I always avoid opening day of anything because: crowds! But a few of my friends were excited about the opening of the new visitor center at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and wanted me to tag along, which meant biking on the towpath. I was up for that on a beautiful autumn day! We skipped the ribbon cutting and speeches in the morning and headed out when the temps reached 60 degrees in the afternoon. Here are some photos from our day of me going somewhere new:
View on the towpath heading South. The towpath trail follows the route of the historic Ohio & Erie Canal. It starts in Cleveland and runs 85 miles south. The portion of the trail inside the national park is about 20 miles.
Lots of tall grasses were growing alongside the path. I always enjoy seeing this old barn in the distance.
The new visitor center is located in Boston Mills. This is the view as you enter the village from the bike trail. The beautiful Greek Revival building is a canal boat museum (and used to also serve as a visitor center). In the 1830's, it was the town's general store. There are rocking chairs along the wrap-around porch where you can sit and watch bikers ride by. The historic gas station next door now houses art exhibits. The little canal boat in the front is new, but I opted to skip playing on it.
A peek inside the two floors of educational information. Everything you could want to know about the canal, the flora, the animals, and the conservancy. I can only imagine how many school field trips they will host.
The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad runs right in front of the visitor center. You can ride the train from Cleveland to Akron or do the hop on/hop off with your bike.
I love seeing historic photos of what a town used to look like. These informational signs are located throughout the park.
One more look at the river before we hopped back on our bikes for the return trip.
Heading North
Photo Finish!
Beautiful! Absolutely stunning scenery! And just think every season it will look different. I am thinking it is going to be a quite popular place to visit and bike along!
ReplyDeletebetty
I've biked it every season except winter. Of course, there's always the option of snowshoes! Only the visitor center is new. The area became a national park in 2000, I believe.
Delete"I always avoid opening day of anything because: crowds!" Yes, I totally agree with you.
ReplyDeleteYour photographs are fab-u-lous! That park is beautiful. And that's my kind of weather. I love those gray, coolish autumn days. I love those old buildings. They have such a wonderful hometown-cozy feeling. Love the outlook building as well. Here in Philly (behind the Philadelphia Art Museum) they have one of those as well. It looks like a gazebo that overlooks the Schuylkill River.
And a what a stunning photo finish. Bravo!
Thanks so much for sharing your day, my friend. Have a terrific weekend!
I'm glad you enjoyed the photos, Ron. It's a nice little village and a favorite spot to bike to. They also have a cute little store called Trail Mix where you can buy snacks, drinks, and park paraphernalia.
DeleteI love your pictures. Looks like it was a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It was fun.
DeleteI love museums. . .
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely ride. And the tow-path probably doesn't have many hills. . .
The towpath is relatively flat, but headed north it is downhill as the river flows to Lake Erie. The areas I ride, I can only tell a very slight difference when riding in the opposite direction. Fortunately, downhill is usually my return trip.
DeleteSure got serene views there indeed. So you didn't want to play on the boat? Geez haha Yeah, all for not going on opening day and avoiding the crowds.
ReplyDeleteThe canal boat was tempting . . . But those kids were hogging it!
DeleteWow. Lots of history there and I'm sure there will be a lot of school field trips. I'd tag along on one of those if I could! The train coming thru is very cool and I think I would hop on it. Looks like an awesome day. You'll have to go back in the summer and let us see how it looks then. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to ride bikes and then hop on the train for the return trip. I've done it a few times in the summer. When the kids were little, we took them on the Polar Express twice run by that railroad. It was awesome!
DeleteHow scenic, even on a cloudy day! I love history...photos, old buildings, you name it. One of my favorite places in Ohio is Carillon Park in Dayton, where the Wright Brothers once worked on their airplane. There's even a replica on display.
ReplyDeleteI think I went to that park as a kid. We had relatives in Kettering. I like most history, except for wars. The Battle of this or that is tedious to me.
DeleteThis looks like a great place for a bike ride!
ReplyDeleteYou should print that last photo and frame it.
I think everyone in this area has a photo similar to my last one. It's a very popular spot.
DeleteIt's good that you have so many national parks. We have lots of wonderful scenery but as yet no national parks to protect it all because of objections from local farmers and the like. Looks like a pretty towpath, ideal for cycling.
DeleteI love the bridge in the last photo - so graceful and elegant compared to the functional horrors that crop up elsewhere!
The national parks are definitely our greatest treasure. I feel very fortunate to have one in my backyard (not literally, but close) and to have visited so many others throughout my lifetime.
DeleteWhat a lovely flat bike path! We don't get much of that here. Sounds like a really nice day out.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice that the towpath is flat, but I guess it wouldn't have worked in its original function otherwise. We live in a portion of the valley, so there are actually a lot of hills and my neighborhood is not bike friendly. My old neighborhood, 5 miles away, was totally flat.
DeleteWhat a glorious way to spend an autumn day - thanks for sharing it with us. All the photos are great. I love the Greek Revival canal boat building - and that last photo of the bridge is superb!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jon. It was nice to get out and enjoy nature before it takes a brutal turn.
DeleteGreat photos, Bijoux. This looks like a really nice facility with beautiful grounds that you can explore. And I love that photo finish!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great now, but I'm sure it'll be incredible in the summer--but then I'm a big fan of summer!
And that was a good move to skip the speeches and ribbon-cutting. Life's too short...
Lol, yes, life is too short for that! It wouldn't be a surprise if some sort of politician was there congratulating himself. No thanks. It's a nice place year round, but I tend to skip bike rides and hiking in the winter.
DeleteI like these old buildings and how they have a new life and purpose. Is the canal still in use; I have watched programs on people traveling on canal boats in Europe and wonder if that can be done on the Erie Canal.
ReplyDeleteI'm also happy when they repurpose old buildings instead of tearing them down. No, the canal is no longer in use, but you can see remnants of the locks along the towpath. There is a town a lot further south called Canal Fulton where you can ride a canal boat for fun. I did it as a young child.
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