Once a canal

A section of the canal is now a wonderful marsh thanks to some industrious beavers. A morning walk led us to herons, wood ducks, snapping turtles and lots of woodland birds. We never saw the architects of this fine wetland but enjoyed watching the many other critters that take advantage of their work.

Back in the air conditioning by 1:30 as the afternoon built into another hot sticky day, 90F and very muggy. Hope it rains soon to usher in some cooler drier weather!

There’s more to Ohio than that “are we there yet?” swath seen from the turnpike

The Cuyahoga River twists through a patchwork of forests and farmland. What remains of the Ohio and Erie Canal cuts a somewhat straighter path as it parallels the river. Huge rock escarpments jut unexpectedly from the forest floor. Much of the Valley is included in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and is crisscrossed with trails making exploration on foot or bicycle easy. We caught a canal lock demonstration and walked through a dry lock chamber. It is pretty impressive construction built with enormous hand cut stone blocks and gigantic wooden gates; one at every 10 feet of elevation change.

Creeks work their way down the hillsides toward the Cuyahoga River sometimes tumbling across sandstone cliffs.

Blue Hen Falls

The result; lovely burbling cascades like Blue Hen and Brandywine Falls. Both are worth the walk with trails that meander through shaded woods.

Brandywine Falls