We awoke to sunshine, temperatures in the low 40s and a light breeze. The becoming alert part happened pretty quickly when we stepped outside.
It's time to move to a new area of the state. We picked Rocky Fork State Campground as our next landing spot. The 42 mile trip followed a short back road from CR-7 at I-71 exit 36 to OH-350, east on OH-350 to OH-73, south on OH-73 to OH-124 in Hillsboro, then SE on OH-124 to North Shore Drive.
About the drive ...
The route took us on lightly traveled country roads. The views were pastoral and the road was hilly with lots of curves. We got stuck behind a student semi-truck driver when we approached OH-73 ... and the semi driver was stuck behind a huge farm tractor that spanned the entire lane width. High speed was not a problem.
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| From OH-124 south of Hillsboro |
Rocky Fork State Park ...
The park is interesting in that it surrounds Rocky Fork Lake. The park boundary extends 1/2 mile or less from the shoreline. The park offers visitors access to every form of water-related recreation we could imagine.
We spent the afternoon touring the the campground and the park.
Campground ...
We've learned that by travelling this early in the season we don't get to see campgrounds at their best. Staff hours are limited, many services are still closed and lots of winter cleanup remains to be done.
The camp office was closed when we arrived. It's mid-week and off-season. There are lots of sites available. Rocky Fork is one of the few state campgrounds that offer full-service sites. We picked one and placed an after-hours reservation.
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| Site 320 |
Even though full staffing isn't in place, the grounds are clean of debris and freshly mowed. We think this is the best we've seen so far.
Park tour ...
The following pictures are from our drive around the lake.
This blue heron caught our attention as we headed east on North Shore Drive.
North Beach Marina is about half way down the lake on North Shore Drive. It offers boat ramps, docks, fuel, fishing supplies, a swimming beach and lots of parking.
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| Boat launch |
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| Swimming beach |
We continued on around the lake by turning south onto East Shore Drive.
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| Looking west from East Shore Drive |
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| We got a closer look at a blue heron along the east shore. |
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| Did this sailboat float up the hillside or was it dragged up because it won't float? |
The dam is on the southeast shore of the lake.
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| Rocky Fork Lake Dam |
The east end marina contributes to the 6 boat launch ramps and over 600 rental docks around the lake.
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| east end marina |
We plan to visit Paint Creek, Pike Lake, Scioto Trail and Great Seal state parks tomorrow.
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