July 15, 2017

Where we would spend the night was in question. Our plan was to visit Cuyahoga National Park that lies to the immediate south of Cleveland. We were not sure what would find when we got there. We would like to experience camping in all of our National Parks. Cleveland might be a challenge. We also wanted to find the childhood home of Meemo AKA  Bobbie Bryson. Around 8 , we were on our way.

We were on the north side of Louisville and charged off towards Cinninati. The road was fine until we neared the Ohio River on the Kenrucky side. Construction and repairs were underway on the bridge. A female wanna be NASCAR driver cut us off in a tight situation as we got on the bridge. It was not appreciated. We then survived a couple more coulda been mishaps before clearing the city. The rest of the drive diagonally across Ohio was fine. They have nice rest stops and their were no attendants speaking strange dialects like yesterday.

The urban Cuyahoga National Park is a wonder that they were able to cobble together and restore a 20 or so mile stretch of river and old canals in this suburb of Cleveland. The old Erie and Ohio Canal is the centerpiece that threads through the length of the park. We were not alone. This being a Saturday, we had plenty of company with hikers and bikers using the numerous paths and trails. I immediately reflected on the Golden Gate National Park with its interaction and connection with an urban landscape. 

We followed the roads as best we could given detours created by surrounding cities. We did manage to find the Brandywine Falls with a 40 ft drop over a limestone ledge. The approaches and walkways were well done given the intense pedestrian use. We also enjoyed the canals did her best to find displays at one of the canal side museums at the north end of the park. Given the challenges in creating this park from a river best known for catching on fire because of the rampant pollution was quite an accomplishment. The park folks insist that the river is quite clean now and supports a fish population. I still don’t plan on eating fish tonight.
We did our best to find Meemo’s childhood home from 1930. The neighborhood was quite nice and joined the park, the river and the woods that she recalls from childhood. I am sure that we drove by the location a number of times but the addressing and street configurations have changed some from the time of Herbert Hoover. The candy store that she remembers was definitely no longer there. Peggy did her best to find it to no avail.
Nice Italian dinner in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania after recuperating from our trip on the Turnpike. Pittsburg and points east tomorrow.

By the way, we found no campgrounds at the Cuyahoga National Park. Sorry.