Top 10 OHventures of 2014

Out of any other year, I feel that 2014 put the most miles on my odometer. I drove to every corner of the state - Toledo to Athens to Geneva to Cincinnati visiting friends, attending weddings, working, and of course adventuring. In doing so, I definitely had a year full of unique experiences. As with every year (see 2012 and 2013), I give to you the Top 10 OHventures of 2014. There were many to choose from, but if you needed to see the best of the best, here they are (in no particular order)!

Use this list to start planning some awesome bucket list items to do in 2015.

1. The Lodge At Geneva-On-The-Lake: The romanticism of Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline is encapsulated to perfection at the upscale yet affordable Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake. I stayed here for a weekend in June and saw for myself all the fantastic pleasures that can be unearthed while staying at this hot vacation spot.

2. Mohican Tree House Cabins: Halfway between Cleveland and Columbus is an adventurer's paradise, an outdoorsman's dream, and one of the most unique attractions found in all of Ohio: The Mohican Treehouse Cabins. I stayed overnight in these AWESOME accommodations!

3. Bon Appetit Appalachia!: I had the privilege to witness a glimpse (and sample a taste) of this innovative farm-to-fork concept on a visit to Athens - the setting for a large number of these culinary destinations in the state. Follow me as I eat - and drink - my way through Appalachia!

4. Tree Frog Canopy Tours: Another year where a zipline locale makes the list! This time, we made our way BACK to Mohican Country for the tallest, fastest, and longest zip line in all of Ohio! Pictures say 1,000 words.

5. Tough Mudder Ohio: If you think that a 3-mile obstacle course like Warrior Dash is crazy, then you ain't seen nothing yet! The Tough Mudder was 12 miles of muddy mayhem in Mansfield, trumping anything I've ever done before! And how can I EVER forget the arctic enema and the electroshock therapy?! I must be a masochist.

6. Akron Birthday Bash Dash 5K: This was a very special 5K walk/run for me, because it was the first time ever that - instead of running the course -  I ran the ENTIRE event as the race director! The 5K in Stow was a TON of work, but proved to be a success, raising money for Muffins For Mammograms & celebrating the 100th "birthday" of the health system. 

7. Columbus Pedal Wagon: My family & friends hopped aboard this contraption that required us to use our man-power to wheel the wagon from bar to bar to bar in the streets of the Short North one football Saturday in October. Check it out in Cincinnati as well.

8. Kayak The Bay at PIB: Between drinking wine and barhopping on 4th of July weekend in Put-In-Bay, a group of college friends decided to get a workout in and kayak the beautiful waters of Lake Erie surrounding South Bass Island. 

9. Polar Plunge: A polar plunge (also known as a polar bear jump) is for the bravest of brave and the craziest of crazy! I participated in the Polar Plunge at Mosquito Lake State Park in Cortland on January 18 as a benefit for the Special Olympics of Ohio. Even the photos make me shiver.

10. Dragon Boat Festival at Portage Lakes: I competed with my friends Chelsie and Craig in the annual Dragon Boat Festival at Portage Lakes on July 12 in Summit County. We learned just how hard it is for 20 people to paddle in unison to power a dragon boat - but Team Morgan Stanley made it to the FINALS!

Polar Plunge Photo Blog

Who: Alone, with a friend, or with a group!
What: Polar Plunge (or Polar Bear Jump)
When: Various Dates in Winter (January - March)
Where: Multiple spots throughout Ohio
Why: To test your bravery and to raise money for a special cause!
How: Sign up on the official Polar Plunge website. 

Please do NOT attempt a polar plunge on your own. Organized events with the appropriate emergency personnel is the ONLY time you should "plunge" into freezing water.

Photographs by OHventures. 

Polar Plunge Recap

A polar plunge (also known as a polar bear jump) is for the bravest of brave and the craziest of crazy! In fact, I believe I have been called "crazy" more times for doing a polar plunge than for when I went skydiving!

Basically, all that this insane event consists of is jumping into an extremely cold body of water for a short amount of time and then hopping back out! It is a rite of passage for all adventurers, but sounds more like a result of one big game of "truth or dare" or perhaps an episode of Jackass. 

But, there are many positives to this frigid feat. Many of these events take place to raise money for the Special Olympics. There are several polar plunges on the calendar for 2014: January 18 in Cortland, January 25 in Sandusky and Waynesville, February 8 in Athens, February 15 in Columbus, February 22 in Geneva, March 1 in Celina, and March 15 in Lakeview. Additionally, an annual Polar Bear Jump takes place in Portage Lakes on February 22 to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Akron.

I recently participated in the Polar Plunge at Mosquito Lake State Park in Cortland, Trumbull County on January 18. I raised $100 for the event to benefit the Special Olympics of Ohio (many thanks to all who donated, including Patty B., Mike V., Steve F., Paul H., and Linda H.!), thus qualifying me to participate (the minimum needed to raise was $75). As always, it was great to be doing something for a good cause AND to cross something off of my Bucket List at the same time. 

In the days leading up to the event, I had no idea what to expect, and everything I imagined it would be involved a whole lot of horror! What if I lose a toe? What if I pass out from hypothermia? What if I get taken down by the Snow Queen from Disney's "Frozen"? WHAT IF I DIE?! So many what-ifs, but all of them were pretty extreme, to say the least.

When the morning of the event arrived, my fears began to slowly melt away (no pun intended). While it was a cris 15 degrees outside, the sun was out and it was not snowy or windy, so that was a major plus (you always have to look for the silver lining). I turned in my offline donations, got my official Polar Plunge t-shirt (long sleeve of course), and obtained my wristband required for jumping. 

I then prepared myself by sitting in the car with the heat turned up and changing into my garb. We were encouraged to dress in costume, so I kept mine really simple: I wore my red lifeguard shorts and large sunglasses - I was a Baywatch lifeguard, except this "beach" was an icy tundra rather than sandy paradise. There were a lot of people dressed as superheroes - Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Wonderwoman - as well sa cheeseheads, Waldo (of "Where's Waldo" fame), and other fun and creative costumes to distract us all from what craziness we were about to put ourselves through.

I wore aqua shoes - which is very important if you are thinking of doing a polar plunge - and had a spectator on standby with towels for me and my robe to change into. I had a fresh pair of winter socks and shoes with toe warmers waiting for me as well.

When it was time for the plunge, they had the oldest participant do the plunge first - with a paramedic escort. The woman was 83 years old! I was thoroughly impressed and seeing her walk out of the water like it was no big thing helped encourage me that I could do it too! There were roars of applause and soon enough it was time for the rest of us to take the plunge!

The event organizers literally carved an area of the lake out of the ice to make the plunge possible. It was not exactly a "plunge" as I had expected. We didn't jump into the water, as I had thought we would. Instead, we had to run (or walk) from the beach into the water until we reached the end of the carved out area, and then turn around and run back onto shore.

My plunge lasted about 2 minutes, but felt like an eternity! Running into the water, I had no feeling in my toes, and found it difficult to move very fast, as my shoes were falling off. The adrenaline kicked in quite a bit - with all of the screaming and cheering spectators and fellow plungers roaring in the distance. I high-fived the firefighter who stood in the water in a heavy duty orange suit, and made my way back to shore. 

Back on shore, my friend handed me my towels and robe and I immediately ran to the heated tent that was available for changing back into warm clothes. It took a long time for me to get the feeling back in my toes, but thankfully I only experienced minor discomfort. 

To cap off the event, a post-plunge party took place at the Cortland Moose Lodge complete with complimentary chili, bean soup, cornbread, chicken, and fixings! 

This probably goes down as one of the weirdest OHventures I have had, but nonetheless, I sense I will be doing it again in no time!

Discover Ohio Wines!

With more than 150 wineries scattered across Ohio, the state ranks 9th in the nation for wineries - an impressive feat! The temperate growing climate and the fertile soil on the lakeside accounts for the majority of Ohio's most well-known wineries, although no area of the state is lacking!

With so many to choose from, I have compiled a list of 10 unique wineries to visit across the state!

1. School House Winery (Tuscawaras County)
2. Camelot Cellars (Franklin County)
3. Lakehouse Inn Winery (Ashtabula County)
4. Gervasi Vineyard & Italian Bistro (Stark County)
5. Country Porch Winery (Trumbull County)
6. Myrddin Winery (Mahoning County)
7. Firelands Winery (Erie County)
8. Heineman's Winery & Crystal Cave (Ottawa County)
9. ThornCreek Winery (Summit County)
10. Bluebird Winery at Little Forest Inn (Carroll County)

Read my latest guest post on the Ohio Division of Tourism's official blog, Discovering Ohio for photos from each winery as well as my favorite wines I recommend you order at each location!

Trumbull County Wineries

Photos by OHventures

My family recently took a trip to the two wineries found in Trumbull County (where my hometown of Hubbard can be found).

Our first stop was Country Porch Winery, which is described as being "nestled in the heart ofTrumbull County." We found this to be true, as the quaint winery looked more like someone's home along the wide open roads of the City of Cortland. Its long porch was filled with tables made out of interesting items, such as barn doors, wine barrels, and the like. Folks sat on rocking chairs near the door and a dog greeted us as we made our way inside. 

For just $4 a piece, my family and I opted to taste all 10 of the wines offered at Country Porch. This was not only an amazing deal, but it was also the best way to uncover all of the fun backstories behind each of the wines made here. Each wine was unique and stood out from the others, and I enjoyed and appreciated the thought that went into the flavor profiles!

For instance, the "Daisy For Me" (my favorite wine of the evening) was a dry white wine  that was named in honor of the owner's mother. The "Certin Gold" was appropriately a golden colored white wine rich in flavor that was named after an award-winning stallion raised on the property. "Celebrate d'Vine" was a seasonal wine that burst with apple and cranberry flavors. And the "Scenic Route" was an extremely odd wine with a "hate it or love it" attitude (I hated it, but my brother bought a bottle)!

The Country Porch offers fun events and specials, such as pizza nights, steak nights, painting parties, and more. It was sad to leave, since we enjoyed our stay so much, but we had to head up to our next winery of the night!

The Greene Eagle Winery was located approximately 15 minutes from Country Porch, also in Cortland. There was a fancier feel here and there was even a wedding taking place on-site when we arrived.  Inside, there were tables on the lower level and a loft upstairs. There was also a nice selection of gifts and merchandise.

We opted once again for the tasting platter so we could sample all of the wines made here. Unlike our previous stop, however, there was not a narration that accompanied our tasting, which is not necessarily a bad thing. We drank up the little wine cups from sweetest wine to dryest wine. 

There seemed to be far more sweet wines than dry wines. Some memorable choices were the "Tranquility" which was a pear/kiwi wine, "Midnight Embers" which tasted exactly like a chocolate-covered strawberry, and the "Blackjack" which was my favorite.

Our trip was a huge success, and we left with big purple-tooth-filled smiles on our faces as we discovered more awesome wines made right in Ohio!