July 31 - Valley View

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy,  70°

Ending Weather: Cloudy, 78°

Distance Covered:  4.43 miles

Time: 9:22 AM - 1:08 PM

Today was a trip to the north.  Kay was in Cincinnati, so it was just me.  I started at Rockside Road, walking north for a short distance, just far enough to to a photo of the I-480 bridges.  Then I turned around and walked south, amazed at how different everything looked since last time we were here in April.  The canal, which was totally visible in April, was now so overgrown with vegetation that it was necessary to walk to the edge and peer over.   I stopped at Lock 39, in order to takes photos for comparison with the earlier months of April and January- amazing!  I turned around just south of Stone Road.

After returning to the car, I headed to the Canal Visitor Center at Canal and Hillside Roads.  Walking north a short distance, I encountered a growth of joe pye weed.  We have seen this plant before, and as was the case today, it was a virtual insect kingdom.  Several species of butterflies adorned the plants, most notable three tiger swallowtails.  There were also several types of bees and other flying insects.  It was difficult to walk away, but after photographing the insects for about 15 minutes, I moved south.   There was a towpath safety tent set up here, so I was able to get a couple copies of the great new trail map.  I traveled south for about a third of a mile, but it was staring to get hot, and without any real goals for the southern part of this section of trail, I turned back to plan for part three.

Edmund Gleeson House

This last leg of today's journey was the most exciting one.  Part of the trail had been closed since we started our project, due to construction on the bridge at Fitzwater Road.  Starting today, the park is opening the trail on weekends only so that those on foot and on bicycles can travel the trail with minimal interruption.  It was pretty exciting.  I parked near Frazee House and walked north, past the feed store that sits on the site of the old Alexander's Mill.  The construction equipment was all still there, but it was wonderful being able to walk the full length of the trail from Frazee House to Alexander Road.  There was even a lock here that I hadn't see before, Lock 37.  All in all, a great day on the trail!

July 27 - Fort Laurens

Tuscarawas River seen from I-77 Towpath Bridge

A cow

Starting Weather: Sunny,  83°

Ending Weather: Sunny, 81°

Distance Covered:  1.68 miles
 Time: 5:22 PM - 6:39 PM

Tonight after work, we drove to Fort Laurens in Bolivar.  Kay had driven me to work and picked me up after t save time.  We got there when it was still daylight, but the trail is so shady in parts, that my flash was going off.  There wasn't a whole lot to see tonight.  We walked across the bridge over I-77, and Kay saw some hawks that she thought was feeding a nestling.  I kept walking,until I got to Lock Seven, but didn't go much farther.  I saw a few butterflies, and other than that, the most exciting thing to be seen were some cows grazing.  I guess you could say it was a slow news day on this part of the trail.

July 25 Wilbeth Rd. to Summit Lake

Starting Weather: Light Rain,  74°

Ending Weather: Cloudy, 78°

Distance Covered:  3.9 miles

 Time: 10:53 AM - 2:22 PM

We parked at the Wilbeth Road lot.  It was raining when we arrived.  We got everything packed up and started to head out, but realized it was just too wet.  We waited for about ten minutes, and it started to clear.  The skies were pretty dramatic now, which makes for great photos.  We walked north towards Summit lake.  There was a green heron fishing in the canal.  Kay got some excellent photos.  I mostly stuck to the landscapes with the dark skies.  We photographed some gulls on a pier.  There were some flowers we hadn't seen anywhere else.  They were all over near the water, some kind of hibiscus with very rose-like buds.  A couple times when we looked in the sky we saw an osprey.  We discovered why: on the way back to the car, Kay spotted an osprey nest in a silo at a business right across from the Wilbeth parking lot.  She got some fabulous photos of the parents brining fish to the chicks!

Ring-billed Gull

Swamp Rose Mallow

July 24- Lock 4 Part 2

Starting Weather: Storm Clouds,  87°

Ending Weather: Storm Clouds, 86°

Distance Covered:  Area near Locktender's House

Time: 8:05 PM - 8:11 PM 

We were home sorting photos when Kay noticed a storm brewing.  We jumped in the car and headed straight for our closest trailhead- Lock 4 Park.  The sky was most dramatic on the way there, but we were able to photograph some pretty dark and ominous-looking clouds at the park.  We were listening to the Indians game the whole way there, which was being played in Cleveland, and the announcers never mention even a drop of rain.  By the time we left the park, it was raining, and there was thunder and lightning!

July 24 - Lock 4 Park

Viceroy Butterfly

Starting Weather: Cloudy,  89°

Ending Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 87°

Distance Covered:  .75 mile

Time: 2:47 PM - 3:30 PM

After our morning outings, we had lunch at Cracker barrel.  When we were finished, we noticed that the sky look ominous again.  We headed towards Canal Fulton, and stopped at Lock 4 Park.  As often happens when we are chasing the weather, we lose.  We did see our favorite Viceroy, who was willing to pose for us.  The canal boat came by while we were there, and I saw some people in a canoe, and a man with them who was actually wading in the river.

July 24 - Vanderhoof

American Goldfinch

Railroad tracks parallel to the towpath

Starting Weather: Mostly Cloudy,  82°

Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 84°

Distance Covered:  1.85 miles

Time: 10:28 AM - 11:50 AM

We drove north from Clinton to Vanderhoof, in the hope of taking advantage of some sub-nineties temperatures while it was still early.  The Vanderhoof trailhead seldom disappoints, and today was no exception.  The wildflowers here attract several species of butterflies, bees, and birds, including the Goldfinch, who love thistle!   We spent a little over an hour here.  I was trying to find an area of flowers I had seen a few weeks ago, but things change so quickly that those particular flowers were nearly gone.  The goldfinches were quite accommodating today, as were many of the butterflies.   Perhaps the heat has made them too lethargic to fly away from us.

July 24 - Clinton South

Green Heron

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy,  77°

Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 82°

Distance Covered:  1.28 miles

Time: 8:58 AM - 10:15 AM

We decided to get an early start today, since the forecast called for very hot and humid weather today.  We went back to Clinton and walked south, in search of Green Herons.  We were not disappointed.  There appears to be a nest in the bushes on the north side of the small island in the pond.  We could see herons flying in and out, but at a distance too far to get a really good shot.  We walked in further and saw several herons either perched on tree branches or jumping from log to log in the canal.  We also saw lots of bugs and butterflies feasting on the abundant wildflowers.  The weather wasn't bad, so we were able to get where we needed to be without much discomfort.

July 21 - Lock 4 Park

Tonight I met Tim after work to give him the gift bags for 25 Hill.  We had dinner at Chipotle.  As I was driving home, it started raining.  I decided to get to Lock 4 Park as soon as I could, since today had been a dramatic weather day with storm clouds and rainbows.  By the time I arrived at the park, the sky had calmed down, but I was able to capture the reflection of some clouds in the canal.

July 19 -Manchester Road

A Mallard duckling trying out its wings

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy,  79°

Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 76°

Distance Covered:  1.48 miles

Time: 6:53-8:19

We went to the trailhead on Manchester Road, just south of Lake Nesmith.  We had no specific expectations.  We have learned that there is always something interesting to photograph on the trail, no matter where we are.

A flock of blackbirds near sunset

When we arrived, we saw several Mallards that were little ducklings last time we were here.  It was so much fun watching them jump, scoot across the water with great speed and flap their little wings.   We saw lots of birds in flocks, flying back and forth across the canal.  At one point, we noticed over a hundred blackbirds perched in two trees on the other side of the canal.  We photographed them perched in the trees and flying out of the trees.  As it got later, the birds became silhouettes against the dusky sky.

July 18 - Brecksville South

A fawn crossing the towpath

Pearl Crescent butterfly

Starting Weather Partly Cloudy, 87

Ending Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 90

Distance Covered: 2.52 Miles

Time: 2:45-5:37

Today we drove to Brecksville, to the Station Road trailhead.  We learned from a park worker that there weren't any eagles hanging around the nest right now, so we went in the other direction.  I had only walked between  Brecksville and the next trailhead to the south on one occasion, and Kay had only walked south a short distance once or twice.  It was an enjoyable walk, despite the heat.  I had forgotten that there was a lock along here, always a treat to see.   We saw a fawn crossing the trail and several butterflies flitting around among the wildflowers.   We heard some pileated woodpeckers, but the rascals wouldn't show themselves.

July 17 - Route 59 to Spaghetti Warehouse

Starting Weather: Mostly Sunny,  88°

Ending Weather: Mostly Sunny, 86°

Distance Covered:  1.93 miles

Time: 5:05 PM - 6:15 PM 

Downtown Akron buildings from towpath

YMCA viewed from Route 59 Bridge

Dramatic sky and building from Route 59 towpath bridge

First Merit, downtown Akron

When I was in downtown Akron earlier this week, I noticed how easy it would be to access the towpath bridge over Route 59 from the parking deck off Main Street.  It was very hot, but didn't seem too bad.  There were lots of big, puffy white clouds- my favorite!  We parked in the deck (for free!) and walked to the bridge.  It was beautiful to see the building of downtown Akron surrounded by blue skies and fat white clouds. We didn't go too far north, but I decided I would walk to Spaghetti Warehouse from here if Kay would meet me there.  I got to walk past the YMCA, Canal Park Stadium, and lots of other downtown attractions.  There was a street fair in progress, so lots of people were around, quite our first trip here during the winter.  I walked past Lock 3, which is a beautiful downtown oasis and makes me wish I worked in downtown Akron.  An enjoyable walk, even in the heat.

July 17- Clinton South

Monarch butterfly

Green heron

Starting Weather: Mostly Sunny,  74°

Ending Weather: Mostly Sunny, 83°

Distance Covered:  3.06 miles

Time: 9:08 AM - 12:02 PM

We had plans for the afternoon, so decided to get an early start before the heat set in.  Kay hadn't been very far south in Clinton, so I dragged her there.  Right off the bat, she spotted some green herons on tree branches.  They were really all over the place.  As we learned later, there were some babies in the bushes on the island in the pond.  Kay got some extraordinary shots.  Me, well, I decided to have my camera set on "manual" with a shutter speed of 1/400 of a second.  Of course, most of my photos were a total loss.  i was able to salvage a few, and I did have a second camera with me, with which I took a good number of shots.  As hot as it was, we were able to cover a fairly good distance between the shade and a light breeze.   This is a beautiful section of the trail and about a mile in is the dividing line between Stark and Summit counties.  I will be back soon with proper camera settings!

July 15 - Canal Fulton

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy, 83°

Ending Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 83°

Distance Covered: .42 mile

Time: 7:15-8:02 PM 

Tonight's hike started off as a "Let's go get an ice cream cone and take our cameras" scenario. When we arrived at the creamery, we noticed that there had been a farmer's market in the park and that there was a canalboat riding in process. The market was closed for the day, so after we finished our cones, we headed to a footbridge over the canal to wait for the boat. Tonight's excursion was the "Teddy Bear Special," We assumed that meant a special ride for children, but it turned out to be a boatload of senior citizens, with one of the members being pushed in his wheelchair right behind the horses on the trail. We took photos of the canalboat passing under the bridge, and of the horses having their post-excursion snack. A nice surprise considering the only payoff we'd hoped for was a small coffee expresso cone!

July 14 - Lock 4 Park

Starting Weather: Foggy, 75°

Ending Weather: Foggy, 75°

Distance Covered: .98 mile

Time: 6:37-7:07 AM

Today's hike was an early morning, "Look it's foggy" dash to Lock 4, the trailhead closest to home.  The fog had lifted some by the time we arrived, but it was still very pretty.  I like how the trees in the background seem to fade the farther away they are.  I walked quite briskly in order to chase down the fog before it lifted completely.  It was a very pleasant morning, a great time for a hike. 

July 13 - Lock 4 Park

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy, 75°
Ending Weather;Partly cloudy, 75°

Distance Covered: .51 mile

Time: 7:08-7:55 PM

Just a short, late-evening jaunt to one of our "default-settings," Lock 4 Park.  Not too much going on.  Photographed some lilies that were part of the park landscaping.  Didn't see many birds or butterflies.  Maybe it's just too hot for them these days, too!

July 11- Harvard Road

Sunset from trail at Harvard Road

Dramatic skies on towpath near Harvard

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy, 84°

Distance Covered: .42 mile

Time: 7:00- 7:21PM

We were in Cleveland today with Tim, and realized as we headed down I-77 on our way home,  that we were going to go right past the Harvard Road trailhead.  We decided to exit the freeway and stop at the trailhead.  It took us a minute to find it, but when we arrived, we saw that one of the trail safety tents was there.  We milled around for about 15 minutes; it was still quite hot and Jim was with us.  It was great to be there, since we hadn't been there since the winter.  We saw several goldfinches feasting on thistle, and lots of butterflies and bees in the wildflowers.  We saw some beautiful late evening cloud formations. We really enjoyed this little jaunt and vowed to return very soon when we could spend more time.

July 11 - Vanderhoof

Red Admiral butterfly

Hummingbird moth

Starting Weather: Mostly Sunny,  84°

Ending Weather: Mostly Sunny, 84°

Distance Covered:  Very small area near trailhead.

Time:1:37  PM - 2:42 PM

Today was another very hot day.  We planned to pick Jim up in Copley and drive up to see Tim's new place.  We stopped at the Vanderhoof trailhead because of the enormous area of wildflowers that attracts insects of many varieties. We saw numerous hummingbird moths, which are a curious looking flying insect, and many butterflies,  We also photographed bees and dragonflies.  Although we didn't have a lot of time to spend on the trail today, the concentration of insects allowed us to get many photos in a short time.

July 10 - Canal Days Night Version

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy,  76°

Ending Weather: Mostly Clear, , 71°

Distance Covered:  .58 mile

Time: 9:10 PM - 10:23 PM

An opportunity to take fireworks photos on the towpath!  We went to Canal Fulton at about 9:00 PM, found a fairly good parking spot, and headed into the crowd.  We took some night shots of the rides and concessions, before finding a spot to stop and photograph the fireworks scheduled for 10:00.  It was a great experience.  The people were friendly and well-behaved and everything went smoothly and orderly.  My camera decided to conk out right before the grand finale, but I enjoyed taking the photos I did.  This celebration would probably not have occurred if not for the Ohio and Erie Canal, as a result of which the town of Canal Fulton came to be.

July 10 - Peninsula, Boston, Hunt Farm

Tiger Swallowtail

Black Swallowtail

Starting Weather: Sunny, 78

Ending Weather: Partly Sunny, 84°

Distance Covered:  4.17 miles
Time: 11:18 AM-4:34 PM

                                                                             

We decided to start out in Peninsula today, since we hadn't been here for awhile.  It was hot, but there was shade and a little breeze.  I opted to walk all the way to the Boston Store, so Kay hung out in Peninsula fro awhile, then drove to Boston.  It was interesting to see the cow parsnip which had been so green and lush last time; now it looked brown and dead for the most part.  I cam across a hornet's nest, abuzz with activity, in a tree just off the trail.  Butterflies are everywhere, and identifying them has become a challenge.  I learned that all white butterflies are not the same.  I photographed a white butterflies as it flitted from flower to flower, but learned later that there were actually two distinctively different white butterflies.  It's still so amazing to me to see all the birds, insects, and other animals and plants that I'd never noticed before, mainly because I never took the time to look.

July 9 - Canal Days

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy, 74°

Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 73°

Distance Covered:  Milled around parking lot

Time: 6:48 PM - 7:30 PM

After the mosquito episode at Butterbridge, we ventured to Canal Fulton in the hope that the openness would reduce the likelihood of mosquitoes.  What we had not remembered was that tonight was the start of Canal Days, an annual celebration in Canal Fulton.  There were rides and concessions set up, and even though it had been a rainy afternoon, there were quite a few attendees at the affair.  We took some photos of the rides and decided to also come back tomorrow night for the fireworks.

July 9 - Butterbridge

Starting Weather: Cloudy, 74°

Distance Covered: .53 mile

Time: 6:08-6:41 PM
Ending Weather: Cloudy, 74°, Significant Mosquito Issue

A beautiful area, but a miserable time.  It had rained earlier and the entire time we were on the trail (well less than an hour) we were eaten alive by mosquitoes.  I had a small pocket spray but it wasn't doing much good.  We went back to the car in search of our main bottle of bug spray, but were not able to find it.  We carried on for awhile with the small sprayer I had, but finally gave up.  Between the heat, the humidity, and the shade, we were fighting a losing battle.

July 5 - Lock 4 Park

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy, 89°

Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 89°

Distance Covered:  .42 miles

Time: 5:52 PM - 6:37 PM

This was an after-dinner attempt at taking photographs in the cooler evening hours.  It failed, as evidenced by my shirt melting to my back.  A lovely viceroy butterfly made it worth our while though, by posing unabashedly for several minutes as we hovered in very close.  We love this park for its picturesque beauty and its proximity.  We have encountered several species of birds here, such as orioles, green herons, cedar waxwings, and goldfinches, to mention a few.  It is also fun to watch how this setting changes from month to month.

Jerusalem Artichoke

Viceroy butterfly

July 5 - Crystal Springs and Lake Ave.

Starting Weather: Mostly Sunny, 83°

Ending Weather: Mostly Sunny, 87°

Distance Covered: 1.37 miles

Time: 10:39 AM - 12:02 PM

July 4 - Beaver Marsh

Starting Weather: Sunny, 90°

Distance Covered: .92 mile

Time: 4:46-5:46 PM

Ending Weather: Mostly Sunny, 88°

Since the Beaver marsh was on our way home from Boston Mills, we just had to stop!  I saw a great blue heron fishing about five feet from the boardwalk.  There were lots of dragonflies flitting around the lily pads.  We saw a snapping turtle who refused to poke anything out of the water except its head.  On the way out, we saw some muskrats swimming in the canal.  Lots of swallows, as always!

July 4 - Boston Mills

Scarlet Tanager near Boston Store

Towpath running under I-271

Starting Weather: Sunny, 88°

Distance Covered: 2.08 mile

Time: 1:43-4:21 PM
Ending Weather: Mostly Sunny, 90°

Today was a scorcher.  We went to the Boston Store trailhead.  There was some shade and a little breeze.  The parking lot was literally riddled with birds of many different species: bluebirds, orioles, scarlet tanagers, downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, warblers, to name a few.  We walked as far as the I-271 bridge to the south, but it just got too hot and we turned around.  We were hoping to see one of the perigrine falcons, but they may have been hiding from the heat.  We stayed a couple hours, trying to leave a couple times, but unable because of the birds that kept appearing.  The birds here don't seem to be very fazed by humans!

July 3 - Zoar

Question Mark butterfly

Starting Weather: Sunny, 80°

Ending Weather:  Sunny, 84°

Distance Covered: 1.57 mile

Time: 1:11-4:47PM

Today consisted of a trip south to Tuscarawas County on a hunt for insects.  We stopped first at Zoarville, the location of the red through truss bridge.  There were butterflies, dragonflies, bees, grasshoppers, and other assorted bugs flitting all around.   It was very hot and we were in the sun most of the time.   Our next stop was to Zoarlands Park, home of another beautiful bridge.  We saw some red-bellied woodpeckers here, two of which looked like they were preparing a hole in a tree for a nest.   We walked up onto the bridge, and Kay noticed a bunch of cedar waxwings flying short distances between a couple trees.  We think the were fledglings.  Lots of dragonflies and damselflies here.  This was where we stated our project on January 1.  It has changed so much in 6 months!