Day Twelve: Lake Erie to Beech Mtn, N.C. (633 mi)

We broke camp early (6 a.m.) due to a light drizzle that began right before sunup and were on the road by a little after 7.  We've all got this setting up and breaking camp down pat so we were able to do it in the dark and not miss a lick!  We had decided just the night before to make a run for it, and head all the way into the Veritas East Coast base, namely a condo we own in the Appalachians in western North Carolina.  This is our fourth visit to Beech Mtn since the school began in the fall of 2009.  As you can see from the mileage in the title of this entry it was a long haul, but since hot showers and warm beds awaited us at the end of the road we were happy to do it.

We had two stops on the itinerary for today, both presidential sites, though not "official" libraries operated by the National Archives like most of the others we've visited on this trip.  The first of these was in Fremont, OH, and was the home (from 1873 until their deaths) for Rutherford B. Hayes and his family.  There was a small museum operated by a non-profit association, but we chose to take the guided tour of the 31 room house.  Hayes and his wife (along with two of his favorite horses!) were buried on the grounds.  Our next stop was in Marion, OH.  The adult home for President Warren G. Harding was here, but closed, so we took our photos and moseyed on over to his impressive memorial and gravesite in a local cemetery (see photo) before getting underway again for the long haul to N.C., getting in around 12:15 a.m. (Thu).

Veritas has now visited historical sites (and/or libraries) for 15 of the 43 men who have served our nation as President, not a bad percentage.  We'll add two more during our remaining days on the road for this trip and two more during our spring trip to California (can you guess which two that would be?).

Experiencing our nation's history (not merely reading about it in a book), this is Veritas --discovering our world, making a difference.