Approaching Cleveland

                                                            Flowers in Cleveland's Metro Park



I found signs for America's Byways (scenic roads as an alternative to interstate highways) and followed the signs. Actually I followed them in the wrong direction for about 5 miles before I stopped to check a map and got myself turned around in the right direction. This is getting to be a habit! The road took me along the old Ohio and Erie canal. There was a jogging/bicycle path beside the canal and I took a very pleasant half-hour walk along the canal and then had lunch in the small park next to the canal Visitors Center.

 A little further down the road I stopped off for a few hours at the Cleveland Metro Park. It is big - somewhat like Fairmount Park, with a walking path along the canal and benches where people were sitting and fishing. I found a small grove with picnic benches that I had all to myself and read my science fiction novel for quite a while.

I found out that I was only about 7 miles from Cleveland, but there were no campgrounds in the area and the motels were quite expensive. I just couldn't bear to pay $90.00 for sleeping at the Holiday Inn, but fortunately I didn't have to. The Holiday Inn had a large parking lot and I just parked my car there, hung out in the Holiday Inn for a while, while people at some large Pakistani celebration milled about, and then I went to sleep in my car. Not quite as comfortable as inside the Holiday Inn, but not bad either, and definitely a good value for the price.