Unplanned Mini-Trip: Rock And Roll HoF, Cuyahoga Valley NP, Western Maryland Scenic RR
Some trips just happen. This was one of them. I was watching a news story on Monday, June 9th, about the extremely rare Strawberry Moon scheduled to occur on Wednesday and decided I would find an different place where I would see it. Next morning, with minimal preparation, I jumped into the Silver Bullet (SB), texted a family member I was headed out of town, and drove towards Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Now, those of you following this blog know I have been there before. Twice, in fact, in 2024, first to witness the total solar eclipse, then traveling on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. On neither visit, however, did I actually see much of the park itself. The downside of unplanned trips is that I WILL forget something. In this case, I forgot that my usual ability to get satisfying photos from the camera on my very dependable…
On the Road to Chicag… Moline
Woke up early Saturday morning but didn’t get on the road until almost 11 a.m. because,… well between procrastination (hadn’t done laundry) and having decided to forgo the library time I’d planned, I took my time leaving. After grabbing drive-through lunch and deciding not to get my nails done in Coralville, I finally made it to the Herbert Hoover Library and Museum in West Bend. Hoover is the only Iowan who has been elected president (as of this date anyway), and I thought the stop would be interesting. Actually, it was interesting–and surprising. Even considering the expectation that the president life and career are going to shown in the best light possible, I found Hoover’s accomplishments to be quite different than I anticipated. Some of the pictures I took are below, but I suggest you take a look at a bio on him. Someone on Facebook asked me why I…
Ease on Down the Road (Day 1)
Since I got in so late last night, it was after one a.m. before everything other than what would be needed to dress in the morning was packed. I concluded that I didn’t have a snowball’s chance of dragging myself out of bed at 3:30 a,m., which I’d need to do to allow enough time to complete the 10-hour drive around Newfoundland and arrive in time to get the 4:30 p.m. ferry back to the mainland. Plus, I probably wouldn’t be a safe driver if I did pull it off. Actually beat the cellphone’s 7 a.m. alarm–one of the few things that’s currently working on the phone while I’m in Canada–by four minutes. Showered, dressed, checked out and was on the road by 8:30 a.m. While the weather was foggy and chilly (nearly noon before the temps rose above 50), thankfully it only rained sporadically throughout the day. In the afternoon,…