Category: Ohio Adventure 2013

Trolley Trail, Erie National Wildlife Refuge, Crawford County, PA, August 2013

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Near the end of my vacation I spent two days with my friend Troy on his organic farm near Cambridge Springs, PA. Like most of my friends, Troy is a cyclist and not a hiker, and so we spent our time riding. But I wanted to get my boots dirty at least once more before I traveled to Pine Creek Gorge and took on the Raven’s Horn, so I scanned the Internet for a hiking trail. Having stumbled across the Trolley Trail, I planned to hike it one afternoon, after a ride with Troy.

Our trip to Meadville and the Ernst Trail went much longer than I anticipated, and we didn’t get back to the farm until very late in the day. I changed from my cycling shoes to my trail runners and drove over to the trailhead outside of Cambridge Springs. The light was beautiful, giving a glow to the surrounding hills. I walked out into the wetlands field surrounding the trailhead with enthusiasm.

But the enthusiasm didn’t last. I’m not sure why I turned around a half mile into the 1.5 mile trail. The hiking wasn’t difficult. The trail was well-marked and level, and not rocky at all. Looking back, there were probably two reasons I left when I did.

One was it had been a long day. I’d ridden 17 miles with Troy, who is a much stronger cyclist than I am, and even if I didn’t feel drained, I had some fatigue. The second was that I’d been two weeks on the road, ridden nearly 240 miles, hiked 8, and driven four hundred some. I’d ridden every day for a week. While I call myself a formerly sedentary man, I’m not to the point I can be active constantly. So I was worn down. Again not so much physically as mentally. I needed, subconsciously, a break. So I turned around.

The problem with turning around where I did was that I missed the best parts of the trail. The Trolley Trail, as the name implies, follows an old trolley line. The trail has small stone bridges further towards Cambridge Springs, and passes near an old cemetery. Had I continued I’d have seen them and stopped for many photographs.

Fortunately for me, the Trolley Trail will still be there. Troy is a friend I don’t see enough of and his farm is a slice of heaven. I will be back, and when rested and in a better mood, hike the trail with a lighter heart.

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Western Reserve Greenway, Trumbull County, Ohio, July 2013

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As I mentioned at the end of my previous post about the Western Reserve Greenway, having ridden the northern end of the trail, I wanted to ride the southern end. My chance came the day I left Ohio. To get to my next destination, Erie, I had to pass near the trail, so I plotted a course to the Oakfield Trailhead, between Ohio Routes 87 and 88.

The stretch of the Trumbull County section of the trail I rode, between the two numbered Ohio roads, was very much like the Ashtabula County section – passing through woods and farmland. The highlight of the ride was stopping at the Mosquito Lake Wildlife Management Area, just a couple miles north of the trailhead. A wooden observation platform stands next to the trail, and gives you a great view of the small lake. The platform is old and rickety, and the area is a favorite for ducks and geese, to judge from the droppings on the trail. I had to dismount and walk carefully when I stopped for photos.

Like the northern end, the trail has a lot of road crossings, but most of them were on little used roads. Still, there were signs posted stating traffic doesn’t stop for trail users. I don’t know if it was a Buckeye State way of emphasizing that one should be careful at crossings, but I used caution riding across the roads.  I walked my bike across Ohio Route 88. By then I realized if I continued riding south I’d be running short on time to ride in Erie, and so I crossed back and returned to the car.

The ten miles I rode were a wonderful break from the long drive to Erie. When I’m back in Ohio I’ll be sure to ride the Western Reserve Greenway again. Peter, my host, suggested riding the whole 43 miles out and back, and that’s a possibility once I get my fitness back. But really, any section would do.

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Brecksville Reservation, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio, July 2013

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I had one sunny day set aside for hiking during my Ohio vacation last month, and I started with a mistake. No, the mistake wasn’t beginning with Brecksville Reservation in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was assuming Brecksville was a beginning, and I was going to be going to a lot of places in different locations in the park. Instead I turned into an outdoorsman version of the tourist in Art Buchwald’s “three minute Louvre” column, and in trying to see everything saw next to nothing.

Brecksville is on the west side of the Cuyahoga River, on Route 82. The day I visited the sun was out, the temperature was up, and the park was crowded with families. I started with a short walk to the Environmental Education center, feeling cooler under the trees. The center itself is in an old Civilian Conservation Corp cabin, and has displays geared towards introducing children to the outdoors. After a few minutes there learning just what might be hiding under an old log, I resumed my walk.

The highlight of this part of the park was the miniature prairie. I’ve seen pint-sized wetlands in Pennsylvania parks, but I was impressed with Brecksville’s presentation. I spent a few minutes walking through the fields, observing the bees and butterflies and the flowers. I felt light at heart. At least until I realized I had a schedule. I should have stuffed the schedule in my pocket – carry in, carry out – and spent the day here. Instead, I moved on. Further down the park road by car, when I could have hiked it.

 My second stop in the park was along Chippewa Creek. The waterfall on the creek is a popular lunch stop for local residents, as the overlook to the gorge has a half-dozen picnic tables, and all were occupied when I was there. The falls themselves are visible from a distance, hidden under a bridge. There were signs posted warning not to enter the gorge, and I’d not have attempted to scramble down the rock walls.


From the picnic and parking area at the falls runs a wooded trail that leads back to the Environmental Education center. I hiked a mile of it. As usual with hiking in Ohio, the trail surface was a pleasure compared to Rocksylvania. The portion of the trail I hiked ran along the edge of the gorge, and at one pointed turned onto an overlook upstream towards the falls. No picnic tables here, just woods and me. The shade was comforting in the still Ohio heat. I hiked about a mile total along the Chippewa. Time, and the fact I’d decided to try new insoles in my boots and they weren’t working out, cut short my hike. I went back to the car, change to my trail runners, and drove on to my next stop.

I had a good day, and enjoyed everything I saw, but in the end I would have been better served by staying put. My mental rush was partly caused by the length of time it took me to get to the park from my host’s home outside Akron. Had I left early in the morning I’d have beaten the heat as well as northbound traffic and have been able to hike longer. Or I could have left the Tinker’s Creek and other sites for another day.

Also, my old sedentary habits might have been manifesting themselves again. When I am alone my hikes and rides tend to be shorter and easier. All my hiking in Ohio was alone, since most of my friends are cyclists and not hikers. So I rode up to 36 miles at a time in Ohio but had no hike over a mile.

So the long and short of it is that I tasted Brecksville Reservation instead of drinking it deep. Next time I am back in Ohio I need to hike that entire trail along the Chippewa and spend a day enjoying the park, instead of driving all over.

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Western Reserve Greenway, Ashtabula, Ohio, July 2013

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During the planning for my 2011 attempt to ride across Pennsylvania and part of Ohio I came across a rail trail named the Western Reserve Greenway. This 43 mile trail ran from near Lake Erie in a town with the melodious name of Ashtabula to just south of the road I’d be riding to my night stop on the first day of the tour. The trail didn’t fit into my plans for that trip but I mentally noted it for a future ride.

Two years later I was back in Ohio. My host, Peter, wanted to ride the Western Reserve Greenway. I did as well. We differed on how we wanted to ride it, however. My idea was to ride the length, and then camp overnight at nearby Mosquito Lake State Park, riding back the next day. Peter wanted a day ride. After thinking about it I reached the conclusion that an overnight tour would be too much, not in terms of the number of miles, but in the time and effort to do it. So we set up a day ride for a Sunday and hoped for good weather.

We had the weather we wanted, sunny, mild but not hot, and a slight breeze. We parked near the northern end of the trail and followed it to its conclusion, a dead end at railroad tracks a mile from the lake. Turning around, we headed south on the paved path, Peter’s trike racing my touring bike. We had a slight problem at the trail closure at Interstate 90, but we dismounted and walked through the construction. By the time I post this ride report the construction might be complete and the trail reopened.

The trail has many road crossings, but it rambles through Ohio farm country, so the scenery is great. From Astabula the trail moves up a slight grade, but levels off once past Interstate 90 and continues flat aside from some road crossings and a quarter-mile on road detour at the town of Rock Creek.

Just south of the road segment is Rock Creek Trestle. This structure has an observation deck on the side with three picnic tables, and it was here we stopped for lunch. After 15 miles and the long drive from Akron I was hungry, and while my Brooks saddle is breaking in, it felt good to be seated. Peter as a trike ride brought his lounge chair with him, of course.

Once we were fueled and rested, we continued south. I needed to, ahem, unhydrate, and there was no bathroom at the trestle. We continued south past a swamp and more farm country until Peter and I found what we needed. Mission accomplished at the 18 mile mark, we turned around and headed north.

By now the sun had been covered with clouds, and the temperature was dropping. I felt like rain was on the way. As Peter and I argued over the forecast I scanned the skies. I subconsciously pushed the pace, and Peter asked me to slow down a few times.

By the time we’d made it through the construction zone at Interstate 90 the first raindrops fell. I stopped to take a couple of photos and told Peter he didn’t need to wait for me. Perhaps excited at riding a downhill, h took off. I struggled to keep up. The feared rain turned out to be a minute of a shower, and that’s it. Still, I pushed hard on the final miles.

I was tired but pleased with my efforts as I helped Peter put my bike on his rack. We’d ridden 36 miles, which was my longest ride since July 2011. My fatigue found me the next day, and I restricted myself to a short recovery ride. But while the Western Reserve Greenway ride was exhausting, it was worth doing.

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Sippo Valley Trail, Massillon, Ohio

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There are some trails you want to visit again and again. There are some you visit once and are done with. And then there are some you want to ride again if the problems are fixed. The Sippo Valley Trail is the last described. 
I tried to ride the Sippo in 2011. However, after riding through Massillon (which is pronounced “Mass-lin”, I’m told) to the trailhead I didn’t get very far before I came across a burnt out bridge. The arsonist’s work was removed and replaced with a new wooden span, and on a rainy Saturday afternoon my friend Dan led me across it during our trail ride. I wonder how long its going to remain intact.
Even though the trail starts in an urban area, it immediately is surrounded by trees and aside from a couple of road crossings it looks wooded as it snakes out of town. Once in Ohio farm land the paved surface gives way to pea gravel, and then to a mix of gravel and dirt. The trail becomes narrow at times. Grass grows on the trail median. And it continues like this to the final couple of miles outside of the town of Dalton, at which point the trail surface is paved again. 
I was impressed with nature along the ride. The Sippo passes through some beautiful land. But then I found litter and graffiti and my mood sank. We paused at one defaced bridge and read the news aloud.
“Dan, did you know Ryan is gay?”
“No. But Kami is hot.”
Before we reached Dalton the rain had stopped, and the sun began to emerge as we rode back. However, the trail remained muddy, and we both had close calls as our bikes slid through the mud. In addition the soles of my cycling shoes became very tractionless by the end of the ride, and I slid a little when I made the mistake of walking on a wet wooded bridge for photographs. Both the bike and I became muddy during the ride. Although my panniers took the brunt of it, I got dirty too. 
Our trip on the Sippo was 21 frustrating miles. I had a great time with Dan, as usual, but the trail itself has a problem. Why scribble calumny about Ryan and Kami on  a bridge over a stream? Or why burn a bridge? Why dump trash on a trail? All trails have problems of some kind, but the Sippo has the worst: people who have no respect for it, and no respect for themselves. Massillon has a lovely trail. I wish it had better people around it. 

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Viaduct Park, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

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Following my visits to Tinker’s Creek Gorge Overlook and Bridal Veil Falls, I continued up Overlook Drive and turned north to Viaduct Park. This little gem is on the northeastern edge of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and sits in the suburbs of Cleveland. And it sits so quietly there that I missed the entrance when I was looking for it and had to turn around. The parking area looks like a company lot for the factory next door, so its an easy mistake to make.

Once I arrived I walked past the viaduct that gives the park its name. Once a railroad bridge, its now an overlook that gives you a spectacular view of the Tinker’s Creek gorge. I decided I’d go onto the old viaduct after I walked the trail into the gorge, so I continued straight down the sloped, paved pathway. There were numerous interpretive markers to read. The gorge was once an industrial area, and I passed the ruins of a mill and a generating station as I walked into the shaded gorge.

Once I reached the end of the paved path I stepped onto the pea-gravel walkway along Tinker’s Creek. There were the falls. I’d been hearing the crash of the Great Falls on Tinker’s Creek as I walked down, and here they were. The spray was cooling on the hot day. I found multiple places to photograph from on the walkway, but the main observation platform provided the best angles. Unlike Brandywine Falls, its hard to see how a photographer can hike into the gorge aside from the trail. So unless you shoot from the viaduct for an ‘up the gorge’ shot all your photos of the falls will be from the right side. I’ve included two photos from different locations to show what I had to work with.

The whole hike was about a half mile round trip. Like most attractions in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Viaduct Park is easily accessible. And it was worth the small effort to see the falls.

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Wingfoot Lake State Park, Suffield, Ohio

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I refused to stay in during the one genuinely rainy day I experienced in Ohio. During the worst of the downpours I was inside my car or a building, but in between I was outside. One place I visited was the newest Ohio State Park, Wingfoot Lake. 
Located outside Akron, Wingfoot Lake has an interesting history. While American parks celebrate nature and the outdoors, their history is tied to the history of business. And often its not the Manicheistic struggle between ‘good’ Nature and ‘evil’ Man the media trumpets to us.
Wingfoot Lake State Park is on land previously owned by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, headquartered in nearby Akron. The lake and surrounding property were purchased in 1916 for the construction of airships for the US Navy. While the airplane was a weapon with potential, the airship was also of keen interest to the military, and for the next five decades Goodyear constructed both blimps and the US Navy’s two dirigible airships, USS Macon and USS Akron. Goodyear’s first corporate blimp was launched in 1925.
As the the navy’s need for blimps declined following World War II Goodyear found itself with lots of vacant wooded land near their Wingfoot Lake facility. Since much of the workforce of the company was located near Akron, they opened Wingfoot Lake Park as a recreational facility for their employees. Park attendance peaked in the 1980s at 100 thousand visitors a year. But in 2006 Goodyear closed the park as fewer and fewer visitors used it each year. The state of Ohio purchased 600 some acres, and opened 121 acres along the lake as a State Park in 2009. 
The day I visited I was the only person their aside from park staff and a fisherman. I walked the paved pathways that ran along the lake, ducking into a picnic shelter or under trees as the rain waxed and waned. The lake is the main attraction at the park, and even in the rain it was pretty. I walked about a mile on the pavement, following the shore of the lake past a small marsh filled with frogs. Had it been a sunny day, the park would have picnickers and boats would have been on the lake. Now it was just the frogs, the birds, and me. 
The boaters and picnickers weren’t the only ones affected by the weather. When Goodyear closed their employee park and sold the land, they kept their airship facility on the far side of the lake. There are four Goodyear blimps, three in the US and one in China, and the Spirit of Goodyear is based at Wingfoot Lake. Looking across the lake, one can see the hanger, the mooring mast, and, this day, the Spirit of Goodyear. The weather kept the airship grounded, and the Spirit of Goodyear floated at its mast, drifting as the wind blew. Yes, its an advertising icon, and some might object to seeing that on a hike or park visit, but the blimp is also a piece of history, much like a steam train. And floating across the lake the big balloon was an example of corporate ‘good citizenship’ as I walked the pathways at an Ohio State Park. 

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“To me, fair friend…” – Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath and Old Muskigum Trail, Ohio, July 2013

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January 2006. A super obese man had a health scare a couple of weeks before, and he finally gets focused enough to start making steps in the right direction. Posting to a support group online, he gets encouragement from a woman named Beverly, herself a weight loss success story. 
A year passes. That super obese man is now 125 pounds lighter, and he contemplates getting a bicycle. Beverly, having been encouraging him in his weight loss, now encourages him to get onto two wheels. 
July 2013. That man and Beverly finally meet…..
While I credit God, and many people, with helping change me from potato to potential, Beverly has an important role. While her fellow poster Matty was the person who showed me, by example, that weight loss was joyous, Beverly taught consistency. She’s been at goal weight for a quarter century. She’s led an active life, one that shows no signs of slowing as she enters into her eighth decade. And she’s been busy sharing the joy she finds in activity, leading her Weight Watchers group, riding with a group in her local Metropark ….. and encouraging a fat Pennsylvanian years ago. 
Beverly and I had plans to meet over the years, but always something came up. However, my being in Ohio prompted her to drive three hours to ride with me. The ride was happening. 
Bev’s interest in riding the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath caused me to select one of my favorite stretches of that trail for our ride. We started at Vanderhoff Road trailhead and headed south, towards Canal Fulton. The trail is paved for this section, and especially well planned to avoid the green tunnel syndrome that plagues many trails. We swooped up and down bridges, rises and dips, and I found myself pushed to keep up with a 70 year old rider on a 26 mile ride. 
As we neared Canal Fulton, we crossed from Summit County to Stark, and the smooth pavement became coarser gravel. We paused at the Visitor’s Center to get water, look at exhibits, and chat. Once we had more water, we continued down to the turnaround point of the canal boat ride. Again we took photos. Beverly, to my delight, is a cyclist who understands the ride IS the destination, and who enjoys seeing things rather than riding past them. 

Our turn around was the bridge at Crystal Springs. We crossed the span, which is now restricted to cyclists and pedestrians, and rode back to Canal Fulton on the parallel Old Muskigum Trail. The trail surface was more dirt than gravel,and we had some mud patches to navigate, but it made a nice change of view being on the other side of the river. I saw a bald eagle flying low as we approached Canal Fulton, which only added to the good feelings I felt on the ride.

At Canal Fulton we crossed back to the towpath, and rode back to our cars. As rode, I realized Beverly was once again teaching by example. At an age when men and women are told they should stop being active, Beverly leads a life enriched by the outdoors. I was reminded of an elderly couple I knew a decade ago who explained their 62 year marriage was successful because “we always found something to talk about.” Beverly is successful because she always finds something to DO. That’s a lesson this “formerly sedentary man” is working to internalize so it becomes as natural as breathing. Perhaps, God willing, I’ll be riding again with Beverly when I’m her current age. I’m pretty sure she’ll still be riding then.

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Bridal Veil Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

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A couple of miles up Overlook Drive is the trailhead to Bridal Veil Falls, one of the many attractions of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Like the bigger and better known Brandywine Falls and the Great Falls on Tinker’s Creek, the hike to get to the falls is relatively short. The descent from the road is on a wide gravel path, wooden walkways, stairs, and a bridge. Once you cross Deer Lick Creek turn right on the trail and in a few steps you are in at the observation platform. From there you have a great view down into the gorge, and of the long path the water has carved over the slate. If you continue your hike Buttermilk Falls is further up the trail. I decided to stop at Bridal Veil today, having other places to visit in the park.

On this trip I found the shooting conditions from the platform to be difficult. I was getting lots of highlighting in the images, and nothing seemed to tame it. So I walked back to Deer Lick Creek and  took photos from the crest. Free from the deep green of the gorge my photos came out better, and I felt at peace as I watched water on stone. The creek was a summer trickle, and with some care I walked through the water on the rocks. I spent an hour on a hike of less than a half-mile total, and I could have spent another hour. It was time worth investing. 

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Tinker’s Creek Gorge Scenic Overlook, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

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There. That’s a thousand-word title paragraph. 
I’m labeling this as a hike, although the hike was a few yards from the parking area to the wooden observation platform. Still, this was worth a few minutes before I continued on to Bridal Veil Falls, which is only a couple of miles up Overlook Road or the paved All Purpose Trail that runs alongside. The view was pretty, although overgrown. The best images are from the left side of the platform, which gives you a little more depth to the photo. From here take the trail or Overlook Road, and from there its a short drive to the Great Falls on Tinker’s Creek. I’ll write about both attractions in later posts. 

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