Throwback 20 years to 1996

The year 2016 is both a birthday for the town of Logan, Ohio, which turns 200, and a birthday for Fox’s Hocking Hills Canoe Livery, which turns 20.  Our Throwback series takes a peek back to those times.

 

It was twenty years ago... 

...when Aaron and Valerie Fox started Hocking Hills Canoe Livery off the porch of the Logan Antique Mall.  With one van and 40 boats they put out their first customers, slogging up and down the muddy banks of the Hocking River while simultaneously erecting the main livery building in the woods behind the Olde Dutch restaurant in Logan, Ohio. 

To most of us this is the most important thing that happened that year, but there are a few other notable events that took place in 1996, such as:

 

 

Canoe or Kayak?

Ah choices!  Shall I take a canoe or a kayak on my paddling trip?  Well that depends on if you like Coke or Pepsi, drive a car or a truck, listen to pop or classics…  well you get the idea.  It mostly comes down to personal preference, but knowing the differences can help you have a more enjoyable time out on the river.

The oldest boat known to still be in existence is a canoe from about 10,000 years ago.  Kayaks didn’t come along for at least another several thousand years.  So if “experience” is an important qualification to you, well then stop reading and pick the canoe!

Living on the edge: A geological primer of Hocking Hills

Rock Bridge, Hocking Hills

The Hocking Hills region is a stunning anomaly.  Chockablock full of magnificent gorges and waterfalls, outlandish cliff sides, rock formations, and rare plants and animals that would require a hundred miles of travel just to find another one like it.  You see, the Hocking Hills region is unique because it always seems to find itself perched right on the edge.


The actual rock itself, is a type of sandstone, made up of different particles that were once floating along in rivers and streams.  As those rivers and streams entered a shallow sea, they slowed down, and the particles began to settle to the bottom.   Back then the Hocking Hills area had more of a coastal feel to it, right on the edge of a large body of water.  To be fair, this was a while back.  In fact we’re talking before dinosaurs!  Over time, that sediment compressed and developed in layers of rock several hundred feet thick. 

How shopping is like canoeing: a primer on steering a canoe

I have never lost my joy of hopping on the back of a shopping cart and riding it through the parking lot on the way to the car.  I personally think I would medal, should shopping cart riding ever become an Olympic sport.  I find there is a certain finesse to it, as the further away from the centerline I push off from the more the cart veers off course, and so it’s about slight adjustments in my pushing foot to the left and right to stay the course.  Now my favorite are the downward sloping parking lots, where pushing is not required.  In these circumstances I find applying slight downward pressure with my foot on top of one wheel or the other is a very effective way to steer, once I have momentum.  If fact, with a good tailwind and a solid stomp, I can get the cart to spin all the way around!  The judges would love me.

Hocking Hills alternative: Lake Hope

Millions of visitors traipse through the Hocking Hills each year.  Word on the street is that the state park camp ground books up months in advance.  Fear not, there is a hidden gem tucked in about 20 miles southeast of Hocking Hills, surrounded on all sides by over 26,000 acres of state forest land.  Complete with a pristine lake, a great BBQ joint, world class mountain biking, camping, hiking, and a wealth of history.  Lake Hope State Park might be a worthwhile backup spot.     

Shopping in the Hocking Hills

Sure we have majestic cliffs, rushing waterfalls, and towering cedars, but then what?  Well, shopping is a time honored part of any vacation!  We’re here to help.  You won’t find any malls or Pier 1 Imports, and with the exception of Wal-Mart, no local shopping destinations you’ll recognize from back home.  However, you will find plenty of handmade items, rustic and country décor, antiques, crafts, outdoor gear and such. 

We’ve put together 3 shopping specific day trip excursions with clickable headings that give round trip driving directions from Canal Winchester. 

Bald Eagles: by the numbers

4 seasons in a row, a nesting pair of bald eagles has raised young near our campgrounds.

4 pounds is the Bald Eagle’s maximum lifting weight.

8 feet is the maximum wingspan of Bald Eagles.

35 days from egg laying to egg hatching.

35 MPH is a Bald Eagles maximum level flight speed.

417 is the lowest recorded number of nesting pairs, in 1963.

2000 pounds is the weight of large Bald Eagles nests.