by Why drive from point A to B when you can make lots of little detours to “just do this thing” and “just do that thing”, making an hour and a half drive last for hours and hours?
Campbell Hill
We registered another visit to a state high point by driving up a small hill, parking, and walking a few feet. Campbell Hill, in Bellafontaine, has an elevation of whopping 1,549 feet. A biting wind was blowing and it was not the most enjoyable of our high points, but there was a certificate of accomplishment, so it was worth it in the end. The cover photo to this post is us with the high point marker.
Frank Lloyd Wright Dr. Kenneth L. Meyers Medical Clinic
I could find very little information about this building, other than it was built in 1956. It was closed when we stopped by for a look, but that didn’t stop us from pressing our noses against the glass to get a look inside. I’m pretty sure Doug added this to his FLW checklist so he could cross it off.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Did Doug make me drive to Delaware, Ohio, just so he could look at a sign indicating where 19th President Rutherford B. Hayes was born, but which is now the site of a gas station? Yes, he did. Did I get out of the van for this? No I did not.
A block or so away was a statue of RBH that we also drove over to see (and which I also stayed in the van for).
Ohio Valley-Style Pizza
Please admire this Ohio Valley-style pizza, which originated in Steubenville, about 150 miles east of Columbus. If we’re being a stickler for the truth, we did not have this on our drive between Columbus and Cincinnati, but it was too good not to share it.
The pizza is very regional, only really prepared in the Ohio Valley of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. We got ours from the pizza shop that originated it (though not at its original location), DiCarlo’s, and thought it was delicious.
First we’ve got the square or rectangular dough, which is then covered with a sweet tomato sauce. Halfway through baking, some more sauce and a small amount of cheese is added. Then after it’s baked, any requested toppings are put on top and thus aren’t baked with the pizza, with a generous helping of shredded Provolone cheese that slowly melts into the warm slices.
Please enjoy this sentence on Wikipedia about the pizza: “Its method of preparation is polarizing, and it has been negatively compared to Lunchables.” LOL!
The “All Other Foods” Category
We went to G&R Tavern, the “home of the famous bologna sandwich.” Needless to say, this was for Doug, who likes his Roadfood stops. The bologna is fried until it’s crisp and served like a burger on a roll with your standard toppings.
Conn’s Potato Chips are from Zanesville, about 50 miles east of Columbus. They’ve been in business since 1935, and are sold in Ohio and West Virginia. This flavor was unique!
Another Roadfood stop, this one specifically because of its “blue-ribbon, church-supper, Independence-Day-picnic fabulous” macaroni salad. Doug also partook of pickled “red beet” eggs, which I can’t get past looking at.
While at Liberty Gathering Place for the macaroni salad, Doug also had their famous ham loaf. There’s nothing especially noteworthy (it’s not a specific regional specialty, though it is a staple in midwest farm country), but I like the way it looks, so here it is.
