Along the Towpath

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I don’t know if you’ve had a childhood like mine–where there were two ways to get around, and your mom or dad driving you around wasn’t one of them! Our friends were  the kids on our street (period) and if you couldn’t walk it or bike it to wherever you had to go, you stayed home. This is of course very different from today when we drive our kids EVERYWHERE.

The fabulous bike path tin the Cuyahoga Valley Metroparks.

Yes, it was a simpler time, yada yada. But I think the best thing I got from those years of getting around on our own (besides a love of independence and maybe even a sense of exploration) was a love of walking and of riding my bicycle. Sometimes I’m sad when I think my kids never got to experience going anywhere alone. (But the world is a different place now, isn’t it? More fears and worries, yes?)

I live in northern Ohio. We are a strong people here. According to the internet, Cleveland ranks as the 5th cloudiest city in the U.S., tallying  in with a grand total of 55% of all days with heavy cloud cover (Thank you, Lake Erie!). Between the clouds and the long winters, we pride ourselves on a certain amount of mental and physical toughness.

One of the old locks (from the 1800’s) of the Ohio and Erie Canal.

So when the weather finally turns nice (around now, April) we Northeastern Ohioans come out in droves, I mean absolute droves, to our beautiful Metroparks along the old Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath trail. The leaves aren’t quite out yet, but these parks are stunningly beautiful whatever the weather. And the bike trails are phenomenal!

In these pics, you can see the glassy Cuyahoga river, fields that will be loaded with corn in a few months, and a quaint town along one of the bike paths. And most importantly, ice cream in my bike helmet at a half-way point. (Hey, it’s fuel for the journey!)

After weeks of buckling down to get a book done, it is a great joy to get out there in the beautiful spring!

Corn!…In a few months 🙂

The clear-glass surface of the Cuyahoga River.

Have a great week!