A Mini Road Trip

Since my return from Mexico in late February, I have not been farther than ten miles away from home.  On Sunday afternoon, after chatting with my Swiss cousins on Skype, I decided that I was going to get in the car and take a drive.  I took a look at Google Maps first and found someplace not too far away where I had never been before.

I headed west on the Ohio Turnpike and, after traveling thirty miles, reached my destination... Schoepfle Garden in the village of Birmingham, Ohio.  The garden is a part of the Lorain County park system, although it is located just beyond the county line in Erie County.

The park is named after Otto Schoepfle, a Lorain County banker and newspaper publisher.  In 1936 Schoepfle purchased the house and eight acres of land which once belonged to his grandparents.  He developed an interest in gardening, and over the years he turned the property into a botanical garden.  He left his garden to the Lorain County Metro Parks.  

This statue honors the man who created the botanical garden.

From the formal gardens there is a trail which leads into the forest.

Woodland wildflowers

The trail leads down to the bank of the Vermillion River.

It was a nice excursion, and it was great to get out the house and do a bit of "local tourism".  I will have to study Google Maps some more and see what other sights there are close to home.