Along the Canal

Last week I mentioned the Towpath Trail that is being constructed along the route of the old Ohio & Erie Canal.  The canal was dug by hand between 1825 and 1832 and connected the Ohio River in the south with Lake Erie in the north.  It was an important commercial route.  Goods could be transported via the Ohio River down the Mississippi River and from Lake Erie across New York state's Erie Canal  to the Hudson River and the east coast.  Ohio, which previously was a sparsely settled backwoods state, grew enormously in population and wealth.  Cleveland, at the northern end of the canal, became an important commercial center.  Eventually the railroad took the place of the canal.  By the early 20th century the canal was completely abandoned and much of it was filled in.

There is no trace of the canal along the portion of the trail that I walked near the Cleveland neighborhood of Tremont.  However farther south, in what is now the Cuyahoga Valley National Park you can still see a portion of the old canal.  Last Tuesday I parked my car at a trailhead and hiked another section of the Towpath Trail.

I began in the Cleveland suburb of Independence at the northern edge of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  For a short distance, as you walk south, the Cuyahoga River is to your right and the canal is to your left.

Not far from the trailhead are the remains of Lock 39.  There is a 395 foot difference in elevation between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio.  Along this stretch of the canal there were 44 locks which acted like elevators to raise or lower canal boats.  The boat would enter the lock and water would be pumped in or drained out to raise or lower the boat depending on which direction it was going.

This heron did not seem afraid of people passing by on the trail.  When I returned after several hours of hiking it was still there.  It seems to have claimed this spot in the canal as its own personal fishing hole.

This marker along the trail notes that the remains of a Native American village were found on the other side of the Cuyahoga River (on the other side of the trees on the horizon).

The village, which dates back to around the year 1000 was a part of what has been called the Whittlesey culture, named after a 19th century archaeologist, Charles Whittlesey.

Just beyond that marker was another path branching off from the Towpath Trail... the Hemlock Creek Trail.  I decided to check it out.

A bridge crosses the Cuyahoga River.

On the other side of the river are the tracks of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad which takes visitors on an excursion through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park south to Akron.  (You can read about my trip on the railroad last autumn HERE.)

The trail continues along the course of Hemlock Creek which flows into the Cuyahoga.

The trail is pleasant.  The autumn foliage this year is not spectacular, but some of the trees are colorful.

After about a mile and a half, I headed back to the Towpath Trail and continued walking south.  The Cuyahoga again flows close to the canal here.

I reached another lock...  Lock 38.  This one has been restored.  You can see the wooden gates and the beams with which the gates were opened and closed by hand.

Near the lock is this statue of a mule.  Teams of mules walked the towpath hauling the heavy canal boats behind them.  Although mules were slower than horses, mules had more endurance, and unlike horses, they would not work themselves to death.  When a mule was tired it would refuse to go any farther.  The canal boats carried an extra team of mules, and they would be switched every six hours.

This mid-19th century building, next to the lock, served as a tavern and a store.  It is now a small museum with exhibits on the canal.  Unfortunately it was closed (perhaps because of the pandemic) when I was there.

It was time for me to make the two mile hike back to my car.  I figured I walked a total of seven miles... good exercise and a very interesting hike.

The False Prophet

 A while ago Alejandro sent me this picture...

I have written before that I am utterly baffled and disgusted by the cult-like veneration which some so-called "Christians" heap upon that lying, cheating, narcissistic conman.  They seem to be blind to the fact that he is only playing up to them for their votes.

Here are a couple of other images which I found on the internet which are a better reflection of "Herr Pendejo" vis-à-vis Christianity.

 

Shopping at the Market

On Monday, after I handed in my ballot at the Board of Elections, I decided to drive to one of Cleveland's landmarks, the West Side Market.  It is located across the Cuyahoga River from downtown in the neighborhood known as Ohio City.

The market dates back to 1840.  The present building was built in 1902 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Inside the main market building there are 81 vendors, and the variety of foods reflect Cleveland's ethnic diversity.  Some of the stalls have been operated by the same families for generations.

In addition there is a separate arcade where fresh fruits and vegetables are sold.

I resisted temptation and did not buy any of the scrumptious looking treats at the numerous bakery stalls.

The market is open five days a week.  Although it is not crowded on Mondays, perhaps one third of the stalls were not open that day.  I wanted to buy some pierogis, but the "Pierogi Palace" stall was closed.  I bought some at another stall.  The pierogis went into my freezer, and I am going to have some today for dinner.

At an Irish stall I found pasties, the baked pastry filled with meat and vegetables that come from the British Isles.  Pasties are one of my favorite foods from my trips to England, so I bought several.  They also went into my freezer for dinners in the future.

The stall which I was most interested in visiting was "Orale" which sells Mexican prepared foods.

I bought four tamales to have for dinner that evening.  I heated them up in the steamer, and unfortunately they were terrible.  The corn dough was dry and grainy and tasted like dried out cornbread.  It was as if in order to create a healthier version of tamales they had not mixed any lard with the corn meal.  I ate two of them and threw the other two out.

Hopefully my pierogis and pasties will not be a disappointment!

Like a Pumpkin

 Alejandro sent me this picture...

The Mound Climber

Last Thursday when I went to Tremont, my goal was to do more than just wander around that interesting Cleveland neighborhood.  I had noticed on Google Maps that a portion of the Towpath Trail passes by Tremont.  The Towpath Trail follows more or less the route of the Ohio-Erie Canal, the 19th century waterway that once connected Lake Erie in the north with the Ohio River in the south.  Eighty five miles of the trail have been completed beginning in Cleveland and going south as far as New Philadelphia.  

I was especially intrigued when I saw on Google Maps a feature by the trail called the Towpath Mounds.  At first I thought they might have been built by the Mound Builders, the ancient Native Americans who built earthworks throughout Ohio and other parts of the country.  "How had I never heard of these mounds before?" I wondered.  But after doing a little research, I discovered that the mounds are recent creation of landscape design.   When soil was being carved from the hillside to make the towpath trail, the dirt had to go somewhere.  It was cheaper to pile the soil into hillocks rather than transport it elsewhere.  So now, beside the trail at the edge of Tremont, there is a range of seven conical mounds planted with native prairie grasses and wildflowers.  I intended to not only see them, but to climb the tallest one.

The mounds were easily found by West 7th Street after it crosses above Interstate 490.

The tallest one looked quite steep and daunting.  There are no steps, just a rough trail up to the top.  As I started to climb, a park worker who was picking up trash, told me that the view was worth the effort.

Eventually I was bent over with my hands on the mound for balance.  At last I made it to the summit, and it did afford a fine view.

To the north I could see the skyline of downtown Cleveland.

Interstate 490 crosses the Cuyahoga River Valley as it heads to the east.

The onion domes of the Russian Orthodox cathedral in Tremont poke above the trees.

To the southwest are more mounds, and beyond them the train tracks and factories of the industrial valley.

The view was nice, but now I faced the challenge of descending the mound.  It was too steep to face forward down the path.  I had to face backwards, steady myself with my hands on the hill, and carefully find footholds on the path.  It seemed like an eternity as I inched my way down.  It was far more scary and difficult than any of the pyramids that I have climbed in Mexico.  At last I made it to the bottom.

Opposite the mound there is a viewing platform from which you can see the last of the valley's steel mills.

I left the mounds behind and continued along that blessedly level segment of the Towpath Trail.

As I continued along the trail back toward where I had parked my car in Tremont, I had more views of downtown Cleveland.

I look forward to walking along more portions of the Towpath Trail... as long as it doesn't involve climbing any more mounds!

Oh, To Be in Mexico Again

 

I am feeling a bit sad today.  If this had been a normal year, as I write this I would have been on a plane heading south.  By late this afternoon I would have been in Mexico City.  Alejandro would have come to the airport, taken me back to his house, and I would have spent a few days with him and his family.  Then I would have gone to the apartment that I rent and spent a month in that fascinating city... a city so rich in history, art and great cuisine, that no matter how many times I return, I always find new experiences.  Perhaps on the weekends Alejandro and I would have taken some excursions outside of the city.  And of course this is the time of year when Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead.   The big parades (with the exception of the delightful "alebrije" parade) now attract such an enormous crush of people that they are no longer fun.  However the "ofrendas" (large altars in honor of the dead) that are set up throughout the city, the whimsical "catrina" images, and the delicious "Bread of the Dead" that is sold in every bakery still make this a wonderful time to be in Mexico City.  Of course this year Day of the Dead will be a much more somber occasion, and there will be no parades.  Many families will be remembering loved ones who have passed away in the last few months.

I will be here in Ohio as the days grow shorter and chillier and we perhaps  have our first taste of winter.  Usually these last few weeks would have been hectic as I clear out all the flower beds before my departure, even though we have not yet had our first frost.  Instead I am less than half way through that chore.  Since travel is out of the question, sunny autumn days are beckoning me to take long walks instead and to visit places here in the area.  I have the rest of the month to finish with the garden. 

And I ponder, when will I feel safe to return to my home away from home?  

The Rush Is On

I was one of more than two million Ohioans who requested a mail-in ballot.  In spite of what "Herr Pendejo" says, there is no difference between an absentee ballot and a mail-in ballot, and in Ohio all registered voters are allowed to vote by mail.   

On Friday, I received my ballot in the mail.  On Sunday I carefully filled it out.  On Monday I drove to downtown Cleveland to drop my ballot in the box at the county Board of Elections rather than send it by mail.  This year was the first time I have voted by mail, but I have been to the Board of Elections numerous times for early voting since I am usually in Mexico on Election Day.  It's always been very easy.  I just take the interstate highway to an exit which is only a block away from the Board.  However, as soon as I got off the interstate I saw that this was going to be a much different scenario than in the past.

The traffic was backed up on the exit ramp. Two policewomen were directing traffic onto Chester Avenue, which was also jammed with traffic.  One short block away at West 30th Street, where the Board of Elections is located, another policeman was directing traffic.  It took me at least twenty minutes from the time I left the highway until I got to the Board.  

Because Monday was a federal holiday... Columbus Day... I figured that the Board would be closed and that I would simply deposit my ballot in the 24 hour drop box located in the parking lot behind the Board building.  But to my surprise the Board was open, so you had people coming to vote in person as well as those who were dropping off their ballots.  The small Board parking lot was closed, but a large parking lot across the street was made available for those who came to vote.  For those dropping off ballots, election personnel were on the sidewalk, taking the ballots, putting them in a box, and handing out stickers.  

It is a very tight race in Ohio.  I am hoping that the unprecedented turnout of early voters and requests for mail-in ballots is bad news for "Herr Pendejo"!