DAY 27: COLUMBUS TO PITTSBURGH

I woke up on the final day of my dream trip, more tired than I have been on any other day. It was a late night filled with great fun and conversations with my family in Ohio.

It has been an interesting transition, working my way back east. Nice to be able to stretch out the return route and spend a few extra days in places with more time to explore. The original plan was for a 21 day route. That changed to 23 when I left town, headed to Michigan and planned for a final night in Columbus. Now, I'll round out the trip at 27 days, with such mixed emotions.

I got ready, living out of my suitcase for the last time, and packed up to load the car when it was time. Although my organized car has looked pretty chaotic for much of the trip, I've gotten down how to be minimalistic with luggage for an overnight stay.

This morning, we gathered back around the big wooden kitchen table and Uncle Bob was making sausage, egg and cheese English muffins that are better than McDonalds. He has a kitchen gadget that makes them perfectly, and I've never seen anything like it.

Meghan had to get to the airport for a mid-morning flight back to North Carolina, so after breakfast and a little chatter along with a morning TV show playing in the background, we packed up and said our goodbyes. Uncle Bob reminded me not to forget the beers that my cousin Christopher had sent to me from the famed Ohio brewery, Jackie O's. So nice of him to send me some good beer to take home, and I created a mixed four pack for my cousin and uncle to share from my traveling beer collection.

It was back on the road for Portland and I, having our routine down. Just because it was our last day of travel didn't mean we wouldn't fit a hike in before getting back to Pittsburgh. I did detour to Kroger's grocery store to stop at the in-store Starbucks for a Caramel Brulee latte in one of those holiday cups. Too soon? I still have some of the gift cards that my friend Sean gave me at the start of the trip.

Caffeine in hand, I drove the hour to Hocking Hills State Park, a place I've wanted to visit for over ten years, but surprisingly have never made it to. The parking lot seemed busy for late morning on a Thursday, and I went to look at the Visitor Center for a map. It was a beautiful building, with Adirondack chairs and little tables on the lower porch area, along with WiFi access that made me consider posting up to blog for an hour or so. But, the trails were calling and I was eager to move.

The more developed sections of trail near the Visitor Center take you to waterfalls and places like the Devil's Bathtub and Old Man's Cave, all set down into a gorge area with tall rocky walls and unique manmade bridges, stairways and walkways. It is beautiful, impossible to capture, even through many photographs. This area of the park was the most crowded, naturally, but they managed crowds and foot traffic by using a one way trail system. It seemed like maybe this was put in place for physical distancing during COVID, but would also be useful in the tighter trail areas at all times.

The trail wrapped through the gorge and passed through a tunnel that opened up to a large cave-like area of overhanging rock above a walkway. It reminded me of the type of place a cliff dwelling may have been in the southwest, and possibly this served the same purpose at one time. I am famously terrible for learning the history of a place, and reading interpretive signs, especially when traveling alone. The one way traffic led us back to the Visitor Center, so we had to route back through the gorge to continue on the longer trail section of the "Grandma Gatewood Trail," a memorial trail named for a woman who loved hiking in this area.

I wasn't disappointed that I had to repeat part of the route, I got to see plenty of things I'd missed the first time through. The trail continued past Old Man's Cave and to the Lower Falls area and on to more quiet and peaceful forest.

The weather was warm in the upper 50s, and the sun was cutting through the trees and into the gorge just beautifully. As I descended a flight of stairs with Portland, pulling my mask up to pass a couple of hikers, the woman said to me, "You look like an advertisement!" I wasn't sure what she was referring to -- my mask? "For what?" I asked. "For the great outdoors!" she said, listing off my sweater, boots, pack, etc. I laughed and said something along the lines of, "Mission Accomplished." I doubt she knew how much her compliment meant to me. On the final day of my crazy cross country adventure, this is how I want to be seen.

Her comment made me remember the old fear of wanting to do, but never quite looking the part of the outdoor adventure girl. But the truth is that it's so much more about doing than looking any certain way. We continued down the trail, to less busy areas of the beautiful park, walking toward Whispering Cave and only seeing a few other hikers along our way. The trail was rocky and followed a stream. Most of the trees were bare, leaves having already fallen, but it was no less beautiful.

The walk to Whispering Caves took us across a bouncing, rocking, single track suspension bridge that was fun to walk with Portland.

The trail slanted up a steep climb and honeycomb weathering patterns on some of the rocks that looked like honeycomb, coral, or sometimes even skulls in the rock. Then, we walked along a tall wall of rock to an opening with a similar not-quite-cave with a huge rocky overhang that shielded an area beneath. A thin but constant waterfall flowed down into a pit from the top of the center of the large cave, the water breaking apart so that it seemed like each drop of water fell as an individual before rejoining at the bottom. The sunlight caught the water and made it sparkle in the light. I've seen similar falls in Zion at Emerald Pools, but this was more impressive.

I stayed for a few minutes and a water break after reaching the funny signs that signaled that the trail had come to an end. It was a relaxing place to rest on the rocks, even with the distant sound of some sort of construction machinery beeping.

We made our way back on the trail, starting to pass a few more people now in the afternoon. I was thinking about lunch options and I had the urge to use my camp stove once more to make chowder near the Visitor Center. We took a few more side turns for quick explorations back in the gorge area, before ascending many steps to climb back to surface level. The climb ended with a long tunnel of stairs that was pretty dark and required a little guesswork.

Back at the Visitor Center I relaxed in an Adirondack for just a few minutes, using the WiFi. This was it, time that I was homeward bound. A sentiment I never quite agreed with Simon & Garfunkel when they sang it on my playlist throughout this trip. My home had become the country, filled with places to explore, friendly faces to meet and share time with, and ways to test my strength and create new memories and experiences. My home in Pittsburgh reminds me more of things lost, just for now. Not that it will always be that way. If my travels have taught me one thing, it is that there will always be magic in the world, just waiting to be found. Friends and family that may seem distant at times are really not so far away. All roads connect to the others, and you can drive across the country to any point that you wish.

We loaded into our adventure car that had driven us so many miles. I kept telling Portland that we were going home, he would get to sleep in his own bed tonight. I knew he would be excited. I passed an Arby's in Logan, OH before getting too far into the last leg of our drive. Funny how some regular fast food places or other businesses stand out to you when you travel. Arby's was one of those that I had repeatedly noticed, and decided a Jamocha shake, French dip sandwich and curly fries would be a great post-hike meal.

The road home would take about three and a half hours, and it seemed like endless winding, country roads before I met back up with I-70 near Zanesville. The trip went quickly, compared to all the longer drives I've done, but slow at the same time.

We were home before 7pm, and that famous view of Downtown Pittsburgh as you pass through the Fort Pitt Tunnels, was still like a welcome home hug, even if I wasn't exactly ecstatic to be back. I think that view of the city lights from the bridge has that impact on just about every Pittsburgher. So here we are, back home again. 7,837 miles driven across the country and back in 27 days. The total trip miles were a bit higher, since we had driven Liz's car in Oregon, and Luke's in Albuquerque. Now, I know the places and people and the miles that are in between. I would do it all again today, or any day after. I will do another cross country driving trip, either alone or with someone special to share the journey with. I'll share more thoughts and tips in the coming days. A sincere and heartfelt thank you to all who shared this journey and support for me and followed along.

I would love to answer any questions that you might have! Feel free to post here or on social media. You can also email me at wildlysarah@gmail.com.