Dayton, Ohio, ScOddities: Stories, Poetry, and Travel Blog

Gray Skies are Going to Clear Up!

A grey, rainy day in Dayton, OH, was made sunnier by our friends, the Grunow Family! After surviving the patch of I-70 that stretches between Indianapolis and Dayton, now known as “Crater Alley”, our time spent in Dayton was some much needed relaxation and a nice little respite from driving.

Our first stop was brunch at a place called Another Cracked Egg, which had fantastic food and one of the best omelettes I’ve ever had (a great blend of crayfish, some sort of sausage and other goodies).

Next stop: Carillon Park.

Carillon Park: Why Haven’t You Invented Something, You Slacker?

Dayton, it turns out, is a city of innovation. What has Dayton given you, you might ask? How about the starter for your car (no more hand cranks!), the pop top for your soda can, the cash register, the basis of IBM, the Wright Brothers, and a bunch of other crazy things that I took for granted. This is a museum that waves the banner for Dayton: the town where, for some reason, inventors seems to flock and just come up with ideas. I left feeling dazzled about what Dayton has done for the world and a little less of a man–why in the world haven’t I invented anything recently?

The Carillon Bells that give the park its name: Carillon Park.

Axe Throwing

Next, our tour guides, Susan and Jason, cleverly took us someplace where we could destroy some of the pent up stress from the trip: Wild Axe Throwing. For an hour, Goldy, our profession axe-throwing professor, taught us how to send an axe hurtling through the air and sink it about 12 feet away in a target of wood planks.

Susan, shown here, shows us the incorrect way to throw an axe.

A demonstration on what a victory pose might look like.

Darci

Darci, with a shot like Larry Bird, manages to sink an axe into the target.

Jason

Left-handed Jason (poor guy) sticks the axe…and pops his balloon!

Scott

…misses the balloon. But eventually sinks it, killing the balloon to become the lane-champion axe chucker.

Ritter’s Frozen Custard

Ohio, you are known for a lot of things: festivals to popcorn, strawberries, anything you can have a festival about; buckeyes; ice cream; and custard.

I know ice cream. I know custard. These frozen treats are my jam. Sorry Colorado Custards, you have lost the custard war. Those Coloradoans really don’t know what its like to have a place like Ritter’s Frozen Custard, where the custard is a velvety, rich smoothness that caresses the taste buds. Ritter’s: You are the King of Custard.

Thank you, Grunows, for a wonderful day!

Tomorrow: Cleveland and the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame