January 31 - Beaver Marsh to Deep Lock Quarry

Black Swan on Cuyahoga River

Today was a two-parter for me. When I woke up this morning, I could see an almost (waning) full moon shining. I hurried down to Canal Fulton to get some shots of the moon on the Towpath. Part two began early afternoon. It was warmer and sunnier than yesterday. We decided to go to the Beaver Marsh. Kay didn't want to be gone long. We parked at the Ira Road parking lot. The Beaver Marsh was pretty, but I took a few shots and walked North. My plan was to walk to the Everett Road area and turn around. Instead, I passed Everett road and kept going strong. At one point I decided to just keep walking and have Kay pick me up when she was done. I walked and walked and walked. My goal became to get to Deep Lock Quarry. It was farther than I thought, but I finally got there. I had to veer off the Towpath trail and to and into the park to a trail that I hoped would lead to the parking lot. Happily I chose the right trail and it lead right to the parking lot. Overall, today was a great day - low 20's and sunny, a great day. I covered about 4 to 5 miles of the Towpath and took some lots of  photos. As always Kay took lots and lots of bird photos. A great day! A great month!

Car parts, box springs, trash
The beaver reclaimed the land
Nature’s engineer

January 30 - Tusc County Rocks!

Nickles Bakery in Navarre

Today was a big surprise. We had planned on heading south from Navarre to Zoar, with four or five quick stops along the way. We were out almost 4 1/2 hours and walked about 5 miles. The weather was a mixed blessing, very cold, teens to low 20's, but it was sunny and gorgeous. The sun really helped to warm our bodies and our spirits. It's been so seldom that we have seen it this month. We actually walked from our first stop to beyond our second stop. Our first stop was an area off Wooster in Navarre and we walked almost a mile out and back. Then we headed to Craig Pittman Park, farther south in Navarre. We passed a Nichols Bakery along the way - few aromas are more wonderful than bread baking. Our next stop was at Fort Laurens State Memorial. The trail here includes a trail over I-77. We walked about 3/4 mile, mainly just to the bridge, across it and back. Our final stop today was Canal Lands Park in Zoar. We had driven by this park on Jan 1st, but we didn't stop then because by the time we found it - it was getting dark. We walked to the Old Zoar Bridge, up the steps and across the bridge. (the trail runs under the bridge). It was still sunny and beautiful. We walked a little under a mile here and then called it a day.

Cold and crisp today
Walked farther than we'd planned
Invigorating!

January 28 - Lake Street

Stopped at the Lake Street trailhead in Massillon on my way home from work. Walked south for a while, saw many, many geese in the water. Brrr- how can they do that when it's 18 degrees? I didn't feel so cold while I was walking south, but when I turned around and headed back north, I was walking against the wind and it felt bitter cold. I walked back towards lake Street and down the trail which actually ran underneath the street. This part of the trail leads to the Route 21 bridge, where the trail actually crosses over from running west of 21 to run east of 21. Didn't go far here, because of the cold heading north. I drove north and made brief stops at Towpath Trail, Highmill Rd. and Canal Fulton Park.

How do they do it?
Swim in the freezing water
And no swim suits on!

January 24 - Erie Street

Bridge at Crystal Springs

Today was coldish and rainy - 42 degrees. We decided to stay close to home and hit a few spots on Erie Street in Massillon. We stopped at the Towpath Trail area, where the trail was pretty slippery. We went back down under the Route 21 bridge. Next stop was Crystal Springs Park, heading north. Our last stop was on Butterbridge. Again the trail was slippery, so we didn't go far. Another place that we will enjoy in better weather.

No day for a hike
Icy, slippery, rainy
Maybe tomorrow

January 23- Akron

Pigeons prepare for mass at St. Bernard's

Today we went to the parking lot on Hickory Street, off North Ave. in Akron. We walked south almost to Cedar Street. A very nice walk with some beautiful railroad bridges. The trail here was paved and cleared. Today was a relatively warm 38 degrees. Highlights included a walkway over Route 59 and a walk right past Canal Park stadium, home of the Aeros. We ran into some wildlife we hadn't seen yet in our Towpath travels - pigeons!! I guess that makes sense since we were in downtown Akron. We got photos of St. Bernard's and The Mayflower Manor. This was a very enjoyable walk. We drove north to Memorial Parkway and walked a bit in the Cascade Valley area. The trail was snowy and icy here, making it very hard to navigate. Kay set up to wait for some birds, but not much action!

Surprise - city birds
Beautiful parts of Akron
Y and stadium

January 18, MLK Day, Urban Towpath

Graffiti adorns a railroad bridge

Took today off; Kay didn't have class. We decided to check out Summit Lake. I had never been there, but looking at the map I could see that the trail ran along the eastern shore, the length of the lake.

It was surprisingly pretty. The lake was smaller than I'd envisioned, but very scenic for a lake situated in an urban area. There's a section of the trail that runs across the water. It's called a floating trail, named after the original floating towpath along which canal boats traveled. We walked the length of the lake. We came to a railroad bridge under which the trail ran. The underside of the bridge was covered with colorful graffiti, which looked beautiful against the dark wood of the bridge, and seemed to fit perfectly in this very urban section of the trail.

Trekking further south, we passed through an industrial area. A factory to the west was spewing smoke from its stacks into the sky, and also into the water along the trail. It was very pretty actually, but the smoke irritated my eyes. We snapped several photos and decided to turn around shortly before reaching Wilbeth Rd. We headed back to our car, snapping pictures all the way. Lots of ducks out today!

We then stopped at a trailhead just south of I-277/244 off Manchester Rd. The trail ran just south of Nesmith Lake, one of the Portage Lakes. We walked for awhile in each direction, but didn't stay long. Again, lots of ducks, and even a few Canada geese.

Projects, graffiti
A floating bridge on the lake
Happy MLK!

January 17 Back in the CVNP, Independence, Brecksville, Peninsula

Route 82 bridge

Stayed at a motel on Rock- side. Woke up at 8:00 to thick fog. We hurried to the trailhead at Rock- side to try to catch the fog. It It was 33 degrees. When we got to the trailhead, the fog seemed less dramatic. One thing we weren't prepared for was that this part of the trail was not paved like all of what we had hiked yesterday had been. The trail here is within the Cuyahoga Valley national Park. It is crushed limestone here, and was snow-covered. We spent about 30 minutes on the trail, then headed back to the motel, with a stop for coffee and light breakfast on the way.

I continued on the Tinker's Creek Road and turned around. We went back to the car and drove to the Tinker's Creek Aqueduct. Nowhere to park, so Kay just pulled over and I walked to a nice spot looking out on the creek. I spotted a Belted Kingfisher on the opposite bank, but didn't have along enough lens to do him justice.

Next stop was Frazee House. I just got out and snapped a shot of the structure and the grounds with their melting snow.

We then moved from Canal Road to Riverview Road. In the process we drove over the Route 82 Bridge. Driving across this majestic bridge is nothing like looking at from the ground up. We couldn't even tell we were on a bridge!

We spent about and hour and fifteen minutes at the Station Road Bridge Trailhead in Brecksville. In addition to the Route 82 Bridge, this site boasts the Station Road Bridge, a beautiful truss bridge which served Brecksville and Northfield before the construction of the Route 82 Bridge. Heading south, we stopped briefly at Boston Mills Road, where we saw some deer. Then we moved on to Peninsula and the Lock 29 Trailhead. A beautiful and busy place here. More people here than we have seen anywhere so far. Can't wait to come back here and spend more time.

Fleeting a.m. fog
Chilly and gray, heading south
Stopping and looking

January 16, 2010 Cuyahoga Hts, Brooklyn Hts.

Towpath foot bridge (one of two)

Today we headed north for the weekend. First stop was at the Louis Bacci Recreational Park in Cuyahoga Heights. We parked there and walked south first. We walked over what the Towpath guide describes as "two dramatic cable-stayed bridges." There were dramatic indeed, and many photos were taken. The towpath is paved here and was completely clear of snow, although there was plenty of snow on the ground around the trail. We walked over the two bridges and headed towards the I-480 bridge, underneath which the trail runs. On the way we took photos of dead flowers and grasses sticking up through the snow. The I-480 bridge was beautiful, of course. Once we were done there, we headed back north to our car, taking photos from a different direction and perspective.

White sky, dull white snow
Two brand new white foot bridges
We long for color

January 15, 2010 - Massillon

John Glenn sculpture

Finally got to leave work a little early. Headed south to Warmington Rd., which is between Massillon and Navarre. My goal was to visit the section of the towpath called "John Glenn Grove." It wasn't much of a grove. There was a statue of Glenn reaching for the stars. Kind of a dreary day, and the area wasn't very picturesque, at least not today. I took a few pictures, then headed back south on 21 to Navarre. I stopped at Craig Pittman Memorial Park and Shelter. Icy and snowy, didn't even get out of the car, but a good place to return to. Decided to head north. Tried to find Oak Knoll Park in Massillon, which is just north of where the towpath temporarily ends at Walnut and 21. I didn't have a map with me, and wasn't able to find it. I headed back north, and stopped at several trailheads off Erie, including Lake Ave., Towpath Court, Bridgeport Quarry, Forty Corners, Butterbridge, and Lock 4 Park. Not a lot of photos today, but was able to scope out some great places to stop later.

A grove in winter
John Glenn reaching for the stars
Looking, nothing more

January 14 - Canal Fulton

Sunset at St. Helena Heritage Park

Tried to leave work early. My plan was to go to the Warmington Road area between Massillon and Navarre. As it turned out, I couldn't get away from work until 5:00. While i was driving home, I noticed that the sunset was gorgeous. I decided to go straight to the park in Canal Fulton and try to get some sunset photos. By the time I got there, the color had faded some, but I took some photos anyway.

No time for hiking
Chasing that early sunset
I think I made it!

January 10th - Canal Fulton

Summer's flowers coated with frost

This morning I got a call from Kay, who was on her way to church. She told me that I had to go out right away and take some photos on the towpath, because everything was covered in ice. Naturally, out I went. I went to the park in Canal Fulton, and initially walked south for about 3/4 of a mile. It was very pretty here, and the trail was close to the river in many spots. I saw only one other human, a man walking his dog. I turned around and drove north to the Market Street trail head and walked another mile or so. Took lots of bird photos. It is sometimes difficult to capture the frostiness on the trees in a photo, but it was very enjoyable just looking at it and walking through it.

It happens sometimes
Frost covers the trees like glass
But how to capture?

January 9 - Vaughn Road, Brandywine

Old barn near Brandywine

Today we headed north to Vaughn Rd. Jim, Kay and I hiked south for about a mile. We passed the site of the Jaite Paper Mill, and were very near the Brandywine Ski area. We could hear the music playing for the skiers. The trail was very snowy. We mostly walked in the narrow ridges made by cross-country skiers.

Today was cold, but mostly sunny. The snow and the sunshine combined to make it a beautiful day. I knew i had walked this part of the trail years ago with the Scouts, but it didn't look familiar. We walked by the old Jaite Paper Mill. We also passed close enough to the Brandywine ski area that we could see the skiers and hear the music that was playing. Lots of birds out today.

We walked about a mile and a half round trip. We drove south to the Boston Road area. Jim and Kay decided to stay in the car while i walked south to the I-271 and I-80 bridges. They looked beautiful in the late afternoon sun, and, of course, I snapped lots of photos.

Today we are three
Trudging slowly through deep snow
The sun warms our hearts

January 8 - Massillon

Canoes stacked at Lake Street launch

Finally got out today to take some photos. Today we concentrated on the Massillon area, northern end. Started near Lake Street and went north. What surprised me most today was the parts of the towpath i didn't even know existed, and the beauty of the towpath that most people don't know exists. Yet.

Most, for us, brand new
So much to experience
Embrace the winter

January 7 - Didn't get to the trail today!

Very snowy today. I planned to leave work early and stop in Massillon but I didn't get out in time. Left work and went straight home, but it was 4;45, too late to leave on a photo trip, not enough daylight left. I can't wait to get out again and take some photos on the towpath. Maybe tomorrow I can leave work early.

January 3, 2010 - Beaver Marsh and Botzum

Botzum train station

It is in the single digits here today, and I heard it's like 14 below with the wind-chill factored in. But still we plan to go to the towpath in the northern Massillon area, just south of Canal Fulton. More later.

We went to the Beaver Marsh in Bath today. It was very cold. We then went to the Botzum area. Right in the parking lot we saw a bald eagle flying over. He gave us quite a show. I only had my little point-and-shoot, but Kay got some awesome shots of the eagle. She also got several other really nice bird shots. I think we're both pretty pleased at how well it's going - and we're only 3 days into the year.

It's just our third day
A Bald Eagle in the sky
Possibilities!

January 2 - Clinton

Bridge north of Clinton trailhead in the snow

Today was like a winter wonderland. We went to Clinton and saw only one other person the whole time. It was very cold - about 14 degrees - but very pretty and magical. As cold as it was, I felt an exhilaration, partly because of how beautiful it looked, but also because we are starting an exciting new project. This is actually the section of the trail on which I was walking when I got the ideal for the project last fall. We will come to this spot a lot because it is close and very pretty and there are locks there.

Snowflakes on a bridge
So cold but so beautiful
Exhilaration!

January 1, 2010

Looking down at towpath from Old Rt. 82 bridge

Our first day on the towpath trail project. Weather is cold with light snow off and on. We decided to go to Dover, the southernmost tip of the towpath at this point. We chose to stop off in Zoar on the way. We did see a beautiful bridge over the towpath in Zoar, but did not brave the ice-covered stairs that led down to the actual towpath. We took some photos, but later agreed that they looked sepia-toned. We then headed to Dover, but just drove around and around, unable to find the trailhead, if indeed there is one. We asked a sheriff where the towpath was, and he directed us to a park in Zoar, where we stopped on the way back. It was just a few hundred yards from the bridge we had been on earlier, but we did not venture into the park because of the weather and the lateness of the hour. At least we got to see firsthand some of the areas we had seen on the map.

A new year begins
A year to spend on the trail
No hiding inside!