Driving Weather--TRIP 3 (2013)

"Seventy is pretty fast," said Andy. "How can so many people be going SO fast that they get pulled over?"
We passed a third cop car on the side of the road with his lights flashing. "They must be flying... unless cops here don't allow for any leeway at all."
Maybe Andy forgot we were driving Little Red. Dependable as my car has been, it doesn't like going more than 70. It shakes and rattles. Or maybe he forgot we are retired old farts and not in any hurry!  But today is a long driving day. With rain following us from the West and a Hurricane, or combination hurricane and nor'easter, brewing in the Bahamas, we chose to skip Toledo and head farther east.

The lighthouse seems out of place at
a Michigan Welcome Center until
we considered the Michigan shoreline.

Regardless, the morning was gorgeous as we crossed into Michigan, our 40th retirement trip state, and stopped at the Welcome Center.  A flock of Canada geese took off from the pond and circled around the lighthouse. "It's decorative, right?" I asked Andy.
"Yes, but don't forget, Michigan as a state borders four of the five Great Lakes, all except Ontario. It's only got a little piece of Erie, but it has lots of coast on the other three--Michigan, Superior and Huron.  And on this side of the lakes, they get tons of snow."
I'm pretty sure he was thinking about tonight's change in the weather--a forecasted drop of 30 degrees with 20 and 30 m.p.h. winds.
Today was by far our longest driving day of the trip. We had changed plans to stay in Toledo when western weathermen said rain was moving east and eastern weathermen said Hurricane Sandy could threaten the entire East Coast in a couple days. So we pushed on toward Cuyahoga Falls for tonight.
"Don't get too comfortable," warned Andy. "I'm going to find a good long walk when we get there."
From the tollway we saw a sign for gas, $3.159 per gallon, but by the time we stopped at a station in Hudson, it was back up to 3.339, still not too bad!

Water tumbles over Brandywine Falls as the late
 afternoon shadows cast patterns from the trees.

Lots of people crowded the parking lot at Brandywine Falls and followed the steps down to the three overlooks. Everyone dressed in summer attire. Shorts and tank tops looked more like July than like October. We photographed the falls. I struggled with exposures in the late afternoon sun. "It should be easy," said Andy. "It's so bright and nice! Last year was terribly grey and overcast here, which didn't make for pretty pictures."

Brown leaves cover the trail as we hike
along Brandywine Loop near the Gorge.

We walked the Brandywine Loop Trail along the Brandywine Gorge for a mile along the Cuyahoga River.
"What's this river famous for?" asked Andy.
"Well, I'm pretty sure it's where the Erie Canal came," I guessed. "The Cuyahoga was too shallow and rocky so the Erie Canal used mules along a towpath to pull barges."

Just a trickle, Blue Hen Falls,
nestled down in the valley,
is almost buried in oak leaves. 

"That too," he answered, as we walked along the stream. "The Cuyahoga caught fire spontaneously. It was so polluted with chemicals and sewage that the hot day and bright sun was enough to start the water on fire. I think it was the most polluted river in the U.S.then and maybe one of the most in the world, at least the only one to catch on fire."
We walked the half mile trail to Blue Hen Falls. A high school senior posed for her photo shoot, lying in the dry leaves, perching on the rock ledge, balancing on the rail fence. We watched and chatted with her mom.
"Senior year involves so much," moaned the mother.
"Just wait," we warned.
"We haven't started the college stuff yet, but she should be okay. She's looking at engineering, and Virginia Tech is her first choice," explained the mom.
"Go Tech!" we cheered.