Adventures, Cupcakes & Sweet Wines: Spring is here... so are photo roadtrips!

Can you believe it!? After a whole month of having writers block, I'm actually posting another blog. Third one in a week! I won't lie, I am even impressed with myself. We'll see how long we can keep this going, but I will say that I do have a few topics in my brain that could be potential blogs within the next week. *Grabs pen to write down topics so I don't forget*

Spring in Ohio... that could be a topic in itself! However, I am going to bypass that as a topic for the moment and talk about one of my favorite hobbies that starts in Spring. Most people see Springtime as an opportunity to start hobbies of their own. Some get their motorcycles out of the garage to go on a ride. Some break out the flip flops knowing that because Spring is here, that means Summer is next. Then there are those who begin outdoor athletics, biking, baseball games, volleyball games, etc. This girl - she looks forward to jumping in the car and getting lost in the midwest with her camera and her tripod! Sure, this can be a hobby that can be done in the Winter as well - but as we all know, I hibernate and refuse to leave my walls unless provided truly an important reason. Besides, if I did this hobby year long... I wouldn't look forward to it nearly as much in the Spring when it's time to hit the road!

Photo roadtrips started probably 5 years ago. (Totally take a stab in the dark as to truly when this started...) Once Courtney and I reunited after a brief separation from just growing apart and going to different schools, we found our common ground again with our love for photography. Obviously being that she is truly a professional photographer, she loves it to a whole different level than I do. However, it is because of her profession that it has helped me to be as good as I am today! There was a Springtime within the 4 year span that we had a freeze on these roadtrips, but that next Spring we were right back at it again as if nothing ever happened.

I cannot even tell you the amount of times that we've jumped into the car on a Saturday and just drove. We may have a destination in mind, we may not have a destination in mind. Regardless of where we went, we always ended up having a fantastic time. The most memorable was probably being lost in Vinton County, Ohio and while outside we were hit by a massive rainstorm and we were soaked from head to toe. For those who are not aware of Vinton County, it is the poorest county in Ohio (sad, but true.) so you can imagine there is not much around. Thankfully, down the road - we found a Family Dollar. Thankfully, the Family Dollar does sell clothes... I walked out of there with a pair of 3x shorts and a shirt that was just as massive. There was literally no clothes in that store that were less than the size of 3x. Being that we were soaked, we sucked it up and wore clothes that we essentially swam home in. It is these stories that make these journeys SO much fun! I would trade them for the world!

Other places we have ended up:

Niagara Falls, New York
Westfield, New York (NY's Western Wine Country)
Erie, Pennsylvania
Astabula, Ohio (Northern Ohio's Wine Country)
Hocking Hills/Athens/Nelsonville, Ohio
Mohican State Park, Ohio
Millersburg, Ohio (Ohio's Amish Country)

I can only wonder where 2010 is going to take us! We have up until October to continue our photo trips, and I am hoping that we can expand our territory and head south this year into Kentucky, West Virginia or even Virginia.

Enjoy a few photos from previous journeys!