A Day in Cuyahoga Valley

When we bought the camper we set a goal for ourselves - visit all the National Parks over the next 10 years. It’s ambitious, but it can be done. 

We found ourselves very close to Cuyahoga Valley National Park so of course we had to go. It’s one of the few parks (maybe the only park) that doesn’t permit camping. Some permit primitive camping but don’t have any hookups - and since I have zero interest in that, I know that my visit to those parks will be a day trip. 

But back to Cuyahoga Valley - we started at the Canal Exploration Center. The museum is small, but the exhibits are very informative. We walked a bit of the Erie & Ohio Canal tow path. The locks are in a dismal state of repair. I can’t imagine them doing any lock demonstrations on the locks we saw. (Given that we’ve done several canal cruises in England and Wales, I have first hand experience with lock operation.)

We also went to Brandywine Falls. In all the time I lived in northern Ohio, I’d never been to this area. It’s really very pretty and I’m sure we’ll go check out other areas of the park the next time we’re nearby. 

Mark's Big Adventure

I was going to write a post about Heidi’s big adventure. She managed to escape the camper and wander around our friends’ yard on Sunday morning. But compared to Mark’s Big Adventure, Heidi’s isn’t worth mentioning. 

But first, some background information. Our original plan had been to go to Gettysburg after leaving Ohio. It was a loose plan - we didn’t actually have any reservations, which was probably just as well because on our way in, we stopped at Hueston Woods State Park, near the Indiana/Ohio border. We had our awning out when a storm came through during the night. The wind grabbed the arm of our awning and twisted it.  We would need to get it repaired before we could use the awning. The nearest dealer was in North Canton and the part had to be ordered. Once the part was in, they scheduled the repair for Tuesday, leaving us with no time for Gettysburg or Kelly’s Island, which was Plan B. Our best plan of action was a campground in Mogadore - near Canton. 

It should also be noted that while we were visiting with family and friends, Mark had developed a habit of walking a few miles in the morning and then cycling for 15 or 20 miles in the evening. 

So back to the adventure. We settled in to our campsite in Mogadore. We went for a walk around the lake - far enough for me to meet my 10,000 step goal then we came back and cooked dinner. While we were eating Mark was thinking of getting in the rest of his exercise.

“What time is it?”, he asked.

“7:38”, I answered.

“What time does the sun go down?”

“Probably around 8:30”

“I’m going to get in a cycle ride before the sun goes down.”

“OK. While you do that, I’ll tidy up.”

He hopped on his bike and away he went. 

I wasn't i that big a hurry to tidy up. I looked at Facebook. I caught up with Trivia and Words. I checked my email. Then I figured I’d wasted enough time and he’d be back and the dishes would still be sitting on the picnic table. 

I took them inside, washed them, dried them, and put them away. By the time I finished up, it was nearly 8:30. Mark would be back any minute.

By the time 9 PM rolled around it was fairly dark. No Mark. I thought I’d give him a call and see where he was. I don’t know where he was, but his phone was on the counter. I was concerned. 

By 9:30 I had gone from being concerned into full out panic mode. He was out on a bike with no light, with no helmet, no phone, and most likely no ID. I walked around the campground although I had no idea how that might help.  I thought about getting in the car to go look for him, but I had no idea which way he had gone.

By 9:45 panic got the best of me and I phoned the Mogadore police. Did I want to file a missing persons report? 

“I don’t think he’s run away from home or been kidnapped. But I am beside myself with worry.”

“If it makes you feel better, there’s been no report of any accidents involving a bicycle.”

It did make me feel a bit better, but then it occurred to their dispatcher that I was actually outside the city limits and therefore within the jurisdiction of the Portage County Sheriff. She patched me through. 

We went through what I assume are the usual questions - What is he wearing? How old is he? What kind of bike is it? They suddenly stopped me mid-answer and told me someone would be around to talk to me. Now I was really panicked. Clearly there was something they wanted to tell me in person. Something they couldn’t say on the phone. That couldn’t be good. 

While I was waiting, I kept calling his phone hoping that it would alert his Fitbit and maybe the paramedic who was most certainly working on him would see it and phone me. Then I stopped and asked God to bring him back to me. That seemed to work.

A little after 10 there was a commotion outside. It was Mark. Covered in scratches, cuts and cockleburs and panicked because he knew I would be worried about him. He’d been lost. The sun went down and he couldn’t find his way back in the dark. He'd gone cycling on the footpath around the lake which goes through the woods. It gets dark in the woods before it gets dark in the fields. That's how he came to be cut and scratched and covered in cockleburs. He’d used the techniques he’d learned as a child to find his way back to a road and waited at an intersection to ask directions. By that time he wasn’t far away.

I was sooo happy to see him. (He was pretty happy to see me, too!) I told him the police were coming and that I should probably alert them that he was okay. They were very nice - even offered to send an ambulance when I said he’d come back a bit bloody, but that wasn’t necessary - all surface scratches. 

The next day it took the two of us over an hour to pick the cockleburs out of his shirt. Not all of them were cooperative. The shirt may be ruined. I won’t know until it goes through the laundry. And I don’t care. I don’t think Mark cares, either.

The next day after the RV was fixed we got a cycling helmet and a light for the bike. If they’d had a holder for the iPhone 6, we’d have got that, too. 

I guess I need to get comfortable riding my bike so that the next time he gets lost, I can get lost with him.

Recreational Shopping

Shopping falls into a number of different categories. These days I usually go shopping because I need something - food, clothing, household goods. This type of shopping is a chore. It’s a job and I must do it. Not much in it other than the occasional  satisfaction of finding a bargain. More often than not, it’s just frustrating because I often know exactly what I want and the shopping trip makes it painfully obvious that no one makes that item, or if they do, they don't make it in my size. Or they've sold out of my size. Or the only color available in my size is purple. I feel the same frustration when the grocery store doesn’t have daikon. 

Then there’s retail therapy. This is a lot more fun. You don’t have to worry about not finding what you’re looking for because you’re not really looking for anything. You’re just out to find something you like. Something that will lift your spirits because maybe your week hasn’t been great and a new pair of shoes will fix that. (At least it did before I got those orthotics.)

There’s also recreational shopping. It's a team sport. You've got to have at least one good friend with you! This is what Terri and I did while I was in Ohio. We went to the candle outlet because I used up all my candles when the kitchen got smoked last month and I really needed more. (Okay, maybe I bought a few more than I "needed" but I may not get back that way for a year or two.) Then we went into all the little gift shops on the square in Medina - the type of stores I would’t typically go into unless I needed to buy a gift. 

I bought things I wouldn’t buy if I were on a solo shopping trip - a dishtowel that says “Cat Hair - a condiment as well as a fashion accessory”. (Terri bought the “dog” equivalent.) Between us we bought scarves, socks, and costume jewelry. We tried on hats. We browsed through vintage clothing stores. We had lunch in a tea room - another thing you don’t do when you’re shopping on your own or with your husband. We caught up with each other. We laughed at things that happened that day and at things from the past. I had a really good time. I hadn't realized how much I miss doing things like that.

And Terri, if you’re reading this - come visit me next year and we’ll do the same thing in McKinney. Maybe they’ll have opened another tea room by then. 

Through the Window

I couldn’t believe that I got a blistering sunburn through the car window. The car window is tinted. It never happened before. What could have caused it? Perhaps a drug interaction? The only drug I was taking that I hadn’t been taking for years was doxycycline - an antibiotic to help me get rid of a bit of bronchitis. 

I went in to a pharmacy to ask. The pharmacist looked at my "cooked until it was red and blistered" arm and said “Wow”. But yes, apparently all the “cycline” drugs can cause hypersensitivity to sun. 

I brought that drug with me from Texas, where I live. Texas. Sunshine. Ridiculous Heat. You would have thought someone would have mentioned that when I picked up the prescription. I just wasn't sure. I usually pay attention to whatever the pharmacist tells me. What I did remember for sure is that when the doctor’s office told me they were prescribing it, they told me to be sure to take it with food. When I picked it up at the pharmacy, they told me to take it on an empty stomach. Maybe I was so confused by whether or not I should eat that I didn’t hear them tell me I could end up with a blistering burn if I was exposed to the sun for any length of time. Then again, what are the odds that someone is going to sit in a car for eight hours straight two days in a row? (Pretty good, if you're me.) 

I bought some SPF 85 for babies and some aloe gel and asked how long it would take the cycline to get out of my system. (A day or two.) I avoided making it worse, although I still have a few red splotches on my arm over a week later. AND I looked up the drug information sheet when I got home. It was there - number 5 on the list of 8. Right after "take it with plenty of water" and just before "don't lie down for at least 10 minutes after you take it." Of course I took all the doses with just enough water to swallow them and I often took the evening dose while sitting in bed and laid down almost immediately. Who knows what damage I've caused? I guess I'd better start reading this stuff before I end up with a really serious problem.


 

It Had to Happen

Before we took the weekend trip to Hot Springs, I read other people’s tips and tricks for traveling with cats. Nothing I read was especially helpful. Put a harness on either of my cats and they fall over sideways. Using a harness to corral them wasn't going to be an option. Most people offering tips suggested that you didn't want your cat to have anything to eat or drink about two hours before leaving. I didn't see that happening, either. And let's remember that they are not dogs. You can't demand that they relieve themselves. Still, the trip to Hot Springs was fairly easy. They rode in the back of the Jeep in their carriers. There wasn’t really much need to provide food and potty opportunities because it was a relatively short trip.

This trip was different. We'd be traveling for at least two or three days.  We got through the first day just fine. Perhaps they were scared shitless. Literally. On day two we had a problem. We were cruising along when Heidi started to get really vocal. I tried to soothe her with words, but she just kept on so I did what any cat mom does - I let her out of the carrier. She jumped up and looked out the window in the back. Then she jumped up on my lap and looked out my window. After a bit of looking around everywhere she went into the back seat and picked her spot. The spot of choice was Mark’s old blue Sun Microsystems canvas briefcase. It's what we use to keep laptops, ipads, chargers, flash drives and all electronic gear from going astray. It was sitting on the floor behind the driver's seat.

When I saw what she was going to do, I told Mark. He wanted me to “stop” her. Really?? How was I supposed to do that? Sorry, but once that process gets started, you can’t stop man nor beast. She pooped on the bag. To give credit where credit is due, everything inside the bag was protected. Nothing got stinky. Nothing got wet. (Sun Microsystems did give away some top quality items!) Bottom line, it wasn’t Heidi’s fault. It was our fault. We didn’t provide a suitable place for her to potty and If you don’t provide a place, the cat will choose one. It will not be the place you would choose and you probably won’t like it. And she did do her best to tell me.

As soon as we could find a rest area, we set the litter box up in the back of the Jeep and opened both carriers so they could move about freely and use the box whenever they wanted to. A much better arrangement. I cleaned the briefcase and sprayed it with disinfectant. While I couldn’t smell anything on it, I’m sure that Heidi and Harry could. Harry kept nosing around sniffing it. It would never be safe again and so ended its useful life in a dumpster in Illinois. The backpack that replaced it is less than satisfactory. We have been unable to keep track of our chargers since we lost that bag and are now in the market for a new one. Anyone know where  I can fine one of those old, Navy blue Sun bags?