Six days on the road with one day off, hiking from just east of Ashtabula into Cleveland, Ohio, I’m right on target, averaging 10 miles a day. There seems to be a new weather adventure every day. The first day was ideal…Sun splashing on bright autumn foliage as I walked through Ashtabula Harbor, over the old lift bridge and through the preserved business block of a historic waterfront. There was nary a hint of the former Superfund site…The EPA did its work decades ago. I walked Rt. 531 along Lake Erie, through Geneva-on-the-Lake where we stayed at Abigail’s Cabins. Then back to Rt. 20 through Madison, North Perry, Painesville, Mentor, Willoughby, Wickliffe and Euclid into, finally today, East Cleveland and Cleveland.
The Madison-Willoughby segment was unseasonably HOT…in the upper 70’s. Walking in hot rain is not all that comfortable but today was raw and wet. It amazes me how much fun it can be to walk in the rain with proper rain gear. I didn’t have a moment of discomfort or despair today. After Lincoln dropped me off, the miles rolled by. In Euclid, I stopped for breakfast at Cortina, about a mile into the walk. It was a thoroughly local place with a very friendly staff. A few miles later, in East Cleveland, I had a Coke at Wendy’s and charged my phoned. Then, before I knew it, I was in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland.
The brand new (two weeks) Museum of Contemporary Art beckoned and I spent a while there. I wasn’t that impressed with the building or the gallery spaces, as quirky and contemporary as it is. I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t built a mile east in a neighborhood that could have been rejuvenated by this kind of project. I did like the fact that staff offices and meeting spaces were front and center in the building and not squirreled away in the back forty. It was a two-museum day, as the Cleveland Art Museum is a short, scenic detour off of Euclid/Rt. 20. This is a very classic art museum with lots of big oil paintings by artists who’ve been dead for centuries. Thankfully the paintings looked great and so did the room full of shining armour. I didn’t stay too long: both the shop and café were closed.
Yesterday was a day off. We went to visit one of my family’s Country Curtains stores in the suburb of Solon. That was a fun outing and both Lincoln and I enjoyed seeing Kathleen and Jan who were on duty when we were there. Jan asked me how my feet were. And I answered. Later I realized that I talked about my feet for an inordinate amount of time. Every blister, bunion and callus has deep meaning to me, especially since I’m managing them so well with a large supply of products from the foot care department of every drug store I pass. (CVS is my favorite. They seem to like me. My receipts always contain a bunch of coupons that I forget to use.) Anyway, beware of asking me how my feet are. You may hear more than you bargained for!