Lake Michigan, the Indiana & Ohio Countryside & Ohio Wine Tasting

After our farm show in Grand Rapids, we headed south going through Indiana and Ohio on our way towards Virginia and further to South Carolina for our next show. We checked out Lake Michigan as we left Grand Rapids. Lake Michigan is huge, more like a sea than a lake. The sun was just starting to set , so the view was gorgeous. 

We traveled through Indiana for a couple hours and tried to find a RV park to stay at, but couldn’t find one open, so we opted for a cold night in another Walmart parking lot. Unfortunately, our furnace was acting up in the very cold temperature outside, so it was colder than normally would have been. We were up by 5am, got the furnace and the coffee going and got back on the road. 

We made plans to stop in Decatur, Indiana at the Fleetwood RV manufacturer to find a part for our shower that was leaking. We got our part and headed to Ohio. 

We’ve been so impressed with Central Ohio. The farmland with white farm houses dotting the countryside, dusted with clean white snow made for a lovely sight. Between Decatur and Columbus, it’s fairly flat, which makes the land stretch out for miles along with the views. We took some smaller highways instead of the big Interstates, giving us a much better feel for the area.

We even got to pass through a small Amish community, which was a delightful treat. Seeing the impeccably kept farmhouses and barns, with the black buggies and black and blue clothes hanging on the line is so charming and yet you can appreciate the hard work and faithfulness of the Amish and their chosen lifestyle. We really wanted to find an Amish store close by, but unfortunately they were all closed, probably for the winter. 

It was a rare, beautiful, sunny day in this country, and a wonderful drive, but it was time to find a place for the night. We made use of Harvest Hosts again and found an absolutely wonderful winery, Dalton Union Winery and Brewery in Marysville, Ohio. We cannot say enough about the hospitality of the owners, Tonya and Dale. They truly went above and beyond, allowing us to plug in our RV, (very helpful in this cold weather so we can run our portable heater rather than our gas furnace) and they allowed us to stay two nights as well. 

The winery is only open Friday and Saturday till 10pm, but they get quite a few people for this country area. They have a wonderful wine selection, some great dry reds which we prefer, along with some sweeter ones. Tonya makes the wines and the hard cider,  and Dale crafts their beer. Eric really liked the ‘Octoberfest Ale’ and we both liked the ‘Covered Bridge Red, a blend of Cabernet and Shiraz as well as the ‘Fusion’. We drank a bottle of red while enjoying the fireplace and speaking with the locals.

We especially enjoyed speaking with Teresa and her husband and brother, both who work for Honda. There is a large Honda plant close by, which employs much of the area. (As an aside, if anyone is looking for a non-union manufacturing job, Honda is in need of employees. You’d have to move to Central Ohio, but from what we’ve experienced, it’s not a bad place to call home.) 

Tonya and Dale then allowed us to bring Moose and Jojo into the winery, as it wasn’t very busy, and everyone adored their company. As the night wore on and the wine kept pouring, the pups crashed on the couch. It was adorable. Back to the Gypsy Mobile for a nice, warm, peaceful sleep.

Saturday we left the RV at the winery and drove the Mini into Columbus for a couple errands then stopped at two more wineries along the way.

The first winery was in a house in a suburban neighborhood, a bit odd for us and the wine was not to our taste, but a lot of other people were enjoying it and purchasing bottles. It just goes to show there is wine for everyone! 

But the next winery, Good Vibes winery in Westerville, was very good. They source their juice from all over the world, California, Italy, and Australia. We had a great conversation with Rick and walked away with a couple bottles. We found out that Ohio has quite a lot of wineries, most get their juice from elsewhere, but there is some good wine here. 

After our visit to Good Vibes, we headed back to our host winery, Dalton Union, and back to the doggies. Saturday night is their live music night, so it was quite crowded, but we still enjoyed the wine and beer and had some great comfort food from the food truck. 

We have some wonderful memories of Central Ohio. Although, definitely cold it is friendly, quaint and beautiful with such nice, warm people. We are so appreciative of our experience here. Maybe someday we’ll get to come back and visit….hopefully in spring or summer when it’s a bit warmer. Thanks for reading and remember…’Someday …. is today!’