October 23-26, 2017 Pike Lake to Forked Run State Park, Ohio

Fall colors through the rain. We camped at Pike Lake State Park in Ohio.

The bus in the campground. We had the campground to ourselves except for a lone tent camper at the other end.  Pike lake had some nice color. The dam was built by the CCC. 

The sun came out for a moment on the lake. Nice colors.

The grave stone by Pike lake said" An unknown Union soldier died at the nearby home of Mrs. Enzell Riehle Autumn 1864", chestnuts, a lone violet, sunshine behind fall leaves and maple leaves in the lake. Brief sunshine around the lake. 

We drove through the top of Kentucky to get to Ohio. Heading in Kentucky with smoke belching smokestacks, past Purdy road,  the creation museum, past the bourbon cooperage- they make the oak barrels, on the Appalachian highway through Athens and on Success road. The bus at Forked Run state park. Out of 171 camping spots there were two other campers and the host. We had this whole loop to ourselves. 

Autumn leaves and Forked Run Lake and more color. 

We went to West Virginia today, passed a historic  chew mail pouch ad on a barn, past through Friendly, past a coal burning power plant, back into Ohio past a dam and locks to our campsite. We went to Paden City, West Virginia to visit the Wissmach glass factory. They have been producing art glass for 100 years. This is a view of all the glory holes with molten glass and a crucible of hot glass on it's way to be rolled into a sheet.

Many, many racks of glass. This gentleman just scooped out this molten glass out of the glory hole which is 2300 degrees.

Three colors of molten glass are dumped out here and these two guys mix them together with pitchfork looking tools.

Then roll it into a sheet of glass. Amazing. They don't do tours at Wissmach, they just have a window you can watch thru.  We talked to Dan the manager and he explained a lot of it to us and answered questions.  After watching all the grueling work we went to a brewery in Marietta, Ohio to taste some craft beer and have lunch. Here is John with his Coopers Copper ale.  

Sunset back at Forked Run State park. Nice to see the sun today. Supposed to rain the rest of the week.