Where does one go from Gettysburg?  It is hard to leave THAT reality and come back to the present.  But, perhaps a few more National Parks will help us – especially the two that are next up on our agenda.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is quite different for those of us coming from the west and used to the wide open expanse of a National Park (NP) like Yellowstone or Yosemite.  Instead, this NP wanders in and out of cities and towns protecting the banks of the Cuyahoga River as it twists and turns through 90 miles of the Valley.

This river valley has attracted people for nearly 12,000 years!  An important transportation route for American Indians, this area was deemed neutral territory by historic tribes so all might travel safely from the Great Lakes waters ultimately to the Ohio River and the warm waters of the south.  European explorers and trappers arrived in the 1600’s.  The Ohio & Erie Canal opened in 1827 and ran parallel to and partly watered by the Cuyahoga River.  The canal replaced the river as the primary transportation artery.  Both the river and the canal created commercial development through 200 years, overtaking the beautiful green space that has been saved by the NP designation.

The NP preserves 33,000 acres along 22 miles of this crooked river that includes some beautiful sights.  One of which is the Brandywine Falls.  And we were lucky enough to stay at the adjacent historic Brandywine Inn so we could walk to the Falls – –

The Lovely Inn at Brandywine Falls – our room at the left.

The Picturesque Brandywine Falls – –

– – Slippery rocks.

As the canal became more important than the river for transportation, there were places where the barges on the canal had to be raised over the river via locks and aqueducts!

A canal lock that would raise the canal barge to the level of the green marker on the left.

This valley was sculpted long ago by water, glaciers and the persistent forces of weather creating diverse landscapes, including steep and gentle valley walls.  Perhaps one of the best ways to see this diversity is on the Ledges Trail Loop.  We loved this hike – –

Beautiful examples of the layered ages along the Ledges Trail.

Wildlife here was pretty special also.

A few other sights and sounds in the area seemed special for one reason or another.  There was an old water pump in the yard of the Inn that reminded E of the pump in the backyard of her grandparents in Ohio.  When visiting her grandparents, it was her task to go out and fetch the water for the house;-)

Fortunately there WAS running water in our room.

And then there was this bit of amusement – at least for us coming from Park City – –

A ski resort near Akron? What you see is the WHOLE thing!!

After all of our careful planning to this point, we were now in our ‘play it by the seat of our pants’ portion of the trip!  Mainly because MiniMagic needed an unscheduled stop at Airstream headquarters in Jackson Center, Ohio.  Seems that no matter the size of these types of vehicles – they have their problems and want to return to ‘the Mother Ship’;-)

Visiting the Airstream Service Center for a little work.  E is now referring to MiniMagic as “hunk o’ junk”.

The good news is the work was completed on a fairly timely basis, which allowed us to get another 4 hours west.  Valparaiso became our ‘home’ for a couple of days – and guess what we found??  Another National Park.  A brand new NP as of February, 2019, The Indiana Dunes NP is another interesting experience.  Protected lakefront, dunes, beaches and riverwalks mingle in and out of steel mills and other very industrial areas.  The Dunes Succession Trail at the West Beach takes one on a journey through grandparent dunes covered in mature oaks and hickory trees to younger vegetation on the youngest dunes to the beaches of Lake Michigan.

250 steps leading to those ‘old’ dunes.

Downtown Chicago (about 28 miles across the lake) from the dunes.

This water is COLD! 

And so, our interesting journey to two VERY different NP’s comes to a close.  Our country is really diverse – even in its NP’s!!  Each is beautiful in its own way once you take the time to explore it;-)

From one NP to another – E & G