Mineral, Moonville, Hope — all were towns active in Ohio's mining and iron manufacturing industries during the 19th century. They were connected by the Moonville rail line which passed through two long tunnels on the way to the iron furnace at Hope.
The towns are long gone, as is the rail line, but the two tunnels remain and can be found in the Zaleski State Forest. The more famous of the two is the Moonville Tunnel which is the subject of numerous ghostly tales. We visited the Moonville Read more ➜ Zaleski State Forest: King’s Hollow Tunnel
Mineral, Moonville, Hope — all were towns active in Ohio's mining and iron manufacturing industries during the 19th century. They were connected by the Moonville rail line which passed through two long tunnels on the way to the iron furnace at Hope.
The towns are long gone, as is the rail line, but the two tunnels remain and can be found in the Zaleski State Forest. The more famous of the two is the Moonville Tunnel which is the subject of numerous ghostly tales. We visited the Moonville Read more ➜ 
When I entered information for Holden Arboretum into our on-line guide, I was impressed by the size of this Lake County arboretum - 3,600 acres (14.6 km²) with 19 miles (30.6 km) of trails. I added it to my must-see list. Would it live up to its statistics?
In mid-May, we visited Holden Arboretum. I'll spare you the suspense, my only regret about my visit, is that I didn't have a lot more time to explore this wonderful place.
We parked by the visitors center. The visitors 
Charleston Falls Preserve is 216 acre park in Miami County that's perfect for outdoor trips for the whole family. We visited on a cool, but sunny weekend in early May. Many people were taking advantage of the fine weather to admire the scenery or get some exercise while walking their dog.
The park features 3.74 miles of well-laid out trails, with bridges, wide wooden stairs, observation decks, boardwalks, and strategically placed benches in some of the most scenic locales.
The 
We'd been looking forward to a Saturday hike, but the weather forecast called for rain. What to do? Go hiking underground! We visited Ohio Caverns, a commercial cavern open year round offering guided underground tours. Just the thing for a rainy day.
Ohio Caverns is located in Logan County in the Bellefontaine Outlier. This hilly region of Ohio contains the highest point in Ohio. Just down the road from the cavern is Campbell Hill with an elevation of 1,549 feet above sea level.
The 
Ohio has some scenic wonders - the gorge valley at Old Man's Cave, rapids and waterfalls at Clifton Gorge, the Glacial Grooves at Kelley's Island. But how did it all come about? In this article I intend to cover half a billion years of geological history in 10 minutes or less and explain how Ohio became Ohio.
First of all, Ohio has no mountains. But next door in West Virginia is an ancient chain of mountains called the Appalachians that extends from Georgia to Maine. Half a 
Lake County's Penitentiary Glen park can easily be described as "deluxe". In addition to being endowed with natural beauty, the park has developed a number of first-rate facilities. If you enjoy hiking, as we do, you'll also appreciate its trails; they're both well-marked and well-built.
The odd name, Penitentiary Glen, has nothing to do with a prison. The centerpiece of the site is a 130-foot deep gorge. Settlers in the 1800s gave it this name due to the steep walls of the gorge. It was easy 
When you think of a locale for cactus, Ohio doesn't generally spring to mind. Texas perhaps, certainly Arizona, but not Ohio. Yet there is a species of cactus that not only grows in Ohio, but is native to the state.
Eastern prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa) is native to Ohio growing in sandy soil in a few select places in northwest and southern Ohio. Deb and I lived in Austin, Texas for several years and frequently saw prickly pear cactus. It never occurred to us we'd find it in Ohio. 
Oak Openings Metro Park is a 4,000 acre metro park in Lucas county. It has over 30 miles of well-marked hiking trails over some of the state's most interesting and diverse terrain. It features many varieties of plants, and it is on the main path for seasonal bird migration. Oak openings also has sand dunes despite being miles from the nearest large body of water. How the sand dunes got there is an interesting story in itself.
The History and Habitat
Twenty one thousand years ago, 
The Ottawa National Wildlife Refugee is located next to Lake Erie between Magee Marsh and Metzger Marsh. It is a great place to go birding because it is another stop-over during the spring / fall bird migration, particularly for water birds in the spring. It's also a nesting / hunting area for local eagles.
Entrance to the refuge is off of State Route 2 in Ottawa County. The visitors center features a small exhibit area, conference rooms, maps of the refuge, restrooms, and a telescope 
Below are the blossoms of Rhododendron Maximum (also known as Great Rhododendron, Rosebay Rhododendron, American Rhododendron, Big Rhododendron, Bigleaf Laurel, Deertongue Laurel, Great Laurel, White Laurel, Rose Tree, or Rose bay). It is a shrub that is native to a few counties in southeast Ohio. In particular, it is found at two adjacent nature preserves: Rhododendron Cove and Wahkeena. We visited both to see it in bloom.
At Rhododendron Cove only a few of the shrubs were beginning