September 8
Today was a chance to visit two “local” parks; Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. CVNP used to be designated as a National Recreation Area. An example of Congress not spending time and resources on much more important matters for our country. I took a couple leisurely backroads from Uniontown to Catawba, more for seeing new routes instead of not paying Ohio for use of its Turnpike, I-80. There are two main options for boating over to Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island. A high-speed catamaran goes out of Port Clinton, on the Jet Express. I decided to take Miller Ferry out of Catawba (I have taken Jet Express before) since the time on the boat is less. What I did not realize is Miller Ferry lands on the south end of South Bass, whereas Jet Express lands at Put-in-Bay harbor. So, the three-minute walk I had planned from the landing to the memorial turned into 40 minutes, for a distance of 2.25 miles. Thankfully, Paul, a gentleman riding in a small car with plenty of Put-in-Bay business information on its exterior, stopped and offered me some leg-rest of about one mile. He was going to the island’s hardware store. Turns out Paul is on his own quest. As of today, he stands at 147 countries visited. There are 193 nations in the U.N. with two countries not a part of that organization (The Holy See, The State of Palestine). A quick check on the internet shows that in 2019 a study indicated 199 people had visited all countries. Paul will join a highly select group of individuals once he completes his journey. Safe travels to another adventurer.
The centerpiece of the memorial is the 352-foot tall column which can be seen from the mainland. This is the tallest Doric column in the world. On July 27, a storm sent lightning to the tower, disabling the elevator system. Therefore, no access to the top for a few weeks. The VC has a few artifacts associated with the war. Then it was time to hoof it back to the dock. I decided to save a few dollars and not take one of the taxi services which kept going up and down Langram Road, the main thoroughfare on the island. Gulls escorted the ferry back to Catawba. A word about parking in Catawba. Miller Ferry provides a number of free lots. Be wary. There were a couple of other lots charging $10 for the day, so make sure you find a Miller Ferry lot.
More Ohio backroads (including going through Oberlin) to Boston Mills. This is the focal point of CVNP, which includes the new VC. Boston Mills and Peninsula are consider midsection of the park. The Canal Exploration Center near Rockside is the northern terminus while Botzum and Hunt House are considered the south end. A large chunk of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail runs through the park, along the Cuyahoga River. I saw plenty of bikes going up and down the trail today. There are plenty of hiking trails to enjoy, including the Ledges and the Brandywine areas. The park is home to Blossom Music Center, a premier destination for top acts across the country. Wolf Trap (park unit outside Washington, D.C.) and Blossom make the NPS as top-notch in the musical performance industry as Broadway (both venues have covered seating and lawn seating). And when winter sets in, there are two downhill ski resorts on the premises; Boston Mills and Brandywine.
The Brandywine area has one of the star attractions of the park, Brandywine Falls. It is 65-feet tall, running throughout the year. Another gem is Blue Hen Falls, but I did not feel like taking the 3-mile roundtrip hike (with 500+ foot elevation) after the Put-in-Bay exercise. Next year I plan to bike the entire length of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath, so will once again see the park.