Leaving Athens, Ohio, this morning, we headed northeast through the Sunday Creek Valley, a tributary of the Hocking River. As is typical across the unglaciated Appalachian Plateau, the road (Route 13) snakes through a maze of ridges and valleys where the natural beauty is balanced by, in my case, the unease of claustrophobia; broad views are limited to a few stretches where the two-lane road crossed treeless ridgetops.
Further north, after we crossed the Muskingum and Tuscarawa Rivers, the Plateau has a more open feel. Here the Pleistocene Glaciers eroded the landscape, diminishing the relief between the ridges and valleys. Inclined toward broad vistas, I find this area more appealing.
Indeed, we will spend the next week at a family retreat along Sandy Lake, one of many glacial lakes across the Glaciated Appalachian Plateau of northeastern Ohio. There we'll enjoy a mix of activities with our oldest grandson; swimming, kayaking, hiking, birding and fishing (likely futile) are on the preliminary list.
