Day 2: Cuyahoga National Forest, Ohio

Steve left while it was still dark to photograph the sunrise at Beaver Marsh. Rosie and I stayed behind at the hotel, and Steve returned about 9 am after a great morning at the Marsh.

Our first stop was the Everett covered bridge, then on to Blue Hen Falls, a nice little 15 foot falls only a short hike from the parking area. Steve went further down the creek and also photographed Buttermilk Falls. Rosie and I found some interesting seed pods along the trail from Jewel Weed, also known as Touch Me Not. She made a stone cairn in the creek right by a footbridge, and we saw a lot of little chipmunks along the trail.

After Blue Hen, we ate a late lunch at Fisher's Restaurant, where the service was really slow! Rosie and I had barbecue chicken sandwiches and Steve had a Greek wrap.

After lunch, we took a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, which was about a 2 hour trip that departed and returned to Peninsula. It was really fun–we got to see a lot of the area that one doesn't see from the road.

Then we headed to Beaver Marsh. This former junkyard restored to natural wetland is along the Ohio-Erie Canal towpath trail and there were many runners, bikers and walkers. We scared up a few deer and great blue herons, and Steve shot a few photos while I talked to the park ranger, who had just seen a mink right before we arrived.

After Beaver Marsh, we finished the day with wine and pizza at Sarah's Vineyard. It was packed, but had a lot of ambiance. We ate outdoors on the patio and shared a pepperoni, mushroom and cheese pizza, very good. Steve and I had a couple glasses of Red Zinfandel and brought the rest of the carafe back to the hotel for later.

Then back to the Baymont, tired and ready for bed. We watched a bit of our scary movie, Let Me In, and slept much better than our first night.