F6 EZ EE KLMNO SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2014

The Impulsive Traveler

Pedal to the metal along the Cuyahoga

IF YOU GO

GETTING THEREUnited offers nonstop flights fromReagan National and WashingtonDulles and Southwest offers nonstopflights from BWI to Cleveland.Peninsula, Ohio, is about 25 milessoutheast of Cleveland.

WHERE TO STAYStanford House6093 Stanford Rd., Peninsula330-657-2909www.conservancyforcvnp.org/pages/space-rental/lodgingRustic historic home in CuyahogaValley National Park, near severaltrailheads, with furniture made fromreclaimed wood, and a communalkitchen. Individual rooms (availableApril-October) start at $50 per nightwith shared bath; one room with privatebath is available for $125.

Inn at Brandywine Falls8230 Brandywine Rd., Sagamore Hills330-467-1812www.innatbrandywinefalls.comHistoric six-room inn. Rooms from $145weekdays and $190 weekends,including breakfast.

WHERE TO EATSarah’s Vineyard1204 W. Steels Corners Rd.,Cuyahoga Falls330-929-8057www.sarahsvineyardwinery.comSavor the winery, art gallery, gardensand fire pit along with your dinner.Salads and sandwiches $8-$9. Thin-crust wood-fired pizzas on the deckWednesdays and Thursdays throughOctober, $15.

Winking Lizard1615 Main St. (Route 303), Peninsula330-467-1002www.winkinglizard.comA local chain and popular hangoutbefore and after towpath activities.Lizard Freckles (fried pickle chips)$6.29, soft Bavarian pretzels $7.79,sandwiches and burgers from $7.49.

The Dragonfly Tea Room116 S. Canal St., Canal Fulton330-854-4832www.dragonflytearoom.comAcross the street from the canal; openfor lunch and tea. Sandwiches, paniniand wraps from $7.55. Afternoontearoom sampler $9.95.

WHAT TO DOCentury Cycles1621 Main St., Peninsula330-657-2209centurycycles.comBike rentals $9 per hour, includinghelmet, for daytime only. Night rides onthe towpath trail are free. All skill levelswelcome; 12-15 miles; your own bike,helmet and light are required. Ridesleave from store at 8 p.m. Sept. 13 and27.

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad1630 West Mill St., Peninsula800-468-4070www.cvsr.comBike Aboard, $3 for passenger andbike, available Wednesday-Sundaythrough Oct. 26.

Countryside Farmers MarketHowe Meadow4040 Riverview Rd., Peninsulawww.cvcountryside.orgSaturdays 9 a.m. to noon throughOct. 25.

INFORMATIONwww.ohioanderiecanalway.com

— M.D.G.K.

BY MELANIE D.G. KAPLAN

In Ohio’s Cuyahoga River Valley, Idiscovered a place where it’s cool toboard a train wearing a bicycle helmet.

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroadoffers Bike Aboard, which allows ridersto cycle one way on the Ohio & Erie Canaltowpath and catch the train coming back.I stood in line with a few other cyclists atthe Indigo Lake station as a porter hungour bikes on the wall in an empty traincar. With a quick glance back at mywheels, I headed for a passenger car andfound a window seat.

Early summer around the CuyahogaRiver is lush, and during much of thehour-long 18-mile ride, we rolled througha tunnel of green. (You can usually go upto 26 miles, but part of the track wasunder repair.) The tracks more or lessparallel what’s left of the historic Ohio &Erie Canal and its towpath; the CuyahogaRiver; and a scenic byway, so the pictureout the window previewed my returnbike ride.

The first stop was Peninsula, once abustling canal town and now the hub ofmany recreational activities, includinghiking, cycling and contra dancing. Ateach stop, more bikes and cyclists board-ed, and the seats filled with excitedhelmet-clad passengers. Children andgrandparents sat with their noses to thewindow, looking for an eagle’s nest or abeaver marsh. A church group boarded,talking about pedaling to a picnic lunch.

At the northernmost stop, Rocksidestation, I stepped off the train and waitedfor my bike, preparing for the ride back tomy starting point. By now, passengerswere reconnecting with their bicycles,and their helmets seemed normal. But,for the chance to observe them in theirheadgear on the train, delighted with theride and the occasional train whistle —not to mention my own joy — I consid-ered my fare the best $3 I’d spent all year.

Along the Ohio & Erie Canalway, a

National Heritage Area that stretchesfrom the shores of Lake Erie down to theTuscarawas River Area south of Canton,bikes on trains is just the beginning ofcool. And I say this as a Washingtonnative who grew up taking field trips tothe C&O Canal, which is slightly youngerand more than twice as long as itscounterpart in northern Ohio. I love thatI can pedal from my house to the C&OCanal, and that I can take it all the way toHarpers Ferry, W.Va., or Cumberland,

Md., if I’m feeling adventurous.But last year, when I discovered the

Ohio & Erie Canalway — and so manyrelated activities that I barely had timefor a good sampler — I couldn’t help turna tad green with envy. So in late June, Ireturned to the other canal.

The most vibrant part of the canalway,including the scenic train, is in CuyahogaValley National Park, which lies betweenCleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fameand Canton’s newly renovated Pro Foot-ball Hall of Fame. In the canal’s heyday,from 1827 to 1913, mules pulled boatscarrying passengers and products up anddown the waterway, making it possible toship goods from Lake Erie to the Gulf ofMexico along the Ohio and Mississippirivers.

The canalway towpath stretches 85miles, and when it’s completed in 2020, it

will extend another 16. Every month,countless events fill the canalway calen-dar, from full-moon hikes to horse-drawnboat rides to boomerang classes. In thewinter, the unplowed towpath becomes afavorite spot for cross-country skiers.

I arrived in Macedonia — there are somany tiny towns in the region, youseldom know when you’re leaving oneand entering another — on a Friday nightand awoke the next morning to a lightrain. But I knew that locals would braveall sorts of weather to get to the belovedCountryside Farmers Market. Sureenough, a couple of dozen eager beaverswere queued up behind a rope before themarket opened at 9. We gazed out on anopen field with white vendor tents liningthe perimeter.

“Lots of strawberries today, lots ofproduce,” shouted the all-powerful mar-ket-opener as she began to lower therope. “Have fun out there!” A young girlrang a cowbell, and we shoppers startedacross the wet field.

At each tent, I learned something newabout the region’s bounty. Naturally, theemphasis was on “local,” from grass-fedbuffalo to sheep’s milk blue cheese. Isampled local kale pesto and caressedlocal yarn. In the background, a folksyband played beneath a tent in the centerof the field. I bought some fruit, a tiny pieand a jar of honey.

By mid-morning, the sun was peekingout from behind the clouds, so I parked atone of the trailheads and took my dog fora walk on the towpath. We passed HaleFarm & Village, an outdoor living-historymuseum, which hosts a harvest festivalevery October. On the other side of theriver is Blossom Music Center, a largeoutdoor music venue that featured TobyKeith the weekend of my visit.

Later that day, I embarked on my BikeAboard adventure. On the ride back, thetowpath was busy with cyclists, joggersand bird-watchers. I passed several locksthat raised and lowered boats back in the

day; a couple of folks in period dressexplained to visitors how the canal onceoperated.

That night, I parked my car in Peninsu-la and biked a short distance to CenturyCycles, which has been organizing nightrides on the towpath for 20 years. I’dheard that sometimes up to 200 peopleparticipate, and one night ride everyseason is always a pajama party. Thoughthis wasn’t the weekend to bust out mysuperhero PJs, I had still planned my triparound the ride. I imagined twinklingbikes zipping along the crushed lime-stone path in a magical dark forest, withfrogs ribbiting and bats flying in thebackground.

I joined other cyclists waiting aroundthe bike shop, and a few minutes after8 p.m., a man with a bullhorn gave veryinformal instructions about the ride —which direction we were headed, wherewe should turn around, how to pass(politely, with warning) and that lightswere mandatory.

But lights were unnecessary. I’d failedto remember that this was one of thelongest days of the year, and 15 mileslater, it was barely dusk; our night ridewas foiled by the summer solstice. For afew miles, I rode beside a man who saidthat the fall rides were spectacular –pitch-black except for the bike light infront of you. I pedaled ahead, envious ofhis experience.

But by the time we returned to the bikeshop, the twinkling I’d imagined earlierhad come true: The sun had finally set,and I saw a woman wearing a bike jerseycovered with stars and moons. She’dwrapped teeny blue Christmas lightsaround her bicycle, powered by a smallbattery pack, and at last, in the sort-of-darkness, they glowed. Yet try as I might,I still couldn’t hear any frogs.

travel@washpost.com

Kaplan is a freelance writer in Washington.Her Web site is www.melaniedgkaplan.com.

PHOTOS BY MELANIE D.G. KAPLAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Roll through the lush Ohio & Erie Canal twice: Bike Aboard lets cyclists, top, bike one way on the towpath, left, and ride back on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

At each stop, seats filled withexcited helmet-clad passengers.Children and grandparents satwith their noses to the window,looking for an eagle’s nest or abeaver’s marsh.

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