Off the Beaten Path

The road to Chicago from West Virginia is well traveled. It’s basically the four-lane all the way. Is there any good place to stop and take a break? This is the question Robert, Daniel and I had as we were driving back to Headquarters on Tuesday. We were pleasantly surprised that this was indeed true! Following the signs 10 miles off the highway to Hocking Hills State Park, we had no idea what was awaiting our arrival!

Little did we know that this little creek was the starting point of......this amazing canyon cutting through the Ohio countryside!The long decent into the gorgeWe couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the trail disappear underground!Robert reposing for a rest :)No guard-rails meant greater freedom - but only to a certain extent!      This spectacular bridge surprised us as we turned a bend in the trail.Everything was lush and green after a morning rain.A birdseye view of the trail winding through the gorge.Watch your step, Robert!Daniel! Where did you go?At first we didn't believe the sign that boasted these trails the best in the state; but we were soon convinced!

12 Comments

  1. Jonathan DeSeno August 8, 2008 at 9:21 am #

    Awesome pictures.

  2. Joshua August 9, 2008 at 4:09 pm #

    Stunning place! I’ll know who to call the next time I need a place to stop on a long road trip. You all are amazing at locating unique stops along the way.

  3. Jenny Wilkes August 9, 2008 at 4:22 pm #

    Incredible James, Daniel, and Robert! Each picture is just breath taking!

  4. Robert August 9, 2008 at 10:12 pm #

    Wow! Great photography, James. Those could all be postcards. God’s creation is a wonderful reflection of His nature — it is an adventure full of marvelous surprises!

  5. Staddon family August 10, 2008 at 1:55 pm #

    Keep enjoying life – the greatest drama of all time!

  6. James August 10, 2008 at 8:02 pm #

    It was indeed a fabulous park! The funny thing was, Joshua, that we didn’t even know it existed! We were just looking for a place streatch our legs and we love State Parks so we decided to stop.

    God is such a creative designer. As I reviewed the pictures, I noticed that even they don’t fully capture the feeling of depth as felt at the brink of the ravine. Seeing the third dimension was indeed awe-inspiring.

  7. Allen P. August 11, 2008 at 3:43 am #

    Absoultely A M A Z I N G! I hope I can go there some time. Those pictures are beautiful. How long did you spend there?

    God bless,
    Allen

  8. Tim Hynes August 11, 2008 at 6:31 pm #

    Awesome shots James! Thanks for posting, and letting us see more of God’s wonderful creation.

  9. Chad August 12, 2008 at 6:56 pm #

    Great pictures…it’s a great post!

  10. Matthew Hancock September 4, 2009 at 12:39 pm #

    Great pictures! We went there several years ago, but I think you may have better pictures.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. StaddonFamily.com » Blog Archive » Preview of 2009 - February 5, 2009

    […] time (with your camera). You have to take advantage of every opportunity: you never know which photo-shoot will produce the picture that actually goes into the final […]

  2. StaddonFamily.com » Blog Archive » Another Glimpse of Hocking Hills - August 4, 2009

    […] had been a full year since our last escapade off the beaten path to Hocking Hills State Park on our way to and from Chicago and home.  Because Robert and I […]

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