Varied Skies

After a fun stay in Niagara Falls, we said our goodbyes to Nana and Papa, knowing that it would not be too long before we see them back home. Though our time on the road is rapidly drawing to a close, many more miles and smiles await before we power down and join the real world.

Swinging around the eastern part of Lake Erie, we headed to the Streetsboro KOA just outside of Cleveland, OH. Cleveland is one of the few major cities to sport a full-blown National Park nearby. Cuyahoga Valley National Park protects a historic and picturesque valley between Cleveland and Akron, OH. The historic Ohio & Erie Canal provides a focal point for the park. The canal connected lake Erie near Cleveland with the Ohio River and fueled economic growth in central Ohio. Canal boats transported farm goods and raw materials from central Ohio and returned with finished goods before the railroads rendered the canal obsolete.

Today, the Canal Towpath provides an excellent biking experience. The Towpath is a relatively flat trail along the canal that the mules followed when towing boats/barges. We began our 10-mile journey at the Boston Store Visitor Center.

We meandered along with the canal to our right and the Cuyahoga River to our left.

In the distance, a bald eagle perched high on a skinny, dead tree, scanned the valley for food to bring home to hungry eaglets. We could see the nest and chicks through some high-powered binoculars setup on a tripod by a park volunteer.

Further down the path, blue herons silently glided through the waters.

We eventually made it to the Canal Exploration Center where M3 helped demonstrate a working lock. 146 locks along the canal raised or lowered boats anywhere from 6-9 feet using a system of gates and valves to fill or empty the lock.

A few miles up the path from the CEC, we took advantage of the park’s “Bike Aboard” program and hopped a train that whisked us, and our bikes, back to the visitor center.

What an unexpectedly cool experience we had in Cuyahoga Valley NP!