We took a two-night getaway in the woods to New Plymouth, Ohio last week with our dogs and enjoyed time fishing in a private pond and being in such a peaceful and natural environment.  Immense large-mouth bass were in the pond, but we were not able to catch any; we need a better fishing pole!  However, my husband caught a large sunfish.  The dogs quietly looked on in wonder at the fish, but one of our dogs wanted to jump into the water to catch our bait when we were casting.  Ha!  Our times of relaxing on the porch with the dogs, talking, soaking up the views, and reading refreshed us.  New Plymouth is in Vinton County, Ohio.  New Plymouth gets its name from Plymouth, Massachusetts, as many early settlers were originally from there.

With only about a thirty-minute drive, we decided to take a day trip to Lake Hope State Park located in McArthur, Ohio to hike and see the Hope Iron Furnace.  Lake Hope State Park consists of 2,983 acres and is within the Zaleski State Forest, still in Vinton County, Ohio. Lake Hope is the center of the state park and the lake is 120 acres and enclosed by a reservoir.  Beauty abounds with the trees reflected in the water, Lilly pads blooming, and hills surrounding and enhancing the landscape.  Our hike along the lake was a great trail and we plan to return and go further on a hike someday, but it was just too hot for our older dog the day that we were there even with the trees providing shade.  We took a brief stop at the Hope Furnace, which is a historic blast iron furnace that was originally built in 1854; the furnace was used to make weaponry during the Civil War and the Hope Iron Furnace remained in operation until 1875.  We spotted some hiking trails here, but opted to save energy for our time at Lake Hope.  The dogs really enjoyed this trip as well, except for the rolling hills on our way to the cabin, so we took a flatter route on our return trip.  Good times and special memories, so we hope to return not only to Lake Hope, but also to our cabin with a pond in the woods.