I’m newly hooked on the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area.  I’ve figured out how to hook up the bike rack and attach my bike… all by myself!  Previously I had to rely on the brute strength of a male to provide that service.  But I decided to suck it up and take matters and freedom into my hands.  I am now able to explore at will.  I’ve been biking the Towpath, exploring bits and pieces of it as I get more stamina…. mostly the area from Peninsula up to Rockside.  I am appreciating it from a biking perspective.  I can cover more ground, see more vistas.  With the Ohio Erie Canal on one side and the Cuyahoga River on the other, I can get my feng shui water needs as well.  What is it about the sound of flowing water, rustling leaves, and busy insects that puts one’s mind at ease?  Nature… it does a body good, I say.

This weekend I convinced Rob to join me, and we ventured into the Metroparks Hidden Valley north of Rockside Road… what an interesting dichotomy of industry and nature.  At one point, you pass under a sewage pipe connecting the suburbs to the Southerly waste station, a gasline pipe supplying the downtown, and the Short Line railroad (still in business since the early 1900’s).  At first it’s disturbing, and then you realize that it is a way to merge our two lives peacefully.  We need industry, waste water treatment plants, railroads… but not at the expense of nature.  Cleveland learned that the very hard way with the burning river incidents in the 60’s.  And while I’m not sure the Cuyahoga River is completely clean, I hope it is nearing complete recovery.  As a resident, it is disheartening to hear the jokes about Cleveland’s burning river.  Now it seems we can thank Cleveland’s burning river for national awareness on the topic of pollution and regulation needed to keep our rivers and lakes clean.  And that awareness has led to this wonderful Towpath extension through former industrial wasteland now called the Hidden Valley.

While biking the Towpath is fantastic… I can’t ignore walking the Towpath.  It is only by walking that you hear, see, and truly absorb the valley.  Try sneaking down a bridle trail to get closer to the water.  And of course stop, sit, and listen to the stillness.  It’s hard to believe this treasure lies within 15-20 minutes of a major metropolitan city.  No wonder it is one of the most visited National Parks in our nation.  If you need a slice of nature, it’s never too far away.