June 9 – Cleveland to Akron

 

Our ride began in the rain and the rain lasted for about an hour.  We cycled on marked cycle lanes on the road until we reached the trail that would lead us to Akron.  For several miles along the trail we got to see Cleveland’s historical industrial area.  While that maybe a turnoff to some, we enjoyed the dilapidated sites and appreciated how the trail used many of the industrial “castoffs” as trail art.  For breakfast we stopped at the Rawley Inn, a Triple D featured restaurant.  Our food was very good although some of the menu items seem exotic to our simple upbringings.  Across the street from the Rawley Inn is the house used in the classic movie “Christmas Story.”

The Ohio and Erie Canal, completed in 1832, connected Cleveland on Lake Erie and Portsmouth on the Ohio River, creating the state’s most important superhighway.  In the 1970s it became part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and eventually the trail evolved into a major transportation and recreation corridor for cyclists and hikers.

We passed through many small towns and natural areas where wildlife abounds.  One town, the Peninsula Village Historic District contains many fine examples of early 19th-century architecture. The dominant Greek Revival style reflects popular architectural tastes at the time the area was settled by New Englanders. A notable high style example of the village's Greek Revival architecture is the 1824 Bronson House, built of locally quarried sandstone blocks. Several canal-era houses are typical of the popular Western Reserve New England building type called the Upright-and-Wing, particularly suitable for the early 19th-century Ohio frontier.

We arrived in Akron in mid-afternoon.  Not that we had lots of miles to cycle, but rather there was so much to see that we made lots of stops for Joe to take pictures. 

The city was founded in 1825. Around the turn of the century, Akron’s supremacy in tire manufacturing helped it become known as the “rubber capital of the world.” Other Akron trivia includes, the hamburger.  It was supposedly invented here. Thomas Edison visited often (his wife was an Akronite). And, NBA superstar Labron James calls Akron home—they even renamed Main Street “King James Way” after him.

Today's Ride

Pictures