My biking companions from left, Gary Courtright, Ted Kmet and Lynn Rush, become fuzzy apparitions in this slow-shutter rendition of their cycling the Towpath Bike Trail between Akron and Cleveland. A 
boardwalk (right) is periodically used to traverse swampy bottom areas of the bike route.
That’s yours truly (lower right photo) in a whimsical, self-portrait as we enjoy cycling this marvelously historic venue along the Cuyahoga River. In the lower left photo, Lynn and Gary are dwarfed by the Ohio Turnpike bridge.
BIKING THE CANAL TRAIL--
The Towpath Bicycle Trail is a stunning dose of Ohio’s canal era nicely wrapped in the very abundant ambiance of flora and fauna, punctuated often by the sometimes roaring, sometimes placid, flow of the Cuyahoga River.
Beginning with glaciation over 12,000 years ago, Native Americans deemed the river valley neutral territory so all might travel the area safely from the cold Lake Erie waters down to the short portage across the divide to the Tuscarawas River that ultimately drains to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The land west of today’s bike trail was Indian Territory until 1805. For much of that century, then, canals blossomed as the young nation’s primary transportation routes; launching the development of commerce in what is now known as the Midwest.
As late as just 120 years or so ago mules pulled canal boats along the paths we today enjoy with our bicycles.
We rode 37 miles on the section of the trail that meanders through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park from near Tinkers Creek east of Cleveland to the Botzum trailhead in Akron—a round trip that originated in Peninsula, itself an historic canal town of that period.
While surrounded by the urban sprawl of those two large cities, virtually the entire trail is an oasis of woods, wildflowers and waterways. Its riding surface is mostly very smooth and compacted gravel with portions of deteriorating asphalt.
We easily negotiated the ride with our mounts of one mountain bike, my hybrid road model and two of the variety with skinny tires.
Miles and miles of the ride are through a wooded tunnel with tantalizing views of the river. We passed many slowly deteriorating locks; like tombstones in silent salute to that era gone by. Several times we were treated to long boardwalks where we rumbled over marshy areas.
We rode under the Ohio Turnpike, where traffic passed silently far overhead on a massive concrete bridge that spanned the river valley. We stopped to visit two of many museum-style, historically preserved buildings staffed by the park service.
One other delightful treat available to riders is in the form of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Cyclists can hail the train at numerous stations along the route and for a 2 buck fare, climb aboard--bikes included--for a ride.
Their excursion schedule alone could keep you occupied with area travel treats all year long.
boardwalk (right) is periodically used to traverse swampy bottom areas of the bike route.That’s yours truly (lower right photo) in a whimsical, self-portrait as we enjoy cycling this marvelously historic venue along the Cuyahoga River. In the lower left photo, Lynn and Gary are dwarfed by the Ohio Turnpike bridge.
BIKING THE CANAL TRAIL--
The Towpath Bicycle Trail is a stunning dose of Ohio’s canal era nicely wrapped in the very abundant ambiance of flora and fauna, punctuated often by the sometimes roaring, sometimes placid, flow of the Cuyahoga River.
Beginning with glaciation over 12,000 years ago, Native Americans deemed the river valley neutral territory so all might travel the area safely from the cold Lake Erie waters down to the short portage across the divide to the Tuscarawas River that ultimately drains to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.The land west of today’s bike trail was Indian Territory until 1805. For much of that century, then, canals blossomed as the young nation’s primary transportation routes; launching the development of commerce in what is now known as the Midwest.
As late as just 120 years or so ago mules pulled canal boats along the paths we today enjoy with our bicycles.
We rode 37 miles on the section of the trail that meanders through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park from near Tinkers Creek east of Cleveland to the Botzum trailhead in Akron—a round trip that originated in Peninsula, itself an historic canal town of that period.
While surrounded by the urban sprawl of those two large cities, virtually the entire trail is an oasis of woods, wildflowers and waterways. Its riding surface is mostly very smooth and compacted gravel with portions of deteriorating asphalt.
We easily negotiated the ride with our mounts of one mountain bike, my hybrid road model and two of the variety with skinny tires.
Miles and miles of the ride are through a wooded tunnel with tantalizing views of the river. We passed many slowly deteriorating locks; like tombstones in silent salute to that era gone by. Several times we were treated to long boardwalks where we rumbled over marshy areas.
We rode under the Ohio Turnpike, where traffic passed silently far overhead on a massive concrete bridge that spanned the river valley. We stopped to visit two of many museum-style, historically preserved buildings staffed by the park service.
One other delightful treat available to riders is in the form of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Cyclists can hail the train at numerous stations along the route and for a 2 buck fare, climb aboard--bikes included--for a ride.
Their excursion schedule alone could keep you occupied with area travel treats all year long.
This, my first ever visit to this gem of a cycling experience, certainly will not be the last.
Gary and Lynn (above) are visiting a small museum along the trail which features life-size models and artifacts of the canal boats from that early era of commercial transportation. Gary and Ted (below left) and other visitors are dwarfed by this nicely preserved lock that helped canal boats move up and down-stream adjacent to the Cuyahoga River.
1 comment:
I'm so physically lazy ... your adventures, words and photography while fabulous, are not adequate substitutes for my own outdoor adventures. Here's hoping they become inspirations just as you have always been. Love you.
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