Paying the beavers a visit...

Thursday, February 10, 2011


There will be a new addition to the Lorain/Carnegie Bridge in 2012. ODOT announced that it will be adding a dedicated, multiuse path for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the Cuyahoga River. It will be six feet wide and have a barrier separating vehicular traffic from users. I suppose this is a good thing, though maybe I’m missing something. Sure…it will be good to cross the bridge on a bike protected by a barrier from vehicles, but as soon as you get to either end of the bridge, you’re right back into traffic and so I’m not so sure why this matters so much. I’ve done a lot of downtown riding, having spent 18 years with the Cleveland Athletic Club and often riding from my home in Willowick to the Club. I must admit that I never had to cross the Lorain/Carnegie Bridge, though I know there is a dedicated bike lane across it now…without a barrier. I spent many very careful miles making my commute in those days knowing that if I didn’t…I’d get hit. Thankfully, I never did and if I was working downtown now and had a place to shower…I’d still be riding to work.

The cost of the dedicated path over the bridge will be $6 million…which is another thing that gives me pause. I’m sure the construction numbers add up, but wow…$6 million for a stretch of road about a half mile long? What I absolutely applaud though, is anything that makes biking, walking or running to work easier. The more people we get out of cars and self-propelled, the better for them and the environment.

It was the coldest walk of the year for Dakota and me. We made our way down to the marsh and proceeded to walk out on it and all the way over to the beaver lodge. John was supposed to have joined me, but I suppose he could have seen yesterday’s posting and was worried about being used as a guinea pig to test the strength of the ice. No matter…it held. I did kick my toe through the snow to find some water seeping up, but that was it. Dakota was quite interested in the lodge…sniffing like something was there. The beaver were probably just inside and laughing their beaver butts off at us for being out in such frigid temperatures. They were right to laugh. It was the first time in a long time that I’ve actually felt like I could have used some face protection from the biting cold wind that was freezing my nose and cheeks. I decided to give up the marsh and get back inside the tree line where there was protection from the wind and a sub-zero chill factor.

We returned to our car in a little over an hour and found the parking lot practically empty. I suppose the sensible folks were inside, which is okay with me…I like having the entire park to myself.

Hike duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 90 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 325.