Matthew Caracciolo's Blog

New River Gorge National Park in southern West Virginia is one of the newest national parks in the system, but it has been a mecca for adventure sports for decades. Whitewater rafting and rock climbing have had a foothold here for a long time. There are plenty of gorgeous hiking trails, and you can even walk underneath the length of the New River Gorge Bridge on a Bridge Walk. But one day a year, the adventure gets just a little more extreme in this national park.

On the third Saturday of every October, the authorities close the New River Gorge Bridge to traffic. Folks are allowed to walk on the bridge, and folks who signed up are allowed to BASE jump off the bridge and down to the New River below. This is Bridge Day.

BASE Jumping at Bridge Day

BASE jumping is when you free fall from a fixed structure and then deploy a parachute seconds later. It’s a very dangerous sport, but one that has caught the attention of people into extreme sports. New River Gorge National Park is the only place in the entire National Park System where it’s legal to BASE jump. And it’s only legal this one day a year.

That one day a year has developed into a festival called Bridge Day. It’s free to attend, and you can walk out onto the New River Gorge Bridge and watch these people jump off the bridge.

After working on the Shaka Guide driving tour for New River Gorge National Park, I vowed to come back sometime for Bridge Day. And I was fortunate to come back this October, just one year later. I brought my family and in-laws with me to experience this incredible event.

FYI, you’ll see a lot of vertical pictures in this post. I was mostly taking video while I was there, so some of these are screenshots and not the best quality.

New River Gorge Bridge National Park

So let’s back up for a moment. The New River is one of the only rivers in the Appalachians that travels south to north. It cuts through the mountains and creates the beautiful and deep New River Gorge. For decades, the main way across the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia was to take a long, windy road down into the gorge and then drive back up. It was a narrow, twisty road that took something like 45 minutes.

So to help people out and get across the gorge more quickly, the New River Gorge Bridge was completed in the 1970s. The New River was a national river for a few decades, but the area was upgraded to become New River Gorge National Park in 2020, as part of a COVID relief package. And it includes the New River Gorge Bridge within its borders.

The national park preserves the area’s industrial history, and stewards nature’s comeback to this formerly depleted and struggling landscape. Today, it’s a wonderful place to hike, look for waterfalls, enjoy a wide variety of outdoor activities, explore the ruins of coal mining and railroad towns, and of course, watch people perilously jump off a bridge one day a year.

Bridge Day Tips

Thinking about visiting New River Gorge NP for Bridge Day? Fantastic. Here are some expectations to lay out:

You’ll park far away.
There are shuttles that take you from area parking lots to where the festival starts, which is on the approach to the Bridge. Shuttles are $5 a person round trip, cash only. Some people were parking alongside Route 19. While technically their parking spots were closer than ours, they had a much longer walk, because the shuttle took us straight to the entrance.Prepare to do a lot of walking and standing.
You’ll stand in line for the shuttle, you’ll walk a long way through vendors and booths to get to the bridge (and walk further onto the bridge). You’ll stand while watching the jumpers, and then of course you’ll do everything in reverse. And there are no seating areas. The event has a strict policy on bags.
Clear bags only! They do sell bags at the shuttle stop, but it’s good to be prepared beforehand. We’d normally carry a diaper bag, but with the bag policy, that wasn’t going to happen. We were able to get through with a plastic shopping bag, because it’s see through. The jumps are non-stop.
I’d say about every minute or so, somebody’s jumping off the bridge. So there’s plenty to see!It’s a party!
Vendors come with the food, merch, and more to get you hyped up for the event. Jumpers line up on the bridge, and there’s a DJ right next to the jump spot. Almost makes you wanna jump yourself!

Here you can see a jumper after he just deployed his parachute. They’re all aiming to land onto a target next to the New River below. Rescue teams and boats are at the ready.

What to do in New River Gorge National Park

Of course, there’s much more to this national park than one event, one day a year. Bridge Day is timed so that fall colors are just starting to pop in some places, so hiking around the park is definitely recommended. The Endless Wall and Long Point trails get my vote for best bang for your buck. They’re not too difficult or long, and you get some great views of the gorge. I had some littles with me, so I didn’t get to hop on those trails this time.

We did, however, take the Fayette Station Road down into the gorge. This is the old road that people used to cross the gorge, before there was the New River Gorge Bridge. Today, it’s a one-way scenic drive, so it’s more leisurely than scary. And you get to hang out below the bridge, where the jumpers land.

Another easy thing to do that doesn’t require any hiking is to explore the Grandview area. This is the highest elevation part of the park, with a spectacular view of the gorge below. We were lucky to catch it on a sunset. There are some hiking trails here, but it’s also easy to stick to the paved paths and enjoy the overlooks. There’s also a playground here.

Some other highlights I recommend in the area are the Glade Creek Grist Mill, Sandstone Falls, and the Thurmond ghost town. And of course, I recommend you take my Shaka Guide tour, which directs you to anywhere you want to go in the park, and tells you stories along the way.

So, do you have it in you to jump off the New River Gorge Bridge? Or do you just want to hang back and watch? Either way, you don’t want to miss Bridge Day. For Ohioans, New River Gorge National Park is just a short drive to West Virginia. From Columbus, it was just under four hours, which isn’t a bad drive for a national park. There are a lot of small towns in the area with hotels and Airbnb’s, so you’re never too far from civilization here.

Have you been to New River Gorge, or Bridge Day? Share your experience in the comments!

When people think of walking tours in Boston, what they probably think of is the Boston Freedom Trail, which connects 16 sites relevant to Boston’s colonial history as well as the American Revolution. But what many don’t realize is there is a great walking neighborhood right next to the Freedom Trail, and that’s Beacon Hill.

Standing just north of Boston Common, Beacon Hill has always been one of the city’s most high end neighborhoods. It was built primarily in the first couple decades of the 19th century, as Boston expanded following the Revolutionary War. Today, it’s known for its brick homes, cobblestone streets, and gaslit lamps. It’s also a neighborhood rich in African-American, literary, and women’s history. Strolling Beacon Hill, you get to experience the Boston after the Revolution.

My family and I had the opportunity to do a little ‘workcation’ in Boston for about a week over the summer, housesitting for a family traveling overseas. And during that time, I got to explore Beacon Hill over the course of a couple days. Coupled with the Freedom Trail, you really get a good look at central Boston.

A good place to start a walk around Beacon Hill, is the Massachusetts State House, which is also a stop on the Freedom Trail.

Constructed in 1798, the Massachusetts State House was designed by Boston-bred architect Charles Bulfinch. Bulfinch was part of a group of developers that built much of Beacon Hill, and he would go on to be one of the architects for the US Capitol Building.

Touring inside the state house is free, and definitely worth the time. The building has been expanded multiple times over the centuries, but the different sections of the interior are stunning. Murals depict some of Boston’s most iconic historical moments, such as Paul Revere’s Ride and the Boston Tea Party.

Right across the street from the state house is the Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Monument. The 54th Massachusetts was an all-black regiment that fought in the Civil War. You may be familiar with their story if you’ve seen the movie Glory, starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman. The details and depth of the relief are really spectacular to see. Sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens based each face on a real person. Shaw, the officer in charge of the 54th, was a resident of Beacon Hill.

Now, it’s time to head into the neighborhood itself. Beacon Hill is on, appropriately, a hill. And there used to be a beacon on top, as a way to warn the city of danger. But today, it’s all residential. There isn’t much in the way of attractions, or specific stops. This is mostly a place to stroll, take pictures, and enjoy the atmosphere and the architecture.

The most popular place to take pictures in Beacon Hill, and perhaps all of Boston, is Acorn Street. This small cobblestone way attracts photographers and Instagrammers all day long, to the annoyance of the locals. You shouldn’t let that deter you from taking a look, but do respect their space and remember that the road is actually privately owned.

Near Acorn Street is Louisburg Square, the exclusive neighborhood within the exclusive neighborhood. One of the many historical celebrities that lived here was Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women. 10 Louisburg Square was her last address before entering hospice care and passing away.

One of the few ‘attractions’ of sorts within the neighborhood is the Museum of African-American History. Although the south slope and top of Beacon Hill have always been exclusive, the north slope was working class and, for a long time, predominately African American. The museum coordinates a Black Heritage Trail that visitors can take within the neighborhood. It’s also a partner with the National Park Service, which oversees an assortment of buildings throughout the neighborhood as the Boston African American National Historic Site. These buildings, many of them privately owned today, interpret the neighborhood’s role in the Underground Railroad, as well as the north slope’s historic African American community.

The museum is housed within an old segregated school. The museum itself is pretty small, but the highlight is the building behind it: the African Meeting House. This building not only served as a church, but as a community center and gathering space for the African American community that lived in Beacon Hill’s north slope. It’s also considered the oldest black church still standing in the United States. During the guided tour of the Meeting House, you have the opportunity to stand at the pulpit where abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison once preached. It’s a pretty moving experience!

One knock against Beacon Hill is that although there are plenty of good places to walk, there aren’t so many great places to sit. So even though the neighborhood isn’t large, making a stop at a cafe or restaurant is probably in order for a quick breather. Personally, I loved Tatte Bakery and Cafe. There are several locations around the Boston area, but one is conveniently located on Charles Street in Beacon Hill. The coffee’s good, the pastry options are decadent and numerous (good luck making a choice) and I had a fantastic sandwich. And you know what, the prices really aren’t that bad either, considering Boston. So Tatte would be my pick for a quick treat in Beacon Hill.

Lastly, Beacon Hill is adjacent to Boston Common and Boston Public Gardens, two beautiful parcels of parkland in the middle of the city. Boston Public Gardens is especially nice, with the historic swan boat rides, the Make Way for Duckling sculpture, and my favorite hidden gem: the bench from Good Will Hunting.

If you’ve seen the movie, you can probably recall the scene where Matt Damon and Robin Williams sit down on this very bench for a heart to heart. The bench is located on the west side of the pond, in a triangle of grass near what Google Maps calls “Duck Island.” And a small distance behind the bench, you’ll see an equestrian statue of George Washington. So if a place to sit is in order, I recommend this spot right here. And it’s also a great place to finish your walking tour of Beacon Hill.

Have you been to Beacon Hill? What’s your favorite thing to see there? Let me know in the comments!

Well, it’s been a minute.

My last post on Travel is Fatal was all the way back in 2021. Three years between blog posts is not a recipe for success. But I feel like I should explain myself, because the truth is I’ve been very busy since then. And it’s all been good stuff. So today’s post is all about catching up. I’ve had some really incredible writing opportunities over the last few years that I’d like to share with you. And with God’s help and a little caffeine, the idea is that with one post will come another one, and then maybe one more, and another, and another, until I’m back to writing on a regular basis. Because I’ve got some awesome travel to share.

First, if you read any of my latest blog posts, you read that I’d been busy traveling and writing a brand new edition of Moon Ohio. That was a long project, with the editing continuing all through 2021, which is about when I stopped posting on here. It was finally released in June 2022, delayed about a year because of Covid. But I really couldn’t be more pleased with it. And I was even privileged to attend the inaugural Columbus Book Festival as a featured author! I got a whole hour to talk about the book, and give some travel advice to a packed room. Since then, I’ve been invited to speak at libraries and historical societies. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about the book. If you’ve enjoyed the book, then please take the time to write a review or rate it on Amazon or Goodreads! It really does make a difference, especially when someone anonymously leaves a bad rating without any sort of review (as you’ll see if you look it up on Goodreads).

As a featured author at the 2023 Columbus Book Festival, I gave a presentation on Moon Ohio and local travel.

But then my writing career took a new and exciting turn. Starting in early 2022, I joined Shaka Guide as a full-time tour researcher and writer. Shaka Guide designs self-guided driving tours that utilize your phone’s GPS. The tours tell you where to go, where to turn, provide advice on where to stop and what to do, and entertain you along the way with stories and history about where you’re visiting. I was hired to research these tours and write the scripts. Research includes visiting the sites and exploring the destination myself. Pretty awesome job, right? I was later promoted to an editor, to help some of our other writers bring their tours to life.

Shaka Guide started in Hawaii, so I was hired to help bring the company’s tours to the mainland. We primarily stick to National Parks, but sometimes we also build tours for popular scenic drives. My work has taken me to incredible places like Yosemite, Sedona, Death Valley, Big Bend, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Exploring White Sands National Park for Shaka Guide

As an editor, I don’t get to travel to the destination. But, I still get the opportunity to learn about these places so that I’m almost as familiar with them as the writer themselves. So I’ve had my hand in at least a dozen other tours, including Olympic, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Crater Lake, Shenandoah, and Redwood national parks.

Enjoying another sunset at Big Bend National Park. A real stunner!

It’s been such an incredible experience working as a tour researcher, writer, and editor. I get to learn new things every day, because our tours cover topics like geology, wildlife, human history, and indigenous cultures. So if you’ve got a trip coming up and you’re headed to a national park, check to see if Shaka Guide has a tour for you. I may have worked on it!

Research trip in New River Gorge National Park

After working at Shaka Guide for over two years, I finally got to experience one of my finished tours in person this past June, when my family and I took a trip to California. We drove much of my Yosemite tour, and I was incredibly proud of the finished product. My son, not so much. Oh, another relevant reason I haven’t posted in a while…some of my older posts referenced The Boy. Well The Boy is now The Boys. So having two young kids in the house, plus writing full time, doesn’t leave much in the way of time, energy, or interest in spending more hours in front of a computer. But, the youngest Boy is now two, so things are getting a little easier (and yet, harder at the same time).

Tunnel View at Yosemite National park. 0/5 stars. Not enough toy cars.

I have some travel lined up in the near future, both for work and for pleasure. And I have a wealth of travel experiences from the past three years to draw back on. So the goal is to start posting on this thing more often again. If there’s a national park you’re interested in, let me know in the comments! If I went there for Shaka Guide, I’d love to share what I know with a new post. Because frankly, with this job, I know a lot. Like, I’m pretty good at trivia.

And of course, I’ll keep exploring the state of Ohio. Because that’s where we still live, and there’s so much to see and do.

Thanks for reading!

Autumn finally arrived in Ohio a few weeks ago, so we took advantage of a free Sunday afternoon to visit Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs.

Like I outlined in a previous post about Yellow Springs, this region in Southwest Ohio is an outstanding choice for a day trip in Ohio. Ample hiking, quirky shops and restaurants in the town itself, and Young’s Jersey Dairy for simple pleasures (and ice cream) keep us coming back. While we mainly stuck to John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge Nature Preserve on our previous trip, this trip’s journey took us to Glen Helen Nature Preserve, a non-profit park within walking distance of the center of town.

The trail at the parking lot starts with a long set of stairs.

Since the park receives no state or federal funding, there is a $5 charge to park in the primary parking lot off Corry St. A small museum, still closed due to covid as of October 2021, marks the trailhead. Be prepared for a long set of stairs descending into the valley to start your journey. There is a popular loop called the Inman Trail that starts at this trailhead that passes many of the park’s highlights. You can easily add to the hike, but since we came with The Boy, only 3, we stuck to this easy loop.

Walking in the forest

Of course, The Boy is fond of forest adventures and was often pacing the group.

Yellow Springs

One of the earlier things on the hike to see are the springs themselves, from which the town of Yellow Springs receives its name. The water comes out more orange than yellow due to high amounts of iron.

The Cascades

After a few more minutes of hiking through the woods, the trail comes to the other highlight of this part of the park: the Cascades. We stayed in this spot for a while, watching a man operate his drone in this narrow gorge.

Inman Trail in Glen Helen Nature Preserve

After the Cascades, the trail continues along the riverside back toward the parking lot. We collected our favorite leaves as we went on.

Sun-dappled creek crossing

Soon enough, the trail comes to an intersection. To go left, and to an extended hike through the woods, requires a creek crossing across stepping stones. It was a bit slick, and the water a bit high, so we decided against it with a 3-year-old. To go right takes you back to where you started at the trailhead of the Inman Trail and back up the stairs.

All told, without rushing and at the mercy of a toddler’s attention span and energy, we didn’t spend much more than an hour on the trail. It would take more dedicated hikers much less time to complete, though anyone would want to stop now and then and enjoy the springs and waterfalls along the way. The most difficult part of the trail are the initial stairs, which must be climbed to return to your car.

Not quite ready to return home, we decided to pay a visit to the Glen Helen Raptor Center. This non-profit center admits 150-200 birds of prey every year, rehabilitating and releasing as many as they can. Their programs aim to educate the public about raptors and conservation.

Glen Helen Raptor Center

It’s free to visit the center, which includes a dozen or so enclosures of resident birds who are either in the midst of rehabilitation or are too injured to be released back into the wild. These remain as educational ambassadors for their raptor brethren. Species we saw that day included barred owls, great horned owls, bald eagles, and kestrels.

Barred owl

There’s a lot more to see in Glen Helen Nature Preserve, and more things to do in Yellow Springs, so we’ll be sure to visit again and hopefully extend our hikes as The Boy’s legs grow longer.

Hocking Hills State Park in the southeastern part of Ohio is arguably the state’s most popular park. The park’s cliffs, waterfalls, and rock formations draw millions of visitors a year, and a growing list of accommodations, outdoor recreational opportunities, and other attractions surrounding the park make the region a prime destination for a weekend getaway. Some of the best hiking trails in Ohio are found right here.

The Old Man’s Cave part of the park in particular has lured visitors for thousands of years. “Cave” is a bit of a misnomer; Old Man’s Cave is actually a recess cave, where water over the span of millions of years eroded the soft sandstone. What you get is a massive cliff overhang, or a “rock shelter” as some call it. Though not subterranean, the rock formation is no less impressive to stand under, and people have been doing so for thousands of years. Evidence of the Adena culture in the area’s recess caves date back to around 5,000 BC. In more recent history, Wyandot, Delaware, and Shawnee tribes lived or traveled through this region and used recess caves such as Old Man’s Cave as shelters (nearby Ash Cave is named for the giant piles of ash the first white settlers saw when they discovered the cave, evidence of campfires from local tribes). In the late 18th century, a hermit named Richard Rowe took residence within what is now Old Man’s Cave, inspiring the name for the spot.

Growing up in Ohio, Old Man’s Cave was one of the default family hiking trips. While always popular, its exposure seems to have only increased over the years, with parking a problem during peak weekend hours. As such, and as the parent of a small child, I’ve tended to stay clear of Old Man’s Cave in recent years. We had family visitors who’d never been to Hocking Hills, though, and we had a Monday off, so it seemed like a good time to revisit the old stalwart.

There’s more to this part of the park than Old Man’s Cave itself. The rock shelter is only one part of an impressive gorge, deeper the further south you go. There are waterfalls throughout, though some disappear or are reduced to trickles in dry weather. We were fortunate to go in late March after some substantial recent rain: the waterfalls were on point.

Upper Falls at the northern trailhead of Old Man’s CaveOld Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills State Park

The best thing to do is to start at the north end of the trail, at the Upper Falls. From here, the gorge gradually descends and you find yourself increasingly immersed in this world carved by millions of years of passing water. Temporary, trickling waterfalls descended into the gorge from the recent rains, adding more ambience than scenery. The trail continues to follow the water until you reach Old Man’s Cave itself.

From here, you have two options: ascend under the awning of the “cave” back up to the top of the cliff toward the parking lot, or continue down the gorge. We did a little of both–we went up into the cave and then turned around to continue hiking.

The foot traffic decreases considerably after this junction. From here, the trail continues with some mild up and down until another junction appears: if you have a few hours you can go left and hike to Cedar Falls and back. I’ve done it once; the trail is fairly easy as it remains at the bottom of the gorge, but it’s much too long with a toddler. Instead, we took the other option to the right and approached a pool and the Lower Falls. This was a much quieter spot than the rest of the Old Man’s Cave area; we stayed here for at least 20 minutes and had it to ourselves for most of that time.

Lower Falls near Old Man’s Cave

After the Lower Falls, there’s one last choice to make: turn right and make your way up and out of the gorge and back to the parking lot and visitor center, or turn left for one more waterfall: Broken Rock Falls. As many times as I’d been to Old Man’s Cave, I’d never actually hiked to Broken Rock Falls even though it’s only an extra quarter mile. The inspiration for the name is soon apparent as you pass giant boulders strewn about the gorge’s floor. The falls descends down a crevice, nearly hidden from view until you are close to it. It’s worth the extra hike!

Broken Rock Falls near Old Man’s Cave

And from there, we headed back toward the car. Staying in the Old Man’s Cave area is a short hike: a 1-mile loop if you stop at Old Man’s Cave and a 1.5-mile loop from Lower Falls (with a little extra thrown in if you check out Broken Rock Falls). This length was very doable for our two-year-old son, who enjoyed (a little too much) the opportunity to climb around, throw rocks in the water, and in general make his parents nervous. Indeed, the worry here isn’t so much the length but the trail itself, which at times veers a little close for comfort toward steep drop offs, over bridges with minimal railing, or next to water. You’ll find plenty of families, even those stubbornly trying to use a stroller through what is a very not stroller-friendly trail, but you should exercise caution and keep young children close by. You’ll also want to watch out for slippery spots when wet: there are steps and even tunnels along the trail.

The cliffs of Old Man’s CaveNavigating the stepping stones through mud.

Old Man’s Cave is just one segment of Hocking Hills State Park. The rest of the areas similarly offer short hikes through interesting formations and waterfalls. It’s easy to tackle two or three in a day, and they all are among the best hiking in Ohio for scenery. Have you been to Hocking Hills? What’s your favorite part?

Winter. Pandemic. Lethargy. Without the pressing deadlines and necessary travel for the Moon Ohio guidebook (now in editing phase!) pushing me out of the house, I found it difficult to motivate myself to write about traveling because, well, I wasn’t doing a lot of interesting traveling. To better motivate myself to both travel and write, and because there is no shortage of hiking trails in Ohio, I am starting a new series of posts called Hiking in Ohio which, like it sounds, will cover some of the state’s best hiking spots. We’ll dip in and out of this series as other trips occur, but I’m excited to share what my wonderful state has to offer in the natural world. These will not be the backpacking, weekend-long types of trails. Since most of these hikes will be with my two-year-old son, these will be day trips that almost anyone can enjoy. So on to the first hike!

As it so happened, my birthday weekend in the middle of March enjoyed some decently warm, sunny days–not exactly a trend for March birthdays. My family and I packed a picnic and headed to Rockbridge State Nature Preserve on the western edge of the Hocking Hills region. While not a part of Hocking Hills State Park, Rockbridge shares the region’s characteristics: hilliness, rock formations, woods, and waterfalls. Other than get outside on a nice day, we had another goal: to see how our two-year-old could handle a real trail.

The main attraction of this small nature preserve is, like its name suggests, a natural rock bridge with a trickling waterfall next to it. It’s only a 1.75-mile loop to and from the formation, with another adjoining loop through the woods for additional hiking. For those coming from the west, the good news is that Rockbridge State Nature Preserve is a solid 20 minutes closer to you than Old Man’s Cave, a much more heavily visited site in Hocking Hills. It’s close off US-33 down the narrow but well-marked Dalton Rd. The parking lot is just a small gravel lot off the road that dead ends into At Boulders Edge Cabin and Tipi Retreat. You shouldn’t miss the sign though.

Trailhead for Rockbridge State Nature Preserve off Dalton Rd.

From the trailhead, the path switches between gravel, dirt, and boardwalk between hilly pastures into the woods. Not far in, the trail forks. Since it’s a loop to the rock bridge, it doesn’t matter which way you go, though I think there may be slightly less up and down if you go to the right. If you wish to extend your hike and go on the adjoining Rock Shelter Loop, that trail is to the right. In either direction from the fork, a moderate amount of up and down elevation change, none of it too steep, brings you to a burbling stream. Follow the stream to the rock bridge itself, excitingly revealed as you approach it from the top and the stream descends down a series of trickling waterfalls next to the bridge.

And then you go back to your car the way you came! There’s not a lot to see on the hike other than the rock bridge, which doesn’t take more than a few minutes to appreciate, but it was an excellent hike for someone getting their little hiking feet into shape. To our relief, our son enjoyed the adventure of a hike through the woods and a little climbing. Not once did he ask to be carried (until we were in sight of the car). Though the trail was far from crowded, many of the people I did see also had small children in tow. The mud was minimal (though I could see potential for more in rainier circumstances), the climbs weren’t overly steep or dangerous, and the length, as I mentioned, is less than two miles. The only spot where we kept a firm hold on our son was at the rock bridge itself, which has some steep and rocky drop offs. All told, we finished in a little over an hour and a half going at a toddler’s pace.

A small waterfall trickles next to the rock bridge for a tranquil scene.

The only downside? There are absolutely no facilities in this nature preserve–not even a picnic table. The good news is there is a rest stop just west of Dalton Rd. off of US-33 not two minutes from the parking lot with restrooms and plenty of picnic tables. I recommend utilizing this before or after your hike.

Though not the longest or even most astounding hike in the area, Rockbridge State Nature Preserve is a good idea for those short on time, for those with little kids, or those looking for an alternative (or addition) to a Hocking Hills adventure.

With sanguine, pastoral landscapes and the rolling, woody hills of the Appalachian plateau, Ohio has no shortage of charming places to look at fall foliage. Cleveland’s parks are no exception and are some of the most mesmerizing places to look at fall colors in Ohio. I had the pleasure of visiting Cleveland in mid-October, near the peak of the region’s fall foliage, and was excited to see what the city offered in the way of autumn leaves. My drive into town was promising, with striking reds, oranges, and yellows along the highway.

Lake View Cemetery

Founded in 1869 and the final resting place of those who lived the Gilded Age glamor life, Lake View Cemetery is a beautiful walk any time of the year. The cemetery’s exquisite headstones and mausoleums, including the James A. Garfield Memorial, are a somber, Victorian counterpart to striking fall colors.

[image error]Lake View Cemetery

I parked my car on the edge of the winding road and walked with no clear path, many others doing the same–walking their dogs, exercising, discussing this and that with friends. Unlike much of the rest of the city, somehow the peak hadn’t quite hit the cemetery yet, but I could tell it was on its way. Splashes of reds promised an oncoming onslaught of autumn.

Down the hill from the Garfield memorial, I stumbled on the John D. Rockefeller headstone. Rockefeller was the richest man in the world during his time, so somehow the giant obelisk came as something of a disappointment–surely a pyramid would’ve been in order. Behind the obelisk were the headstones of Rockefeller and family. I stood there, permitting a moment for reflection: here lie a man who achieved much. An old man with snow-white hair and a denim vest walked up with a penny.

“I’m leaving a heads up penny for John D.,” he explained, leaning down and placing the shiny penny. “It’s good luck. Hang around for a while and maybe you’ll get a touch of greatness.” It was well into 2020 and greatness was something I could do a little more of, so I did hang around while the man walked off and disappeared. I sat there, in the shadow of the obelisk, wondering if ghosts wore denim vests.

[image error]A penny for good luck on John D. Rockefeller’s headstone.

After what I considered enough time to catch any lingering greatness, I walked on, passing more tombstones, some modest, others extraordinary. The man in the denim jacket wandered in the opposite direction; not a ghost, likely. Guidebooks mention the Haserot Angel, the memorial’s official name being Angel of Death Victorious. A successful businessman but a relative nobody compared to the Rockefellers of the world, Haserot, I’m sure, hadn’t the faintest idea his family plot would be such an attraction. Due to an unfortunate choice in construction material, the angel appears to cry black tears down her face–a chilling but nonetheless awesome spectacle. The Haserots lie on a lovely section of the cemetery near the Hanna mausoleum, with woods directly behind.

[image error]Angel of Death Victorious, or the Haserot Angel.



Rocky River Reservation

While feeling historically satiated, I still had an autumn colors scratch to itch. Thinking it might be best to head away from the center of the city, I drove to Rocky River Reservation near the airport. Slinking down Valley Parkway, I knew I’d made a good choice; the colors were more striking here away from dense urbanization. Though there are many popular hiking choices within the Cleveland Metroparks system, Rocky River Reservation’s steep, 100-ft shale cliffs are an unusual sight in Ohio. I headed to the nature center, which was closed due to COVID, but still a well-used trailhead. When I arrived, I had to park along the parkway far from the building. Everyone, it seemed, was taking advantage of that rare alignment in Ohio: perfect weather on a weekend during peak fall color season.

[image error]Fall colors near the Fort Hill trailhead

You can, and I did, go up the many flights of stairs to the top of the Fort Hill cliff for a good look at the cliff face. It’s a bit more of a gradual climb coming up the other way, if you really must go up. For my money, the better view is from down below, on the opposite side of the Rocky River. Walk across the Valley Parkway bridge and along the river until you find an easy way to descend to the river bank. The water level seemed relatively low at the time–I wouldn’t be surprised if during spring or summer downpours you wouldn’t be able to do this–but on this clear autumn day the water was low and the bank wide and pebbly. From here, you can appreciate the scale of the cliff.

[image error]Shale cliffs in Rocky River Reservation



Holden Arboretum

The next day, I headed even further out of town to the Holden Arboretum, a massive botanical garden and forest preserve 30 minutes east of town. Beyond the gardens are miles of wooded trails–the gardens portion is so big I didn’t have time to venture out. There are two unique opportunities in this park to get you closer to the trees. First, the Emergent Tower allows visitors to climb over 200 steps to view the forest canopy from above, with trees visible in all directions for miles.

[image error]View from the Emergent Tower at Holden Arboretum

The second option, one that doesn’t get your heart rate up to get to the top, is the Canopy Walk. A walk up a long ramp gets you to a series of suspended bridges through the canopy, immersing walkers in a world of leaves and branches. The experience is doubly magical in the autumn with the leaves. For COVID reasons, they kept visitors on the Canopy Walk far apart, which also maintained the tranquility of the forest removed from crowds and noise.

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Unlike Lake View Cemetery and Rocky River Reservation, Holden Arboretum isn’t free. Though it’s well worth the cost, plan to spend a considerable amount of time here to get your money’s worth: wander the garden displays, visit the Emergent Tower and Canopy Walk, venture out into the trails. There are plenty of picnic tables near the parking lot and visitor center to eat a packed lunch.

Though these three locations are all excellent color-peeping spots, I’ve barely scratched the surface of what the Cleveland area offers. There are numerous reservations within the Metroparks system, the heavily forested Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park–itself worthy of a post of good fall color spots. Where are your favorite places to look at fall colors in Cleveland?

As much of the world remains off-limits to traveling for Americans, those of us who suffer from acute wanderlust require a salve for our travel aches. Luckily, travel writers have already gifted us thousands of short stories, travelogues, and adventure books to slake our thirst for exploring the beyond. If you find yourself in need of some good armchair travel, consider some of these books:

The Best American Travel Writing



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If you’ve never dabbled in reading travel writing, it might be an idea to pick a copy of The Best American Travel Writing which combines 20 or so of the year’s best travel stories and travelogues into one anthology. That way, you don’t have to feel beholden to any one story–read each one like you would a chapter book. Any year is fine, really, but I enjoy the 2014 version edited by Paul Theroux. There are some big names throughout the assortment including David Sedaris and Gary Shteyngart. A great introduction to travel writing!

The Travels of Mark Twain, Edited by Charles Neider



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Though more famous for his fiction, Mark Twain also did a fair amount of travel writing–he crossed the Atlantic 27 times, for goodness sakes. This book pulls from arguably his most famous travelogue The Innocents Abroad as well as pieces from other works. His stories cover five continents, all with witty observations, including his famous “travel is fatal” comment that inspired the name of this blog.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson



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Perhaps what we need most is a travel story that we as Americans could conceivably experience. One of the most popular travel writers, Bill Bryson is known for his grumpy observations mixed with interesting historical asides that color his current adventures. One thing is certain with a Bryson book: you will laugh and you will learn something. A Walk in the Woods is his most well known, chronicling his attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail with his hilariously unprepared friend Katz. The book inspired a so-so film starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte but with an appropriately outdoorsy soundtrack from Lord Huron. I’ve enjoyed A Walk in the Woods a few times, and it’s the most relevant to Americans right now, but if I had to pick a favorite I would go with In A Sunburned Country, in which Bryson tackles Australia.

Gui Ren: Extraordinary Stores of Ordinary People by Erin O’Neil



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“Although this book is about travel, it is not a travel book.” Rather than focusing on the in’s and out’s of her travel experience, newcomer Erin O’Neil focuses on the people that bring her from A to B in her adventure traveling through Asia. Through personal struggles and career obstacles, Erin finds solace, advice, and friendship from the acquaintances with whom she strikes up conversations. Some end up strong friends. Some are fleeting encounters. All pull Erin to the next adventure. Those who have already spent ample time abroad will be familiar with the unexplained openness that comes with travel, the willingness to share your life with complete strangers. Gui Ren encompasses that mentality, and how you can apply it at home.

Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves



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Another travel master like Bryson, Rick Steves is best known for his “Travels in Europe” show on PBS. As such, Steves encompasses what many people associate with travel writing: itineraries, travel advice, restaurant recommendations etc. His focus on Europe is a veiled attempt to convince sheepish Americans to dip their toe in similar Western societies before catching the travel bug and venturing out further. In Travel as a Political Act, Steves makes the case that there is much to learn from travel. His stories take us around the world, illustrating the preconceived notions that he arrived with and the rearranged priorities he left with. The more we interact with the world outside of the United States, the more we’re willing to listen to people who have a different point of view.

BONUS: The Waygook Book: A Foreigner’s Guide to South Korea



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Here’s a shameless plug, I know. My debut book The Waygook Book: A Foreigner’s Guide to South Korea chronicles the two years my wife and I spent teaching English in South Korea. Equal parts travelogue and memoir, the book features plenty of stories about my experience as a teacher, our fun traveling throughout the country and region (including chapters on Japan and New Zealand) and some helpful advice for anybody who might live in South Korea. If you’re reevaluating your career choices in light of COVID and think you may want to teach English overseas (they’re still hiring!), then this book is a good resource. The Waygook Book is available in both print and e-book.

What’s your favorite travel book?

There are a wealth of quality day trip options from Columbus, given its central location within the state. Generally, if we’re in the hiking mood, my family opts for Hocking Hills or a nearby metro park. However, 45 minutes west of Columbus is the small town of Yellow Springs and a contiguous area of wilderness to its east comprised of Glen Helen Nature Preserve, John Bryan State Park, and Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve. Yellow Springs is known as a hippie enclave in what is otherwise a pretty red part of the state. Its main street is occupied by book shops, clothing stores, and boutiques all promoting alternative lifestyles or free-spirited fun. I hadn’t spent much time in Yellow Springs, and things were opening back up after Ohio’s stay-at-home order was lifted, so a day trip was in order.

John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge

We started the trip with a morning hike. As far as Ohio state parks go, John Bryan State Park isn’t all that big. It has camping and playgrounds and all that jazz, but its hiking trails primarily follow the Little Miami River through Clifton Gorge. I had intended to start the hike closer to the entrance of the park, but kept driving until I reached the Orton picnic area, as far as you can drive into the park.

John Bryan State Park abuts the Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve. If you want to hike its full length, start nearer the park entrance by the Lower Shelter and South Gorge Bridge.

[image error]John Bryan State Park’s trails follow the Little Miami River through Clifton Gorge

From the Orton picnic area, a short hike into the limestone gorge puts you more than 100 feet down along the Little Miami River. You can choose to turn right into the park or left into Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve. Our plans included lunch at the historic Clifton Mill, so we headed left. The path continues along the river over mostly flat, but rocky and sometimes muddy terrain. The further you go, the more the gorge closes in on the river.

[image error]The trail comes close to limestone cliffs.

Eventually the trail heads up the cliff and meets with the Rim Trail. Here, the gorge becomes shallower and tighter until the Little Miami River squeezes into what is known as The Narrows.

[image error]The Narrows in Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve



Clifton Mill

We’d only been hiking for a little over an hour (you can make this hike longer by starting your hike closer to the park’s Lower Shelter) and it was a tad early for lunch, but Clifton Mill gets busy during the lunch rush, so an early lunch was in order. Established in 1802, Clifton Mill is one of the largest water-powered grist mills still in existence. The building has been a restaurant since the 1980’s, serving country cuisine and housing a gift shop. If there’s a long wait for a table, it’s still worth walking in for the store which has candy for sale. The land also has a covered bridge, and the restaurant puts on a gigantic Christmas light display every season.

This being June there were no Christmas lights, but it’s not every hike you have the opportunity to eat at a sit-down restaurant to replenish and re-hydrate before continuing on. In our case, continuing on meant heading back the way we came. If you want to include Clifton Mill in your itinerary, you can either do what we did and hike from the state park and make the restaurant your halfway point, or you can start hiking near the restaurant in the town of Clifton, go as far as you want into the park and come back and then eat when you’re finished. Either way, it’s best to avoid the lunch rush if you can. This place is popular.

[image error]Clifton Mill, established in 1802, is now a popular country restaurant.



Yellow Springs

We hiked back to the car and headed to Yellow Springs, which is only a couple miles away. The town’s main street, while not all that long, features a dense collection of restaurants and stores. If country food isn’t your thing, you certainly have lunch options in Yellow Springs including Ye Old Trail Tavern, HaHa Pizza, and others. Otherwise, your spiritual and political convictions will be validated, or challenged, as you stroll through the shops and snicker at the t-shirts, bumper stickers, and other accessories for sale.

Yellow Springs is also known as the home of comedian Dave Chappelle. There were no Dave sightings this time, but you never know who you’re going to bump into in this small town.

[image error]Yellow Springs



Young’s Jersey Dairy

Our last stop for the day was for dessert at Young’s Jersey Dairy a couple miles outside of town. Another local institution much like Clifton Mill, Young’s Jersey Dairy is a working farm that has exploded into a can’t-believe-it-until-you-see-it kind of roadside attraction, with a dairy mart, restaurant, petting zoo, miniature golf, batting cages, and other random attractions that are either marginally or not at all related to dairy farming. It’s the kind of place you can do as much or as little as you’d like, though if you’re with kids you’re probably doing more. The main attraction is the ice cream, which you get from the dairy mart. They also make their own cheese and cheese curds. It’s really quite the family attraction and a good way to end a day trip if you haven’t already exhausted yourself with hiking and a stroll through town.

[image error]Ice cream at Young’s Jersey Dairy

With ample hiking opportunities (Glen Helen Nature Preserve is at least, if not more charming than John Bryan State Park), small town quirk, and a puzzlingly-huge ice cream attraction, Yellow Springs and the surrounding area is one of the best day trips in Ohio. It’s rare to find such a diversity of things to do in such a small space. It doesn’t hurt that it’s only 45 minutes from Columbus and barely half that from Dayton.

Oops.

I haven’t posted in Travel is Fatal since November 1st, for which I apologize. That’s not very good discipline on my part and not very good practice for a blog. However, there have been a few things going on to unpack…

First off, I have an incredible new project to share with you! I have been selected to write a brand new travel guidebook for Ohio called Moon Ohio. Some of you may be familiar with the Moon series; you can find them in the travel section of any bookstore. The last edition written for Ohio came out in 2003. Needless to say, a thing or two has changed since then. A lot of my time is now devoted to researching, writing, and traveling for this book which is due in 2021. For more on Moon Travel Guides, visit moon.com.

Already, my travels and research have strengthened my appreciation for my home state. I’ve learned so much that I’m eager to share in the book. My first target was Cincinnati, a place I hadn’t really spent much time until now. I was surprised to find so much history, so many good views, and so much good food! In particular, the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood is an overlooked gem with one of, if not the largest collections of Italianate architecture in the world. Though the neighborhood is old, it’s only in recent years that it’s been considered an attraction. In another 10 years, given the size of the neighborhood, number of historical buildings, and quality of the food, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this place get the kind of widespread hype currently reserved for places like the French Quarter and Savannah, GA.

[image error]Downtown Cincinnati from the Carew Tower Observation Deck
[image error]Findlay Market is an anchor of the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati.
[image error]The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is one of the best examples of Art Deco in the state, if not the country. Also, it is the inspiration for DC Comics’ Hall of Justice!

Next on my list was Southwest Ohio, in particular Dayton. I knew that Dayton was home to the Wright Brothers and was thus a pivotal place in the history of aviation, but I hadn’t really taken the time to visit the related sites. I also had no idea that one of the original Wright flyers has been sitting in the Carillon Historical Park, an hour away from my house, this whole time. So cool! I had, however, been to the National Museum of the United States Air Force as a kid. It was cool to go back 20 years later to see what’s changed. The Presidential hangar is the highlight, I think, with the opportunity for visitors to walk inside Air Force One.

The next biggest find in Dayton was pickle soup from Blind Bob’s. Life. Changing.

[image error]The National Museum of the United States Air Force is massive and a must for aviation-lovers.
[image error]The original Wright Flyer III, restored by Orville Wright himself before his death in the 1940’s, can be found at Carillon Historical Park in Dayton.

Some other highlights so far include:

The Cincinnati Observatory (with the oldest telescope in use IN THE WORLD)
Devou Park in Covington, KY, with its overlook of downtown Cincinnati
Fort Ancient Earthworks in Lebanon
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park in Hamilton
Mariemont Inn in Mariemont

And then my travels hit a roadblock called COVID-19. Things were starting to get serious in Ohio when I was in Dayton, where things were noticeably quiet. I was the only person on the 11 o’clock tour to the Wright Brother’s bicycle shop. I had planned to grab lunch at the 2nd Street Market, but it had already closed indefinitely due to the virus. In the following days, most things in the state shut down including some sites I had luckily visited that week. My traveling has since been limited to bike rides in my neighborhood and snack trips to my kitchen. Where this puts the release date for Moon Ohio is still a question mark, but likely it will be delayed.

In the meantime, my topic choices for Travel is Fatal will likely depend on where I have thus far traveled for the book because currently my choices are very limited. A trip to Mexico in May was going to fuel a few posts, but that trip has been canceled. What a time to be a travel writer!

Fortunately, there is already a wealth of travel writing on bookshelves (and e-bookshelves) and there’s never been a better time to be an armchair traveler. I recommend anything by Bill Bryson to get your feet wet, in particular A Walk in the Woods (about the Appalachian trail) or In a Sunburned Country (about Australia). If you like small tastes of places, I recommend picking up any of the Best American Travel Writing anthologies which each come with a couple dozen short pieces. And there’s always The Waygook Book: A Foreigner’s Guide to South Korea written by yours truly.

So there you have it. I’ve been tremendously busy with a huge project, and now a pandemic is throwing travel writing for a loop. I can’t wait to get back out there and continue to be astounded by Ohio’s hidden gems, but for the meantime I’m following the advice of medical professionals and staying home.

If you would like to follow along as I travel and write (and catch up on the traveling I’ve done thus far) you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @mattiswhatiam.

Take care!