More Ohio Sights

I woke up in Macedonia, OH. Yesterday, I forgot to mention in the list of sights I saw in Ohio that I witnessed a fireworks display. 
This morning, the Ohio sightseeing continued as I learned I was only five minutes away from a little-known national park called Cuyahoga Valley. So that was our first stop

It was Labor Day, and it was a gorgeous day. So the trails were pretty full with bicycles and hikers. 

The main feature of the park seemed to be the Erie & Ohio Canal and the system of locks on it. 
 We found a lock. Lock number 34, actually. AKA the "Red Lock".
We didn't stay long at this park because of how many people were there. It wasn't "Grand Canyon" level, warranting putting up with throngs. So we got back in the car and drove a bit.

Until I got hungry. Then we stopped at a shopping mall called Cascade Crossing. River had more fun in the parking lot while I ate my burger than he was having at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.


On the way out of town, we passed through Avon again. And we passed the incredible field of sunflowers that I mentioned yesterday. It turns out that yesterday, impressive though it was, what I saw was only a small fraction of the whole thing. I saw it from the back, from town. It was meant to be viewed from the Interstate, obviously. 
Here is a video of what it's like to pass the gargantuan garden. Keep in mind that before this video starts, I was driving along and saw a big field of sunflowers. I thought to myself, 'wow, this is a big field of sunflowers." Then it dawned on me that it was THE field of sunflowers. I grabbed my camera and fumbled to get it going. I shot some video, but then stopped it again because the radio was playing. I didn't think the camera had started recording because the music didn't get automatically silenced. I remembered that I was listening to the radio and not my phone's bluetooth, so it wouldn't interrupt the music. Remember, ALL of this is happening WHILE I'm driving past these sunflowers at 60MPH. And then I shot this...
I wanted to see the shore of a Great Lake, so I set my navigation to take me to a Kroger store in Sandusky. I could fill up my water jugs, which were nearly empty, and I could visit the park near Sandusky Bay on Lake Erie.
Well the Kroger store was closed down, so I didn't get to fill up with water, but the park was awesome.
So, yeah, Ohio was fun.
As I was driving into Ohio a couple of days ago, I thought to myself, "Here we go... nothing bad ever happens in Ohio."
I was thinking of my kidney stone incident, Richfield, OH.
The flat tire incident, Columbus, OH
River getting a skin rash from the bird sanctuary Lake Erie, OH
The horrible customer treatment, I got at the Motel 6 - OSU
Kent State University
Cuyahoga River lighting on fire.....

But I'm happy to report that nothing really happened to us this time. I have been suffering with the shoulder crap, and have some strange full feeling deep inside my sinuses, but I'm going to go ahead and assume that that's all nothing to worry about.

I'm just going to enjoy being alive and well in one of the most fun-to-say place names on my trip: Kalamazoo!! Say it three times and it feels like a party's about to start.

So far, my impression of driving through Michigan is like the guy with the wrinkled shirt and uncombed hair. It could probably look better if it took more care of itself.

Hmmm.  Funny that I should say that. I think the same holds true of me. The one thing I'm looking forward to the most about being home in about five more weeks, is getting back to my healthy lifestyle  and seeing and feeling my body bounce back into shape. I'm gambling on being right in my belief that it can still be done at any age.

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