It was our last day of travel for what has become a tradition – a birthday trip on Labour Day Weekend. My birthday is September 1, and it’s always been a sore point for me to have this as my birthdate. As a kid, it meant that summer was ending and school was coming (sometimes the very next day). As an adult, it is less depressing, although it still means that school is coming – I am a school bus driver.
Ever since we discovered the travel bug, we have taken every opportunity to see the world. When I plan a trip, I like a mix of major and minor attractions. A major is like a zoo where we spend several hours. A minor is something that is a quick stop, a photo opportunity. On this day of travel, on the trip I called Third Time’s the Charm, and I had a minor stop to see an artwork called River of Glass.
We wake. Eat. Hop in the car. Drive for an hour to Mt Vernon, OH. Arriving at the Ariel-Foundation Park, I was surprised that there was more here than I had anticipated. I was surprised to see an abandoned factory that has been made into the Schnormeier Event Center. I thought this was a creative way to preserve a heritage site and continue to make it useful. We then took a picture of the River of Glass and discovered even more at this park. There is a smoke stack with stairs wrapping around it.
Naturally, I had to check this out.
It was a complete surprise to me that I am afraid of heights. I had no clue that this was an issue for me. My first encounter with height was on a ladder. I was a teen working with my Dad when I climbed a ladder, and my legs started shaking. This shocked me, since I had been at higher elevations before and had been fine. Maybe it was because of the real danger of falling that frightened me.
But then Charlene and I decided to visit the CN Tower and walk on the glass floor. Here I was, all ready to step on the glass and look down, when I had discovered that my legs refused to cooperate. I wanted to step onto the floor, knowing full well that it was well constructed and there would be no way I would fall, still, those legs of mine had a mind of their own and stayed put. We also traveled to the Dorset Lookout Tower (of Terror), where I successfully climbed the whole thing, but it took a surprising amount of courage. We would go here again with my mother on the trip called Taking Mom To Her First Camping Trip in Algonquin on the First Day of Summer. My Mom is also unfriendly towards heights, and I was able to chicken out of climbing to the top to stay with Mom as Charlene, with total ease, ventured up the staircase.
We walked to the Rastin Observation Tower. It was built in 1951 for PPG Industries and served its purpose until 1979, when the factory closed. The event center and some of the remaining ruins are part of the industrial complex that once stood here. Eventually, a spiral staircase was added to the midpoint, adding 224 steps and giving a unique vantage point of the surroundings. I saw the gate at the bottom of the staircase and was both relieved and disappointed. Relieved because, “Hey, I tried”. Disappointed because the gate was unlocked.
Charlene, with enthusiasm, climbed the stairs that circled around the smoke stack. I slowly lumbered my way up. The most challenging part was trying to remain calm as I got higher and higher. While there, I noticed that many of the locals use this tower as part of their daily exercise routine. Once I reached the top, I was happy to see the view that the tower provided. I was also disappointed that the stairs didn’t go all the way to the top.
We spent more time at this “minor” stop than I was expecting. It was to be a quick photo op of some chunks of glass and then hop back into the car, but instead, we got our hearts pumping by climbing a converted smokestack from a bygone factory.
Mt Vernon had another minor stop I wanted to see, a dog fountain. We then travelled a little more in this town and discovered a walking tour which we will do on our next trip in the area. It is a beautiful place and is full of history.
