Mulvanys on the Road: June 2023

Saturday, June 10, 2023

Home

We were up, packed up and on the road by 8:00 a.m. We had a long day and miles to drive. We stopped for gas in Cambridge, Ohio and again at the Flyin' J in Dayton. Gas had gone up 30 cents a gallon since last Sunday when we were here last. The roads were just as terrible. We discovered at the Dayton gas stop that the fender on our dolly had flown off somewhere along the bumpy road which meant we didn't have a right turn signal. Friday morning we ordered a new fender to replace the missing one and one to replace the other which was cracked and broken. When you own an RV, there is always an expense besides gas.

Indy Skyline

It was good to finally get back into Illinois because our interstate roads are actually better.

We road a bit more smoothly. We pulled into our driveway at 5:00 p.m. and unpacked quickly so we could meet Kara and Jason at Monical's Pizza at 6:00 p.m. It was a good trip. There was a lot to see in Ohio. I think we could go back to Cleveland and see other sights for a few days. The weather was perfect...pleasant during the day and cool at night. The things we saw were interesting and worth-while. We enjoyed being with the boys and I think they enjoyed being with us. We drove the motorhome 1,000 miles and the car 500.

Cuyahoga Scenic Railroad and National Park

Everyone was up early so we could be at the train station by 10:00 a.m. We were 30 minutes early but the train came early and we were able to board.

Here comes the train!

Here we are waiting for the train to leave the station. For the first hour or so we were the only ones in this car so Carol and I moved to the other side of the aisle to sit by windows. The next car contained a small gift shop and snack bar so we walked to that car for popcorn and drinks to enjoy while we were traveling.

Scenery along the rails.

This was the last stop on this trip. More people boarded the train but our car was still nearly empty.

Scenes from the rails.

Both boys took time out from sightseeing to look at their devices.

More scenes from the rails.

All along the rails, we saw this huge pipeline. We wondered if it were a water pipe but when we asked the conductor, we were told it was a sewer line.

This guide had coyote and beaver pelts for us to feel. He said that the population of beaver had been nearly eliminated but in the 1970's when the government enacted the clean water act and the Sierra Club helped clean up the Cuyahoga River, the beaver returned to the area.

The Cuyahoga River is 75 miles long but the beginning and end of the river is only 20 miles apart. The river twists and turns in a U-shape those 75 miles. This river has an interesting history. It starts at the Erie Great Lake and Cleveland was built around the lake and river. The industries around the river would dump their wastes into the river and it became known as the dirtiest river in the US. It was not unusual for there to be fires of the refuge on the river but in 1969 there was a fire on the river and it took 18 hours to put it out. This made national news, Congress got involved, and passed the Clean Water Act. There was no more dumping into the river and it was eventually returned to a clean river that people can enjoy today. A 75-mile long river made a huge difference in the other rivers and water sources.

This statue is by the rails at the southern most point of the Cuyahoga River. The Ohio Basin Indian Tribes would canoe down the Cuyahoga to this point and then physically portage their canoes to the larger Ohio River to continue their movement farther west and eventually reach the Mississippi River.

This is the train car in which we rode.

A couple of the conductors on the train. The train is staffed by retired volunteers,

This national park is really different in that a lot of the land is occupied by private houses and businesses. There are state and county roads woven throughout the park. Because these businesses and homes need access to the park, there is no entrance fee. It is similar to the Great Smoky Park National Park. It is a beautiful park with lots of hiking trails and history but we only scratched the surface in the afternoon we were here.

Six years ago we took Hunter on a trip and we were taller than he was and now look...he's taller than both of us.

Cuyahoga River

One of the hikes we did make was to the Beaver Marsh. This statue of beaver and otter were the only beaver and otter we saw but supposedly they both live in the marsh.

Beaver Marsh

We did see several fish.

We did see this painted turtle sunning himself.

This is a picture of a homeless encampment along the rails.

A huge snapping turtle.

More sunning turtles.

After this hike, we headed back to camp hoping to get in a little earlier than the past few days. We decided to grab milkshakes at McDonalds to tide us over until we made it back to camp. The drive-up was very busy, so we parked and went in. What a mistake that was. There was one register open and a kiosk to order. We don't like ordering from a kiosk so we stood at the one register that was open; however, we did not realize that the employees did not like to take orders from that register. We stood and waited and one employee said she would take our order but we would have to wait...so we waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, the employee won because we walked out and took our car to the drive-in.

We got back to camp around 4:30 and started a campfire to roast wieners and marshmallows for s'mores for supper. After supper I began to work on this blog. Nothing seemed to go right...pictures wouldn't download, I misspelled every other word...etc. so I put it away . Here it is Saturday after we got home on Thursday and I am finally finishing up Thursday's blog. I am coming to the conclusion that I may need a more up-to-date laptop. That might avoid some of my frustration.

PHOTOS ADDED AFTER BLOG COMPLETED 7-9-23

This KOA was not our favorite but we did love this chair and everyone wanted to sit in it.

This was the one washing machine for the entire sub crew to do laundry.

This banner shows the "hits" scored by the USS Cod during it's war years.

This is the oxygen mask used if needed.

Two of the torpedo tubes on the USS Cod.

Memaw and the boys on the deck.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Keegan's turn.

Hunter wants one of these for his room.

Rare time when it was empty so Memaw could sit in it.

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Cleveland, Ohio

Left camp at 9:30 headed for Cleveland. We stopped by the train station where we were to board the train through Cuyahoga National Park tomorrow. We wanted to time ourselves to see how much time we needed to allow to make the 10:00 a.m. train. It took us 45 minutes. As was the case, nearly everywhere else we traveled, there was lots of road construction. Our first stop was the USS Cod which is a WWII submarine berthed on Lake Erie. It is the only submarine open for visitors that is 95% just as it was in WWII.

One of the torpedo tubes.

One of the bunks that slept between 70-100 of the sailors who could be on the submarine at one time. The enlisted sailors shared a bunk which means while one man worked, the other slept and then exchange duties/sleep

Keegan steering the submarine.

Part of the communication equipment on board.

Space for laundry was at a premium so it was hung any space available. There was only one washing machine for the entire ship and could only be used when fresh water was available.

Keegan climbing through one of the bulkheads.

Carol climbing through a bulkhead. Carol and I were told before we began the tour to

take the ramp topside and look down into the hatch at the ladder we would have to climb down and climb up and there were several bulkheads that we would have to climb through. Are we physically able to take the tour? We did just that and decided that we could make it...and we did!

Hunter and a bulkhead.

Lake Erie With the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the background.

Deck and one of it's deck side guns.

The three guys with whom I travel.

Keegan and Hunter manning the guns. It took teamwork to shoot the gun. Hunter's seat moves the pitch and Keegan's seat moves the yaw so to aim, they must work together.

From USS Cod we went to the Lake View Cemetery were James Garfield is buried

I loved this sign at the cemetery: "We do life cycles, not bicycles."

It was a beautiful monument nearly 180 feet high. The guide told us that it was equivalent to an 18-story building.

There were marble panels that depicted Garfield's life. This one shows him after the assassination being cared for by doctors. He was shot once in the shoulder and once in the chest. They were able to remove the bullet from the shoulder but could not find the other one. During the 80 days that followed doctors repeatedly probed for it and in the process caused the wound to become infected and he died from the infection.

This panel shows his election.

In the center of the memorial was a statue of Garfield. This ring of lights hung above it. It has 20 lights which represents that he was the 20th president.

The dome of the memorial.

There were fourteen stained glass windows around the center of the memorial representing the 13 original states and the fourteenth is Ohio. The lady of New York window is holding a White House and the Ohio lady (below) is holding a log cabin representing Garfield's rise from a log cabin to the White House. He was the only man who was an elected representative to hold office of president. He was the last president to be born in a log cabin.

His flag-covered casket and the casket of his wife along with the cremated remains of his daughter and her husband lie here. His casket is the only presidential casket that can be seen by the public.

I saw this painted on a wall in the city and liked what it said.

I snapped this picture of this tiny diner as we were driving to CB Sweeties Candy Warehouse. I don't know if the picture does it justice. It is very, very small.

BA Sweeties Candy Warehouse. It is the largest candy store in the USA. It was overwhelming to walk through the aisles. You could find any kind of candy that is made in this store. After buying some for ourselves, we had shakes at their ice cream parlor.

Drove by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. We did not stop

We got back to the camp at 5:00 p.m. It was a great day. I think everyone really enjoyed each place we stopped. I have to give a special "thanks" to Hunter for being our navigator. If it hadn't been for his navigational skills, we may still be in downtown Cleveland! Time for a fire and more s'mores!

PHOTOS ADDED TO BLOG ON 7-9-23

James Garfield Memorial

Statue of Garfield in rotunda of memorial.

Lights above statue. It has 20 lights to represent that he is the 20th president.

Caskets of President Garfield and his wife. His daughter and her husband are also on display in urns. This room is located directly under the rotunda.