Time to class this Trip Report up a bit. Since the previous chapter involved several bouts of potty humor, I hereby promise that there will be no more toilet jokes in this Trip Report.*
*Until the next chapter.
Since our friends had to make their way back down the hill, we gave them a head start before heading out from Pittsburgh. A little ways down the road we picked up our first "new" state of the trip (being a state that the kids haven't seen before).
One of our goals as a family is to get our kids to all 50 states. Why? Well, we want them to see the country, and that's an measurable way to do it. And it's a more obtainable goal than, say paying for college.
After a fill-up at a skeevy gas station (Julie's words: "Don't go in there."
) outside Youngstown, OH, we made our way to our next destination:
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of our newest parks, having been established as a National Park formally in 2000. It encompasses the Cuyahoga (Mohawk for "crooked") River and an area that used to be a man-made canal that allowed shipping between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. As such, it's more of a historic park than a scenic park.
We stopped at the Boston Store Visitor Center. This is a store that was built in 1836 and basically served as a market along the canal route.
Besides enabling us to get an all-important stamp for our
National Parks Passport, the store also housed an exhibit on ship-building. It showed the types of boats that would be constructed for use in the canal. Here's an example of the boards that could be cut from a single log:
They also had a model shipbuilders village. But by far the most popular exhibit was the piece of a ship under construction, which included some of the crude tools that would be used. Because anytime you can give a kid a crude tool to swing freely, you gotta do it.
I'm sure a 5-inch-long metal spike won't do any damage, either.
Being the model parents that we are, we let the kids hammer away to their hearts' content. Because after 8 hours of driving, you need to take out some pent-up aggression.
When I posted that picture on Facebook, Barry asked me if I was swinging the mallet at Dave or myself. I honestly can't remember; I may have blacked out. Anyway, after beating each other senseless, we took a short hike down the towpath trail to see one of the old locks from the canal.
Remember the "Heat Dome" that was blanketing the Midwest this summer? We were right in the middle of it. The temperature was pushing 100 degrees. Naturally, we thought this would be a great time to add a hike to our agenda. A short drive away, there was a trail to "Blue Hen Falls". Being proud Delaweenies, we couldn't pass up a chance to see the namesake waterfall of our state mascot. (Yes, the blue hen is a chicken, but it's a
Fighting chicken.)
The map said we were to follow a "short, paved trail". By that, it meant "steep and once was paved". Dave likes to be the first guy in line, so he raced ahead down the gravelly debris that used to be pavement. Luckily, after a quick descent, the path flattened out. In fairly short order, we were crossing a stream and the reaching our destination. I give you the majesty of Blue Hen Falls:
Ok, so maybe "waterfall" has a looser definition in Ohio. This was a nice little spot, but as far as waterfalls go, it looked like somebody might have left a faucet turned on upstream. And I sure didn't see any blue hens, or even anyone else from Delaware around. In any case, the kids were now showing signs of classic Minivan Fatigue:
Time to hit our last destination for the day: Brandywine Falls. Yup, another waterfall. Would it be more impressive? The end of a raging river, perhaps? Or somebody's garden hose washing over the side of their deck?
A short hike from the parking lot to a bride over the falls looked promising. Here is the top of the falls:
We entered a boardwalk trail that led to a viewpoint overlooking the waterfall. Surely if they'd taken the time to build a boardwalk trail, it would be impressive, right?
Well, it was impressive. And stop calling me Shirley.
Now that, my friends, is a waterfall.
From there, it was on to our hotel. Accommodations provided by Country Inn & Suites of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. All in all, a very productive day: Over 400 miles driving, a ride on a funicular with a spectacular view, and a national park with interesting history and 1.5 waterfalls. All that was left was finding a place for dinner...which I think deserves a post of its own.
Coming Up Next:Hello, McFly? Are you paying attention? I just said it would be about dinner. We found a place that was...um...unique.
- I would love to see a game there some day but the prices are a little crazy! You got some great photos!
How could we forget. Your timing was perfect!
).
