Cleveland-Akron-Cuyahoga

Last night as we were approaching our next stop we rounded a bend and were astonished by a fabulous sight. A two story, colonial building, housing a restaurant, was ablaze with light, streaming from countless magnificent chandeliers on each floor. Agog, we imagined our grubby selves seated and eating in such a fine establishment. We stealthily cased the neighborhood, finding a quiet parking lot nearby for the night, vowing that we were going to eat breakfast there, cost be damned! We are on vacation! Chances like this don't come around every day!

Bright and early this morning we cleaned ourselves as best we could and marched right in. We were courteously greeted at the counter by a cheerful teenager with a pierced nostril. Thayer ordered the most expensive breakfast on the menu, the Breakfast Platter, and I chose a sausage egg McMuffin and a cup of coffee. We smugly enjoyed our lovely breakfast under a softly glowing chandelier at the most elegant McDonald's in America. Living large in Ohio.

But seriously now...

Right smack in the middle of the Cleveland-Akron corridor sits a lovely gem of a park. It is a conglomeration of federal, state, county and regional parks hop-scotched together into a patchwork park they call Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Created recently (2000), the goal was to bring recreational opportunities to many people and to preserve this beautiful, historic and environmentally important area surrounding the Cuyhoga River. The waterway was an easy pathway for Native Americans to migrate from their northern summer hunting and foraging grounds to their warmer winter homes to the south. It was used by so many different tribes that there was an agreement among them that they could not engage in hostilities while traveling through the area. Early trappers and traders recognized its value for moving goods from east to midwest and vice versa.

Today we explored one side of the park, walked to some falls on a creek that must be spectacular when there is water flowing over the rocks. As it was? eh. Interesting rock formations though. The Brecksville Nature Center was a lovely little lodge in the woods, built in the 30's by WPA workers, made of rock and wormy walnut from the surrounding area. It had many nice carved details, birds, squirrels and leaves to adorn the walls and joinery. The handmade rocking chairs were very beautiful and comfortable and I took many photos so that Thayer can make us some when we get home. He fell asleep in one of them and started snoring, blending in nicely with the sounds of the forest.  

There were many trails to choose from, forest, meadows of flowers, streams, and grassland. I attempted to identify some of the many, many unfamiliar trees in the forests here.

I fell in love with blue stem prairie grass today. So I am not only a knee-jerk liberal tree hugger and rock hugger, but a grass hugger to boot! I asked for some more information on the trees after our hike and can now identify red and white oak, red maple, beech and the tulip tree. Not much of a start on these diverse forests, but something nonetheless.

The inside word about that McD's:  the only way the snooty, rich folks living here 20 years ago would let McD's come to their town was if they built a nice looking restaurant. That tidbit of information is thanks to Gary, the RC airplane enthusiast we visited with tonight. We had a nice quiet night in the corner of a picnic area, just the insects and early morning birds to listen to.

The very next day.....

We drove to the Brecksville Station near the north end of the park, our plan being to ride the 12 miles to the south end on our bikes, and then enjoy a lovely train ride back to the rig. The Towpath parallels the canal that lifted barges almost 400 ft. through a series of locks from Lake Erie to the Ohio River near Akron, OH. The canal was dug in 2 years (1825-7) by HAND by German and Irish immigrants. It stretched 308 miles and contained 44 locks that did the heavy lifting. It was 4 feet deep and about 40 wide, though the locks were narrower, accommodating only one 17 X 60-80 ft. barge. We learned that most of it was not filled with river water but the water came from the tributaries of the Cuyahoga River.

The Cuyahoga River Valley and the Ohio & Erie Canal have a rich history of trade, transportation, farming and industry. This canal, along with the Erie Canal, united vast areas of our country to transport the incredible natural resources and grain of the west and midwest to the east. After the railway came through, the canal became obsolete and in 1913 was made unusable by a big flood.

Today, the old canal itself is a mixture of lovely meadows, wetlands and forests. It winds along the Cuyahoga River and even crosses over it at one point. The towpath was crushed, compacted gravel and stretches of pavement that was very easy to ride on our road bikes. There are many interpretive signs along the way detailing the history and features of the canal, river, towpath and environment. Midway, we stopped at a visitors center and enjoyed talking with a ranger and learning more about the area and it's history. We also were informed that the train doesn't run on Mondays and Tuesdays so we would be biking both ways. Not a problem, though I was dreadfully disappointed not to get a train ride! We made sure that we knew where to buy ice cream on our way back and continued down the path, cruising a few of the little towns and farms left over from the canal heydays.

We also stumbled across the best gas prices we have seen since departing from the NW. Sadly, we had only just filled our fuel tank and didn't need any more. Also, the station was closed (and had been for about 50 years).

We stopped at the Beaver Marsh near the south end of the park to admire the transformation that a few determined beavers can accomplish in just a few years. 20 years ago there was an unsightly auto wrecking yard near the river that was slated to become a parking lot by the park to accommodate visitors to a planned venue of some sort. They cleared the wreckage out of the area near the river and shortly thereafter a few beaver ventured back into the park after being gone for over a hundred years. They built a nice dam, the park tore it down, the beaver built it again, the park tore it down. The third time the park decided to let the beaver stay and they have been excellent stewards of the area every since. There are now about 8 lodges surrounding a large pond and wetland just filled with plant and animal life. We saw birds, large and small fish, frogs, turtles and vast lily pad areas, sometimes moving randomly and vigorously with unseen creatures. This was our turnaround point and, as it was getting quite hot and muggy, we pedaled eagerly back toward the ice cream store (FYI, we indulged on locally made salted caramel).

It was one of those days that gave my smiling muscles a great workout. At first Thayer was riding behind me but I was driving him crazy (or off the trail) by my constant swerving and slowing to look at things and rubbernecking at the lovely and spectacular views. Needless to say he got to go first for a while after that.

I enjoyed the history and natural beauty of this lovely park. I continue to be astonished and amazed at the wonderful parks that we have in our country. This one was a special one, tucked in between two large cities, administered by collection of agencies, all with the same goal of preserving our natural and historical treasures. It was the dream child of several Ohio politicians who worked tirelessly over many years to make it a reality. It certainly deserves its nickname: The Emerald Necklace.