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On our drive from Hocking Hills to Akron, we stopped in Canton in order to check out the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Like me, you may ask, why is the Pro Football Hall of Fame located in Canton, OH?  The primary reason is that the American Professional Football Association, which later became the National Football League, was founded in Canton in 1920.  In addition, the Canton Bulldogs were an early pro-football power team.  If you’re a fan of professional football, it’s worth taking the time to visit.

We were parked at the Cherokee Park Campground located about 8 miles east of Akron, OH.

The only National Park in the state of Ohio is the Cayuhoga Valley National Park which occupies 33,000 acres along the Cayuhoga River between Cleveland and Akron.  This park is relatively new, having been created as a National Recreation Area in 1974 and designated as a National Park in 2000.  It also includes the Ohio and Erie Canal (and its associated towpath) which was opened in 1827.  The canal generally follows the course of the Cayuhoga River and replaced the river as the primary transportation artery.  We hiked the Stanford House trail to Brandywine Falls, a 65 foot waterfall on Brandywine Creek.

On another day we did a little sightseeing in downtown Cleveland.  The day we were there was the day for game 4 of the NBA Finals series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Sacramento Warriors to be played in Cleveland.  You could definitely feel the buzz.  You could also see lots of construction activity and other preparations being made for the Republican National Convention which will be held here in July.  I would call it “The Apprentice – POTUS Edition”.

Public Square is one of the Cleveland landmarks that is undergoing major sprucing up for the convention.  However, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument remains open.  It is a tribute to participants in the Civil War.  We also took a walk to the lake front area and then drove down to Ohio City.  This is an area across the river from Cleveland that seems to be undergoing some renaissance.  There is a remodeled West Side Market and several micro-breweries have moved in around it.

We had a snack of steamed mussels at Market Garden Brewery and sampled some of their beers in a 4 item sampler.  I recently purchased a “take home” jug so that when I find a good micro-brew I can take some with me.  It’s not a full growler since our RV fridge is a little tight but it is essentially half of a growler, 32 ounces.  In this case I took home some of the Hellamango IPA from Market Garden Brewery.

Next stop:  Conneaut, OH