Steam In The Valley!
Hello Ohio! So for this trip I got to add a new state to my adventures as I explored the environment around the Cuyahoga Valley National Park! The visitors center was my first stop and oh was there so much to learn. The Cuyahoga river is better known as "the river that caught fire." It actually caught fire upwards of fourteen times due to how much it was industrially polluted. Oil, metal shavings, sewage, and so much more filled the river. But in 1969 it made news and started the effort that would one day lead to the environmental protection agencies Clean Waters Act.
It was erie hearing about the parks history while living through a time that the Clean Waters Act is currently under attack and leaders are to dismantle the regulations. I got to hear stories of how if you fell into the river you went straight to the hospital because of how badly it was polluted. As I watched the river this day, I wonder how it will look in another 50 years. Will our legacy be a cleaner more conserved world to gift the next generation or will it be polluted leaving them to fight for clean water.
First Stop Post Visitors Center was at Brandywine Falls. There had been an insane amount of rain earlier in the day and the water fall was truly spectacular!!
Next, I headed to the the kick off location for Steam in the Valley. Built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works, Nickel Plate Road No. 765 is a 2-8-4 Berkshire-type steam locomotive!! It originally served the "Nickel Plate Road" which is a route through New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad. This train is especially known for its whistle! Which I got to hear multiple times during the weekend. Also the Nickel Plate Road No. 765 weighs 404 tons and can reach speeds of more than 70 mph!!
Okay soooo.... I am gonna spend a lot of time talking about this train ride because it was amazing! This was one of the "run by" photo opportunities at the Brecksville Station. We departed and the train revered and came back forward so we could all get good photos of it!
The train brought with it two refurbished open air cars to the event! I managed to get a ticket in one of the open air cars. The open air cars were converted from two former Ringing Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus cars!! The cars have four large Dutch viewing doors so that you could lean out and see the steam billowing! The train is managed by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and was a wonderful experience!
After my train ride, I got the opertunity to eat at the Porta Rossa Italian restaurant in Hudson Ohio. It was phenomenal and the perfect book end to the amazing day! By the time I made it to my campsite at Silver Springs Campground it was to dark for photos.
The next morning I woke up and headed to one of the most iconic restaurants in the area for Breakfast, The Blue Door Café & Bakery. It was a great pit stop before heading into the park!
In the park I headed out to hike the 2.4 mile "Ledges" trail. One of the most popular trails in the park.
Everywhere you go in this park you see the finger prints of the CCC (civilian conservation corps.) The CCC was created as a direct response to the great depression as part of FDR's first 100 days of presidency plan. On March 9, 1933, President Roosevelt called Congress into an emergency session to authorize his revitalization plan. It included the Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Act, which created the CCC. Despite opposition, the President signed the act into law on March 31. He promised that by July a quarter of a million men would be employed. In a peacetime he created an army of employed men to battle the nation’s abused, neglected, and eroded natural resources. With remarkable speed and cooperation, the plans were proposed, authorized, and implemented within 37 days of Roosevelt’s inauguration. [ 0 ]
Walking through this park gave me so much to think on. What would happen if we focused on our water systems, electric grid, natural resources, and our public infrastructure... What if we were to go back to the CCC response to help our country not to give massive amounts of money to for profit companies that fail to meet the needs of the community. I know that the CCC ended due to the needs of labor for the war... but now in a time of relative peace what if worked toward infrastructure that the future generations would get to use.
I finally found the park sign and of course took my signature pic with it!
Next up was another area that made me give pause to think, Beaver Marsh. The area had once been a car junk yard, then conservation efforts began in the area. Thanks to those efforts I got to see a blue heron within 30 feet of me. This area was gorgeous and truly speaks to how conservation efforts can bring back native species.
Now it was about 1400 and even in the face of the great beauty of the blue heron, I was feeling pretty rough. You see I have endometriosis and adenomyosis and sometimes this makes my travel life more complicated. I was feeling very worn down so I made the call not to camp and to get a hotel room for the night. With solo travel I have learned that sometimes things don't go as planned. So, I found a room that allowed early check in and took a long nap. Hoping that the rest would recharge me enough that I could catch a sunset.
The rest helped and I was feeling well enough for a short sunset hike to try and catch a glimpse of beavers! With the sunset I not only got to see beavers I also got to see muskrats!
The next morning I went off to the visitor center! I got my pin for the park and got some additional information on what to do in the park!
One of those "must see" items on the park rangers list was to see the blue heron nesting tree in the park! It lived up to its names and seeing all of the activity was a treat!
The last item on the list was to go out and see the virginia blue bells. After a short hike past a covered bridge where was an exquisite glen with so many blue bells. I had never seen so many. This wonder was brought about by the extensive conservation efforts of the park and I am so very grateful to have been present to see them in bloom!
[ 0 ] https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/legacy-of-the-ccc-at-cuyahoga-valley.htm
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