An Evening at Beaver Marsh

As I mentioned in my last post, we visited Beaver Marsh at Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the evening of August 16. Following are some more photos from that night.

Great Blue Heron doing what herons do

Same bird, having retired to a tree to take care of some grooming needs

Grooming complete, Mr. Heron poses in his tree.

Sunset at Beaver Marsh

Unfortunately, the shy beavers didn't come out until after sunset, which made it difficult to get a decent photograph. Here are my best efforts:

Beaver

Beaver

A last look at the sunset

As darkness began to fall and we were walking back to our vehicle, Doug spotted a hummingbird darting among some flowers along the boardwalk. This isn't the best hummingbird photo ever taken, but it's the best I've ever taken...because it's the first I've ever taken. So humor me, all right?

Trains, Falls, Flowers, and Frogs

On August 16, the second full day of our visit to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, we returned to Brandywine Falls to take the loop trail around the falls. The main reason we wanted to do that was that the park map had a picture of the falls that had been taken from the side opposite the overlook we had visited when we arrived on the night of August 14. So we thought the loop trail would give us alternate views of the falls. Not! The loop trail doesn't even go in sight of the falls, except for when it goes over the top; and there's no view from there. It was a long, hard, hot 45-minute walk, with no reward except bragging rights. 

Next, we visited Brecksville Station and were there when the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train came through. We didn't ride on this train, but it's very affordable and offers a unique way to experience the national park.

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

When we had consulted the ranger the previous day, we had asked about Bridal Veil Falls. He said that he had been there recently and that there was no water going over the falls, so he didn't recommend that we waste our time going there. But we decided we wanted to see it anyway. The ranger was definitely right about the lack of water, but it was a very pretty area. And we could use our imaginations to create a very lovely waterfall in our minds.

This is a small waterfall (when there's water) just above the main Bridal Veil Falls.

This is the main Bridal Veil Falls, with just a bit of water going over it.

The ranger did, however, encourage us to go see Great Falls. We had a little trouble finding it, but a very sweet local lady, who we met in a smaller local park where she was walking her dog, got into her car and led us there. It was located in Viaduct Park, near the town of Bedford, Ohio.

Great Falls of Tinkers Creek

That evening, we went to Beaver Marsh, in hopes of seeing some beaver and other wildlife. I'll save most of the photos I took there for another post, but here are a few.

Bee on Yellow Flowers

Yellow Flower

Frog in Marsh

Different Frog on a Lily Pad

More from Cuyahoga Valley National Park

We had arrived at Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the evening of August 14th, and had done a little exploring at that time. But it was our first visit to this particular park, and we were having trouble understanding how it was laid out. So, on the morning of August 15th, we sought the guidance of a Park Ranger. He was very helpful, and we left the visitor center well armed with suggestions for things to do and see.

First on the list was a hike to a pretty little waterfall called Blue Hen Falls. It's been dry in that area, so this waterfall probably didn't have as much water going over it as usual; but it was still lovely.

Blue Hen Falls

The ranger had told us that there was another nice waterfall on up the trail from Blue Hen Falls, but the trail wasn't maintained by the Park Service; and the waterfall was on private property. Still, we tried to find it but gave up after walking across an almost dry riverbed. As dry as the river was, we figured there couldn't be much water going over the falls.

So we hiked back to our vehicle and did a driving tour, visiting some of the scenic areas. Here are a few pictures from that drive.

Duck on Horseshoe Pond

Bee on Pink Flowers Near Beaver Marsh

The ranger had recommend a hike on the scenic Ledges Trail, which we did late in the day. I had to use a flash on most of the photos I took on that trail. It was dark on the trail, because of the trees and rock walls of the area, even though it was still pretty bright outside of that location.

Stairs on Ledges Trail

Beetle on Ledges Trail

Tree Growing from Rock on Ledges Trail

This national park was different than most others we've visited, but it was perfect for our little three-day anniversary getaway. It's a hiker's and biker's paradise, with trails everywhere, even in smaller parks outside of the national park.

I'll have one or two more sets of pictures to share with you in future posts. Stay tuned.

An Anniversary Get-Away

In celebration of our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, Doug and I decided to take a quick trip to our neighboring state of Ohio and visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park. As close as we live to it, we'd never been there. 

It was late in the day when we reached the park, but that's often a great time for photography.

We hadn't had time to do much exploring and were still not quite sure how this national park was laid out. But these major highways appeared to go right through it. In the late-day sunlight, the highways and the reflection in the water made a pretty picture.

Again, the late-day sun brought out the richness of the wood in this old barn.

Isn't this guy a beauty?

This isn't a great picture of Brandywine Falls, but it lends perspective to show the size of the waterfall.

Brandywine Falls

The trail to Brandywine Falls isn't long, but it involves a steep descent down these wooden steps.

This is the trail to Brandywine Falls, taken on our way back to the parking lot, walking toward the setting sun.

Twenty-five years! When we married at the ages of 42 and 44, we didn't even think we'd live this long!