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Ahh, [tag]Akron[/tag], Ohio. Birthplace of the breakfast cereal . The one time “Rubber Capital of the World”. And home of [tag]Cuyahoga Valley National Park[/tag], one of the best kept secrets in the national park system. But there it is. Who’d expect a [tag]National Park[/tag] crammed in between the suburbs of Akron and Cleveland?

Big news! I replaced my big camera after loosing my first one in Acadia National Park. I bit the bullet and upgraded to a new Nikon D200 (with a 5 year, drop-splash-and-smash warranty this time!) So, I was walking down the path to Bridalveil Falls, waiting for the visitor’s center to open, when I spot this guy off to my left. First picture from my new camera and I’ve shot some wildlife. I took this as a good omen. The [tag]waterfall[/tag] itself is very pretty, as well as the gorge overlook. The lovely trees were just starting to green, but I can’t imagine how beautiful this area would look in the fall. But after trudging back to the truck, I hit the visitor center, got some ideas for day hikes from the very friendly ranger and headed out to enjoy a beautiful day.

[tag]Cuyahoga Valley[/tag] is bisected by three main features. The Cuyahoga (or “crooked”) River, the remains of the [tag]Ohio-Erie Canal[/tag] with its towpath trail and the Cuyahoga Valley scenic [tag]railway[/tag]. Many of the parks attractions center around one of these three things. I spent the day exploring the towpath around the village of Boston, the Brandywine Falls area, and the beaver swamp (previously the canal) near Peninsula. Lots of wonderful birds to see, including some very docile geese on the beaver pond. Even saw a beaver myself (I think), but wasn’t fast enough to snap a photo. The park itself reminded me of Acadia in some ways. Here was another park interwoven into a surrounding, developed community. From one second to the next, you could be passing a waterfall and then a strip mall. I think it is a good thing to have wilderness so close – literally in people’s backyards. It keeps everyone on their best behavior.

Finished the day at the Winking Lizard bar in Peninsula. This place had one of the better [tag]beer[/tag] selections I’ve seen, over 95 different kinds. I recommend the Great Lakes Brewing Company Lager (the ale is really to hoppy, even for me) and the pizza. Tasty. Unfortunately, there is no campground in the park, but I slept the night in a convenient park-and-ride just outside the park borders.

The sound of semi trucks roaring down the highway awoke me before dawn, and I bundled up and drove over to a [tag]Great Blue Heron[/tag] rookery (or heronry, as the sign said) just south of Bath Road at the south end of the park. I must admit to never having seen something like this. I’d say there were 50-75 nests in the trees along side the road, with these enormous blue birds perched in and around them. The birds were in various stages of waking up when I arrived just after dawn. Some were already retuning from their Home Depot run with more sticks for the nest. Others (like me) were barely awake enough to hold onto their branches. But I stayed there for nearly two hours, filling up my camera with shots of birds and just enjoying these magnificent creatures. Very pleasant way to end my visit.

So, I’m off to Mammoth Caves, then to Hot Springs, then a long drive north to Isle Royale and Voyageurs. Hear that South Dakota got two feet of snow. Hope it warms up by the time I get to Minnesota!