Vacation 2026: Toledo, Montgomery, and
Small Town Ohio
2026 was my turn to travel east for vacation, to Toledo, Ohio, to visit my friend Msgr. Dennis Metzger, a former classmate and a long-time pastor, now retired, in the Diocese of Toledo. I had last been to Ohio in 2024 (Vacation 2024), and I was anxious to return to continue my photography of classic courthouses and historic small towns throughout the state (there are 88 counties in Ohio; there are 36 counties in Oregon).
The trip began in Toledo, a city I've come to know over the years, part of the so-called "rust belt" of America. The downtown was once a lively business business center and commercial hub. Today, it is a kind of sleepy remnant of past glory. Still, there are some fine old buildings that I have come to admire, and remain hopeful that one day they will come back to life. Their architectural components, to my mind, make them classics.
Toledo has rediscovered its waterfront (like Portland, I might add), with fine landscaping, commercial shops and restaurants, and bike and footpaths. Of note is a splendid museum, the National Museum of the Great Lakes, a local and national treasure. We spent some time there and had a nice lunch along the river.
The next day we headed south, through Ohio, to Cincinnati (a magnificent Union Station!), and into Kentucky, to the beautiful town of Bowling Green where we stayed the night, and had a wonderful meal. The next day, we traveled through Tennessee and into Alabama, to our destination, the historic city of Montgomery.
I might mention that along our southern route we came upon a Buc-ee's car and shopping plaza. It was my first experience of a Buc-ee's, and it was immediate fascination. If there is any symbol of America as the "land of plenty and excess," it is Buc-ee's: 100 gas pumps, a food service on steroids, a "mini-mart" the size of a Target, and "the cleanest restrooms in America." Well worth a destination visit!
We arrived in Montgomery to the warm welcome of Dennis' sister, Karen. I had visited Montgomery once before with Dennis, and it was good to be back in the "Cradle of the Confederacy," as it is known. The nickname comes, of course, for its Civil War history but also its current status as a symbol of civil rights. In that regard, we visited four Legacy Sites created by the Equal Justice Initiative, a powerful witness to the civil rights movement. The impact of these sites was emotionally draining, but cathartic as well.
From Montgomery we headed back north through some mountainous terrain ( the Appalachian Mountains) to Chattanooga, Tennessee. As the name indicates, the town is known for its Chattanooga railway station and its Choo-Choo, an 1880 passenger train that traveled from Cincinnati to Chattanooga. We stayed in a hotel at the the station, and my room was an old Pullman car!
Continuing north we made a stop at a historic mother house in Ohio, The Ursulines of Brown County. Eleven Ursuline Sister arrived in Ohio in 1845 at the invitation of the archbishop of Cincinnati, and they established a boarding school for girls as well as Chatfield College. At present, there are only 14 sisters left. We had the privilege of meeting the current (and probably final) superior, Sr. Patricia Homan, who gave us a tour of the empty campus (the sisters no longer live there) and a brief history. A fascinating story of these brave, educated, and missionary women.
We stayed the night in Wilmington, Ohio, a nice town of about 12,000. with a beautiful courthouse (Clinton County) and a classic turn of the last century main street. We stayed in a nice B+B, and we had a delicious dinner at a local hotel eatery on Main Street. The next day we headed northeast towards Columbus, stopping in a town named Washington Court House for breakfast, and the town has a courthouse, but the county is actually Fayette (there is an explanation). Breakfast was a downtown local diner, and it was everything (good) that you might expect. I got a couple of good pictures of the courthouse in the early morning light.
Heading northeast towards Columbus (Ohio's largest city), we stopped at an historic Catholic seminary, the Pontifical College Josephinum. I was familiar with the seminary from my own seminary rector days at Mount Angel. The Josephinum was established in 1888 as a bilingual German-English institution to prepare candidates for priesthood. It continues today with the same purpose. Of interest, two of my seminary classmates are former rectors of the Josephinum. We were given a warm welcome and a tour by one of the administrators.
Our Ohio travels concluded at the home of Dennis' sister and brother-in-law, Debbie and Jerry. I was treated to a delicious dinner of Lake Erie perch (or, was it walleye?). Home to Toledo the next day, and then home to Portland. A great trip through The Buckeye State and beyond!
My vacation 2026 pictures were taken with my new camera, a Canon R6 Mark III. I'm still learning how to use this electronic marvel, but I think the pictures turned out pretty well!
Click the links below for "Highlights" and "Pictures and Descriptions" of the individual sites we visited.
2026 was my turn to travel east for vacation, to Toledo, Ohio, to visit my friend Msgr. Dennis Metzger, a former classmate and a long-time pastor, now retired, in the Diocese of Toledo. I had last been to Ohio in 2024 (Vacation 2024), and I was anxious to return to continue my photography of classic courthouses and historic small towns throughout the state (there are 88 counties in Ohio; there are 36 counties in Oregon).
The trip began in Toledo, a city I've come to know over the years, part of the so-called "rust belt" of America. The downtown was once a lively business business center and commercial hub. Today, it is a kind of sleepy remnant of past glory. Still, there are some fine old buildings that I have come to admire, and remain hopeful that one day they will come back to life. Their architectural components, to my mind, make them classics.
Toledo has rediscovered its waterfront (like Portland, I might add), with fine landscaping, commercial shops and restaurants, and bike and footpaths. Of note is a splendid museum, the National Museum of the Great Lakes, a local and national treasure. We spent some time there and had a nice lunch along the river.
The next day we headed south, through Ohio, to Cincinnati (a magnificent Union Station!), and into Kentucky, to the beautiful town of Bowling Green where we stayed the night, and had a wonderful meal. The next day, we traveled through Tennessee and into Alabama, to our destination, the historic city of Montgomery.
I might mention that along our southern route we came upon a Buc-ee's car and shopping plaza. It was my first experience of a Buc-ee's, and it was immediate fascination. If there is any symbol of America as the "land of plenty and excess," it is Buc-ee's: 100 gas pumps, a food service on steroids, a "mini-mart" the size of a Target, and "the cleanest restrooms in America." Well worth a destination visit!
We arrived in Montgomery to the warm welcome of Dennis' sister, Karen. I had visited Montgomery once before with Dennis, and it was good to be back in the "Cradle of the Confederacy," as it is known. The nickname comes, of course, for its Civil War history but also its current status as a symbol of civil rights. In that regard, we visited four Legacy Sites created by the Equal Justice Initiative, a powerful witness to the civil rights movement. The impact of these sites was emotionally draining, but cathartic as well.
From Montgomery we headed back north through some mountainous terrain ( the Appalachian Mountains) to Chattanooga, Tennessee. As the name indicates, the town is known for its Chattanooga railway station and its Choo-Choo, an 1880 passenger train that traveled from Cincinnati to Chattanooga. We stayed in a hotel at the the station, and my room was an old Pullman car!
Continuing north we made a stop at a historic mother house in Ohio, The Ursulines of Brown County. Eleven Ursuline Sister arrived in Ohio in 1845 at the invitation of the archbishop of Cincinnati, and they established a boarding school for girls as well as Chatfield College. At present, there are only 14 sisters left. We had the privilege of meeting the current (and probably final) superior, Sr. Patricia Homan, who gave us a tour of the empty campus (the sisters no longer live there) and a brief history. A fascinating story of these brave, educated, and missionary women.
We stayed the night in Wilmington, Ohio, a nice town of about 12,000. with a beautiful courthouse (Clinton County) and a classic turn of the last century main street. We stayed in a nice B+B, and we had a delicious dinner at a local hotel eatery on Main Street. The next day we headed northeast towards Columbus, stopping in a town named Washington Court House for breakfast, and the town has a courthouse, but the county is actually Fayette (there is an explanation). Breakfast was a downtown local diner, and it was everything (good) that you might expect. I got a couple of good pictures of the courthouse in the early morning light.
Heading northeast towards Columbus (Ohio's largest city), we stopped at an historic Catholic seminary, the Pontifical College Josephinum. I was familiar with the seminary from my own seminary rector days at Mount Angel. The Josephinum was established in 1888 as a bilingual German-English institution to prepare candidates for priesthood. It continues today with the same purpose. Of interest, two of my seminary classmates are former rectors of the Josephinum. We were given a warm welcome and a tour by one of the administrators.
Our Ohio travels concluded at the home of Dennis' sister and brother-in-law, Debbie and Jerry. I was treated to a delicious dinner of Lake Erie perch (or, was it walleye?). Home to Toledo the next day, and then home to Portland. A great trip through The Buckeye State and beyond!
My vacation 2026 pictures were taken with my new camera, a Canon R6 Mark III. I'm still learning how to use this electronic marvel, but I think the pictures turned out pretty well!
Click the links below for "Highlights" and "Pictures and Descriptions" of the individual sites we visited.
Toledo, Ohio, population 263, 400, seen from the east side of the Maumee River
A great museum in Toledo, the National Museum of the Great Lakes
Pat at Buc-ee's along the freeway in Kentucky (?) or Tennessee (?) . . . a great place to visit!
The Legacy Sites—Museum, Sculpture Park, Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Montgomery Square in Montgomery, Alabama
The Chattanooga Train Station and the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, in Chattanooga, Tennessee
The motherhouse and church of the Ursulines of Brown County in Ohio
The Fayette County Courthouse (1882) in Washington Court House, Ohio
The Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio
Pat and Dennis at a residence on Lake Martin, Alabama