Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Part II

Since we weren't too far from home (Cuyahoga Valley National Park is less than four hours from Cincinnati) we decided to spend part of the day exploring more of the park that we hadn't gotten to see the day before (when we had driven all the way from Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario.  We decided that a couple short hikes would be a great way to spend our time and started with the beaver marsh.

Throughout the year, the Beaver Marsh teems with life. Depending on the month, you may be serenaded by choirs of countless frogs, watch turtles swim among lily pads, glimpse a beaver nibbling on a willow branch, or hear northern cardinals call from snowy trees. The Beaver Marsh is among the most diverse natural communities in Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP). The exceptional scenery and wildlife make it one of the park’s most popular destinations. Here you can enjoy photography, bird watching, and sharing nature with family and friends. Use this bulletin to deepen your understanding and enjoyment of this special resource.
--from Cuyahoga Valley NP website

First we walked along a portion of the old Ohio & Erie Canal towpath trail.

Part of the path led past Lock 26.

Then the path eventually took us out into the beaver marsh covered in lily pads.

Part of the area was also open water.

We walked out on a long boardwalk and enjoyed looking around at all of the plants.

There were so many lily pads floating.

Before too long we turned around and walked back to the car.  The next spot we headed to was another trail.

There were quite a few rock ledges along the trail.

We hiked up through the woods looking for a restroom.

Ultimately we came to a large clearing where we found a private pavilion set up for some sort of event.

We eventually found an old building abandoned in the woods.

All in all it was an interesting walk.  Our next stop was to Blue Hen Falls.

It was a short walk through the woods and over a bridge.

We had a great view of the falls from up above.

Further along produced an even better view.

But we also went down to the base of the falls.

After this we made our last stop of the day in the park at the Canal Exploration Center.

We got to see a lock that was technically operational.

However due to low water levels it couldn't actually be fully operated.

The demonstration we saw later showed the ends opening and closing, but there wasn't much change in water levels.

Inside the building were a number of exhibits about the canal and the history of transportation along canals and rivers.

An area where kids could try on clothes was fun--I always like to see when places try to make their exhibits friendly for children.

I enjoyed a display about counterfeiting and early banknotes.

If you have the chance to visit you'll find quite a few well done exhibits to occupy your time.  We'll definitely be back again in the future to visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  After we fixed lunch we left the canal exploration center and started the drive home, ending our three week and about 3,000 mile trip.

~Matt

Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Part I

While it isn't nearly as big as the large western national parks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is still a fun place to visit in northern Ohio.  It was our last National Park to visit on the trip and made for a good conclusion to our expedition.

Though a short distance from the urban areas of Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park seems worlds away. The park is a refuge for native plants and wildlife, and provides routes of discovery for visitors. The winding Cuyahoga River gives way to deep forests, rolling hills, and open farmlands. Walk or ride the Towpath Trail to follow the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal.
--from Cuyahoga Valley NP website

We started our visit at the area near the Boston Store visitor center.

While there is plenty of nature preserved in the park you're often quite close to "civilization" and developed urban areas due to the late date that the the land was preserved.  Still it is nice to find a national park like this in the east.

The area is a mixture of old buildings and natural settings, including some canal sections.

Inside the visitor center are a number of displays.

A series of models explains how canal boats were built and maintained.

It was quite pleasant to sit on the porch of the building while we planned out the junior ranger program for the kids.

We also spotted a new building while walking around.

As we didn't have too much time before the end of the day we picked a trail and headed to Brandywine Falls.

It was a very short hike along a boardwalk.

The trees were beautiful surrounding the boardwalk.

We did have to go down several stairs.

Before too long we reached the falls.

While not nearly as impressive as Niagara Falls we were quite close and the kids enjoyed the view.

Of course I made a long exposure shot.

I took a short video of the view.

Across the ravine was a nice view.

You can see a 360° view of the platform next to the falls.  After seeing Brandywine Falls we headed to our hotel for the night, having decided we would come back the next day before we drove for home.  More about that next time.

~Matt

James A. Garfield National Historic Site

After we left Niagara we crossed back into New York and headed south.  We'd originally thought of driving across Ontario to go through Michigan, but I realized that I could cross off a couple National Parks in Ohio if we headed down along the southern shore of Lake Erie and then headed south through Ohio, so we went that way.

Our route took us right through Mentor, Ohio, north-east of Cleveland so we planned to stop at the former house of President James A. Garfield.

A front porch can serve many purposes. For some, a place to enjoy the breeze on a warm summer night. For others, a perch from which to keep eyes on what's happening in their neighborhood. In 1880, James Garfield used his front porch as a platform to greet thousands of well-wishers during his presidential campaign. Today, the porch serves as a gateway to the story of the Garfield family.
--from James. A. Garfield NHS website

The visitor center is located in a restored carriage house on the back of the property.

Ohio is justifiably proud of its presidential history as the state is has produced almost as many presidents as Virginia, trailing the Virginian total by only one.

Several historical markers are clustered together near the entrance to the visitor center.

His home was known as Lawfield due to reporters during the 1800 Presidential campaign.  More than just a house it was a farm property until it started to be sold off following the President's death.

The house is only open during tours (we ended up not taking one due to time and the kids) so everything starts in the visitor center.

The exhibits in the visitor center tell you quite a bit about Garfield's history.  Did you know he wanted to be a sailor?  The only work he could find on the water was on a canal boat and he fell into the water frequently and almost drowned, so he ended up returning home?

The kids don't enjoy artifact displays as much as I do, but I do enjoy pointing out different things for them to look at.

Garfield was one of many men to whom the Civil War was a great opportunity for something different that ended up aiding advancement in later life.

Here are a number of artifacts related to the 200 days of his presidency.

There were 38 states in the Union while he was president.

Garfield has the dubious honor of being the second American president to be assassinated.

The assassin, Charles J. Guiteau, is thought by many to have been mentally unbalanced.

A number of exhibits also explore Garfield's presidential campaign.

Outside are several buildings you can see while walking the grounds.  This is the gasholder building, located directly next to the old carriage house.
In 1885 workers discovered an abundant supply of natural gas at Lawnfield and built a stone-and-brick gasholder building...With this system, Lucretia Garfield owned her own gasworks for her household lighting, heating, and cooking fixtures.  Inside, a five-foot-deep metal storage tank held the natural gas until it was piped into the main house.
--from exhibit signage

The Garfield's property also had its own windmill which stretched 60 feet above the stone base.

Someday I'm sure we'll come back to the site with older kids and will take a tour of the main house.

Behind the house is the building that served as the campaign office for Garfield's presidential run.

You can still look through the windows of this former library.

The property also includes a number of picnic tables.

If you want to see some of the other photos that I took around the site you can find them in this album.

~Matt