Ohio to Erie Trail day 1: Cleveland to Akron

OMG, they’re not kidding that the 326-mile Ohio to Erie Trail is mostly on trail, far from cars.

That was certainly true on our first full day.

From the time we returned to the trail from our overnight stop in Cleveland’s Tremont section to when we turned off to reach our overnight spot in Akron’s Firestone Village, we were on a trail. That’s about 38 miles.

Bliss.

And oh how one person in our group loved the reactions after telling people that we were on our way to Cincinnati!

A big part of our biking was in the beautiful and busy Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It follows the old Ohio & Erie Canal. And wow what a history lesson!

The canal was a state project, built between 1825 and 1832. With America’s semicentennial in mind, governments were looking for transformative projects. And this one certainly transformed Ohio. All of a sudden goods could reach the state far more easily, and Ohioans could get their products to big new markets on the East Coast (think from Cleveland via Lake Erie and the Erie Canal) and the South (at the southern end of the canal. the Ohio River to the Mississippi River). Good for business, good for raising the standard of living.

With America’s 250th coming up, I couldn’t help but think that our electeds ought to be thinking big too (or repackaging some initiatives as boosting America for the next 50 years).

But then came the railroads and in 1913 a flood that decimated parts of the Midwest. Rebuild the railroad or rebuild the canal? The answer was a no-brainer: Railroads were far more efficient in transporting goods.

And the railroad is still here. A scenic railroad operates between Akron’s North Side and, at the northern end, Rockside. Bikes allowed. So if it’s raining when you are on this stretch of OTET or if the heat is too much…

Great ice cream at a stop within the park too. Mitchell’s wildberry crumble was awesome — and when I say this about one without a speck of chocolate, you know it’s good.

More of the day’s sights, including reminders of Cleveland industry and some Akron buildings.