Gorges (and a waterfall or two)

 July 9, 2024

A few familiar sights as we crossed the narrow bit of West Virginia

and the Ohio River.

Original Lincoln Highway post (U.S. Highway 30)

A geography nerd like me loves to visit places of historical significance.

Kent, Ohio - the May 4 Memorial on Kent State University campus.  Powerful exhibits at the Visitor Center and a walk around the commons area where the infamous shootings took place in 1970, resulting in societal and political impacts.  I recommend to younger generations (my kids and others) to research the event so it is not forgotten.

We settled in at a municipal park campground in Stow, OH so we could explore nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  It is quite unique as far as national parks go, and a good youtube video titled "The Remarkable Restoration of Cuyahoga Valley National Park" explains the history and ongoing reclamation efforts in the valley.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEAbXPhc9zA

Everett Covered Bridge

Remnants of the old Ohio & Erie Canal can be found throughout the park

We took a trip on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad 

I found this under an information sign I walked up to read.

Brandywine Falls

Ledges Trail - Cuyahoga Valley NP

We visited a few towns near the park.  Here in Hudson, we saw the town clock tower and heard its Westminster Chimes.

The Loomis Observatory is very small.

We went in search of a geocache called "Wingfoot Wonder" and learned why the small lake there is named Wingfoot Lake.

It is surprises like this that keep our interest in geocaching alive after 17 years and 35,000 finds.

We visited a museum in Dover, Ohio to see the amazing carvings of Ernest Warther.  He made intricate models of train engines out of ebony and ivory.  The models were not glued together, rather thousands of teeny rivets were carved from ivory and used to hold everything together. He was also known to make functional wooden pliers out of a solid piece of wood in 15 seconds or less.  Brian remembers visiting as a kid and was impressed with the workmanship.  He remembers meeting Mr. Warther and having a set of those pliers but doesn't know what happened to them.

miniature figure of President Lincoln inside the funeral train

All of the interconnected pliers were carved out of single block of wood.

Mrs. Warther collected buttons and made intricate designs.

We celebrated our 47th anniversary in true romantic fashion.  In Marietta, there is a geocache called "Lock Tree" overlooking the confluence of the Muskigum and Ohio Rivers.  We spent $2.68 on a cheap lock and affixed it to the metalwork.  We went for a scenic drive, saw several covered bridges, and treated ourselves to a restaurant meal before returning to camp.  I estimate we have spent 35 of our anniversaries while on road trips, with July 2 being prime travel season.  I really can't think of a better way to spend them other than enjoying nature and experiencing something new with my soulmate.

Another amazing sight is the "Big Muskie" dragline bucket used to remove overburden to uncover coal.

A state park that I read was great to visit is Hocking Hills State Park not far from Columbus.  The weather was not the greatest, but we managed to hike the Old Man's Cave Trail and Ash Cave Trail.  I plodded along with my trekking poles and carefully maneuvered over and around rocks.  I have been thinking that perhaps I should stop adding gorge hikes to my bucket list.

Ash Cave

While near Dayton, we did not plan on visiting the Wright Brothers sites again, but we came across this museum that housed a functioning replica of the first commercially produced airplane - the Wright "B" Flyer.  Visitors are allowed to sit in the seats so we did.

my copilot and me (or is it the other way around?)

Another state park and gorge hike I knew about was at John Bryan State Park not far from Dayton.  This time we managed to hike most of the gorge in two forays, totaling about 4 miles.  Gorgeous trails. We hiked the Clifton Gorge segment early in the morning and didn't see another person until we arrived back at the parking lot, just the way we like it.

Lovely early morning light on the Little Miami River

I especially like the interplay of low-angle sunlight and reflections - a good

reason to get out on the trail early (and to beat the heat).

Just a few miles away from our campground is one of the newest National Park Service sites, Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument.  In addition to a remarkable military career, he was superintendent of Sequoia National Park back when the Army managed the national parks before the National Park Service was formed in 1916.  To learn more about his amazing service to our country, you can read about him at this website:

https://www.nps.gov/chyo/learn/historyculture/charles-young.htm

Ohio is a great state to visit and we enjoyed its natural beauty.  Next up, Indiana and Illinois.