I stuck to it and finished week one! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, please see my initial post. A quick recap here so you don’t have to go look at the original post unless you want to. I asked ChatGPT to give me a fitness plan including exercises and nutrition to get a bikini body in 8 weeks. And it did!
So when I say I stuck to it above, I stuck to the exercise plan. I still have to sort out the details on the nutrition plan, because none of that stuff is what make at home or eat now. So I’m going to have to ease into that. My goal is to make at least one of those meals this week.
But I am all in on the exercise part, and I followed the plan to the letter last week. How did it turn out? Well, I think it’s working! After just a few days I felt like my abs are getting tighter. They were definitely sore, as well as my back muscles. The exercises ChatGPT provided are mostly new to me. So, I worked some muscles that I don’t normally work by yoga, walking and running. And that’s a good thing. As far as weight, I lost less than a pound, but maybe that’s because I was well hydrated. I went cold turkey on my Diet Pepsi for a couple of those days and I guzzled water. Also, couldn’t the small weight loss be because I’m turning fat into muscle and muscle is heavier than fat? That’s what I chose to believe.
Last weekend was that most wonderful time of year, the annual Loveland Frogman Festival 2025! Not to be confused with the Loveland Return of the Frogman event that is sponsored by city and held in downtown Loveland. This is a separate event (Loveland really loves their Frogman festivals!).
This is a convention for all who love criptids, especially the Frogman. A little backstory, “the Loveland Frogman, or Loveland Lizard, is a legendary creature said to inhabit the area near Loveland, Ohio. The first reported sighting dates back to 1955, when a businessman claimed to have encountered three bipedal, frog-like creatures along the Little Miami River, each standing roughly three to four feet tall. According to the account, the creatures had leathery skin and webbed hands and feet. One even held a wand-like object that emitted sparks. The tale of the Frogman resurfaced in 1972 when a police officer reported seeing an unidentified animal, which he described as having similar features to the Frogman.” [1]
The Festival seems to get bigger each year. It is filled with entertainment, vendors, speakers and even a parade! Everyone is happy, welcoming, and having a good time.
[1] Text generated by Copilot, Microsoft, March 2, 2025, and summarized for clarity
After the festival I was inspired to go look for the Frogman myself! I found a hiking trail that runs right a long the Little Miami River; the perfect place to go looking for a four-foot-tall frogman! I chose the Carter Park Loop since it was on my way back home to Columbus. This is a 1.7 mile paved and dirt trail loop near Kings Mills, Ohio. Take the King’s Island exit off of I71). Take the turn at the school, then head for the quilter’s barn; that is where you park.
And best of all, there is a bathroom at the trailhead!
The trail starts out as a paved road that takes you through the park area, then it changes to a gravel trail.
Shortly after leaving the park area I came across a set of stairs, and I immediately thought of “the stairs to nowhere in the woods” lore. This is when you find a set of stairs in a forested area that seemingly lead to no destination, appearing as a standalone structure with no obvious purpose. The folklore speculate these stairs are forgotten structures to supernatural occurrences. I was so excited to find my first set! The lore says you should not go anywhere near them (unless you want to be sucked into another dimension). I decided to play it safe and kept on walking.
The trail takes you down the hill and it eventually turns to run alongside the Little Miami River. There is a tall mound between the trail and river, presumably to contain flooding, so you only catch glimpses of the river. But you can leave the trail and cross over to see the river if you want to search more closely for the Frogman.
This trail is marked “moderate,” and I did not understand why until I got to about the ¾ mark. At this point, the trail narrows down to a dirt path, and it takes a sharp turn to take you straight up the hill you came down earlier. But there is no fancy gravel road on this end of the trail! It starts out with a steep set of stairs (these stairs definitely had a purpose, so I was not worried about dimension jumping if I took these).
After the stairs, you are on your own to scramble up a steep rocky incline using tree roots for handholds!
But once you make it to the top, you are met with a nice gravel trail again that takes you back to the paved park trail.
Overall I enjoyed this trail quite a bit. I especially liked the little bit of a climbing challenge at the end. I met a couple of hikes and some cyclists on the first part of the trial, but I was alone on the back side. I did not feel unsafe, just a little isolated.
As you can see from the pictures, the winter landscape was a little brutal, but I bet this is a pretty trail in the summertime. And if you are traveling between Cincinnati and Columbus and are looking for a place to get out and stretch your legs, this is the perfect spot, right off the freeway.
Here is my itinerary for the trip.
Let me know if you decide to take this trip for yourself!
I don’t have a hike this week, but I’m planning one for this weekend involving the annual Loveland Frogman Festival, in Loveland Ohio. So I will report back next week on that one.
However, I do have is an interesting experiment. I went on ChatGPT and asked it to give me fitness plan, including exercise and nutrition, to get a bikini body. And it did! It gave me five days of exercises plans and two days rest; and seven days of meal plans.
So I’m going to give it a try. The exercise seems doable, but the nutrition plan is a lot. It seems like a ton of food and when I added up the ingredients for my first week of food, it was over $200! But to be fair, some of the ingredients they provided would be staples and last for several weeks.
While I love exercise, I have never liked to cook. So I’m going to commit to the exercise for sure, but I’m going to ease into the nutrition.
I am a 58 year old mother of an adult son. Honestly I am not expecting to achieve a bikini body. But I would like to be more fit. So why not try it? If anyone is interested, I’ll report my status here each week. ChatGPT said it would take about 8 weeks to see solid results and real definition by 12 weeks. So I’ll commit to the 8 weeks and see what happens!
Charleston Falls Preserve is another great day trip from Columbus, Ohio. It is a little more than an hour away, almost a straight shot down I70W; 2535 Ross Rd, Tipp City, OH 45371. In Maimi county, the preserve covers over 216 acres of both fields and forest.
From a hiking perspective there is a nice 2.4-mile loop; but you can cobble together some other trail offshoots to increase the distance if that is your goal. I got up to 4 miles from hitting all the side trails.
Lake Hope is located in Vinton County, Ohio; about 68 miles southeast of Columbus. Per their website this state park is home to abandoned mines, ancient mounds, and step gorges. There are a variety of trails you can pick from, but I chose trail #7 from AllTrails – Hope Furnace Trail to Yosemite Falls Trail. This is a 6.5-mile dirt trail loop through the woods.
The trail starts at the old Hope Iron Furnace, which was operational between 1854 and 1874. The trail head is just to the left of the Furnace; and there is signage, so it is easy to find. And best of all, there is a bathroom!
I picked a cold snowy morning for this hike and the place was quiet when I arrived. There were some footprints at the start of the trail; but I was the first one to venture beyond, onto the Yosemite trail, since the last snow. The further out I got the trail was completely obscured by the snow and I relied heavily on my AllTrails app to keep me on the right path.
This part of Ohio is known for its cliffs, gorges, waterfalls, and rock shelters. And you get to see some of them on this trail.
While I did not see any other human footprints, there were plenty of dog tracks! I assume these were left by coyotes, or wild dogs since there were no human companion prints beside them. More than once, I mistook the dog paths for the trail; and had to correct my course when AllTrails vibrated my watch to let me know I was going the wrong way. I hate to criticize the native dog population, but they seemed to have no regard for staying on the proper path!
There is some great elevation on this trail; so if you are looking for a workout, this is a good one. And the tromping through the snow added some extra resistance training. There was a little bit of rock negotiation as well, but in all fairness, I could have been off trail at this point. It is hard to tell.
I also had to cross a stream, which was not too bad since it was mostly dried up and frozen over. But this would be a little more challenging to cross in the summer when the stream is full and flowing. You will definitely get your feet wet.
The back end of the trail has a lot of switch backs. It was at this point when I realized the dog’s trail was much more expeditious than the human trail. So, I decided to follow the dogs instead. Did I cut off a few of the trail’s switch back loops? Yes, I did. Do I feel bad about it? No, I do not. My apologies to the hiking purists, but I picked the path that brought me the most pleasure in the moment and I have no regrets.
One more note, I did come across a mound at the top of the ridge. It looked like it could have been an old Indian burial mound, but there were no indicators. But I am betting it is.
I am not going to lie I was a little tired by the time I made it back to my car. Between the hills, the snow, and the back tracking due to the obscured trail, I had a good workout. I deserved a warm-up and a hot meal; so I headed to the Lake Hope Lodge.
I was excited to see they had potato skins and BBQ on the menu (you might be seeing a trend here, as this is what I had after last weekend’s hike). The Lodge is a pleasant wood and stone structure and was not too crowded this Saturday afternoon. So I ordered a mug of hot tea and enjoyed my meal.
I took a spin through the gift shop on my way out and bought a sticker for my journal and a diet Pepsi for the road. Next I was off to a spooky adventure, to the Moonville Tunnel.
I actually I grew up in this area, so I am well aware of Moonville’s spooky lore. At one time a rail line ran through this tunnel. The story goes that the tunnel is haunted by a railman who had an unfortunate collision with a train. The train won. It is said you can still see him waving his lantern in the dark inside the tunnel. Back in the day you had to hike through the woods and jump over a stream to reach the tunnel. But these days, there is a lovely parking lot and a nice bridge to take you right there!
Apparently, it is now a hot spot for ghost hunters and spooky thrill seekers! In addition, the brick structure is quite beautiful, which is an added bonus.
Honestly though Moonville still creeps me out a little. I was happy to find other visitors there when I arrived (how many were real people and how many were ghosts, I will never know!). But I am glad I did not have to explore it on my own.
In the end I braved my fears and got to chat with a few tourists. All and all this was a full day, and I enjoyed it immensely!
Here is my itinerary for the day:
If you decide to take this trip for yourself, please share your experiences. I look forward to hearing from you!
On the day of this hike, it was cold, wet, and foggy; very foggy. So, I picked a trip that I had in my back pocket for a while. The benefit of this adventure was that I got to see several different sites in one trip and the hikes were short (this last part was good because the weather was not cooperating).
Ohio is home to many Native American burial grounds and earthworks. I asked AI what the difference is between the two and here is what it spit out. “A burial mound is a single mound used for burial, while earthworks can encompass a complex of mounds, walls, and other earthen features across a large area.”
I have known the existence of these wonderful creations, but I never took the time to explore them. Then I found the one on Columbus’ west side (see my earlier post on the Shrum Mound) and my interest was really piqued. I decided to see the Serpent Mound in Peebles, Ohio, and the Hopewell Mounds in Chillicothe, since they were in the same direction from Columbus, and relatively close to each other.
So, I set out on the aforementioned cold, wet, foggy morning. But I got a little sidetracked. While planning for this trip, I discovered that a world-famous roadside attraction was practically on my way! So of course I had to make a small detour to see it. Let me introduce you to the World’s Largest Horseshoe Crab! This marvel of man-made ingenuity resides at 7592 OH-124, Hillsboro, OH 45133. And it is magnificent! You can even walk inside!
It was a little tricky to find since it was almost covered in snow. It is literally in a field between some houses. No parking lot, you just pull off the side of the road, which was especially tricky given the slippery conditions on the day of my visit. But it was so worth it! And if seeing the world’s largest horseshoe crab (at 24 feet wide, 12 feet tall) isn’t good enough for you, it also has a famous connection! World’s Largest Horseshoe Crab T-shirt was included in the T-shirt quilt given to Bella by her mother in the movie Eclipse from the Twilight saga! Talk about famous!!!
Seeing the world-famous crab is adventure enough, but I had more to see and do! So, I pressed on to my next stop, The Great Serpent Mound, 3850 OH-73, Peebles, OH 45660.
The gentleman working there told me the museum was closed for repairs and other upgrades. He waived the normal $8 dollar parking fee and told me to have a good time. That is exactly what I intended to do!
The Great Serpent Mound is an earthwork; specifically, an effigy earthwork, which means it is in the shape of an animal or object. This one is in the shape of a snake with a curled tail. It is estimated to have been built by the American Indian Adena culture in 300 BC! In addition to the effigy mound, there are three burial mounds nearby, the oldest is estimated to have been built in 800 B.C.–A.D. 100! That time scale is crazy to think about, and fortunately these landmarks are still here for us to see today!
Apparently, I was the only one who thought it was a good idea to tromp around snow covered trails on a Saturday morning, so I had the whole place to myself. I followed the icy trail that runs along the parameter of the earthworks, so close that you can reach out and touch it (walking on the mounds though is prohibited as it lends to erosion – always be respectful!).
Even though the mounds were obscured by snow, I still felt like it was the perfect day to visit. The fog was heavy and crowded around the site, lending to a feeling of awe. And since I was the only visitor, the place was quiet and peaceful. And the snowy landscape and views of distant hills were beautiful. But given the mounds astronomical alignment, visiting on a solstice would be special as well. But I have a feeling it will be a great deal more crowded.
Maybe it was the fog, or maybe it was because it was a quiet and serene day, but I definitely felt the magic and awe of this historic landmark. According to the website, The Great Serpent Mound has been submitted to be included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for inscription on the prestigious World Heritage List; “the Serpent Mound will join the ranks of the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, Pompeii, Stonehenge and the Taj Mahal, all of which are World Heritage sites.” That is an impressive accreditation for one of our local Ohio landmarks!
It was time to move again, this time to the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe, Ohio! Here is the summary from their website, “Two thousand years ago, people of an advanced culture gathered here to conduct religious rituals and ceremonies related to their society. At this site, they built an enormous earthwork complex enclosing 55.34 hectares (about 130 acres). An earthen wall extended for over four kilometers (over 2 miles), surrounding an immense sacred space that included 29 burial mounds.”
The museum was open this time, and I poked around inside before visiting the mounds (note no entrance or parking fees for this site). The staff there are very knowledgeable, and they were kind enough to share the sites history with me. I also found a few things in the gift shop I could not live without!
Finally, I headed outside to explore. Rather than going directly into the mound site, I took the approximately one-mile trail that circles the parameter of the mound area. This was a great way to take in the whole site. The trail starts off by veering into the woods and it runs alongside the Scioto River before circling back to the mounds.
After finishing the trail, I headed into the heart of the mounds area. There are several mounds of varying height, the largest of them was much taller than I expected. It is incredible this site remains for us to enjoy and be amazed by to this day! Many thanks to all the preservation efforts! Well done!
By this time, I was cold and getting hungry. I decided to drive the short distance to the heart of Chillicothe’s historic district. They have done a lot of splendid work revitalizing this area. There are great restaurants and wonderful shops to explore. I highly recommend planning some time to explore and appreciate Chillicothe’s historic district. I was in the mood for a hot cup of tea to warm up and some potato skins! I headed to the Old Canal Smoke House at 94 East Water Street, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601, and got exactly what I was craving! The tea was hot, and the potato skills were delicious. The portions are healthy, I ended up bringing skins home with me, but since the pulled pork looked so good, I ordered a sandwich to go for later!
This was a big day, by the end I traveled about 120 miles! As I said earlier, I had this trip in my to do list for a while, but it kept falling to the bottom of my list because it was more driving than hiking. But this turned out to be one of my favorite trips! It was perfect for a cold winter’s day, and I certainly did not have to deal with crowds! I highly recommend winter adventure road trips!
Here is my itinerary for the day:
If you decide to take this trip for yourself, please share your experiences. I look forward to hearing from you!
This week I am writing about a trip I wish I took. Last weekend (1/11/2025) Oxford Ohio held its annual Chocolate Meltdown Festival. It is about a two-hour drive from Columbus, and unfortunately, we had some winter weather that day. I decided to forego the trip, but I am definitely marking this event on my 2026 calendar. I thought I would share it here in case anyone else thought this might be fun and may want to plan ahead.
I planned to pare this trip with a hike of the Bachelor Nature Preserve North Loop trail. This is a 4.7-mile dirt trail hike through the woods. According to AllTrails, the hike includes nice views and a swinging bridge.
And of course, Oxford has a ghost story. While you’re in there, see if you can conjure the Oxford Light. “…travelling past Millet Hall and Yager Stadium, out past the University property, past Beta Headquarters on the left, and up to the first four-way stop. Park your car, flash your lights three times, and wait to see the Oxford Light in the distance.”
If you have already taken this trip, tell me about it, since I have not been yet! I look forward to hearing from you!
Blackhand Gorge is a paved trail along a 4-mile-long sandstone formation. It is about forty-eight miles east of Columbus, Ohio. The main parking lot is located at 2200 Gratiot Rd SE, Newark, OH 43056; and thankfully, there is a bathroom. The paved trail is 4.3 miles. This is an out and back trail, rather than a loop; so, plan to do 8+ miles for a round trip.
The trail runs alongside the Licking River. I went on a cold wintery day; it had just snowed, and the river was partially frozen. As the ice sections collided in the river, the sound reverberated off the sandstone and was amplified. It was very loud and very impressive! I had never heard anything like it before.
I did part of the paved trail, but I wanted to get into the woods and see the snow. I verged off on the Quarry Rim Trail Loop, which is a dirt trail that connects with paved bike trail. This is a lovely loop that takes you through the woods, crossing streams and providing a splendid view of the quarry.
There are additional dirt trails at Blackhand Gorge I plan to explore when I visit again. But on this day, I was hungry and ready to head out.
I stopped off at The Restaurant at the Granville Inn on my way back to Columbus. It was lunch time, and I felt comfortable in my more casual apparel. They have a wonderful menu, and this was the perfect way to warm up from my hike.
The Inn is pretty and a little imposing with its stone exterior and heavy wood paneled interiors. And of course, it is haunted! The paneling and carpet in the main hallway are reminiscent of the movie The Shining! So maybe have a bite to eat, then take a walk to the restroom and see if you can glimpse any ghosts!
If you decide to take this trip for yourself, please share your experiences. I look forward to hearing from you!
The holidays are busy, but I wanted to get out for a quick trip. I don’t think a lot of people know there is an ancient Native American burial mound right here in the middle of Columbus. Take a quick trip to 3141 McKinley Avenue and see this beautifully preserved 2000-year-old mound from the Adena culture. The site is beautiful, easy to access and free to the public. Well worth the short trip.
On a nicer day, this would be a beautiful place for a picnic! But it was starting to rain, so I moved on. Since I had time, I decided to add a second stop to today’s adventure. I drove the short distance to The Columbus Museum of Art (480 E. Broad Street, Columbus).
I found out admission is free on Sundays. It is seven dollars for parking, but if you buy something at the gift shop, or the café, they validate your parking. At any rate, this is a wonderful place to spend a rainy/snowy Sunday (open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays).
After taking in the art, I stopped at the museum’s Schokko Café for a quick lunch. I highly recommend the Winter Brussel Sprouts and hot chocolate. They also have a soup of the day which is lovely as well. I did not know this before my visit, but they have a happy hour with drinks and light bites from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
When I think of the Columbus Museum of Art, I automatically think of this painting; so, I got it as a refrigerator magnet.
It turned out to be a mucky-rainy Sunday, but I think I made the best of it.
If you decide to take this trip for yourself, please share your experiences. I look forward to hearing from you!
As you can see by this post’s header, I covered a lot of ground on this one. It was the weekend before Halloween and I wanted to pack in as much spooky fun as possible, so I planned an ambitious itinerary.
My first stop, The Battletown Witch Festival. I travelled four hours from Columbus, Ohio to Brandenburg, Kentucky to attend a festival that was created to commemorate the life and murder of Leah Smoch. This poor young woman was labeled a witch and burned to death by her neighbors in her own family’s smokehouse. Her ghost is rumored to haunt the area ever since.
I attended the festival last year (2023), and I enjoyed it immensely. They had speakers and events, great vendors, and food trucks. This year they moved the festival to a new larger venue at the YMCA Camp Piomingo (still in Brandenburg, KY). I was surprised there was no signage for the event, even at the festival itself. And I did not see any event itineraries on the website, and I did not see any speakers or events at this year’s festival. Parking was problematic as well. They utilized a field that had been mowed but not leveled. I am sure some lower to the ground vehicles had some issues maneuvering. Also, the parking lot was a mile away from the actual event. There was a bus to shuttle people, but there appeared to be only one and the line was long. But for a hiker, that was great! Once I figured out what direction to go, I enjoyed the walk there and back.
The YMCA Camp was nice, but I do not think it is open to the public. The only thing I could find on the website was for group event registration. I could not find any trail maps on Park’s website, or even on my beloved AllTrails app. But there are other hikes nearby that would be fun to explore if you have the time.
I was frustrated by the inconvenience of the new venue and disappointed in the lack of festival events and food options (not as many food trucks this year, I ended up finding food after I left the event). I hope they work out the kinks for next year’s festival because the legend and the concept of the festival are wonderful! This should not just be a vendor event. After I hiked back to my car, I was ready to move on.
I hit the road again and headed to Louisville, Kentucky. My next stop was the Waverly Hills Sanitorium. Waverly Hills was opened in 1910 for tuberculosis patients. It is estimated that over 50,000 unfortunate souls died within its walls. And you guessed, it is haunted.
Being the weekend before Halloween, the Sanitorium was decked out for the annual haunted event. I bought the RIP ticket that included an abbreviated paranormal/history tour and admission to the haunted sanitorium. This was well worth the money in my opinion. The guided paranormal tour took us through all five floors of the facility, and naturally, in the dark. The guides were wonderful, providing a history of the facility and giving us highlights of the some of the people who lived and died there, and of the ghosts! And we got to see the most haunted location in the building, Room 502.
After the paranormal tour we were taken directly to the front of the line for the haunted sanitorium event. I have not been to a haunted house in years, so I was both a little nervous and excited to see it. It did not disappoint. They provided 3D glasses to be worn for the first portion of the haunt and the effects were great! The scariest parts for me though, were the rooms that were in complete darkness, and you had to find your way out! I thought the whole thing was very well done.
Finding Waverly Hills was a little challenging though. The address on the website leads you to the back gate, which was closed for the haunted sanitorium event. I was not the only one confused, there was a group of us parked and trying to figure out where to go. I finally found the correct address on the Event Brite ticket website. And again, no signage! Even when we found the right gate! So, double check where you need to be before you go.
I spent the night in Louisville and headed home the next morning. But I had one more stop before I went home. I did a slight detour and visited Cincinnati’s Findlay Market.
The Findlay Market has been in operation since 1855 and provides an amazing variety of foods and other treasures. The place is chuck full of fresh produce straight from the farm, spices, meats, and prepared foods. I had a delicious Nutella crepe for breakfast and a wonderful cup of chia tea. Both were delicious. Findlay Market is a perfect excursion for a beautiful autumn Sunday morning. I arrived a little before 10:00 a.m. and found plenty of parking. But the lot was pretty filled up by the time I left a little over an hour later. I know they have more than one lot, so I am sure parking can be found.
All and all, I had a very enjoyable road trip. I would recommend checking out the Kentucky After Dark site, for more spooky places to visit in the state. A miss on my part was not picking up the Kentucky After Dark passport! I was too distracted at both the festival and the sanitorium to look for it. But I will find it eventually and hopefully hit some more of the locations.
Here is my itinerary for this trip:
If you decide to take this trip for yourself, please share your experiences. I look forward to hearing from you!
