Introduction: Take me to the river, but first, where is it?

It's the 100th anniversary year of the National Park System. And how lucky am I:  The system is represented in my back yard, 22 minutes from my house. As an inhabitant of northeast Ohio these past 19 years, and as a mother of three, my family and I have sure visited this Cuyahoga National Park, named after the river that runs through its 33,000 acres.

We've hiked the Ledges, cross-country-skied the Kendall Lake loop, downhill-skied Boston Mills and eaten at the Winking Lizard in Peninsula.

I've scoped out the pottery at the Elements Gallery, sold some of my Christmas photo cards at the Peninsula Arts Academy and contra danced at GAR Hall.

We've biked the Towpath Trail, hiked the Oak Hill Trail and looked deep into the depths of Deep Lock Quarry.

We've skipped under the covered bridge on Everett Road, splashed in the water at Blue Hen Falls and dodged the spray at Brandywine Falls.

I've taken my kids to Junior Ranger events, photographed returning herons to the rookery on Bath Road and seen a dam in the making at Beaver Marsh.

         

I've visited dots on the Valley map over the years. But I've never known exactly how the dots connect, where I was in proximity to everything else.

This was especially discombobulating earlier this week when I went into the Valley with my camera for the first (finally) major snowfall of the winter. I had shot a lot of winter shots around Kent.

Now I was ready to try my ISOs at Cuyahoga Valley photography like the landscape pros who slip around the Valley watching for sunsets and beaver damming and eagle sightings and then post their spectacular  photos on the Cuyahoga Valley Photographic Society Facebook page.
Only I didn't really know where to go or even what I was looking for or how I can even attempt to be like them.

Enough was enough, I decided. This is the exciting 100th anniversary year that I'm going to teach myself about this national treasure in my own back yard.

Facts: 1. There are only 59 national parks in the whole wide country. 2. Most of them are in the west. 3. Only 10 are east of the Mississippi. 4. The CVNP is one.

I'm excited about the prospects of this new adventure, excited to challenge myself with nature photography and writing. I'm super excited to be blogging about it here in this space, which I started one morning at 2 a.m. because I was so excited, I couldn't sleep.

BTW and special note: This is not going to be a bona fide, end-all Cuyahoga Valley visitors' guide. This is going to an excited-kid-in-the-candy-store meander.

Thanks for reading and happy new year! And happy birthday to these glorious parks!

~DLH