From Napoleon Ohio
- Willoughby Ohio
Distance Traveled: 166 miles
My morning started early with breakfast at the local
McCafe. The ambiance was very pleasant
and over breakfast I checked my messages and talked with Mel via Skype.
Leaving Napoleon I crossed the Maumee River.
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| Leaving Napoleon and crossing the Maumee River |
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| Farm lands on the way to Bowling Green |
The morning drive was past
more farmlands, and the towns of McClure and Bownling Green.
There
were now greater stands of trees and even some forested areas.
Near Rollersville there was the welcome distraction of a RR crossing. And then a drive through Helena and Freedmont, a short detour, because route 6 was closed due to construction, through Castalia to arrive in Sundusky.
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| view from Sandsky Marina |
Finally I am back on the Great Lakes! Parking by the Marina on Lake Erie was like a home
coming, as I realized how much I miss the look of expansive open water.
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| Cedar Point |
My route became a series of detours along the waterfront of Sundusky because a fundraising marathon had much of the road closed off. Even my short drive out to explore Cedar Point was beside the marathon corridor.
The afternoon was a lovely drive along the water front and reminiscing to the last
time I drove this stretch of road in the spring of 2009. That was my first experience of a road trip! I was totally unprepared, just following intuition with the intention of circling Lake Erie. It was on that trip that I fell in love the concept
of traveling the open road. Something I have been doing ever since.
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| Waterfront park in Huron |
This trip I was prepared to stop whenever there was waterfront location available to be explored.
In Huron I found a waterfront harbour leading out to Lake Erie.
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| Sherod Park |
Sherod Park had lovely ornamental gardens and a few picnic benches.
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| Vermillion |
The hanging flower baskets along main street in Vermillion were quite pretty
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| Lorain Lighthouse |
From the waterfront park in Lorain there was a spectacular view to the Lorain lighthouse
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| Sheffield Lake - Shell Cove Park |
Sheffield Lake had a lovely public park right on the waterfront with a magnificent view to Lake Erie.
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| View toward Cleveland from Huntington Beach |
In Bay Village I stopped at Huntington Reservation Park for an amazing walk along the beach with spectacular views toward Cleveland across the waters of Lake Erie. The beautiful sunny warm day attracted many people to the beach to enjoy one of the few remaining warm days at the tail end of summer.
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| Pier at Bradstreet Landing in Rocky River |
In Rocky River I stopped for a walk along the pier at Bradstreet's Landing
Lakewood. A beautiful stroll to then end of the pier offered many moments to drink in the beauty of the lake and waterfront.
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| Entering Cleveland from the west end on route 6 |
My original plan was to stay in Lakewood on the west side of Cleveland, but
it was only 5 pm and the sun was still bright so I decided to drive through Cleveland to the east
side.
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| Downtown Cleveland |
Downtown Cleveland is a mixture of new and old architecture as is common in many older cities.
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| East Cleveland |
However East Cleveland tells a different story. Here the sadness of disrepair is reflected in beautiful
old architecture falling into ruin and I
wonder, why does this happen in some areas?
I arrived in Willoughby just as the setting sun dropped below the tree line casting long shadows as I pulled into the parking lot at Motel 6. After another long day of adventure and enjoying the sights it was pleasant to relax and unwind.
Renate Dundys Marrello
2014 – 09 – 07
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