It feels a little late in the year to start the flying season (We usually kick it off in March with a spring camp-out under the wing), but with my travels and John’s travels and the Starfighter needing some oil and air systems attention, this is the first time I’ve been up in the plane this year. I woke up on a perfect puffy-cloud morning and John said, “Where do you want to go?” My first thought is always Kelley’s Island, but we had to be back in the evening and I’d rather save Kelley’s for a day when we didn’t have a clock ticking.
I thought of some of our usual favorite Ohio airports: Mad River, Highland County, Noble County, Mount Victory, but I wanted to try someplace new. I remembered a photo John texted me once when I was out of town and he was giving the plane some exercise… he’d found a silver diner at an airfield up north somewhere. “What about that place?” I asked.
It turned out to be the Tin Goose Diner in Port Clinton, at the Liberty Aviation Museum. What a great spot! It even had an airplane mailbox — so cute.
Lunch was wonderful — I had half a grilled cheese sandwich and the most delicious baked potato soup (if you know me you know I am a soup fanatic). It was the perfect place to plan our next stop.
We decided to hop over to Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island. I’ve never been there, nor has John, but we always see the giant monument when we fly out of Kelley’s Island and wonder what it is. It turns out to be the Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial, which “honors those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812” and also celebrates “the long-lasting peace among Britain, Canada, and the U.S.” More info HERE.
While we didn’t go up to the observation deck, we lolled about in the shade of a pine tree while listening to the starlings and red wing blackbirds tweetle away.
After awhile we unfolded our scooters again and thought we’d ride into town. It seemed a lot like any beachside party town: packs of college kids, bars, souvenir and t-shirt shops, even go-carts and mini golf (both of which I love but we didn’t have enough time). We found the Village Bakery and Sandwich Shoppe and poked our heads inside. I neeeeded an iced coffee — and a pastry to go with it — and John got a smoothie. I’m so glad we stopped in — everything was delicious and we had a nice conversation with the owner about the island. I’m looking forward to coming back when we have more than a couple hours to go exploring!
We usually see Put-in-Bay when we fly out of Kelley’s Island; this time it was the other way around. I could see the state park beach, the quarry, the airport runway nestled in the trees. I know we’ll fly there sometime this summer, but for now I waved hello.
It was so wonderful to be up in the air again after what feels like forever. I hope the year's flying adventures last through the long summer and far into Ohio's still warm autumn days. We'll see...