Fort Boonesborough State Park

The second leg of our adventure south took us further down the I-75 through Cinninnati, Lexington, and into Fort Boonesborough State Park which is near Richmond, KY. It was  a little on the cool side but that didn't matter cause it was a beautiful sunny day. The trip is just over 222 miles or 358 km and took about 5 hours with a couple of stops for the dogs and some much needed stretching exercises.

We arrived to the park and was greeted by a campground host singing Christmas carols. I guest you can never be too early for Christmas. We found our site got parked and set up.

We are only here for one night so I have some exploring to do. Fort Boonesborough State Park is located on the banks of the Kentucky River. The campground is open year round and offers 166 sites that range from water and electricity to 18 full hook-up sites. The primitive area is closed indefinitely due to major flooding last year. The park hosts several functions throughout the year in a large activities building. Service buildings provide showers, restrooms, and laundry facilities. They are quite dated but very clean. The park provides WiFi but I was unable to get on. The campground store is well stocked with the essentials including ice cream, groceries, and souvenirs. A short walk from our site is an 18 hole mini golf course equipped with lights for playing in the evenings. The cost is $4.50 adults and $3.50 children.

Kentucky River

Campground Store

Miniature Golf Course

One of Three Picnic Shelters

Fort Boonesborough was the final terminus for Daniel Boone and his band of trail blazers as they carved out a trail that became known as Boone Trace. This trail was only large enough for those travelling by foot or horseback. Boone and his party of early settlers arrived in April 1775. Their preliminary camp was a site called Sycamore Hollow near the Kentucky River.

Sycamore Hollow

Three weeks later when Richard Henderson arrived it was decided to move the camp to higher grounds close to where the permanent fort was constructed. Boonesborough was chosen because of it's close proximity to the Kentucky River. A rock wall marks the site of the forts first position. By late 1775 Fort Boonesborough consisted of 26 one story log cabins laid out in a rectangular shape with a blockhouse in each corner.

Footprint of Fort Boonesborough

Rock Wall

A replica of the fort was build about 0ne-half mile away and is open to the public. However, it closes for the season on 1 November and reopens 1 April the following year. As my walk was coming to an end I noticed a number of other sites in the park. All in all it is a great place to stay for one night or several. We will definitely stay here again.

Bicycle Museum of America

After visiting the Miami-Erie Canal system we made the very short walk around the corner to the bicycle museum. With over 150 bicycles on display and 800 in their collection, the Bicycle Museum of America located in New Bremen, Ohio is a must see if your into bikes. And even if you're not you will walk away with the history and knowledge of the first and newest bicycles ever made.

The museum is located in a 3 story building and cost us $2 each (senior rate of course lol). Allow at least 1-2 hours to see all the exhibits. There is a fully stocked gift shop at the end of the self guided tour just in case you want to purchase a keepsake.

One of the very first exhibits is the Laufmachine or Draisine built in 1816 by Karl Drais a German land surveyor and landowner. He built this machine in response to an environment catastrophe. In April 1815 Mt Tambora in Indonesia erupted spewing enough ash into the atmosphere to cause a dramatic dip in the global temperature. A drop in temperature and limited sunlight created the largest famine in the 19th century. With limited resources and starving livestock Drais was forced to find another means of transportation. The Draisine was publicly ridden for the first time in 1817 a distance of 8.6 miles in one hour. For propulsion Drais sat atop the saddle and used his feet to push along the road to gain speed. 

Having fun at the bicycle museum is what it is all about. Here I'm sitting on top of an 1875 Ariel. The Highwheeler began in the 1870's with James Starley making a light weight, hollow steel frame, and rubber tire bicycle. The large front wheel acted as a gear ratio. The larger front wheel meant more ground was covered with each rotation of the pedals. The pedals were still attached directly to the wheel which provided a much smoother ride than its predecessor. Sudden stops often resulted in a head-first dismount. The Highwheeler was also called the Pennyfarthing or the Ordinary.

It was fun but very very hard on the butt

The Shawmut racing safety bicycle (1913) below is in it's original condition and has never been uncrated. This is how most bikes were shipped during the early 20th century.

In the 1940 Benjamin Bowden designed a futuristic looking lightweight aluminum bicycle he called "the Classic". It initially created substantial public interest however British bicycle manufacturers were reluctant to invest due to the high degree of retooling needed to produce it.

In an attempt to make the bicycle a year mode of transportation in 1901 a kit was designed to convert the front wheel to a sled runner. The rear wheel was drilled to accommodate large studs. Today there are bikes with larger studded tires that allow riding on ice and snow. 

The military first introduced bicycles in their infantry in the late 19th century. The expensive breeding of horses for the cavalry became burdensome. The bicycles offered an inexpensive, yet silent movement on the battlefield. 

The Maxim Machine Gun Tandem Tricycle was developed by Hiram Maxim in 1901. Due to their heavy weight moving the guns were not an easy task. The tricycle was developed with two Maxim machine guns and tripods for stability when firing. This was impressive but impractical due to the shear weight of both guns...374 lbs. This made it extremely difficult to move uphill or across rouged terrain. Consequently, the bicycle was rarely used. 

With many, many bikes on display I couldn't blog on them all but one particular bicycle did catch my eye. The banana seat high-rise handle bar bike was first developed by Schwinn of Chicago Illinois in the 1960s. Yes, I had one as a kid, I love it, and rode it until it fell apart.

We spent about 1-1/2 hours looking at bicycles and could have spent another hour or so. We had to call it only because we had a tour of the Airsteam factory to get to just down the road.

New Breman, Ohio

During my research of the area I found New Bremen, Ohio to be teaming with local history and interesting museums. The first stop is the Miami-Erie Canal. In 1795 Native Americans were removed from Ohio by the Treaty of Greenville. This allowed Europeans who sought an opportunity to flee the political unrest to make a new start. Ohio became a state in 1803. The town of New Bremen was founded in 1832 by German immigrants.   

In 1825 the Ohio Legislature approved the construction of an Ohio Canal system. It took more than 20 years(1825-1845) to complete the Miami-Erie Canal. The workers consisted of Irish, German, and French and made 30 cents a day, food, whiskey, and shelter.

The Miami-Erie Canal had 105 locks to raise and lower canal boats a distance of 250 miles. The canal was dug by hand with pick and shovels with the occasional team of horses used to pull wagons. The average canal boat was 78 feet long, 14 feet wide and cost $2,100.

The peak year of the canal, 1851 would see over 400 boats moving freight and passengers. With the increase use of the railroad the commercial use of the canal diminished. The Great flood of 1913 which destroyed portions of the canal was the final blow.

The original Lock One North was completed in 1845. The present concrete structure was rebuilt in 2006. It's appearance is like the original wooden lock.

The Miami-Erie Canal connected the Ohio River to Lake Erie. This allowed towns like New Bremen to prosper. Local farm boys would use their family mules to pull cargo boats along the towpath for several miles then switching off to another farm boy. These young boys were called "hoggees".

The Lockkeeper's House was the residence of the lockkeeper and his family. He would be on duty 7 days a week 24 hours a day and was responsible for operating the lock as needed.

Constructed in 1864 this bridge is the oldest cast iron bowstring girder in the state of Ohio. In 1984 the bridge was brought to New Bremen to span the Miami Erie Canal.

                               The local park beside the historic Miami Erie Canal had some fun sculptures for all ages.

Indian Lake State Park

Located in west-central Ohio, Indian Lake State Park was the first stop on our journey south. This 800 acre park offers a variety of activities from camping to fishing and many more. The campsites have power with some having full service. The 5,100 acre man-made lake offers a variety of water related sporting activities.

The region around Indian Lake was a cluster of natural lakes on the Great Miami River. As the glaciers left Ohio back in the ice age chucks of ice broke free, melted and formed water-filled depressions called kettle lakes resulting in shallow marshy natural lakes.

Because of it's close proximity to the Miami River, Indian Lake became part of the trade route from the Ohio River to Lake Erie.

After a long drive and an hour plus wait on the Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia the two day stopover is welcomed. My intent is to explore the New Bremen area with a tour of the Airstream Factory.

Murphys Point Provincial Park

Moving further east near the towns of Perth and Smith Falls and located on Big Rideau Lake is our next stop, Murphys Point Provincial Park. This 1,239 hectare provincial park opened in 1979 and is part of the historic Rideau Waterway. The park is open year round offering about 200 campsites divided into two areas during the warmer months. The Fallows Campground is all non electrical and closed for the season. The Hogg Bay Campground which is where we camped has both electrical and non electrical sites.

Murphys Point and the surrounding area has a long history. For thousands of years native people hunted and gathered along the Rideau. After the American Revolution War(1783) the British offered land grants to those who fought along side them. The area remained largely unsettled due to the poor farming conditions. It wasn't until 1812 the land became settled by emigrants of Irish descent. Poor farmland was better than famine, poverty, and political upheaval. They eventually supplemented their income by mining and lumbering. The Murphy family for which the park was named settled here in 1856.

In 1832 under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel John By the Rideau Waterway with its locks, canals, and lakes was completed. It provided a navigation link between Kingston and Ottawa. Initially created for military purposes the Rideau eventually played a major role in the areas economy barging minerals and lumber up and down the river.

It turned out to be a beautiful day sun was shining, birds were chirping, and Hogg Bay was as calm as could be.

Today I spent most of the day exploring the park. We camped here before but weather did not favour us exploring. The main beach is on Hogg Bay. The day use area has its own beach area. Both are nice and sandy with drop offs so swimmers beware. Its a little cool so no swimming today for this northern gal. The park provides a very nice boat ramp and dock for those who want to venture out onto Big Rideau Lake. There is a Canoe Loop of 6 km which is considered easy to moderate. Care must be taken on Big Rideau Lake as treacherous high winds can occur. During the summer months its a short walk to the amphitheater where they show evening nature shows.

There is always an abundance of deer in the park. Its nice to see they are still afraid of people and cars. Which means people are not feeding them. That's a good thing. I was only able to get 100 meters or so away before it took off into the woods.

There are more than 20 kms of hiking trails in and around Murphys Point PP. During the winter months well groomed cross country skiing trails are available. From our site in Hogg Bay Campground we decided on hiking the McParlan House Trail. This 2.5 km easy out and back hike is also part of the Loon Lake Trail.

The trail leads to the restored McParlan House which is the site of an early 1800 sawmill, farm, and later cottage. The 1-1/2 story house was built in 1812 with hand hewn timber and dovetailed corners.

Due to poor soil conditions, settlers were attracted by the timber in the area and the valuable transportation route the Rideau Waterway provided. The Burgess Mill was constructed in 1812 on Hogg Bay and the power of Black Creek was used to turn the mill's water wheel. There is no evidence of the mill today that we could see but Black Creek still flowed nearby.

With a great trail adventure coming to an end another awaits us tomorrow.

Across the road from the Lally's Homestead parking lot is the Silver Queen Mine Trail. This easy 2.5 km out and back trail leads to a restored early 1900's partially open pit mica mine.

Murphys Point is situated on the edge of the Frontenac Axis which is a narrow southerly extension of the Canadian Shield. Early settlers soon discovered that farming this rocky outcrop area was not going to be enough to feed and cloth their families. Solid rock is only a few very thin layers below the surface.

Valuable mineral deposits namely apatite and  mica were discovered along the Frontenac Axis. Farmers could make a few dollars for every ton of apatite mined. Apatite is a green mineral also called phosphate an important element in fertilizer. Mica is a black shiney mineral and is used as windows in woodstoves because it can withstand heat up to 800 degrees C.

During summer months horse drawn ore wagons would make their way from Silver Queen Mine to the docks at Hogg Bay, about 1-1/2 km. Barges were loaded with this valuable cargo and sent down the Rideau Waterway and Canal.

Silver Queen Mine started as an open pit mine on the top of the ridge. After drilling and blasting into the ridge the miners followed a vein of mica and apatite. One such vein lead to form the adit or entrance to the mine.

The southern Canadian Shield is rich with mineral deposits however the deposits are sometimes small and irregular. Veins of mica and apatite often stopped suddenly. Test pits were dug like this in hopes of finding more minerals. A horse was harnessed to the driving beam of the hoist and then walked in circles to hoist ore. 

Small scale mines like Silver Queen could not afford the newest high-tech mining equipment due to the irregular mineral deposits. By 1906 steam power made hoisting heavy buckets of ore easier. During mining operations tools and men would travel in and out of the140 foot deep mine using this method. 

Miners would call bunkhouses similar to this, home for a couple months to a whole year. As many as 20 workers lived here at a time.

Another great day of hiking and adventures. We made our way back to the parking lot, drove to the campsite to have a much needed hot drink.