Once in a while, you have to do something to disrupt the humdrum. Remind yourself that life is for living.

That may be something as simple as finding an isolated waterfall and pool and go for a skinny dip, it might be daring to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, preferably with a parachute strapped to your back.

For me, I love driving. Driving to new places on different continents. It gets those creative juices flowing again that may have gone a little stale. The chance to see different scenery and meet new people is a very enticing prospect as a lone traveller. And obviously I’m incredibly fortunate and grateful to be able to record those scenes and encounters with my camera. I hope my readers appreciate and enjoy these adventures.

The only problem with a self funded road trip, is they’re all too brief.

First stop is to visit a great friend and fellow photographer, Austin and his family in Ohio. Now, usually, I’m savvy enough to combine a visit to Columbus Ohio, with an Ohio State football home game. This time though, my booking skills were off and they were playing an away game. Still, this only went to show how hospitable Ohioans (is that a word?) are. The home game is a chance to get friends and family together for a tv screening with plenty of food and drinks for all.

The lovely part about being in Columbus Ohio when there isn’t a home football game, is it gives me the chance to wander through the ever expanding University grounds. They truly are a beautiful place to enjoy. But of course, before anything else, we had to find and enjoy a great American breakfast. We discovered that most of Columbus had decided to eat out on that Saturday morning. All the usual reliable breakfast spots had queues of people waiting to get a seat or their takeaway. On a positive note however, this gave us time to find a new spot, and wander around the vicinity before our table was available.

We found a place called Skillet on Whittier St. It was the most wonderful bijou spot, literally 8 tables. Family owned and operated for many years, with some of their many accolades hung above the large kitchen serving window. After talking to the son / manager for a while, we learned that the business had started off as a food truck. They did so well with repeat and new customers through word of mouth, that a more permanent solution was needed and Skillet was the result. I can see why they do so well, my breakfast was excellent and so too was the fresh, never ending coffee.

A crisp Autumn (Fall) morning is the ideal time to wander through the University campus. The sun is usually out and the air is fresh against your skin. Students are starting to bundle up as they walk around the grounds. But as the sun gets higher, you’ll find them enjoying the continuing warmth, sat on the grass or at the supplied benches, talking, working, generally bettering themselves.

For photographers like myself and Austin, the quiet weekend mornings around campus are an excellent opportunity to photograph the contrasting architectural giants that fill the University. New and old stand shoulder to shoulder and older buildings are often found to be being patched up along their journey.

I particularly enjoyed the University’s Thompson library. From the outside, it looks a somewhat squat, broad construction in an Italianate Renaissance Revival style. Inside however the buildings internals have gone through massive reconstruction and expansion over its 109 years. Walk through the considerable wooden doors, and the lobby opens up into a bright and spacious area. In front of you, one of the newer extensions greets your vision with ten floors of glass and steel, containing endless shelves of books and documents.

In a side room on the ground level was a history of the Ohio State Football stadium, this year celebrating its centenary. Memorabilia from the previous 10 decades including programs, uniforms and photographs filled the walls and cabinets. The centrepiece was a LEGO®️ replica stadium. It was a fascinating exhibit, especially for an Ohio State Buckeyes fan like myself.

Another interesting find within the grounds was Mirror Lake. It too has been extensively refurbished and updated for safety over the years. A great story that Austin told me, was that during the morning of the great annual rival football game at Ohio State, against Michigan, students would jump into the lake (it’s only a foot or two deep, don’t worry). No big deal I hear you say, except the rivalry game is played at the end of November… Ice would sometimes have to be broken. But as I mentioned, the lake has now been redesigned with safety measures to discourage the old tradition.

A day later, and my real road trip was about to start as I left Columbus and indeed Ohio. I’m making my way to Nashville for a few days, then onward to Atlanta, but I’m breaking the route up with a stop over in Louisville.

I’d rented my car from Alamo. Collection was from Columbus airport in their new purpose built multi-storey rental car facility that holds all the rental companies and their cars. I’d decided when I booked a few months ago, that if I was rolling into and around the heart of country music, there was only one way to do it. The classic Pick Up Truck. Large, double cab body, with huge tyres and of course an enormous load bed that would never be used. It was a folly, pure and simple, but by the end of the trip, I’d absolutely fallen in love with it. I miss it to this day, even though it’d be completely pointless on UK or European roads. Even in a US multi-storey car park, there was only about 6 inches clearance from the top of the cab to the concrete ceiling and doing my best ‘eco’ driving, largely on long straight highways, I still only managed 21mpg at best…

Join me next time as I reach the city of Louisville.