Day 6
4.19.15
I had planned on spending a bit of time in Oberlin to begin with, and it was handy to do so, because before starting this trip, I had no concept of the time it takes to adequately record and post the trip. I used some extra time to work on a post (or two??) for this blog. I've been moving pretty quickly since Ohio, so that's why there hasn't been anything posted. But here I am once again, mooching off some library internet in Santa Fe.
In the afternoon, Josie and I attempted to make some banana bread. This was a great idea because there were lots of bananas, and the ones I had with me were starting to be overripe (unless you're Noah Pappano...) and perfect for bread making. I won't avoid it...we had some oven troubles, and it ended up a bit blackened on the outside. The pan was very greedy of the bottom as we tried to pull it out. Despite this, the interior of the loaves came out quite delish.
That evening, Josie and I had the opportunity to go over to my second-cousin-once-removed, Kathalee's house for dinner and to catch up on news since my last visit in 2012. She and her husband Van live right in Berea, which is a mere cat's jump from Oberlin. They provided a tasty dinner with hamburgers on the grill. I am also now in charge of many maps and national park guides for the western half the state, from when they did a road trip in the Pacific Northwest. I haven't used any yet, but soon enough I will.
Cuyahoga Valley NP
Day 7
4.20.15
I took the next day to explore the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which is a bit further east than Berea, but still an easy drive. I was dealing with some raininess in the morning, as well as some sleeping in. This was actually my first rain on the trip, and I was lucky enough to be able to spend it in a house with a roof.
In the afternoon, however, Tappan Square on campus was very beautiful once the clouds rolled away. Much more like summer than the snowy Maine I left.
While browsing the internet in between uploading photos, the gods of facebook called out and showed me that Alex Wilder was going to Oberlin. I had completely forgotten about this, so we arranged a time to meet up downtown. Good to see an old friend again.
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| Evidence. Alex - you feel famous yet? |
I looked at the guide pamphlet from Kathalee, and I found three things I wanted to see, a covered bridge, Icebox Cave, and Brandywine Falls. I read that the covered bridge had some issues staying put, as it got washed away by flood waters twice I believe. What currently stands is a historically accurate reconstruction. Looks pretty solid to me.
Next, I drove to the Icebox Cave. Along the way, I saw a good opportunity to get a picture of Wombat in Park territory, and with an official park sign.
The Icebox Cave is located near a trail network called "The Ledges". Well, if you would believe it, I found there some spectacular ledges along the trail. I was shocked to see such dramatic terrain in a state known for flatness. It may be hard to tell from the photo, but I estimate that these slots are around 20 feet deep or so. The depth is magnified since many of them are so narrow - some less than 6 inches wide. This was one I could walk through, though finding a way to get down that also allowed for getting up was important.
Once inside the slot/canyon/gap it was noticeably colder. But I was distracted by wandering through the passageways to see what would come next! I did get to the cave entrance, but it was all closed down for bat preservation. They are suffering from white-nose syndrome, which causes the bats to wake from hibernation early and then eventually starve because they can't find food. The mortality rate of WNS is near 100%. So I fought my temptation to jump the fence and explore it.
The ledges continue for quite awhile around the loop trail, though I was running out of time since I was expected back in Oberlin at a certain time. I think this is such a neat place to check out, and any Oberlin students with transportation should definitely come here sometime on a weekend. It's less than an hour away, and full of great things.
I didn't get a chance to see the falls, but there's always another time, or perhaps on my way back through along the trip.
To end this post, I'd like to share a photo of me with Josie and Colin, who proved to be excellent hosts to a vagabond like myself. Thank you for the meals, your free time, teaching me Golf, and trying to play my accordion.
I feel like a radio host saying this, but stay tuned for Part V! You won't expect anything that happens next...
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