December 26 - Brecksville, Boston, Beaver Marsh

I-271 and I-80 bridges seen from Boston Heights.

John (the Arizonan) and Kay at the 22 ° Beaver Marsh

Hikers on the trail as seen from Route 82 bridge in Brecksville

Bluebird preparing for a drink near the Beaver Marsh

We decided to take a trip north to the Cuyahoga Valley, to some of its most beautiful spots on the Towpath.  John was with us, and since he isn't used to the cold, we decided to go to some places that did not entail too much walking in the sub-freezing weather.  We went to Brecksville first and park near the Chippewa Rd. bridge, so we could take some photos looking down onto the trail.  It's a little scary, because cars come barreling along, and there is no sidewalk here.  The view is worth the "danger" though, and we got some great winter shots.  We then drove down to the Station Road trailhead, where we took photos of the bridge from below.  Next stop was Boston Heights.  This is a very pretty area, which includes the Boston Store and views of the I-271 and I-80 bridges which run above the trail.  Next we drove down Riverview Road and stopped next to the I-271 bridge for some shots of the trail from that vantage point.  Last stop was the legendary Beaver Marsh.  It was very pretty but also very cold.  We saw a bluebird getting a drink of water from a frigid puddle.  The marsh itself was frozen, so we did not see any waterfowl swimming around.  John was a real trooper today, and we enjoyed having him along!