Arrived in Ohio

I did some mini-sightseeing this morning. I follow two web sites/blogs about architecture, both done by the same man. One is about Gilded Age buildings. (The Gilded Age was from the end of the Civil War to the turn of the century.) He is a historic preservationist and I had sent him some photos from Oshkosh of the Opera House since it is a Gilded Age building that has survived against great odds and has been preserved, restored and is in use today as an entertainment venue.

So I was looking on line last night to see if there were any interesting Gilded Age buildings in Clarion, Pennsylvania, and came upon a weird one -- it's a jail built in 1875 where the front of the building was elegant with big windows and looked like a castle (on purpose). That's where the warden lived. Then the back of the building were the jail cells with slits for windows, no design, no castle, cheap materials. The building survived as a jail until the 1990s! The latest I could find was 2007 when it was being used as a storage facility for the county. At least, it survived, I thought.

When I was checking out this morning, I asked for directions and as it turned out I was like 3 minutes away from the building, which now houses OES for the county -- or Office of Emergency Services -- so it's police, 911, probation offices, etc. I was so happy it's been repurposed.

Some photos:

First sign for Cincinnati.

Heading south to Cincinnati.



This was the view I had when I got out of the car to use the restroom at this gas station. This is some sort of crop that turns gold. I often wondered about the one tree you see in the middle of an agricultural field. Like, why is it there? I also liked this view because it looks like an image you'd see in a jigsaw puzzle.

When I went inside this place, store/Subway shop, there was a single man's and woman's restroom. There was already a woman waiting and she was bouncing up and down since she had to go so badly. (Me? I do better standing still rather than providing movement when I gotta go.) So a man and woman simultaneously left the bathrooms and she indicated to me to go in the woman's. I said No, no, I'm fine. And it was her husband who came out of the man's and she said, "Hon, stand here while I go" and she went in the man's, leaving me the woman's bathroom for me. I thought that was very generous of her.

Across the street from the restroom stop was this abandoned hotel which attracted me on some level. It was interesting to see how a building can deteriorate and be overtaken by nature. So I drove in and decided to take some photos and wasn't expecting anything other than I do that.

I got the feeling there was someone there. I just felt it and sort of rehearsed in my mind what I would say if he approached me. I didn't get out of the car, but I kept thinking there was someone coming up from behind and was like at the rear of the car. Then I realized what I was feeling. Of course there was no one there. But this place must have some paranormal activity going on. I really got spooked (well, figuratively).

This is the front door with the sign "no public restroom."

Bear in mind that this was about 3 pm, sunny day, but I was afraid and could not deny what I was feeling. Some of it might have been that the wind was blowing which changed the shadows of the weeds, but I was definitely fearful. The curtains of the rooms were open and I could have looked inside to see if the furniture were still in, but I really was too afraid to get out of the car.

I think the experience just took me by surprise. I did NOT think going in, "Oh look, a haunted hotel" -- that was really the furthest thing from my mind, but I surely felt it when I was there. I even found myself saying aloud, "Ok, I'm leaving" as I drove out.

This is that crop that turns gold. It really is pretty.

Home Sweet Home for the next three days.

TV, refrigerator, microwave.

Desk/work area, but I always lie on my stomach on the bed instead.

My mini-suite with a lounge area facing the TV.

Another parking lot view.