITION!", dated April 6, 2017.  Likewise, the blog titled "FDR PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY EXPEDITION",  dated April 17, 2026, tells the background of the Roosevelt dime.   Wonder where my next "coin trip" will be??!!


ADDENDUM;

I was thankful to receive this photo, indicating my son had received the "Don't Give Up The Ship" flag and decal, that I mailed him!

 

 

OUTER BANKS EXPEDITION!

 Visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina (www.outerbanks.org), has been on my "bucket list" for several years, so making it to Nags Head, North Carolina, on a blustery day in September, was a definite reason for lifting my arms in praise to God, for allowing me the opportunity to achieve this goal!

After the photo, I continued on down the steps, for a beach "photo safari" (and to look for a seashell with a hole in it, so I could write a location and date on it, to add it to my "fishing net/sea shell" memory wall).  There was a fisherman setting up his gear, and he told me he was fishing for Red Drum.  Earlier in the day, I had observed a pick up truck with those very long fishing poles, secured from the front bumper, and over the passenger-side windshield, which was something I had never observed in the Ozarks area where I live!  

I walked on the beach until sunset, then headed back to my very comfortable room at the Holiday Inn Express (www.hiexpress.com/nagsheadnc) in Nag's Head, NC, which, thankfully, had a terrace that looked out over the ocean.  I was also thankful the hotel room had Gideon Bible, which are supplied free of charge to lodging properties by The Gideons International (www.gideons.org).

The next morning, provided the opportunity to visit the Bodie Island Lighthouse.   This trip was part of a 10-day trip operated by Making Memories Tours (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com), and the word "lighthouses" was included in the title of the trip, so it was appropriate that our leader wanted to get a photo of the group together, in front of the first lighthouse we visited.  This photo provides the opportunity to mention that our leader shared many photos on the Making Memories Facebook page, so some of the photos in this blog are from those Facebook pictures.  Our trip leader, Diana, did an outstanding job "corraling" our group of about 31 travelers, and I especially appreciated that she started out each day of our motorcoach travels, with a prayer to God, asking for his protection for our travels.  

Those in the group who wanted to climb to the top of the 170 foot tall lighthouse, could scan a QR code with their phone, to pay ten dollars, via their phone, to authorize their climb, to show to the National Park Service ranger who was the gatekeeper to the climb.  Since I am "QR-code-challenged", I was very thankful to the fellow traveler, who paid the fee via her phone, and trusted me to pay the ten dollars to her afterwards.  Those few of us who wanted to climb to the top had to first listen to a safety talk, that reminded me of the procedures my rock-climbing son, taught me for scaling summits with a special language.  During the safety talk, we were told we would not be allowed out on the top outer balcony, because NPS has a policy that walking on the balcony is not allowed if the winds are over 35 miles per hour, and the winds on this morning were 40+ mph.  Thankfully, I made it to the top, and rejoiced!

After lunch, we went to visit the Museum called the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (www.graveyardoftheatlantic.com).  

The name of the museum comes from the fact that there are so many shipwrecks along this stretch of the Atlantic Coast.  This wall art illustrated one of the reasons for the roughness of the oceans here, thus causing so many marine casualties.  The warm waters coming up from the Gulf Stream, collide with the cold waters of the Labrador Current, and the result is turbulence, both in the air and on the water.  As it turned out, our group was visiting the Outer Banks during the month that has the most hurricanes, so I am very thankful we were able to complete our itinerary, without having to evacuate due to a hurricane or closed highways.  The day we visited the museum, we were actually scheduled to take a dolphin-watch cruise, but the Coast Guard had put out a small crafts warning, meaning the dolphin watch cruise was postponed for that day. 

The strong winds are what draw kite surfers to a section our bus drove past, called Jockeys Ridge State Park.  Even though our bus did not get to stop, I was able to get a photo of wind surfers through the window:

This area is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, so of course, we wanted to see the famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  We were told in advance that it was closed for repairs, but I had not realized the extent it would be completely covered by scaffolding, until I saw it for myself!

 

In the Outer Banks (abbreviated OBX) area, there are numerous opportunities for outdoor activities, as evidenced by all this rental equipment available, that I photographed during a lunch stop at Currituck:

Also in Currituck area is a photo opportunity for the biggest lawn chair I have every seen, so with the help of some fellow travelers, I climbed up into it for a photo:  In the background, you can see the Viking motorcoach (www.VikingTrailways.com) that was our mode of transportation for the ten-day trip.  It was very comfortable, and our driver, Laren, managed to get us safely through all of our itinerary, and back to our starting point.  The bus was equipped with WIFI, plus a plugin so I could keep my phone charged up, enabling the hundreds of photos I took with my iphone!

Along certain stretches of the Outer Banks coastline, four-wheel-drive vehicles (that have purchased the required permit) can actually drive on the beach, next to the waves.  Our group took one of the commercial vehicles providing these rides, and the photo below shows the driver of our pickup truck, after she stopped, got out of the vehicle, and checked on her passengers, to see which ones were still buckled into their seat belts, on the benches in the back of her truck, after speeding along the beach on a very damp and windy day!

The two guys sitting at the very front of our lineup, helped serve as a "shield" for those behind them.

 

After a few miles, we exited the beach, and started driving through the adjacent dunes, on a quest to see the wild horses here, called "Bankers".

The number 11 on this "Banker" horse below, is an "autograph" from birds, that sometimes ride on the back of the horses.  Our guide pointed out that one feature of Banker horses, is that their back legs are longer than their front legs.   The horses are a protected species, and it is against the law to feed them or interfere with their roaming around the dunes.  This means that visitors may see them in the front yards of people who have homes in the dunes.  

In addition to the Currituck Wild Horse Tour, we visited the Currituck Maritime Museum, which illustrated the various types of boats found in the area, both currently and historically.  

This area also provided the opportunity to do another epic stairclimb, getting to the top of the 162 foot Currituck Beach Lighthouse (www.obcinc.org)

Thankfully, the top of the lighthouse was open, so that climbers could walk out on the balcony.  I was thankful to make it to the top, and also for the fellow traveler who took a photo of me, with arms uplifted in gratitude.

One of the reasons I wanted to visit OBX, is because it is the location (www.nps.gov) where the Wright Brothers conducted their aeronautical experiments, and the visitor center there has a replica airplane, based on the meticulous records the Wright Brothers kept on their human flight attempts .  It was interesting to me that one of the exhibits was a treadle sewing machine (like the one my grandmother had in her farmhouse), was used to sew the cloth wings of the aircraft.  The photo below shows the NPS Ranger, who gave us an educational program about the construction of the flyer.  

I wanted to climb to the top of the hill, where the huge Wright Brothers Monument is located, so I started out on the "hike", stopping often along the way, to catch my breath, and read the placards along the way, that interpreted what I was seeing.  

This placard about Big Kill Devil Hill before me, made me realize my climb to the top was much easier than what the Wright Brothers had to do, because they were carrying an AIRPLANE to the top of the hill!

I was thankful I encountered a young woman on my climb, who agreed to take my photo.  She apparently was comfortable doing so, because she kept instructing me to adjust my stance, so that in the final photo, it appears that my hand is touching the monument at the top of the hill!

When I finally reached the top of big Kill Devil Hill, I felt victorious, and a fellow visitor captured my jubilation in the photo below:  (When viewed from the Visitor Center, the monument looks small, but you can see by the scale provided by my 5 foot 2 inch height, that it is humongous!)
 

At the bottom of Kill Devil Hill, there is a metal sculpture, which is a replica of the Wright Brothers plane.  I was pleased the sculpture also included the photographer (with his big camera on a tripod) in the setting, which was somewhat new technology at the time of this historic flight.

OBX is famous for its seafood, and our group enjoyed a gigantic seafood buffet at Captain George's Restaurant.  And there were hundreds of other selections to go along with a variety of entrees, in addition to the seafood entrees.  

OBX is also the location of  the so-called "Lost Colony", where we visited the Fort Raleigh National Historic site.  Since it is a National Park Service property, I was eager to get their ubiquitous stamp, because the stamps with a date and location, help me remember where I have been! 

The site is the location of the seaside theater, where the live outdoor drama called "The Lost Colony" is presented during the summer months.  

Also on the property of the NPS, is a beautiful, formal garden, named in honor of Queen Elizabeth, whose statue is a centerpiece of the garden (www.ElizabethanGardens.org).

Walking through this garden, and taking photographs, was a delightful experience!

Our group was able to go on the re-scheduled dolphin-viewing cruise, and I was thankful to get out on the water, even though it was still very windy, and a bit damp.  However, we were rewarded with several sightings of dolphins!

Our leader Diana, took this photo of me, as I was on the overlook at Nag's Head Beach, adjacent to our hotel.  I heard someone shout "TRICIA" from one of the hotel balconies, and when I turned around, I could see she had her camera out, motioning she wanted to take a photo of me, so naturally, I assumed my "hands uplifted in praise to God" photo pose!   What a blessing it is to be able to walk, and to be able to walk in new-to-me locations, is especially delightful!  However, for those who may have mobility issues, it is encouraging to see that this overlook had a ramp, such that a wheel chair could make the climb.  In addition, at the top, one section of the railing was lowered, with a convex area below it, so that a person in a wheel chair could roll their wheelchair under the railing.  Since walking is important to me, I strived to get 10,000 steps registered on my FitBit watch each of the ten days, and actually managed to do that!  One of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses says, "Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20   You may be sure I am giving thanks to God that I was able to go on this trip!
 

One of the major ways that the Making Memories Tour company has been able to be successful, is that they reply on satisfied customers to tell others about the company, and the company rewards referrals with coupons for "money off" on a future trip.  For example, if you read this blog and decide to go on a Making Memories Tour, if you tell the company representative that you heard about the trip from me (Tricia Turner), I would get a coupon for $75 off my next trip, so please give me a "shout out", to the company, if you go on a Making Memories tour!  I can guarantee, this trip gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia