ohio

Before we left for Peace Corps we were on a road trip that resulted in our stumbling across Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. We talked to some rangers, some fellow park visitors, and visited Brandywine Falls. The biggest thing that we learned during this visit was that we needed to return to the park with our bikes one day. This summer provided us with that opportunity! 

We arrived at the park in the early afternoon and went to get camping sorted out. Camping didn't work out for us the last time we were at the park, this time was no different. While we had talked about making reservations for one of the FIVE (that's right, there are only five sites in this park - if you're planning a visit make reservations in advance or plan on coughing up the dough for a nice bed and breakfast) sites in the park, we failed to follow through. Therefore, we spent the afternoon wandering around the park, found a nice shelter where Chris submitted the last of his grad school work, and then went for a nice little run. When night fell we returned to the park's parking lot and had our second night in the car in a row. While not the greatest place to sleep it did mean that we were up with the sun and could take full advantage of our time in the park.

Since we are relatively new to biking as a means of recreation, it takes us a little longer to get sorted out and rolling. We checked air pressure in tires, filled water bottles and bladders, packed snacks, chatted with a few fellow adventurers, and were finally on our way. Cuyahoga Valley follows roughly 20 miles of the historic Ohio & Erie Canal that stretches from Akron to Cleveland. The towpath is a great place to ride bikes (and run, considering the abundance of running groups we crossed paths with throughout the morning) and it is easy to forget that there are major urban centers very close by. We rode over 40 miles during our visit and also managed to spend some time at the local farmer's market, enjoy the wetlands, and explore the Canal Exploration Center. 

As our day came to a close we hopped in the car and made our way to New York.