Category: Nature

Magnet Memories: Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Part 1)

When I was 17, I embarked on a trip of a lifetime: I spent the summer in Italy studying Italian with Miami University at its summer language institute in Urbino. Truly, that summer changed my life (more on that in another post). One of the most exciting parts of that trip was traveling throughout Italy and other European countries by rail. Armed with a Eurail pass, the world (or at least Europe) was my oyster: I could hop on a train anytime and go anywhere. The freedom was exhilarating. More than 40 years later, I can still hear the soothing, rhythmic sound of the train riding over the rails; I can almost feel the gentle sway to and fro as the train reaches cruising speed; I can sense the rush of anticipation imagining the clackety-clack of the arrivals and departures board (Alas, the clackety-clack is heard no longer since the old-time boards have largely been replaced with digital ones. The video below, though, captures the ambiance of those boards, and while the one pictured in the video is small, imagine board after board in the larger stations, all flipping at the same time. The cacophony was positively thrilling!).

Traveling by train is special, especially in Europe, and I’ve had the great good fortune to return to Europe many times, riding on all kinds of trains. Here, in the US, though, unless you live in an area where train travel is ordinary and ubiquitous, traveling by train is a mystery or a dream or a magical fantasy. The classic Christmas movie, The Polar Express, portrays rail travel, albeit fantastically, to an entire generation who may never have set foot on a train, and for others, the film triggers waves of nostalgia, calling to remembrance a by-gone era of steam engines chugging along, billowing smoke, with conductors collecting paper tickets, and panoramic vistas rolling blithely by.

My Mom loves watching The Polar Express with her grandkids; it’s become a holiday tradition (as it has for so many families) – even though all of those grandkids are now adults. Still, they’re her grandkids and forever will be, no matter their ages. And, she’s always wanted to travel by train. On the trips we took together to Europe, though, we either motored by car or tour bus, so she didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy the rail experience there (other than the Tube on our visit to London or the NY subway on our Broadway extravaganza – Oh, those were great trips! Stay tuned! And, remember: Mind the Gap!). She and Dad dreamed of boarding Via Rail in Toronto and traveling cross Canada to Vancouver and Victoria, stopping along the way in Banff and Lake Louise. (Wowza! I’d love to do it, too.) Unfortunately, Mom and Dad never made that trip.

Several years ago, at the start of my summer break, I decided to surprise my Mom with a trip on a train. So, as I am wont to do, I did some research, and then, my son Benji and I headed to Youngstown; we picked Mom up, and, tickets in hand, we set out on a day-long adventure. No, we weren’t whisking her off to the airport to head to Europe, nor were we trekking north of the border to catch Via Rail. Instead, our excursion was a hop, skip, and a jump from Y-Town. The magnet below, recently removed from my old side-by-side refrigerator, is a reminder of that trip:

Located between Cleveland and Akron, you’ll find Cuyahoga Valley National Park, first named a national recreation area in 1974 and then designated a national park in 2000. Who knew? Not I, even as a life-long Buckeye. At least, I didn’t know until recently when I began researching possible nearby train trips. I’ve driven by, around, and above (yes, above on the I-80 bridge that spans a portion of the park) the park, but I’d never known that we had a national park here in Ohio.

Through my research, I learned that the scenic park offers a multitude of outdoor recreational activities: birding, hiking, camping, picnicking, golfing, kayaking, cross-country skiing. And, the park is home to and in partnership with the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad – the destination for our adventure.

In early June, on a weekday afternoon, we boarded the train at the Rockside Station in Independence, our seats confirmed in the Dome Car, for the National Park Scenic Tour. For a couple of hours, we were transported back in time, and life slowed wonderfully down: we settled in, relaxed, and watched the beautiful scenery of Northeast Ohio – so familiar, yet now viewed in an entirely unique way – roll by. Oh, we had a ball! It was a thoroughly pleasant way to wile away a summer day. Mom got to check an item off her bucket list, and, best of all, we made lasting memories together.

Make your own memories aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Choose from a plethora of options including: Family Friendly Rides (themed rides for the littles with visits from princesses or superheroes), Dinner on the Train (4-course, chef-created meals on the train), Murder Mystery Train (role-playing whodunnit), Grape Escape (scheduled wine tasting excursions, and a special event upcoming for Valentine’s Day in conjunction with Gervasi Vineyard), Ales on Rails (craft beer sampling), Fall Flyer (for leaf peepers and all), and of course, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s own version of The Polar Express – the North Pole Adventure (c’mon, take a look at that conductor in the above photo: doesn’t he look like Tom Hanks’ character in The Polar Express??).

There’s something for everyone aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. So, grab your sweetheart or the kids or your folks or your girlfriends or the guys, and make a day or night or weekend of it, riding the rails through Ohio’s very own National Park.

#InAroundAndBeyondTheBuckeye

2021: A Pandemic Year In Review

Well, here we are on the last day of 2021, a fitting occasion to reflect upon the year that’s about to end. A year that began in pandemic and that is ending in pandemic. Deja vu. A year of untold hardships and challenges and grief for so many people. And yet, a year not without its delights, too.

At the start of 2021, I launched Buckeye Bonhomie on Facebook and Instagram to chronicle my adventures #InAroundAndBeyondTheBuckeye, to highlight the beauty and culture and goodness I encountered, and perhaps, just perhaps, to bring a modicum of joy to the lives of others during an otherwise difficult year.

On the brink of a new year, I’m adding this Buckeye Bonhomie blog to my social media portfolio. And, while a picture can, indeed, tell a thousand words on Instagram, sometimes I want to add a little bit more. This is the place where I’ll do that with posts and pictures as well as with the occasional podcast and video, too.

Looking Back

As 2021 began, I had just completed the first semester of the school year as a facilitator for our virtual learning program. I worked from home, monitoring students’ progress as they navigated through curriculum on two different online platforms. I’m not going to lie: it was tough for the students….and for me. I wasn’t teaching. I was facilitating, and that was a difficult adjustment to make. Nevertheless, my students and I muddled through, and we made the best of learning from home.

learning from home

I did not leave my house often. In fact, I could go weeks without stepping beyond the boundaries of my own yard or seeing anybody in person other than my immediate family. I ordered my groceries online and picked them up in the store’s parking lot. Zoom and Google Meet became lifelines to friends and family. Dear colleagues kept a running text thread, checking in multiple times daily, sharing triumphs and frustrations, in order to keep each other sane. Virtual happy hours, virtual book clubs, virtual game nights became the rage. Strange times, indeed.

I needed a break, a touchstone, a reordering of the status quo. I needed to return to my happy place – my camper.

Camping Roundup

As is the usual case (just like I’m doing now), at the start of 2021, I looked back at 2020, but I also began to look forward. I planned our camping trips for the year, plotting routes and picking sites in campgrounds. Anticipating our travels, I knew it was time to retire my 2008 Nissan Pathfinder; with over 220,000 miles, she was tired. So, in March, we purchased a new tow vehicle – a 2021 RAM 1500 truck – all decked out in “patriot blue,” with shiny chrome running boards – necessary accessories for this short girl to haul herself into the driver’s seat. You see, I’m the tow master: I do all the driving and towing when we go camping.

We love the Ohio State Park campgrounds. We have our favorites that we return to year after year, but we also like to try at least one new state park campground each season. Our first trip of 2021 took us to Delaware State Park. Even though this campground is not far from home, we had never camped there before. We couldn’t wait to get out in nature, so we booked an early spring weekend. It was sunny but cold. BRRRR! Nevertheless, getting away for just two nights felt like we had been gone forever, and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Before the end of the school year, we enjoyed another weekend at one of our favorite Ohio State campgrounds – Alum Creek State Park. A short 30-minute drive, this state park is our “home” campground. I love it because most of the sites are spacious; greenery between the sites adds privacy along with shade and beauty. I saw the first cicada of the brood that burst on the summer scene. Soon, we’d see – and hear – them everywhere!

I felt more comfortable making plans to travel beyond the Buckeye now that we had a new tow vehicle: Our first trip after school let out in June would be to head south to Savannah and Myrtle Beach. I learned of an RV resort – Creek Fire Resort – on the outskirts of Savannah from the Adventure Bandits who I follow on YouTube. If you like to camp, you should follow them, too. They’re fun-loving, and their videos and campground reviews are great. Here’s their review of Creek Fire. We’d never been to Savannah before, so, since we were going to Myrtle Beach, I thought this would be a fun addition to the itinerary. It definitely did not disappoint other than that it was hot! hot! hot! But, can one really expect otherwise from Savannah in June? We’ll definitely be back. We didn’t have enough time to truly explore Savannah, but what we did see has us hankering for more!

From Savannah, we headed up to Myrtle Beach State Park. We’d camped here years ago when we had our popup camper, and that experience was memorable, so we thought we’d return for some sand, sun, and surf. This time, though, we had our 29′ travel trailer, not our small popup. Let’s say it was quite a challenge to back our RV into its site. Thank goodness for a kind-hearted neighbor in the site across the street who helped guide me into our spot. Campers are great people! We parked ourselves for ten nights, and it was wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating. Ours was a beautifully wooded and shaded site where I could sit outside under the awning in the early mornings with a cup of coffee listening to a symphony of birdsong. Delightful. We could walk from our campsite to the beach in about 10 minutes. We didn’t have to drive, and we didn’t have to cross any busy streets because the state park campground fronts the beach. Ahhhhhh! The best part is that we paid for our full hookup campsite for ten nights what some folks pay for two nights at the condos just down the way. This was a fabulous start to our summer camping season.

We made a pitstop in both directions on this trip to break up the drive. We stopped at the same campground both times, and, in fact, we stayed in the same site both times. It was truly a gem. Stony Fork is a Recreation.gov campground near Wytheville, VA. We stopped for two nights on our southbound journey and one night on the return. I could stay at this campground for a longer time, and it could be the destination instead of a stopover. It was beautiful, tranquil, and just what I needed to decompress from the end of the school year.

I might add that my new “pickemup truck,” nicknamed “RBG,” performed magnificently on its inaugural outing through menacing mountains. She handled the peaks of West Virginia, usually a white-knuckle drive for this tow master, like a champ. I felt safe and in control behind the wheel with RBG blithely maneuvering up and down the mountains and around all the twisty-turny bends, our travel trailer firmly in tow.

We camped at another Ohio State Park – Rocky Fork State Park – for the first time this year. While our full hook up site was spacious and shady, the park itself was crowded, and we were plagued by biting flies. I’m not sure I’d go back again, especially since there are so many other state parks that we love.

One of the best finds this camping season was Atwood Lake Park. In all the years we’ve been camping, it’s crazy that we’d never heard of Atwood Lake or the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District campgrounds. Another tip of the hat to the Adventure Bandits; we learned about Atwood Lake from their video. We stayed at Atwood for a week over the 4th of July, and we liked it so much, that we booked another ten-night stay in August for the trip that rounded out our camping season for the year of 2021. Our hope is to get on the waitlist for the seasonal site lottery for Atwood and make it our “lake house” from here on out. Wish us luck! I hope we hit the jackpot!

One thing is for sure: RVing popularity soared during the pandemic year. Plenty of folks – seasoned RVers and newbies alike – hit the road with their campers this year. And why not? It was a safe way to travel with social distancing built in, a way to take one’s own bed, bath, and kitchen along on the adventures, a way to return to some semblance of normalcy. Camping made it possible for us to rest, relax, and rejuvenate while still being able to safely experience and explore sights #InAroundAndBeyondTheBuckeye.