TWO PEAS AND THE POD: CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK (OH)

WEDNESDAY - We don't have far to move today, just a little under 100-miles, but we do have to once again board the ferry to get off of Kelleys Island.

We had a great visit here, but after 9-days it's time to move on to explore another location here in Ohio.

The East/West Interstate 80 here in Ohio is known as the Ohio Turnpike and I believe it's the only tollroad in the state. With several other FREE east/west highways like OH-2 and US-20 here in northern Ohio we chose not to travel the tollroad.

Just before we reached the outer western city limits of Cleveland we made a turn to the south and headed to our campsite in the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. There's nothing special about the campground, but it is perfectly situated in the middle of all the sightseeing we have planned for this stop.

If you elect to pay the weekly rate of $205 it brings the nightly price to below $30 and that's for full hookups (water-electric-sewer). With the heat and rainy days we've been experiencing it'll be nice to be able to close the windows and turn on the A/C.

This 2-story McDonalds is not unique, but oddly there are no Golden Arches in sight.

Our campsite here is nothing special to look at, but we only sleep here and it's quiet.

THURSDAY - With a favorable weather forecast for today we're not wasting anytime and headed out early to explore our 33rd of 51 National Parks that are located in the lower 48 states.

In 1974 Cuyahoga National Park was originally designated as a National Recreation Area, but in 2000 it was elevated to National Park status and to date is the only National Park to do so.

The Boston Mill Visitor Center is housed in an Historic Train Depot and homestead.

We started out this National Park visit just like we do every other National Park with a stop in the Visitor Center. We got my Passport Book stamped and spoke with a Ranger to get advice on what not to miss seeing during our stay.

It's still too hot to do any afternoon hiking, but the trail that leads to Brandywine Falls is short and shaded so off we went.

BRANDYWINE FALLS

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As with most waterfalls, we could hear it, long before we saw it peeking through the trees.

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Standing above the brink of the falls didn't offer a very exciting view...

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...and neither did the shallow stream approaching the falls,
but I see some people an overlook down there on the left.
Now how do we get down there?

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I believe this is the lower path that leads to the observation deck we saw.

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This path literally hangs off the wall of the gorge.

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Finally here's the observation deck we were looking for...

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...where you'll find what we consider the best view of Brandywine Falls.

The Beaver Marsh is next location that was recommended to us for a visit. Unfortunately, it was not only the wrong time of the day for a visit (late morning), but the wrong time of the year (summer) to fully appreciate what this location has to offer.

A TRUE STORY: The original intention for this cleared field was to be a parking lot,
but beavers kept building dams on the nearby river and repeatedly flooding the field.
The park service eventually conceded to the beavers and today it's called Beaver's Marsh.

The park service did manage to build a boardwalk over the marsh so we could all enjoy it.

There was a single small box turtle sunning itself on a log...

...and a larger moss-covered snapping turtle swimming just below the surface.

Sadly this was the only beaver to be seen today. At least we now know what to look for!

As we usually do, we saved the best for last! The outdoor activity that we were told is not to be missed is taking a trip onboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

For the modest fee of $30 each we took the 2½-hour narrated train ride from the depot in the town of Peninsula south to the depot in Akron (which is outside of the National Park). The northern section of the train tour is not operating this year as they repair the tracks and restabilize the trackbed that has been compromised by recent flooding. They expect to reopen this section before the winter season begins. That just means we have something to look forward to the next time we visit this park.

CUYAHOGA VALLEY SCENIC RAILROAD

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The restored train depot still serves as the ticket office here in Peninsula, OH.

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Here comes our train into the station now!

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We have 1st Class accommodations in one of the two "glass domed" cars on the train.

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I knocked on each one of the cabin doors to make sure no one was asleep in there.
Just kidding! They don't rent overnight sleeping quarters on this 2½-hour tour.

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This area of the train car used to be the bar and snack counter.

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This was the lounge/dining area where the 1st Class passengers could get comfortable.

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Up these stairs is where you'll find the dome seating area.

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Here's me making sure I'm in the correct seat before I get too comfortable.

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Here the train passes over a section of the Towpath Canal that was dug to transport
goods and materials from Akron to Cleveland before the train tracks were laid.

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This large wheel stands on the site of the original Quaker Oats factory.

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This 12' round concrete pipe transports all the waste water away from Akron
which is turned into a usable fertilzer product for non-human consumption crops.

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That's Beaver Marsh where we visited earlier today.

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Indigo Lake was a rock quarry until they hit a fresh water spring that filled the quarry.
Today it's a great picnic spot or a kayak destination.

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Szalay’s Farm & Market began in 1931 and still operates inside the National Park.

SATURDAY - Every Saturday from early May until late October from 9:00AM until NOON you'll find a spectacular Farmers Market occuring at the Howe Meadow located inside of the National Park.

It's about a 30-minute drive from our campsite, but we expect the effort to get there to be worth it. When we arrived we found a pair of police officers directing traffic in and out of the parking lot, just like you see outside of a middle school when they open and close for the day.

What we found inside of "the meadow" was a collection of about fifty 10x10 EZ-Up canopies set up in a large rectangle that offered all kinds of locally grown veggies, breads, fresh pasta, mushrooms, honey, pickles and even a few vendors offering handcrafts, fresh cut flowers and fresh brewed coffee (it was 60°F this morning).

We ended up purchasing a few items which were placed into one of Tricia's Trader Joe canvas bags that she takes everywhere just in case she needs one like today. Since we were already nearly halfway to the city of Canton you may be able to guess where we went next.

PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

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A view of the grand entrance to the Pro Football Hall of Fame from the parking lot.

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One of many "photo op" spots found around the Hall of Fame property.

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Two of the seven newest members of the Hall of Fame were born in Florida
and played their college football at the University of Miami.

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This wall depicts some of the all-time greats from the early days to the present.

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This entire wall is dedicated to the "Perfect Season" of the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

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This room contains a bronze bust of every single Hall of Fame member.

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Inside "The Locker Room Experience" you'll find a locker for Dolphin great Dan Marino.

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The 1972 Miami Dolphin's Superbowl Ring with 16 small diamonds,
one for each game won during the regular season and playoffs, plus one full karat diamond
in the center for the Super Bowl victory which completed the NFL's only Perfect Season.

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The 1973 Dolphin's Superbowl Ring with two 60-point diamonds,
one for each of their back to back Superbowl victories.

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is played in this stadium to kickoff the preseason games.

After we finished our visit inside of the Hall of Fame we walked next door to find something to eat for lunch.

Just as we made it back to the parking lot there were four middle-aged football fans exiting their car and all were decked out in their Dallas Cowboy's jerseys. I thought I would mess with them a little bit and tell them that this morning when we arrived here that Tony Dorsett was here shaking hands and taking photos with everyone as they entered the building. They were all so excited!

Then you should have seen the sad look on all of their faces when I told them I didn't see him anywhere around on my way out of the building just now.

I know what you're thinking, how mean of me! Well, every bit of it is a true story!

The entire Dallas Cowboys team is here in Cleveland to play against the Browns in their 2024 regular season opener tomorrow at 4:30PM. I'm not going anywhere near the stadium or the highways leading to it tommorrow afternoon.

MONDAY - Thanks to yesterday being Opening Day for the 2024 professional football season, the downtown area of Cleveland we deemed to be OFF LIMITS to anyone who didn't have a ticket for the afternoon Dallas Cowboys vs Cleveland Browns game.

BTW if you're interested the Browns suffered a 33-17 loss to the Cowboys.

But today it's Monday and all the Cowboy fans have gone back home. With the crowds gone it's now safe for us to go sightseeing downtown. Right next door to the football stadium is our destination, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Just inside the door of the Hall of Fame you'll find lots of props used on different concert tours. They had them all hanging from the rafters so people couldn't get their hands on them.

Once you get passed the Food Court and Gift Shop you'll enter the actual Hall of Fame. We were very confused by the maze of hallways, rooms and numerous options of where to go. We had the constant feeling "we were missing something" by not exploring every nook and cranny.

Also confusing was the fact that the first thing you see once in the Hall is a large multi-room tribute to "50 Years of Hip Hop". I thought this was a "Rock and Roll" Hall of Fame and that Rock was born from the Blues music of the 1950s.

Anyway the whole experience was quite overwhelming with little sense as to the order in which items were presented to us. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty to see as far as famous performers guitars and some hand written music with lyrics. But what I found most interesting were the numerous short videos of early performances from the 50s and 60s, usually in Black and White.

There were several places to "sit" and watch longer 15-20 minute videos, mostly of the more notable years induction ceremonies. My favorite was from the 2004 Induction Ceremony when Prince played his rendition of George Harrison's classic Beatles tune, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

We didn't take many photos while inside of the Hall and the ones we did take usually had quite a bit of glare thanks to the fact that everything is behind glass for protection. So if you want to experience what The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is like, you'll have to make your own trip to Cleveland, it's well worth your time.