Days 1 through 3 of Expedition

Hi Everyone!

Well, the 2011 Expedition is officially (and damply) under way.  So far we have seen little of the sun although more than you have in Fort Wayne from what we hear.  While it has been damp and cool, it's actually been good weather for stomping through the woods.  This post will cover the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, a side trip to Marblehead State Park to visit some friends, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and Niagara Falls.

Our first stop was at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Ohio (near Sandusky).  The day was overcast and very windy which really cut down on the bird sightings.  That said, I did spot a Little Green Heron, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Swans, Killdeer and a very young Cedar Waxwing.  This Refuge is one of the 15 best in the country for watching bird migrations in the Spring and Fall.  The view above is typical of the area with lots of water and vegetation.  

Our second stop was to see friends on our way out to Marblehead, Ohio to see the lighthouse (above).  It was incredably windy which made it feel much colder than it was.  

The photo above gives a sense of how strong the wind on Lake Erie was on Tuesday.  The boat is a Coast Guard vessel that we presumed was conducting training maneuvers.  Jim was pretty sure that if he had been on the boat, he would have been quite ill.  Almost as ill as the time he rode the Tea Cups at Disney World.  

Tuesday and Wednesday night we stayed at the KOA in Streetsboro, OH.  It rained both nights which prompted us to be VERY grateful we were in a Kamping Kabin (that's how they spell it).  Thankfully, we dodged the rain during the days. On Wednesday, we visited the Cuyahoga Valley National Park - the newest in the National Park System (1974).  This park is around the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron.  One of the real draws of this park is the railroad that travels between Akron and the northern boundry of the park all day.  We did not ride the railroad since there were several places we wanted to visit that were not immediately on the railroad route and would have been too far to get to on foot.  One of those sights was the Everett Road covered bridge shown above.  However, this park is close enough to visit again and I would like to spend a day on the railroad.  

Our third day (Thursday) was spent driving to and visiting Niagara Falls.  This was our second visit to the Falls and both of them have been on rainy days.  This time we walked over to Goat Island which gave us a different perspective of the falls (above). 

Tomorrow we head to Watertown, NY taking a Scenic Drive along Lake Ontario.  We plan stops at Fort Niagara, Golden Hill State Park, Sodus Point, and Sackett's Harbor Battlefied.  From there we drive through the Adirondacks on our way to Lake Placid where we will spend two nights so Jim can play golf.  The next post will likely be from Vermont (we hope - the state has a lot or roads closed due to flooding so we are checking conditions closely).  If you would like to see any of the above photos larger, just double click on the image.  Also, please feel free to make comments - we love to read your comments.